Thursday, November 8
Digression
It's far too late for the Totally Unrelated Blog-a-Thon but I feel the need to talk about Halloween a bit. In my previous post, I bitched that the city leaders hadn't put together a plan for how to keep the revelry in the Castro safe. Now I'm not so sure. I'm impressed and a little chilled by how efficiently they were able to prevent much revelry at all. Though the late-breaking decision to close the 16th and Market BART station and the Castro MUNI station may have been made in a last-minute panic, I think it's more likely that the plan was hatched early on, but deliberately kept quiet in order to minimize the window of opportunity for public comment or organized protests. Add to these emergency-response-style measures a fear campaign, the strong-arming of "uncompliant" businesses, and a police presence even larger than last year's and it sounds like a recipe for a little taste of friendly fascism. Which might actually be considered a nice resume-builder for our newly-re-elected lame duck as he aspires to higher political office. I spent Halloween helping run a haunted house in an area of Frisco far from the Castro, so all of my thoughts on this topic come from hearsay and instinct. But yesterday's Bay Guardian article did a good job articulating and putting data to support some of the feelings I've had on the issue.
Maybe I'm seeing conspiracies everywhere because my role in the haunted house was that of a character called Major Canard, head of a corporate/military/scientific mobilization effort to control a zombie outbreak, though secretly responsible for said outbreak. Our concept was intended to point to hypocrisies and blurred lines between public and private, military and mercenary. And of course an excuse to have fun acting like zombies. I think we were successful in scaring the neighborhood. Anyway, my involvement in planning, building and tearing down this haunted house is one of the factors that has kept Hell on Frisco Bay so quiet for the past month or so. I can't guarantee that November will be a whole lot less quiet, but I do hope to have a new post on film up very soon.
Maybe I'm seeing conspiracies everywhere because my role in the haunted house was that of a character called Major Canard, head of a corporate/military/scientific mobilization effort to control a zombie outbreak, though secretly responsible for said outbreak. Our concept was intended to point to hypocrisies and blurred lines between public and private, military and mercenary. And of course an excuse to have fun acting like zombies. I think we were successful in scaring the neighborhood. Anyway, my involvement in planning, building and tearing down this haunted house is one of the factors that has kept Hell on Frisco Bay so quiet for the past month or so. I can't guarantee that November will be a whole lot less quiet, but I do hope to have a new post on film up very soon.
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I'm torn as well. It was strange coming out of the Church St. subway station at 6-something PM and seeing the sidewalk lined with cops, 2 or 3 of them every hundred feet. No crowds. Barely even any costumes.
On the other hand, my fear up to that point was uncontrolled chaos exacerbated by ill-prepared city managers, and since last year's controlled chaos involved a shooting two blocks from my house (!) and lots of trash, I'm not sure which I prefer. I suppose I'm glad the city was ready after all. The cops were friendly.
We had trick-or-treaters in nearby Duboce Triangle for the first time since I've lived here. Well, two of them, anyway. Hmm.
On the other hand, my fear up to that point was uncontrolled chaos exacerbated by ill-prepared city managers, and since last year's controlled chaos involved a shooting two blocks from my house (!) and lots of trash, I'm not sure which I prefer. I suppose I'm glad the city was ready after all. The cops were friendly.
We had trick-or-treaters in nearby Duboce Triangle for the first time since I've lived here. Well, two of them, anyway. Hmm.
# posted by 
: 10/11/07 11:05
: 10/11/07 11:05
Glad to hear you had a safe and sane 31st, Rob. Did you visitors have cool costumes?
I just hope the city gets its act together for next year's Friday night Halloween, and doesn't do it entirely behind closed doors.
I just hope the city gets its act together for next year's Friday night Halloween, and doesn't do it entirely behind closed doors.
The first batch of visitors were tiny kids in tiny costumes. I don't remember what they were dressed up as, but they were all very polite.
The second, later batch of visitors were teens scoring free left-over candy. They were in costumes that involved knives and sloppy make-up, and really if I had a knife in my back, my make-up would probably be a bit mussed as well.
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The second, later batch of visitors were teens scoring free left-over candy. They were in costumes that involved knives and sloppy make-up, and really if I had a knife in my back, my make-up would probably be a bit mussed as well.
# posted by : 11/11/07 21:39
: 11/11/07 21:39 << Home
