The SFPD: Keeping Car Seats Warm In The City

(9/26/14.  5:15 am)
I'm really annoyed by and disappointed in the San Francisco Police Department.  A short while ago, I was awakened by the sounds of two people yelling at each other and someone throwing trash into the street. Cans, bottles, metallic objects, paper... whatever was in the corner City-owned can, some imbecile was out there, doing the Haight Street Shuffle and throwing it into the middle of the street, while verbally berating his girlfriend.

I put a great deal of effort into helping to keep my neighborhood clean and safe for everybody everyday. I clean up broken glass. I pick up discarded bottles so they don't end up as broken glass.  I wash away blood and feces (Yes, it's gross. Hopefully it's only canine) from the sidewalks and from in front of shop entryways.  I carry various sidewalk-discarded items to the Goodwill, if they are in good enough condition to re-sell.  I do this for free.  Because I care and because I love and respect my neighborhood.

SFPD officers get paid significant amounts of taxpayer money for putting forth their efforts towards the same goal:  Public Safety.  Or, so I thought (Silly me, I believed the advertising).

I called the SFPD Non-Emergency number shortly before 5am, because the way this guy was going at the trash, he was going to empty the (formerly) full can into the street and then walk away (on to the next trash can) after leaving a huge, unsightly and unsafe mess that would get spread out further and further in every direction.  Of course, I'm going to get a broom and dustpan and gloves and go clean it up before that happens.  But, I can't do it right now, because the asshole who did it just came back - again - and threw some more trash around and then headed down the street.  But, he might come back yet again and I don't want to have to clean it up twice.

Anyway, by the time the black-and-white showed up, the dude was tackling his girlfriend to the ground (he'd already shoved her into a metal gate).  She was yelling at him to get off of her.  So, when the police put their spotlight on the couple in mid-knock-down-drag-out, I thought, "Hurray!  Now, the police can/will do something because they caught him in the act of physically assaulting his girlfriend (he'd stopped emptying the trash can by then).  I was wrong.  Whomever was in that squad car did (drum-roll, please) absolutely nothing!  No voice came over the P.A..  No officer exited the car to ask them what was going on.  Nada.  Unless you want to count the conversation they had with some other officer(s) inside a second police car that had rolled up after the first one, watched the end of the wrestling match and then drove up to the first car's driver's side window and had a chat whilst the girl started picking up her stuff and the guy just strolled off in the opposite direction. (I could just imagine their conversation: Officer #1: "You deal with this one, I don't want to have to do the paperwork." Officer #2: "Nope, I don't feel like getting out of the car.") When they finished their visit, I still had hope the police officers would do something.  After all, all of the SFPD squad cars have bumper stickers on them that declare "There's No Excuse For Domestic Violence".  Now, I think the stickers are placed there just to cover up rust spots.

I called the SFPD non-emergency number again, shortly after 5am , thoroughly disgusted.  I told the operator what had transpired.  About how the officers who 'responded' did nothing.  She asked me why I hadn't said (in my first phone call) that the guy was hitting the girl.  I told her why:  Because he hadn't been hitting her at that point.  Unlike when the car rolled up on the couple.  I let her know where the girl was.  I thought she might send someone to check on her.  I let her know the asshole was headed towards Golden Gate Park.  She said she'd let the officers know.  I should have asked her to let some different officers know - like two who would actually do something. They did a repeat performance of... Nothing. How do I know? Because the asshole is back across the street - for the third? fourth? time - adding to his masterpiece.

I just called again - this is getting ridiculous, the near empty can is in the street - and now, apparently, they don't have a record of my earlier calls.  The reason I think so is that the operator asked if, possibly, I'd given a different address, earlier.

What pisses me off about this is that the SFPD will exit their lane-blocking squad cars in order to jack-up random homeless people all the live-long day (apparently, for being homeless - which is a situation, not a crime) - asking for ID and running their names and telling them to "Move along!".  But, when I actually call because some fool is creating a hazard and they - with their own eyes - see him assaulting some girl... they do nothing.|

And, they make it look so... effortless!

*Post Script:

Seeing this makes my day:  A couple of construction workers working on that block just swept it up! Thank You!