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A phone on SF’s Valencia Street aims to address the political divide through conversation

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A phone on SF’s Valencia Street aims to address the political divide through conversation


A social experiment is underway on the streets of San Francisco, aimed at connecting a country that at times seems so far apart. It all starts with picking up the phone. 

‘Party line’

On Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, this ringing phone hopes to connect the nation in a way many feel has been lost.

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A modified pay phone says “talk to a Republican.” On the other end, the phone is connected to a phone in Abilene, Texas, one of the most politically conservative parts of the country, where it says “talk to a Democrat.” 

The hope is, the phone will ring and someone will pick it up. 

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Pick up the phone

The phone line just opened up over the weekend and is already creating conversations.  

Steven Bednarczyk picked up the phone and began talking about one of the big issues that has split the country. 

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“Politics,” he told the person on the other end of the call. “All they do is divide, and we just lose.”

The telephone social experiment by Matter Neuroscience is called The Party Line, aimed at creating a way to bridge a gap that has grown in this country, and has sometimes split families down political lines.  

Organizers took two old pay phones and repurposed them with a note explaining what they were doing. 

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In an Instagram post, Matter Neuroscience said, “It also says the goal for this project, which is to have people from different places have meaningful conversations, because hostile political discourse increases our brains’ cortisol levels and suppresses happiness.”

The phone on Valencia St. is located outside Black Serum Tattoo and was placed there with permission from the shop’s owners. 

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A path towards healing

Bednarczyk, the caller, said there is so much rhetoric dividing the country and families, the phones may be a path toward healing. “It’s brutal the divisions that this is doing and until it hits close to home, people aren’t going to realize. But, this, this is kind of bringing people closer in a way.”

Instead of waiting for a call, Dakota picked up the phone herself. 

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“So, this is super cool,” she told the woman on the other end of her call. They talked for a few minutes, and at the end of the call, Dakota said there wasn’t a big political difference between them. She said the phones can help show that we have more that unites us than divides us. 

“I would also like to think that someone who answers the phone, even if they are very conservative, it would still be a human-to-human interaction and walls would be dropped, which I think is really fun,” Dakota said. 

Organizers are recording the calls, hoping for connections that may show the world that even in two places separated by politics and 1,500 miles, we are more alike than different. Matter Neuroscience hopes to highlight some of those positive calls on their social media. 

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Trump and Harris call for bridging political divide

 President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris both spoke of national unity in their post-election speeches. Finding a path forward, however, could prove to be difficult, following an election that showed Americans continue to be sharply divided.

 

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San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing

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San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing


In San Francisco, homeless advocates are expressing concern as the city considers potentially closing some of its permanent supportive housing sites. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, homeless service providers reported that the mayor’s chief of health and human services met with housing providers last month that the city was working on a list of potential buildings to be closed.

Multiple homeless advocates told NBC Bay Area they had heard about this proposal and the general approach by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office to reexamine how the city uses permanent supportive housing.

“This is something that’s been discussed for a few months at this point,” said Christin Evans, a former San Francisco Homeless Oversight Commissioner and current small business owner in the city.

Advocates describe permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a more stable and long term option for people experiencing homelessness, providing a place to live that is directly connected to the health and social services a person needs when transitioning out of homelessness. San Francisco currently has more than 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, shared a statement on Thursday, noting, “… our administration is prioritizing tools to get people struggling with addiction into treatment and the path to stability.”

“Permanent supportive housing is a critical one, but we need to make it work better,” Lutvak continued, noting the city is spending $300 million a year while also facing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal cuts.

Lutvak also said it is not determined yet whether the city will be closing permanent supportive housing beds in the coming months.

Still, the conversations so far are enough to have advocates worried.

“Every housing unit you get rid of, you’ve got additional homeless people on the streets,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director with the Coalition on Homelessness.

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Friedenbach said there are currently thousands of people on the city’s waitlist to get into permanent supportive housing.

“Permanent supportive housing does work. It has been studied to death, and it is the primary resolution of homelessness that has the highest level of success,” she added.

This conversation about permanent supportive housing units is unfolding as the city already faces a 643 million dollar budget gap. But advocates argue, while housing is expensive, it will cost the city even more to have unhoused people in the city who are disconnected from a place to live or support services.

“We’re cutting really essential services for our most vulnerable san Franciscans, and its actually going to harm our recovery as a city,” Evans said.

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San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says

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San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says


The average San Francisco home sold for nearly 90% over the asking price in March, according to Redfin.

The city is now the most expensive metro area in the country.

Artificial intelligence is driving much of those costs, as companies grow and hire, with many requiring staff to work in person.

Housing inventory, on the other hand, isn’t keeping up.

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NBC Bay Area spoke with Arrian Binning, an agent with the Binnings Team at Christie’s San Francisco, who said the city is expensive but worth the investment.

“San Francisco is one of the best markets in the world,” Binning said. “I’ve seen supply constriction benefit property owners, so when you’re a property owner in a market that has scarce inventory but also is an engine of growth, that’s kind of the trifecta in terms of investing your hard-earned dollars into a new home.”

San Francisco bumped San Jose out of the top spot.

In San Jose, the median home price in March was more than $1.46 million, about what it was a year ago.

NBC Bay Area’s Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above.

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Thousands head to San Francisco’s East Cut for 415 Day Market & Party

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Thousands head to San Francisco’s East Cut for 415 Day Market & Party


On April 15, back in the year 1850, San Francisco was first incorporated as a city. Each year on April 15, many in San Francisco celebrate 415 day, honoring that anniversary and the date that aligns with the city’s area code. Wednesday, thousands of people headed to The Crossing at East Cut for a night market to ring in the occasion.

This night market was hosted by San Francisco-based record label EMPIRE along with the East Cut Community Benefit District. The event brought a fleet of food trucks and local vendors to the plaza at The Crossing at East Cut, as well as musical talent performing throughout the evening. This night market was free for attendees and drew in people of all ages, many of whom were decked out in their most San Francisco-inspired outfits.

“We are so honored to have this happening here at The Crossing at East Cut, to be welcoming people from across the city, from across the Bay Area, to come see what downtown can be, and to celebrate the beauty of San Francisco,” said Andrew Robinson, the executive director of the East Cut Community Benefit District. Robinson explained that this was the Benefit District’s first time helping to put on the 415 Day celebration. He noted that the event brought in welcome business and foot traffic to the neighborhood.

EMPIRE CEO Ghazi Shami, who is a San Francisco native, was at the event too. Shami explained to NBC Bay Area that the event is a chance to put a spotlight on the creative community in San Francisco.

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“I’m a product of my environment, I love San Francisco,” Shami said.

“It’s perfect time to celebrate, like our cultural diversity, music, food, street fashion, all the things that make San Francisco unique,” he said.

Shami added that he hopes next year to see even more 415 Day celebrations across San Francisco.

“I hope this becomes something that everybody adopts and celebrates no matter where you’re from,” he said.

The crowds at the event continued to grow throughout the night. People stopped to take photos with a giant, illuminated “415 Day” sign at the plaza.

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“Just seeing this community come together, the diversity, the music, the food, we got it all in San Francisco,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, addressing the crowd at the start of the event.

An artist who goes by the name Mando told NBC Bay Area he though the event was “well orchestrated,” he enjoyed the food, drinks, and entertainment.

Mando, who lives in San Francisco, said he thinks 415 Day is an important holiday for the city.

“I think celebrating 415 Day is like a religion, if you’re from the city you basically gotta live it up today, today is the day,” he said.

“The bridge, the city, the everything, the music, the culture, it’s a beautiful thing, today’s the day to just let it all out and not care about nothing,” he continued.

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