Crime Beat: High Speed Police Chase Through Noe Valley Ends In Arrest Near Alvarado School

From Tuesday on Twitter:

Crazy police activity in Noe Valley, High Speed Police Chase and activity on 21st between Douglass x Eureka Street.
— localcalifornia (@localcalifornia) August 27, 2013

And:

Something's going down in Noe Valley (SF). I count 8 cop cars. pic.twitter.com/XkNB6Hq2Xd
— Gary Clayton (@garyc) August 27, 2013

We've been trying to figure out what it was all about, and today this was in the Ingleside Station newsletter: 

August 27

Robbery -- 12:40pm, Unit Blk Castillo. A robbery victim was walking home when he noticed a suspect walking towards him and asked the victim to use his phone. The victim handed over the phone and instead of using it the suspect put the phone in his pocket. The victim asked, “What are you doing?” The suspect then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the victim. Fearing for his life, the victim told the suspect to keep the phone. The victim immediately ran home and called the police telling dispatch that the suspect just fled the scene in a Black Mazda vehicle. Moments later, Officer Aslam and Walsh arrived and began tracking the victim’s phone. Officer Aslam was able to ping the phone and kept the responding units updated on the phones current location, which was showing at Mission and Trumbull Street. Officers Barcojo, Chin and Sgt Hoo were listening to the broadcast and happened to be at the right place at the right time because they saw the Black Mazda vehicle speeding past them. The officers got behind the vehicle in an attempt to pull it over, but instead lead them in a vehicle pursuit. The officers followed the vehicle as it sped through city streets having no regard for the safety of the pedestrians and vehicles on the street. Several Ingleside units joined in on the chase, pursuing the suspect vehicle through the Ingleside and Mission Districts. The suspect thought he would try to lose the officers by pulling into a driveway and sneak out of the area on foot, but the officers were right behind and apprehended the suspect. A search of the suspect turned up the victim’s phone and a search of the vehicle revealed a pellet gun that was made to look like a real handgun. The vehicle that the suspect was driving was also a stolen vehicle. The suspect was ultimately taken to Ingleside Station and booked on a several felony charges.

[Photo: @garyc]

NVV September 2013: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until the middle of the month.

September 2013

Front Page: Phoenix Books on 24th Street is for sale; Upper Noe Rec Center celebrates "Cinco de Noe" on Sept 7 - a day of live music, kid crafts, a dog parade and recreation; residents on Alvarado seek to curb free parking and petition for a residential area permit.

Letters: An Elizabeth St. resident wonders why private "Google buses" are allowed to idle in Muni bus stops for free; another resident of "West Noe" is unhappy with the no-parking zones created by endless and seemingly poorly coordinated PG&E construction work; a Noe native who lives on 25th at Noe reminisces about how Walgreens used to be a Baby Bell Market, Noe Bagel was a Double Rainbow, and Savor used to be Courtyard Cafe.

Features and Short Takes: A farewell letter from police officer Lois Perillo who is retiring after 29 years with the SFPD, 10 of which she spent patrolling 24th St; R.I.P. Ruth Asawa; Upper Noe Recreation Center turns 5 this year; the Bernal Heights marmot is rescued at Alvarado and deported to Yosemite; Music in the Square debuts on Sept 8 from 1-5pm, a free music festival featuring food, live music and a activities for kids in the future Town Square space; StreetLightsSF is a new app from the SFPUC that lets you report streetlight outages (or you can just call 311).

Cost of Living in Noe: Average price for a home: $1.8 million. Condos? $1 million. Also, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams exits Noe, and more luxury homes have been sold in the NV-Castro-Cole Valley area in 2013 than in any other area of the city.

Rumors: Bay Castle Cleaners is gone and the owners of the building who own and operate St. Clair's Liquors next door are submitting plans to build it out into a commercial space with residential units above and parking spaces in the back - they expect construction to begin in 1-2 years and in the meantime plan to rent the space to a pop-up store; LOLA was asked to vacate her storefront on Castro and after looking frantically in Noe, found a better space on Clement; false alarm on Tung Sing closing - the for rent sign belonged to a residential apartment above, so Noe's oldest Chinese steam table is still open for business.

Strange: Last month the NVV announced a change to their website: "Beginning this month, you'll be able to view the Noe Valley Voice online in the same layout in which it appears in print, including all of the original formatting, photos, and display ads." So while you'll get all the ads, the content is no longer indexed by search engines. Too bad.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week In Noe Valley: Glassholes, Bike Thief Shaming, And A Wayward Marmot Is Caught

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Geoffrey Nunberg's take on glassholes in his SF neighborhood (yeah...Noe Valley) [Fresh Air]
• Marmot vacationing in Bernal Heights apprehended at Alvarado Elementary in Noe Valley. Bernalwood scooped, MSM swooped. [NBC Bay Area]
• More on the Marmot, how he was caught and what's next for him [SFGate]
• SFPD now shaming bike thieves on Twitter [SFist]
• 3 of the most expensive cities in the US to raise kids are in the Bay Area (and Noe’s no bargain) [On The Block]
• But Noe Valley rentals aren't that expensive (compared to SOMA and Russian Hill) [SF Sentinel]
• Disquieting froyo disclosure from a Noe resident [Partial Disclosures]
• Todd David on KALW radio's Your Call [KALW]

[Photo: cierawest]

Crime Beat: Aggravated Assault On Day St

Information is from Mission and Ingleside District San Francisco Police Station newsletters.

June 8, 2013

Aggravated Assault -- 10:25pm, 100 Blk Day St. Officers McMilton and Peregrina responded to an aggravated assault. They located a victim who was bleeding profusely from the head area and immediately summoned an ambulance to the scene. The reportee was on scene and told them that he was leaving his home when he saw a male hitting the victim over the head several times with a baseball bat. The victim then fell to the ground and the reportee called the police. The suspect fled toward Church but the witness said he would not be able to identify him.

The officers attempted to speak with the victim who said he could not recall the events clearly. He told them that he was walking down the street and saw the suspect pass him, but did not think anything. Suddenly, he said, he was hit from behind, but did not know with what. He told the officers he would be unable to recognize the suspect if he saw him again.

The officers took pictures of the victim’s injuries and assisted the ambulance with the transportation to the hospital. There were no other witnesses at the scene and no surveillance cameras were located in the vicinity.

Bomb Threat Evacuates 4100 Block Of Cesar Chavez

News today via Celia Sack of Omnivore Books that fire and police were converging on Noe Valley:

What's up Noe Valley? Police cars screaming in every direction!
— Omnivore Books (@omnivorebooks) May 3, 2013

She also Tweeted that Search/Rescue and HazMat were on the way, too. @bling0 confirmed with more detailed information:

Bomb squad in Noe Valley near Cesar Chavez and Castro. Residents told to evacuate area.
— Benjamin Ling (@bling0) May 3, 2013

Neighbor @coudron pinpointed the location and confirmed evacuation:

I was just asked to evacuate the 4100 block of Cesar Chavez because of a bomb threat. Anyone have updates?
— Chris Coudron (@coudron) May 3, 2013

And while we figured it wise to stay away, other neighbors were more adventurous. A nearby neighbor sent us the scoop:

I overhead some of the people who live in the building that was evacuated talking ... apparently a guy who lives in one of the units is a bit strange and recently has been getting stranger, possibly a paranoid schizophrenic. Over the last few months, he’s been switching numbers on people’s doors as if he doesn’t want someone to find him, leaving notes around the building about Donald Trump wanting to blow things up… fun stuff like that. Then today he called the police with a bomb scare, saying someone was trying to blow up the building. When the cops arrived they found some stuff in the front of the building that didn’t look right and decided to play it safe and call in the bomb squad. According to their report, the crazy neighbor was taken into custody by the police, screaming in the back of the police car. You can tell they were really tired of this guy.

Of course there will probably be more once the police start talking and the news crews figure out how to find this dead end street. Stay tuned.

@noevalleysf NBC investigative unit van just drove by heading up there (love when they all hit that dead end!).
— Omnivore Books (@omnivorebooks) May 3, 2013

Update 3:45pm:

Residents in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood are being evacuated this afternoon after police detained a man and then called the bomb squad to the area, a police spokesman said.

Around 12:40 p.m., police were notified about a suspicious person in the 4100 block of Cesar Chavez Street, Officer Gordon Shyy said.

Arriving officers found a man in the carport area of a residential building and detained him.

While responding, officers determined there were a suspicious object or substance in the area and called for the department’s bomb squad and hazardous materials team to come to the area.

Homes on the dead-end street were evacuated around 1:45 p.m. and the intersection of Castro and Cesar Chavez streets was blocked off to pedestrians and motorists, Shyy said.

As of 2:50 p.m., the area remained shut down.

No injuries have been reported, Shyy said.

Sasha Lekach, Bay City News

Update 4:30pm: The helicopters are gone.

Ok, people, show's over, no Noe bomb. Just a huge waste of taxpayer resources.#NoeValley #nobomb@noevalleysf
— Erika Was (@erikawas) May 3, 2013

This Week In Noe Valley: Another Stuck Truck, Noe Valley History, And A Debate About How To Help Restaurants Thrive

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Nailed it! [The Bold Italic]
• Pictures of stuck trucks on our hills never get old [Mitchell Fox]
• A brief history of Noe Valley [Yahoo!; better: Bill Yenne]
• Upper Noe Rec Center's April newsletter [UNRC]
• A benefit at St Aidan's Church in Diamond Heights [St Aidan's]
• More debate about whether the hot hot hot Valencia St restaurant scene needs a moratorium like the one that Noe Valley (finally) discarded [Uptown Almanac]
• Not the brightest blowtorch wielding ATM thief [SF Examiner]

[Photo: inger]

Crime Beat: Armed Robbery

Information is from Mission and Ingleside District San Francisco Police Station newsletters.

January 26

Robbery w/ Gun -- 6:20pm, 29th /Noe St. Officer Lockett was on patrol when he was dispatched to investigate a robbery incident. When the officer arrived he interviewed the victim who told him that that she was sitting at the bus stop alone at 29th and Noe when she was approached by two suspects. One of the suspects held a handgun and pointed at the victim, the victim was in fear for her life. The suspects demanded to give them everything she has or else they would harm her. The victim gave her purse to the suspects and she was told by the suspects to walk away southbound on Noe St. The suspects then fled on foot eastbound on 29th. Officers searched the area and detained a suspect who had similar description. This turned out not to be the suspect and was later released. Officer checked the area for video surveillance with negative results.

[Photo: Google Street View]

Crime Beat: Scott Wiener Holds Community Meeting In The Castro

Scott Wiener hosted a community meeting on Monday to "discuss recent crime trends in the area." Scott links to a SF Weekly summary, but this (barely edited) entry on Nextdoor by Mariva A. gives a lot more information.

January 28, 2013
Eureka Valley Recreation Center

SPEAKERS:

• District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener
• SFPD Captain Robert Moser (Mission Station precinct)
• SFPD Captain Gregory Corrales (Park Station precinct)
• The new SFPD captain from the Northern Station
• Bevan Dufty (former District 8 Supervisor & current director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships & Engagement)
• an attorney from the D.A.'s office A representative from SF SAFE
• A representative from Castro Community on Patrol
• A Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, who was facilitating the meeting and representing the "Stop the Violence" community victim assistance program

IN ATTENDANCE:

• About 100-200 community residents
• A Bay Area Reporter journalist
• A news photographer
• At least one victim/survivor of a recent violent robbery and assault

RESOURCES:

• SFPD precincts
• SFPD non-emergency line: 415-553-0123
• District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener
• San Francisco SAFE
• Castro Community on Patrol
• Stop the Violence (The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence)

TOPICS:

QUALITY OF LIFE issues involving bars, late-night parties and noise, alcohol- and drug-related problems, unsanitary conditions involving bodily fluids, etc.: These are generally low priorities for the police, especially noise complaints, and especially around 2 to 3 AM, which is the busiest time for the police department. If you live near a bar, the bar manager is responsible for hiring competent security to clear patrons away from the premises immediately after the bar closes. If this does not happen, contact the bar management to request improved security methods during and after closing time. If the situation still does not improve, contact Supervisor Scott Wiener.

STREET HARASSMENT: There are ongoing complaints of harassment and disturbances in Harvey Milk and/or Jane Warner Plazas. The police can get involved if someone is threatening someone else or themselves or are unable to care for themselves. Bevan Dufty, in his new position at HOPE, sends HOTs (homeless outreach teams) to offer assistance and services to homeless or near-homeless people. Unfortunately, the HOTs are weary of going to Milk and Warner Plazas because the problematic people there continually refuse their services. Supervisor Wiener advises local residents not to confuse problematic people with homeless people: harassment often comes from people who do, in fact, live indoors but have mental health issues, whereas many homeless people are essentially invisible, keep a low profile, and never bother anyone at all.

BAR FIGHTS: There is a perception among local residents that street crime is increasing. According to SFPD Captain Robert Moser (Mission Station precinct), the past two months of data in his precinct indicate that most incidents involving violence are bar-related. Some of the attendees found the discrepancy -- (between the perception of increasing street crime and the actual reports of bar-related incidents) -- confusing. Maybe broader statistics are needed to understand the general trends.

VIOLENT ASSAULTS: There have been disturbing reports of violent crimes -- typically muggings that have turned violent -- including an abduction and a "pistol whipping" that resulted in hospitalization due to skull fractures. This occurred on Corbett at Ord, which is a short block north of Market Street in the Castro district. A very serious stabbing occurred at 14th & Noe at 6 PM on a weekday evening. Police are working with local residents to develop and distribute composite sketches to find the suspect(s). The victim/survivor of the pistol whipping was in attendance and was visibly upset. "Someone's gonna get killed!" he emphasized. He insisted that this was a mugging that had turned violent -- as opposed to a "gay bashing" hate crime -- and he demanded more police patrols of both main streets as well as side streets. Captain Moser said that they do patrol both the main and the side streets, but there's a shortage of police officers, and, even if there weren't, they can't be everywhere all at once. The police request that residents take it upon themselves to organize and join neighborhood watch programs.

(Note that one topic not discussed during this meeting was the horrific sexual assaults that have occurred in the Mission district and the eastern section of Noe Valley [Ed.-- here and here]. Because this meeting took place in the Castro, the focus and the tone of the meeting was mostly on protecting members of the LGBT community and residents in surrounding areas.)

COMPUTER & SMART PHONE THEFTS/ROBBERIES have been on the rise, particularly in cafes and on public transit. In cafes, according to surveillance footage, the perpetrators look "ordinary" and "average" -- so make sure not to profile or stereotype anyone. Instead, carefully guard your devices and don't leave them unattended. Be aware of your surroundings and question others who are taking things that may not belong to them. On public transit, it's best not to display your devices. Stay alert; perpetrators target "easy" victims who are not paying attention to their surroundings. An easy target is someone buried in his/her smart phone and has earphones on. These thefts are part of crime syndicate rings; stolen computers and devices are collected and then sold online and/or to other countries. Some arrests have been made.

AUTOMOBILE THEFTS and break-ins: SFPD Captain Gregory Corrales (Park Station precinct) said that officers in his precinct caught "two fellas in ski masks" with air guns and spark plug tools who were probably responsible for auto thefts. Auto thefts have always been a problem in the city. According to a service rep at SF Honda, install and enable an anti-theft security system that disables the car engine upon unauthorized entry.

BUILDING BREAK-INS: There were destructive intrusions into several glass-door buildings in a row on Roosevelt Way. The police captain said that burglars target homes and buildings that have obscured or dark entry ways with no iron gates. There were other break-ins into apartment buildings in the east-of-Twin-Peaks area, and Captain Moser said that they do send patrols around the area, a mix of regular police cars and unmarked vehicles. They have adjusted work shifts for more nighttime patrol coverage. Captain Corrales said that the patrols look for people in quiet neighborhoods who look as if "they don't belong there" -- suspicious-looking lurkers who generally target cars for theft and easily (or more easily) accessible buildings for intrusions and burglaries. They have arrested a few suspects due to outstanding warrants. The larger problem, however, is a game of "whack-a-mole"; when crime is under control in one area, the criminals move into another, a less patrolled one. Right now the Lower Haight is being hit hard by street crime.

ROOT CAUSE: There are simply not enough police officers at this time. This is due to the defunding of the Police Academy in San Francisco. SFPD officers are being hired laterally through other departments, agencies, or other city police departments. It would be better overall for new police officers to be trained here in San Francisco. It's up to the residents of San Francisco to lobby the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to reinstate funding to the San Francisco Police Academy and, in the meantime, to allocate funds to hire more police officers from wherever possible.

PROTECT YOURSELF and your community:

• Start or join neighborhood watch programs (contact SF SAFE), online networks (Nextdoor.com, Facebook groups, Twitter alerts, etc.), community patrols, and the "Stop the Violence" program.
• Carry a whistle and blow it if you feel unsafe.
• Take self-defense training and practice it.
• Keep in mind that your smart phone or computer won't be worth much in a few years -- but your body, your emotional well-being, and your life are always paramount -- so if someone is physically threatening you for your device, you're probably better off just giving it to them. (Make sure to passcode-protect your devices, encrypt the drive, consistently back up your data, and turn on "Find My iPhone." Sometimes devices can be traced through embedded GPS.)
• Call the police after every incident -- as soon as possible! Don't wait; the quicker the phone call, the more likely the police will be able to find the suspect. If it's not an emergency, use the non-emergency line: 415-553-0123. You can also contact the SFPD via sf-police.org.
• If you have been a victim of a crime, don't be embarrassed to report it. Reporting it will help others.
• Always get a CAD (dispatch) number after placing a phone call to the police, as well as a police report number, for follow-ups inquiries.

[Photo: mariva8]

SFPD Releases Sketch Of Sexual Assault Suspect

The San Francisco Police Department released a sketch this afternoon of the suspected 23rd and Guerrero sexual assault attacker. He's described as a Hispanic man, roughly 25 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 160 pounds and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt the night of the attack (click the image for a larger view).

If you have any info that might help the police in this investigation, call the SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.

Crime Beat: Woman Narrowly Escapes Violent Attack

This scary story is lighting up the local email lists:

Hello -

If you're getting this email its because you are a female friend in my circles, live in my neighborhood-ish, or have a large circle of women friends. I wanted to spread the word of what happened to me so hopefully you and your circles can be more aware, street smart and vigilant about your personal safety.

On Saturday evening I was walking home from a friends potluck through the mission when I was attacked - an attempted rape. I was actually being quite conscious of those around me due to the fact that I'm heading to Nairobi in several weeks and personal safety has been on my mind. As I turned up 23rd street, I noticed a man walking to me that 'zero-ed' in on my presence, locking eyes on me. There was no side street to turn down, and I didn't want to turn around, exposing my back to him, so I kept walking. As we neared each other, I tried to walk around a tree quite close to the curb, before I could do so he lunged at me.

He knew what he was doing and how to attack someone. He went first for my eye socket with his thumb and put his other hand in my mouth to stifle my screams and slammed me down to the ground. He was using the hand in my mouth and on my jaw to try and slam my head on the concrete, presumably to knock me out. Once I was down on the ground he straddled me pinning down my arms. After about 15s of struggling just to avoid him knocking me out, I was able to use all my strength to surge up on my right side to unpin that arm. Since I'm a climber, I'm strong, and I don't think he was expecting this and was unprepared for that maneuver. Luckily through this move and some biting, I was also able to get his hand out of my mouth and started screaming - first just yelling and then screaming for help. I struggled with him while screaming and trying to avoid him knocking me out for another 30s until a couple in a house several houses down the street threw open their window and turned on lights. This scared him away.

The cops came and while we drove around looking for him for awhile, we were unable to find him. This means that someone who clearly knows how to attack swiftly and effectively is still out there in our neighborhoods. This happened at 23rd between Guerrero and San [Jose] - the fringe of the mission and noe.

I'm incredibly lucky that I had the strength to keep him from delivering a knock out blow and to fight for so long until someone came to help. I'm incredibly lucky that those in the houses around me didn't fall prey to crowd think and assume someone else was going to help. I'm walking away from this with a bruised eye, scratches on my face, road rash on my shoulder and sore/bruised back, shoulders, jaw and ribs. It could have been significantly worse.

I wanted to spread this around not to try and get attention or your sympathy, but to hopefully make you aware of the fact that attacks, and 'bad things' can also happen to people in your circle. We live in a big city and the best thing you can do is be incredibly conscious of your surroundings at all time. Please - walk in groups, or with a male friend, take taxis and dial up those street smarts...

Feel free to send this around to other females that could benefit from a dose of reality.

Details are still emerging, and no description has been given of the suspect. We'll update as more info is available. Be safe. And if you hear screaming out your window do something. This woman is lucky.

Update (1/9): Mission Local confirmed with SFPD that this attack happened at approximately 2:40am and posted a description of the suspect:

Authorities described the suspect as an 5’8-tall Asian man who weighs approximately 160 pounds, between the ages of 20 and 30. He has a buzzcut and a slight beard and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. 

 SFPD is investigating this as an attempted rape.

Also: a rally has been organized for this Friday from 4-6pm to promote solidarity among/with women and to  increase awareness and vigilance so these attacks don't continue.

Update (1/14): The SFPD has released a sketch of the suspect.

Crime Beat: Suspected Package Thief Doused With Bear Spray, Arrested

Update (11/28): Zach pulled the videos after being hounded by too much media (some actually camping out in front of the house). The image above is just a screen shot.

Also this from SFGate:

Police held Andy Anduha, 51, on her citizen’s arrest before booking him into county jail on suspicion of attempted burglary. Anduha is scheduled to be arraigned on one count of first-degree residential burglary, said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. He faces up to six years in state prison if convicted, and one strike against him under the state’s three-strikes law.

The original post continues below:

Great news sent to us straight from people involved: Zack says a package thief was arrested today in spectacular fashion:

My fiance Sonya chased him down today after pepper spraying him. 10 cops and a citizens arrest later, he is currently being processed for attempted burglary.

Here's a nice video of her running out the front door with a bokken in hand. [Ed.--deleted]

Zack had previously installed a motion-activated camera in their entryway that sends an alert when recording. Presumably, Sonya received an alert and took off in pursuit. "Sonya was actually sitting on the front balcony above the gate. The sound of the gate opening is what startled her." What happened next may become legend:

HE IS BEIN TAKEN AWAY IN AN AMBULANCE CUZ OF THE BEAR SPRAY I DOUSED HIM WITH.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

And:

@nettatheninja he didn't try to attack me but he did have a knife. I was above him on the 1st floor balcony, dousing him with bear spray.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

And:

I WAS ALSO HIT WITH BEAR SPRAY BLOW BACK, SO MY FACE IS BURNING BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

But she's ok:

Now onto making a dinner of blowtorch prime rib roast & fried brussels sprouts for friends tonight. All in a day’s work.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

The Bad Guy on the other hand:

@_bryce_ he escaped, but not far. The bear spray debilitated him & painted him orange so other cops picked him up within 5 minutes. GOT HIM!
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

As for the cops?

@nettatheninja hhahah cop asked me if I have a license for it - I told him it's sold on the shelves at REI. Very handy for home protection.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

But their initial reaction?

@nettatheninja yes otherwise ok :) I chased him with the spray & bokken. Cops were cracking up when they arrived to see me & my weapons.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

The best part? Sonya said she received a call from SFPD and that the perp has been booked for attempted burglary (a felony). He'll be in jail for a while.

Well done, Sonya!

Update (5/28/13): From the comments below:

Looks like Mr Anduha the "bicycle bandit" may be back on his rounds. I saw him this morning on his bike checking doorsteps in Bernal. He actually parked his bike up on it's stand in the middle of the street and looked both ways before walking up my neighbors drive. I should add I didn't see him take anything this time but I'll be challenging him next time I see him.

[Twitter: @sonyayu]
[Wikipedia: bokken]
[REI: Bear Spray]
[NVSF: Video: Thief Empties Box Left By OnTrac] 

This Week In Noe Valley: Better Police Reporting, Cheapest Teardowns, And A Rope Swing With A View

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Are you listening @SFPD? This is the the level of detail people want [NY Times]
• Does Noe Valley need an underpass parklet? [Neighborland]
• Curbed highlights the cheapest teardowns and possibly reasonably priced NV housing (likely already in contract) [Curbed]
• Daily Secrets fetishizes Billy Goat Hill's rope swing [Daily Secrets]
• Patxi's is changing its menu - going for an authentic Neapolitan pizza [Eater]
• Noe Valley's Michael Capozzola On Check Please looks like he barely tolerated his co-stars [KQED]

[Photo: NVSF]

Letter: SFPD Abusing Parking Privileges?

A reader writes:

I am a Noe Valley Resident and lately have noticed how city police officers are to a certain extent abusing their privilege of no hassle parking to run errands while on the job. Last Friday, I was at the Korean restaurant and witnessed two police officers pull up and park their car in the bus stop section and came in for dinner. I understand the need to have the car close by in case they have an emergency but that seems like a bit too much leeway.

I am trying to understand if you folks would be willing to write something in this regard on the blog, I have pictures of the cops and their parking.

Abuse of power or necessary for effective police work? Is the Google Bus displaced? Does Robert Roddick know about this? Your (polite) thoughts in the comments, please.

This Week In Noe Valley: A Blue Moon, Crime Updates, And Noe's Cougar Bar

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Noe Valley named a best place for "window shopping" by AAA [VIA Magazine]
• Bliss Bar named one of the Top 10 Cougar Bars in America [Maxim]
• SFPD Ingleside crime report for August [Bernalwood]
• Upper Noe is a dumping ground for stolen cars [Mission Local]
• This week's officer-involved shooting at St. Paul's intensifies scrutiny of police weapons; SFPD argues for stun guns [Examiner]
• Whole Foods now open at 1150 Ocean Ave with lots of parking (HINT) [Whole Foods]
• Models needed this weekend in Noe for "open-minded shoots." Yikes! [Craigslist]
• Wallace Stegner's son is a Noe Valley resident (who knew?) [SF Gate]
• Real-estate porn: Designer Antonio Martins redoes a house in Noe Valley [CA Home & Design]
• NV sees big increase in home value assessments - up 4.47% year-on-year [SF Gate]
• Blue Moon tonight – last one we'll see until 2015 (if the fog clears) [Flickr]

[Photo: The Milk Truck graces Noe Valley via Instagram]

Crime Beat: iPhone Thiefs And Gunfire Put St. Paul's On Lockdown

A cacophony of sirens and then helicopters started at 7am in Upper Noe Valley. Twitter (specifically @sal_castaneda) provided updates as it happened. Various news outlets are now reporting that an iPhone theft at gunpoint led to a police chase and at least one shot fired by SFPD. Two suspects were arrested on scene, and a savvy cop's use of GPS tracking on the phones led to two more arrests at a house in the Inner Sunset. Apparently the bad guys are all part of a cell phone theft ring.

One officer was hurt (not by gunfire). No bystanders were reported injured. St. Paul's Church and School both remained on lockdown for almost two hours.

[5 in custody after SF officer-involved shooting: ABC7]

This Week In Noe Valley: Bike Thefts Down, Urban Gardening Up, Occupy Noe Doubles Down

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• All those bicycles thefts from garages? "Drastically" decline since arrest of teenager [SFGate]
• Urban farming in SF just got a lot easier - forget the wait list for existing community gardens [Grist]
• An end to that (apparently wild) rumor that West Portal could be the next Noe Valley [Curbed]
• Noe Valley Town Square now on Facebook [Facebook]
• Occupy Noe Valley doubles down to save mortgages that should have been paid off 10 years ago or more [The Snitch; also: SFGate]
  

[Photo: Pedestrian hit at 24th Castro, @shaketini, also: NVSF]

This Week In Noe Valley: First Republic Approved, Summerfest This Weekend, Google Bus Beached

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Planning Commission votes 5-2 to approve First Republic Bank for 24th St [Mission Local]
• Castro grapples with chains stores and banks [Bay Area Reporter]
• SFPD needs your help identifying "people of interest" in Bay to Breakers murder [SF Appeal]
• MUNI's new maintanence yard at 25th and Illinois still not open; trains still running Church to Balboa [SF Weekly]
• Google Bus ignores street use restrictions at its own peril [Uptown Almanac]
• Reminder: Summerfest this weekend in Noe Valley [NVSF]
• You can still pre-order a picnic from Delfina Pizzeria for Saturday's Film Night in Dolores Park [Eater SF; Also: Film Night in the Park]

[Photo: Twin Girls Farm arrives a little later than usual to the farmer's market]

This Week In Noe Valley

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• A tree took out J-Church lines and a power pole [Twitter, also: ABC7]
• Only 8 single family homes for sale in Noe Valley right now (and not cheap) [Zephyr]
• The only TIC unit that sold at the converted flop house on Church returns to market [SocketSite]
• SFMTA wants to eliminate DPT ticket writers on street cleaning day, use cameras instead [KTVU]
• SFPD recovered over 100 stolen bikes; is yours one of them? [SFPD, also: SFGate]

This Week In Noe Valley

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Noe Valley Rec Center May newsletter is up - and solves the mystery of the bald Eucalyptus trees [NVRC]
• Garden Space in Noe  looking for a partner [Craigslist]
• Bay Guardian discovers (and raves about) Saru, Noe's first "destination" sushi bar [SFBG]
• SF Climates app gives you one more gloating tool with your friends in the Sunset [TechCrunch]
• If you own a house in Noe your relatives may have something to say about this piece [WSJ, Article]
• Some people make it too easy on the SFPD [SFE, and the official report here]

[Photo: SF Bay Guardian]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

March 2012

Front Page: Get ready for a new generation of Facebook, Zynga, and Twitter gazillionaires with money to spend on houses in Noe (also lifting rental prices) and bringing high tech workers in droves to local merchants on 24th Street; it's Word Week this week; Church Street businesses like Omnivore, Incanto, Curator, and La Ciccia are thriving, while some like Drewe's are "hanging by a thread" and looking for new opportunities including a booth at the Noe Valley Farmer's Market; NV filmmaker Yuriko Romer's documentary on 98-year-old judo master Keiko Fukuda debuts March 11 at the Asian American Film Festival. 

Letters: Blair Moser of the Fair Oaks Community Coalition reports in detail about the challenges of getting PG&E to repair a burned out streetlight near the Dec. 8 rape crime scene; an anonymous letter from one of the assault victims thanks the community for the generous support (she is still not able to return to work but hopes to soon); and a resident of 24th at Fountain is looking for suggestions for how to prevent recycling theft from the blue bins.

Features: Rising number of ADA lawsuits against 24th Street merchants (23 businesses in the neighborhood have been sued or threatened to date with the average cost to settle at $24,000, plus construction expenses); Capt. Robert Moser is the new chief of Mission Station since January.

Cost of Living in Noe: Despite the influx of high-tech buyers, just 4 single-family homes traded hands in January. The priciest home was on the market for 5 months and sold for $2.1 million, $95,000 under asking.

Store Trek: Heroine, Cliché Noe

Rumors: Gallery of Jewels and When Modern Was owner Dona Taylor quickly scooped up the old Hot Headz space and has installed Taylor's Home and Garden "a vintage home and indoor garden store;" Loft 1513 moved from Church to 3927 24th Street in the old Noe's Nest space; Radio Shack, which was damaged in the Sept. 2011 fire, hopes to reopen soon; Easy Breezy frozen yogurt in the old Cosmic Wizard space is shooting to open by June 1; First Republic is allegedly still eyeing the old Tuttimelon spot at the corner of 24th St. and Sanchez (first rumored here); Ladybug Ladybug has flown away to Sacramento; Matt Cain's 2,815 square foot Noe home may finally be selling; a heavyset woman went for a walk in the nude right over a Noe resident's Volvo hood and smashed in the windshield - and a Noe neighbor and witness posted a NSFW photo of the incident on SFist; Noe resident Catherine Bergstrom was honored as one of the District 8 Women of the Year for organizing a fundraiser for victims of the Sept. 2011 fire.

[The Noe Valley Voice]