Mission Dispatch

What Does Your Bag Say About You?
By Deanna Simon May 12, 2008
Nobody wants to be passé. You’ve ditched the shoulder pads and stilettos. The parachute pants and splatter painted t-shirt are long gone. Hopefully you don’t still think it’s okay to use disposable bags like they’re going out of style. Oh wait, they already are out of style.

What San Francisco Can Do About Gangs
by Jeff Adachi Apr 22, 2008
San Francisco’s gang problem is not new. In the 1850s, the "Sydney Ducks," a gang of ex-cons from Australia, reportedly committed countless murders, robberies, assaults, and arsons in Sydney-Town, an area that encompassed much of today’s Financial District. A group called the "Committee of Vigilance" responded to the violence by conducting secret trials, lynchings, deportations, and summary executions. While the vigilantes were successful in driving out the criminal element, many innocent people were also misidentified and stereotyped as gang members.

Dear Editor:
Mar 18, 2008
I read the article today, and was surprised to see several significant inaccuracies. City Attorney Herrera told you that out of 100 named gang members, only 1 had stepped forward to contest his case. This is not true. There were 9 individuals who stepped forward to contest their inclusion in the three gang injunctions. Of 9, 3 were determined not to be members of any gang. The reason why we only represented 8 is because we had to rely on lawyers who would volunteer their services, since none of the individuals could afford to hire a lawyer. The City Attorney disingenuously asks why more people haven’t contested the injunction. There were dozens of individuals who wanted to fight the injunction — it’s just without a lawyer willing to take their case, they are without luck, and unfortunately, cannot contest the City Attorney’s designation as a gang member.

Saving the Mission's Uniqueness? What Uniqueness?
Feb 15, 2008
An extremely one-sided article ('Securing the Uniqueness of the Mission' — January 2008). Where is the balance? Who commissioned the study noted in the article? If Mr Farrell views the streaming video of the Small Business Commission hearing, he will hear Pilar Schiavo explain that Ammiano is proposing a Formula Retail ban at the behest of MEDA, and as a direct response for not getting his way in the case of 3400 Cesar Chavez (old Kelly-Moore site). This is pure political get-back, and in no way is meant to help merchants or shoppers. Take a look for yourself: sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=45 (December 10, 2007 Item

To Whom Are We Accountable?
By Heidi Andrea Restrepo Rhodes Feb 10, 2008
On February 4th millions took to the streets in Colombia and worldwide to protest the FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo/Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army). Online and media debates have been rife with arguments that are increasingly polarizing an issue which requires a far more complex attentiveness. We are so quick to point fingers while the binary of “for or against” rings familiar for both U.S. and Colombian citizens, as the rhetoric of anti-terrorism proliferates, particularly in this post-9/11 world. The notion of the nation’s ‘internal enemy’ has been amplified in the social imaginary, allowing for ‘national security’ to extend its reaches into the folds of the everyday, impinging on what once were, for many of us privileged with citizenship in the United States, assumed freedoms. For Colombia, the effects of Uribe’s Democratic Security and Defense Policy remains alarming as such polarization mandates patriotic allegiance from the nation’s citizenry, and freedoms are also interfered for the promise of the public’s protection. And yet, the complexity of this moment cannot be reduced to this alone. A vigilant inquiry would require a more profound exploration of the socio-political histories and present, of Colombia’s internal politics, and of U.S-Colombia relations.

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