San Francisco, CA
Hundreds in need gather in SF's Mission District for free coats ahead of Christmas
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The line was out the door Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission District. Hundreds of people and dozens of families came out to receive free winter jackets.
That included Elizabeth Portales, who spoke to us with the help of a translator.
“It’s really good. It’s beautiful,” she said.
The giveaway was run by the Latino Task Force, in partnership with other local groups.
For Portales, the event is a way to help provide for her family during increasingly difficult times.
MORE: SF Salvation Army sees 30% increase in families seeking ‘Angel Tree’ help this holiday season
“When it’s a big family it’s hard to do it. That’s why she is so grateful to have this program,” Portales said.
Friday was the third time the event has happened in recent years.
That’s due in large part to Latino Task Force volunteer, Olivia Franco.
Franco says in that short amount of time, she’s seen the need in the community explode.
“After COVID, a lot of people lost their jobs and they haven’t situated themselves so we try to help them and make them happy and warm,” Franco said.
For many of these families, this event is about more than just receiving jackets. Several of them are currently homeless, living either on the streets or in shelters, and these items will help them survive the winter.
VIDEO: Alameda Co. first responders play ‘Santa’ to grant 8-year-old girl’s Christmas wish for baby brother
Alameda County first responders raced to the rescue. But this time, it’s for the best reason: to grant one little girl’s holiday wish.
That thought is exactly why people like Anthony Crociani have stepped up to donate coats and jackets.
He tells us he knows that everyone here truly appreciates the gesture.
“Some of these mothers, they come in, they give you a hug. They have tears under their eyes. It’s the little things,” Crociani said.
As for Franco, she says she doesn’t foresee the need dying down any time soon.
That’s why she’s planning to do even more, far beyond just the holiday season.
“We’re going to do bigger and bigger ever year – yes.”
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Mission Bay coffee shop deals with break-ins as it seeks to open
A coffee shop in San Francisco’s Mission Bay hasn’t even opened yet, but has dealt with at least two break-ins over a 24-hour span.
The owners though say it’s not going to deter them from opening their business and hopes their plan will help drive some of the crime away.
Owners of Silicon Valley Coffee got a taste of how businesses are struggling with crime in San Francisco. On Sunday, Matt Baker and Vance Bjorn came in to work on their new store but ended up finding two people on their property with needles scattered everywhere.
The owners called police, officers talked to the suspects, but didn’t make any arrests.
“Little disappointed, little shaken up,” Baker told CBS News Bay Area. “We went home and came back the next morning just to find that we were robbed and everything we had back there was gone. Including our, ironically enough, our brand new security system.”
The incident might have scared off other business owners but not these two.
“We want to work with the community, with the local representation and work with them to find solutions so that other businesses don’t have to go through this,” he said. “We’re putting a lot on the line out here to redo this space and that was a big setback for us.”
When Baker and Bjorn say they’re putting a lot on the line, they mean it. They are pouring in their money to open up this location on 4th Street, knowing that they will have to close when developers decide to break ground on a towering complex with about a thousand rental units. This maybe a temporary site for Silicon Valley Coffee but it’s a project the owners couldn’t say no to.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Baker. “It’s not every day an entire coffee shop, a restaurant, a giant patio in a prime location just lands in your feet and they ask you, can you help to make it better.”
So not only are they committed to seeing their business grow, they’re hoping their business will revitalize the area.
“We really think that the best way to solve these issues is by making this corner vibrant again,” Bjorn said to CBS News Bay Area.
The old site of the Creamery is not the only part getting a facelift. These signs of stores closing will come down, the area will be cleaned up and lights will be put up to make this corner of 4th and Townsend more inviting. Baker and Bjorn are determined to make a difference, one cup at a time.
“Coffee is about community,” said Bjorn. “Historically coffee shops have brought people together and this neighborhood needs to be brought together.”
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco coffee shop broken into before opening doors
A new coffee show in San Francisco has yet to open its doors, but it is already dealing with crime concerns.
The owners of Silicon Valley Company said someone broke into the property twice in a matter of days.
“The property has been neglected for the last five years, so we knew we were going to have challenges renovating it,” said Matt Baker, co-founder of Silicon Valley Coffee. “On Sunday, we got here and realized that our back gate had been smashed open and that there were people possibly on-site in one of the back condos.’
Baker and co-founder Vance Bjorn said they knew they would take on a big project revitalizing the space but didn’t expect the business to be broken into twice.
Christie Smith has the full report in the video above.
San Francisco, CA
Suspect Arrested For San Francisco Homicide
HAYWARD, CA — A Hayward man was arrested by police in San Francisco on suspicion of a fatal shooting in the Tenderloin in October, the department said.
On Oct. 30 just after 6 p.m., a man was shot in the area of Ellis and Jones streets and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators identified 22-year-old Michael Javius as the suspect and arrested him on Dec. 12. Search warrants were issued for residences in San Francisco, Hayward and Antioch, police said, and evidence related to the shooting was seized.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Javius was booked into jail on suspicion of homicide, conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact.
Although an arrest has been made, this is an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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