No Place to Sit

It seems like a million years since I first heard about Mayor Newsom’s plans to revitalize 6th and Market. My knee-jerk reaction was to oppose it; if you revitalize 6th and Market, a well established hangout spot for the “undesirable” members of the population of San Francisco, then where will they go? In the game of gentrification we keep moving low to no income people out of newly desirable areas, thereby pushing them to the edges of the city. When you try to clean your house by shoving everything in the closet it works fine till you decide you want your closet too.

It took so long for anything to happen that I assumed either interest, funding or both had petered out. This year, however, I noticed some changes on Natoma between 6th and 7th. First the street was dug up and pipes were fixed, then came some nice brick work (actually brick facade, but who’s keeping track) in the street, some trees, and a lovely mosaic (faux too, but that’s okay) on the road. All of these were improvements directed to the residents of the area, and are really quite pleasant. I am a whole hearted supporter of decorating the city for the benefit of all.

My concern, then and now, is that these renovations are being done with the hope of bringing higher rents and higher class tenants. But even more disconcerting is that they are being done with the hope of pushing out the folks who are currently inhabiting the sidewalks. “Blight and crime,” this is the phrase used to describe the current state of this area. My research into this situation consisted largely of reading all the articles I could find online, and not a single one seemed to consider that the folks on the street actually EXIST. As in, they are not just a BLIGHT on the sidewalk to annoy the more productive members of society. They are people with communities working to survive, and whatever we do to 6th and Market will have the greatest effect on them.

My attention was brought back to the 6th and Market revitalization plan by an article about the possibility of the Burning Man offices moving into the area. It describes the exciting idea of the area being transformed into a “civics-oriented arts district,” but still fails to mention what will be done with the folks who are already there. I am not suggesting that we should just leave the area alone, well I might suggest that, but I know it’s not going to happen, so I’ve come up with a better plan. Let’s not shove the “blight” who are already inhabiting the area in the closet. Instead let’s make several blocks of awesome. What isn’t discussed much is that there is already a collection of civics minded folks working in this area. There is the San Francisco AIDS Foundation who run a lot of the needle exchange in San Francisco, various UCSF research studies going on in offices who depend on IV Drug Users in the area to gather important data, CityTeam Ministries, and Hospitality House. In addition to offering support to merchants and artists, we should encourage social justice providers to expand their work in the area. There is currently a recreation center, but expanding the hours could offer more time in a dedicated safe space.

Unfortunately, from what I can find, the only project that is truly marked for go ahead is a giant mall located between 5th and 6th street on the South side of Market. They are hoping to cater to “affordable, value-based retail tenants.” Of course I immediately think of Target and Ross. I’m not specifically against another mall on Market, but I am worried that with retail as the only major interest in the area, the focus on civics and arts will melt away. A major positive aspect of this project is that they say they are dedicated to hiring local people, and with projected needs of a 700+ workforce (not including the construction jobs before it is finished), that could really put a dent in the employment needs of the area.

There is no panhandling lobby, but people who are deemed a blight still need protection and consideration. This helps the entire community, because shuffling people from one area to another is not a viable solution.