San Francisco, CA
What doom loop? New businesses open in San Francisco
![What doom loop? New businesses open in San Francisco What doom loop? New businesses open in San Francisco](https://images.foxtv.com/static.ktvu.com/www.ktvu.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/GettyImages-1053194560.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
What doom loop?’ New businesses open in San Francisco
Some small businesses in San Francisco are opening up and expanding, leading some residents to wonder if the city has turned a corner.
SAN FRANCISCO – Some small businesses in San Francisco are opening up and expanding, leading some residents to wonder if the city has turned a corner.
Cheers and smiles marked the grand opening of a new store on Thursday on Polk Street.
The Bi-Rite, a local grocery store chain owned by the same San Francisco family for half a century, opened its third location in Russian Hill.
“There’s always cycles. There’s always ups and downs. If anyone thinks it’s going to be otherwise, they’re fooling themselves,” said Bi-Rite owner Sam Mogannam.
Despite the rough post-pandemic recovery for San Francisco, Mogannam remains optimistic.
“There’s a lot of energy and momentum to bring this city back to life,” he said.
San Francisco resident Isabel Baer said she has noticed a significant change.
“I’ve noticed a quick comeback from COVID in the past 12 months,” Baer said.
New stores are also opening in the San Francisco Ferry Building, where 95 percent of the retail shops on the ground floor are leased out, according to their website.
“I have noticed it’s busier in the afternoons,” said Oakland resident Traci Lim.
Slanted Door in San Francisco to reopen
The Slanted Door in San Francisco is set to reopen in its original location.
Meanwhile, on Valencia Street, the famed Slanted Door is set to return to its original location for the first time in 20 years.
“We’ve been working with every landlord that has a vacant storefront,” said Manny Yekutiel, who owns Manny’s, an event center and café, and heads the Valencia Merchants Association, representing about 500 independent businesses in the neighborhood.
“There are four new art galleries that have opened up, that are doing gallery events in just the last six months,” Yekutiel said.
Yekutiel notes that while new businesses are opening, it doesn’t mean it’s easier to do so in San Francisco.
“It’s harder. We have fewer tourists, higher costs,” he said. “But we take chances, we take risks. We’re go-getters.”
This renewed sense of drive, hope, and hustle is echoed by Mogannam.
“I’m always optimistic about San Francisco. There’s no place more special than this,” he said.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco State University divests from weapons companies aiding Israel's war on Gaza
![San Francisco State University divests from weapons companies aiding Israel's war on Gaza San Francisco State University divests from weapons companies aiding Israel's war on Gaza](https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/images-story/san%20fran-afp.jpg)
California’s San Francisco State University has begun the process of divesting from four weapons manufacturers currently involved in Israel’s war on Gaza, in a move activists are describing as a “major victory” for Palestinian rights advocacy in the United States.
The announcement by Students for Gaza SFSU comes at a crucial time for the student movement for Palestine, as several universities across the country look to punish and deter students from restarting pro-Palestinian advocacy on campuses, and social media companies like Meta look to censor pro-Palestine activism by student groups on their platforms.
Earlier this week, New York University (NYU) included criticism of Zionism on its list of hate speech, a move that is expected to have a chilling effect on activism targeting Israel. At the University of Michigan, several students were violently arrested as they conducted a sit-in on campus.
Activists say the move to divest from Palantir Technologies, a US-based data analysis firm, arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, an Italian multinational defence company, as well as construction equipment manufacturer, Caterpillar – corporations described by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as “profiting from Gaza the genocide” – came following months of protest and advocacy calling on the university to withdraw investments in portfolios that profit from harming Palestinians.
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The demands were part of a nationwide student movement that called for universities to disclose and divest from companies profiting from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and its current war on Gaza.
JD Vance’s mentor co-founded company that helps Israel generate ‘kill lists’ of Palestinians in Gaza
Read More »
Noam Perry, the strategic research coordinator with the AFSC, told Middle East Eye the move was significant for a variety of reasons, none more so than “the transformative process the university went through, and the moral stance it committed to” in reaching its decision to change track on the investments.
“It’s not that the university decided to divest from these four companies. It’s that the university decided on a new ethical investment policy, and when it screened its direct investments through this new lens, these are the companies that were flagged. So the policy would make sure the university cannot directly invest in these and other similar companies in the future.
“As far as I know, this has been the most earnest process that a US university has had so far to respond to the divestment demands of its student’s encampment,” Perry said, adding the university had demonstrated it respected students’ voices on how it invests its money.
On Thursday, students at the university held a press conference and rally in the Malcolm X Plaza on campus where they announced the news to fellow students.
In a statement issued by Students For Gaza, the group behind the push for divestment, the cohort said the university had drafted new language that would institutionalise the move as part of a larger commitment to divest from other corporations that violate human rights.
The group said the new language would be added to the investment policy statement that would centre on human rights.
In April and May this year, students set up an encampment at SFSU, as part of the nationwide call for students to demand universities to divest from corporations seen as complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza.
At SFSU, the encampment organised by Students for Gaza lasted three weeks.
The university then held public negotiations with students – the first in the country to do so.
By the end of the semester, initial agreements with the administration were accepted and the student leadership, faculty, observers, and the administration joined a summer working group to examine the university’s investment policies.
‘Extremely concerning’: Pro-Palestinian students at Columbia and NYU face censorship as semester begins
Read More »
The working group was also joined by community partners from AFSC, an organisation documenting corporate complicity and working on divestment campaigns.
Max, a spokesperson with Students for Gaza, told MEE students had originally dismantled the encampments “with the goal of continuing to organise and work throughout the summer to meet our demands”.
“We were able to get our demands met, including a divestment from weapons manufacturing and a website that disclosed clear information about our investments,” Max, who offered only his first name, said.
According to AFSC, the four companies targeted are directly involved in Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now resulted in more than 40,000 Palestinians being killed since October 2024.
Perry said that whereas Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers, has been supplying F16s and F35 jets to the Israeli airforce, the Italian weapons manufacturer, Leonardo, has been providing the Israeli navy with the 76mm guns that have been targeting Gaza from the sea.
The Denver-based Palantir Technologies has been helping Israel develop “kill lists” for Israel while Caterpillar, infamous for its D9 armoured bulldozers, has been a long-time target for Palestinian activists due to its role in demolishing Palestinian homes and civilian infrastructure.
“These bulldozers have also been crucial for Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, accompanying combat troops and paving their way by clearing roads and flattening entire residential neighbourhoods,” Perry added.
Perry said, success notwithstanding, more work still needs to be done at the university.
“It’s important to note that divestment from both Palantir and Caterpillar was not due to SFSU’s commitment to divest from weapons manufacturers, but thanks to the other parts of the university’s investment policy, which now considers internationally-recognised human rights, in addition to the university’s prior commitments to racial justice and environmental issues,” Perry said.
SFSU did not immediately reply to MEE’s request for comment.
San Francisco, CA
How to Watch, Stream San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday
![How to Watch, Stream San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday How to Watch, Stream San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3626,h_2039,x_0,y_641/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j6ezm4e3pgca580vbh.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers are set to play the final game of their three-game series today.
In the first two games, the Giants won game one by a final score of 5-4 and then yesterday the Brewers got revenge with a 5-3 win. San Francisco will look to bounce back and get back in the win column this afternoon.
Following yesterday’s loss, the Giants fell back to .500 at 67-67. Milwaukee, on the other hand, improved to 76-56.
Due to the loss, San Francisco also fell back further out of the NL Wild Card race. The team is now six and a half games out of the Wild Card.
All of that being said, let’s take a look at how fans can make sure to watch this afternoon’s game.
How to Watch Giants at Brewers
Game Day: Thursday, August 29th
Game Time: 2:10 p.m. EST
Where: American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Television: BSWI
Live Stream: You can also live stream tonight’s game on fubo.tv
About Today’s Game
After falling farther behind in the NL Wild Card race, the Giants can’t afford to lose another game. They have to find a way to string a few wins together.
To start this important game, San Francisco will send Hayden Birdsong out to the mound. The 22-year-old rookie has started in 10 games this season, compiling a 3-3 record to go along with a 4.57 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, a 2.1 K/BB ratio, and 45.1 innings pitched.
As for the Brewers, 29-year-old veteran Aaron Civale will be the starting pitcher. He has gone 2-2 this season with a 4.84 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, a 2.1 K/BB ratio, and 41.1 innings pitched in eight starts.
The pitching matchup is fairly even. It will be interesting to see which offense can power its team to a big win.
San Francisco, CA
SF residents sue city claiming Shotwell St. has turned into latest epicenter of prostitution
![SF residents sue city claiming Shotwell St. has turned into latest epicenter of prostitution SF residents sue city claiming Shotwell St. has turned into latest epicenter of prostitution](https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/15241848_082824-kgo-sf-mission-sex-worker-img.jpg?w=1600)
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco, a group of residents say they are suing the city claiming their street has turned into the epicenter of sex work.
Last year, ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena broke the story of prostitution on Capp Street which led to the city taking action but now, residents on another street say all the prostitution has migrated to their block.
Residents on San Francisco’s Shotwell Street say they have reached a breaking point.
“We have our kids come over and their friends and they have to see all this. It’s embarrassing,” said Esperanza Aparicio, a Shotwell Street resident. “I’m just tired. I hope the city does something about it.”
Esperanza Aparicio and her husband Reynaldo are part of a group of San Francisco residents who are pleading for the city to take action and stop the prostitution that takes over their street every night. On Wednesday, five residents announced they are suing the city.
EXCLUSIVE: SF residents say this street has turned into ‘Las Vegas Strip’ with alleged sex workers
“It’s like every night pimps and prostitutes come and take our street hostage and neighbors are shut in.” Here’s what a group of San Francisco residents witness on a nightly basis.
“We had no other choice,” said Ayman Farahat, one of the residents suing the city. “We have been talking to them for years. In this corner we had a meeting in June of 2023 to discuss exactly those issues. Nothing happened, but in the meantime, we had the attack by the sex worker, we had a murder, we had a motorcycle on the sidewalk, endless nights of traffic.”
Residents on Shotwell say they have tried everything to deter prostitution from their area.
In January, a group of them held signs and protested at night as pimps and sex workers were out. Some residents have confronted pimps and sex workers.
“They started pushing back against me and then one of them basically said, you know I have a knife, and she threatened me,” said Shotwell Street resident, Laura Sydell.
Some threats have led to attacks.
Barriers at San Francisco’s Capp St. forces alleged sex work to new area, report says
“There was a prostitute and we asked her to leave. She turned around and she sprayed me with mace. My eyes were all burnt,” said Shotwell Street resident, Reynaldo Aparicio.
Many of the people in the area noticed a clear shift about a year ago after the city placed road barriers on Capp Street to stop car traffic from prostitution. They say all that car traffic moved to Shotwell Street.
“We need to be very deliberate about how we solve them and just closing one street is not a deliberate solution,” said Farahat.
For the past year, Shotwell Street residents have been documenting the activity.
“We hear a lot of loud music, or yelling, or the prostitute beating up another prostitute then I get up and I start looking there and I’m all night watching,” said Aparicio.
SF Capp St. sex worker issue improved but drivers blocking barriers are now creating hazards
After residents announced legal action, the mayor’s office responded, promising: “New strategies include new barriers on Shotwell Street to prevent individuals from using their vehicles for prostitution that also causes congestion and traffic issues, new public safety cameras, and the issuance of Dear John letters to help discourage the illegal behavior.”
Shotwell Street residents want to see permanent solutions.
“We want to be able to sleep at night, but we also don’t want others to suffer, and this is what the city will gladly do. It’s just push it one block to the other,” said Farahat.
According to the Mayor’s office, SFPD has made 72 arrests in multiple enforcement operations in the last four months around Shotwell Street.
In a statement, the San Francisco city attorney’s office said:
SF residents debate effectiveness of barriers installed in hopes to curb sex work on key street
“Once we are served with the lawsuit, we will review the complaint and respond appropriately.”
Full statement from the mayor’s office:
“San Francisco, CA – Today Mayor London N. Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen announced a series of new measures to address illegal prostitution impacting Shotwell Street in the Mission neighborhood. These initiatives come out of a series of meetings City agencies have had with community members and are responsive to their requests.
These new strategies include new barriers on Shotwell Street to prevent individuals from using their vehicles for prostitution that also causes congestion and traffic issues, new public safety cameras, and the issuance of Dear John letters to help discourage the illegal behavior.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has been enforcing laws and deploying strategies to combat the decades-long challenges associated with illegal prostitution around Shotwell Street in the Mission District. The SFPD has made 72 arrests in multiple enforcement operations in the last four months around Shotwell Street, a known corridor for illegal prostitution-related crimes.
SFPD patrol and plain clothes officers will continue prostitution enforcement operations in the Mission and hold individuals accountable for their actions who are coming into our neighborhoods to commit crimes and disturb the peace.
“By working with the community, we’ve developed solutions that will make the Mission safer for all,” said Mayor London Breed. “Our police officers will continue to enforce our laws, but these new strategies will help us build on that work and improve conditions in the neighborhood. This is part of our commitment to address significant challenges in the Mission neighborhood.”
“My office has given these neighbors and this issue a great deal of attention, and we have been working with City departments to come up with meaningful solutions, including outreach to sex workers to get them support and protections, and ultimately off the streets,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “Real solutions require collaboration and creative thinking to tackle this age-old issue, not frivolous legal action.”
New, Expanded Strategies
The City, under the leadership of the Mayor’s Office, has been working with the community to develop additional strategies, including:
- Barriers: City agencies, including SFMTA, will install and improve barriers along Shotwell Street, similar to the barriers that were installed on Capp Street.
- Cameras: The City is working to install cameras that are highly visible to deter people from soliciting prostitution and related crimes. The cameras would also capture evidence to be used in enforcement operations. These would be new public cameras authorized under Prop E.
- Dear John Letters: The City is launching so-called “Dear John” letters and encouraging community members to submit tips about people engaging in solicitation or other prostitution. Based on the circumstances, a warning letter will then be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, indicating that it was seen in a known area for prostitution activity. The primary objective is to discourage such behavior by notifying drivers that they have been observed in the area. Additionally, it is possible that others residing at the vehicle owner’s address may also become aware of the letter’s content upon its arrival.
SFPD will continue to enforce the law by citing and arresting people engaged in prostitution-related activity.
“Illegal sex work degrades the quality of life in our city, and it cannot be tolerated,” said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. “Our officers will continue to enforce the law as we implement new strategies and technology to deter this high-risk behavior. Strategies like Dear John letters have been effective in other jurisdictions at deterring people from engaging in this activity and we expect to see similar results in San Francisco.”
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