Patrol

Correction:  The Glen Park Patrol will be meeting at 8:00 pm on Thursday October 30th.  If there are enough participants we will walk.

Thank you!

We are still here....

Just FYI we continue to watch Buddies Market daily. It of course is getting increasingly more difficult as the weather gets colder and concerned glen park residents get fewer (not that any of the 600 concerned have ever come out to support the neighborhood). Most nights it is just us two (can't wait to get our other 2 regulars back!).

Get out of my Trash and Recycling or else....

I really can't stand these people. And while I understand the economy is bad right now, these thieves leave a trail of strewn garbage, rats and bugs.

Yes, I called them thieves. Both city and state law prohibit the theft of recyclable materials. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW! The yearly amount lost is $500,000 which you could see as a reduction in your garbage bill but for these thieves.

What can you do about it?

1. Call the police: 415.553.0123 - The police would love a description of the vehicle and licence plate number, description of the individuals and which way they are headed.

2. Fill out this form whenever you see thieves in your neighborhood: Theft Report Form.

These guys are aggressive and hostile so be careful!!

You can read more about the recycle thieves in San Francisco (Glen Park is mentioned) here: SFGate Article.

The Hustle and Bustle of Glen Park

The sights and sounds of Glen Park.  COME AND JOIN THE PATROL and maybe you too can experience the magic of Glen Park at night.

We have seen police for the last two nights which is nice and now they are beginning to recognize us.  The consistent crew consists of Ann, Ron, Donald, Charles, Joe, R and myself.  Thank god for these guys otherwise we would be freezing by ourselves.

09.20.08 & 09.21.08

Pretty much no police out on either night. Reports of gunfire (was really a motorcycle backfire) and one squad car came to "scene".

It saddened us to wake up to Glen Park being bombed by taggers. I really hate the graffiti and know that some neighbors and businesses are scared to wipe it off for fear of retaliation. I would love to catch just one of these taggers.

If you ever see taggers in the neighborhood call the police asap.

09.17.08 & 09.18.08

Well a few neighbors have been consistently coming out to talk and "patrol".  Certainly not the numbers we ultimately want but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Thank you to everyone that has been coming out (even remote control guy who we met tonight).  It has been great getting to know everyone and their dogs.  

Here is a nice shot of our hands including a pooch paw.

"What can we do right now"

"What can we do right now" was the question posed by one individual at that meeting last Monday night. Remember that meeting? We were all fired up but this passion seems to have died down.

I have the answer. COME JOIN US ON THE CORNER OF DIAMOND AND CHENERY AT 8:45 pm. That is what you can do right now to support your community and business owners. Get out of your warm bed and meet your neighbors. We need community involvement plain and simple. We cannot rely on our already strained and stretched thin police force.

Will we see you tonight? Prove me wrong and show up.

09.16.08

No police out tonight. We are certainly going to have to get used to this as will Buddies Market....

09.15.08

Our neighborhood butcher (J), R and boys went walking in the neighborhood tonight (neighbors called the police thinking they were casing the neighborhood).  I guess that is good that people are paying attention but these boys are on our side!

David and Bear came out to join us again as well as Ann and Ron.

A ton of police headed up Diamond around 9:30 in response to shots fired.  We did not hear them down by Buddies Market.  But we did have the police shined on us a few times and the police stopped and talked to us several times.

The Butcher and His Boys

I hear that our neighborhood butcher and his boys are interested in patrolling tonight....or at least getting to know the neighborhood on foot.  They will be looking for places that individuals can hide out, dark spots in the neighborhood etc.  They will accompany one of our founding members R on a tour of the neighborhood.

Don't let them scare you....they are on our side :)

09.14.08

We are starting to have neighbors actually meet us on Diamond and Chenery....often the same people but people nonetheless.  

There were police out tonight.

09.13.08

No police officers out tonight....not one. Even when Buddies Market was closing.

We will need to get used to not having the officers around as they can't be around forever (unfortunately). I have heard they are only staying around until Paul comes back so we will need to be ready for this as a neighborhood.

We met a new friend originally from London (S) and his dog Penny tonight. Great to meet you both.

09.12.08

Tonight was a quite night.  Not many neighbors came out.  We saw one police officer on foot patrol.  Thank you Officer Lundy!

A Letter to the Shoe Gods

Dear Shoe Gods,

Thank you so much for removing the 2 pairs of shoes hanging from the power lines on Diamond and Chenery. Whether these shoes marked a place to buy drugs, a place were someone had been murdered, or just were thrown up their by some village youth, we are very appreciative that they are now gone. They were definitely an eye sore.

If you run into the street light gods can you let them know we are having some issues with one of their troops located on the corner of Diamond and Chenery (right in front of Tygers). My guess is that it is only a bulb issue but I am no electrician.

Sincerely,

Your Friends - The GPP

09.11.08

Last night there was another large police presence in the village. And I am sure we have Captain O'Leary to thank.

We met some more people who actually asked us if we were the Glen Park Patrol....crazy because I had no idea people were actually going to read this blog. Someone even asked us if we were police officers (wearing my crocs and all :)).

P.S. To my police officer friend who allowed me to warm my hands on the hood of his squad car...thank you. It was a bit chilly last night.

Why I Love Glen Park

I never get packages at the house. This one day there is a buzz at the gate. I look down only to see the UPS man (I know you all know his name but of course it escapes me as I write this post). I buzz him in. He looks at me, looks at the package, looks at me again, looks at the package. I think he is at the wrong house. I ask him what's up....

He proceeds to tell me that he recognizes the last name but has never delivered to this name on Diamond Street....always on Duncan Street. I had to tell him that my grandparents used to live on Duncan Street.....the "used to live there" is always a tough subject for me.

Anyway he introduced himself and told me he had been delivering to the area for many years and remembered my grandparents and what nice folks they were. How cool is that...he remembered my grandparents. He named me the Famous Granddaughter and went on his merry way.

I wonder what I can order on the internet today and have delivered via UPS?

09.10.08

We met up again at the corner of Diamond and Chenery last night. Basically the same group of people joined us with the exception of a few who stopped to talk on their way home from dinner.

We stayed out a bit longer tonight (about an hour). After Buddies closed we headed over to Canyon Market to make sure all was good.

Saw a bunch of police presence today. Even last night while on the corner around 9:30 we got some waves from passing police cars. Nice to know they don't think we are casing Glen Park.

Come join us on the corner of Diamond and Chenery (in front of Buddies) around 8:45 even if it is just to introduce yourselves or just say hi!!

09.09.08

Last night we joined a few neighbors and 2 dogs in front of Buddies Market. We were there to make sure Buddies employees along with Canyon Market employees got home/to their cars safely.

I had a great time meeting my neighbors, venting etc. Come join us!

We got to talking about how dark the Diamond St. side of Buddies Market is...you know the side that always gets tagged. I told Ann about these solar powered wireless motion sensor lights that only require a few screws to install. They are only like $55.00. Just think how much good a few of these could do.

From Home Security Store.

Glen Park, Thug Hub?

Did the Chronicle really call Glen Park a Thug Hub?
I am going to have to politely disagree. Technically "hub" means a center of activity or interest. So a Thug Hub would mean a center of thug activity.

I walk in our neighborhood daily and don't see a lot of thug activity. I do see a lot of children and families going about their daily routines. Obviously the writer does not live around these parts.

The History of GPP

We were burglarized twice in the span of 2 days in August. Made me sick to my stomach and I even stayed home from work....who can live like that?

One of my first questions was where the heck were my neighbors? How can an individual completely wipe out someones garage full of furniture and large items without anyone seeing a thing. Then I realized I really didn't know my neighbors. This is going to change.

When I heard about our friend Paul and the attack I wanted to throw up. How can this happen in our neighborhood to our good friend and hardworking shop owner?

Thus the birth of the Glen Park Patrol (think Guardian Angels with a Glen Park twist). Time to take back our village. Who is with me?