SAN FRANCISCO — Kenneth Franklin has been given a second chance at life and he’s using it to give others a second chance too.

“Repaying my debt back to society so I never look at it as me giving someone something — it’s more like me giving them what I owe them,” Franklin told KPIX.

His “debt” comes from serving time behind bars. After facing nearly 60 years for gang-related activity, he was released after 16 years. Today he’s using that experience to offer a helping hand to people experiencing homelessness.

“I was a destroyer. I was destroying our community and now I have opportunity to build up our community,” Franklin explained.

He’s doing that by serving on the city of San Francisco’s Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team aka HEART. The team offers an alternative to police response and the program has proved its worth in its first year by responding to thousands of non-emergency calls which can take the police days — sometimes weeks — to get to.

“It helps the police department to focus on things more intense throughout the city,” Franklin says. “We get more of those [non-emergency calls] because, normally, nine times out of ten it’s someone that’s homeless and we have that factor where we are more relatable. It’s more of a calmer situation when we do approach.”

He responds to a trespassing call in SoMa made by a nearby resident who called the non-emergency police line expecting cops. Instead of an armed officer, Franklin responded with his partner Rachel, armed only with Narcan, snacks and compassion.

Director of Emergency Management Mary Ellen Carroll says it’s one of the most successful and cost-effective teams in the city and has responded to over 14,000 calls in the past year. The program was approved in 2021 and given a $3 million budget allocation.

“They have filled a gap we didn’t have before,” Carroll says. “The biggest takeaway is that the program actually worked as envisioned. It’s a pilot program so you never truly know how it’s gonna go. And the way we set it up is going to work but it has accomplished in many ways what it’s set out to do, which is to, you know, to respond to these kinds of calls.”

Carroll has heard criticism over city spending on the handful of pricey response programs that, according to a 2023 city audit, do not always fulfill their promised metrics. But each team, she says, caters to a specific need for people who continue to face homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness.

“You know, there was some skepticism about whether this would work and whether these funds would be used effectively but I would say, for what it set out to do, it’s really one of the most effective programs that we’ve started and hopefully we can continue,” Carroll added.

In the first year of the HEART program, internal data shows the team responded to 80 percent of 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 calls related to unhoused people or blocked sidewalks and placed 144 people in shelter. It’s a program that’s not only effective for people in need of help but those doing the helping.

Practitioner Rachel Felix is a recovering user of methamphetamines. She has faced prison herself and is now encouraging others to make the choice to seek help rather than being forced into it.

“I’ve been the dealer, I’ve been the user and so now it’s like I’m in a place to where I can not only relate but now be on the streets and offer services and just instill hope in them,” she said. “And that there are people out here who care about their situation and what they’re going through.”

Felix says she uses her lived experience of being addicted and incarcerated to persuade those currently facing substance abuse there’s a better way to live.

“In the past, I was flaky. I didn’t show up. I didn’t keep my word. You know, I was selfish. I was self-centered. I thought about me and my addiction and making money and that was it,” she explained. “Now, today, I can show up for people and keep my word and not only just with people out here on the streets but with my family, you know, in life in general … and it feels really good.”

For Franklin, it’s a cycle that is proving its effectiveness. 

“By understanding and fixing myself and understanding my value, I start understanding my worth. And because I understand my worth, now I can project that onto others,” Franklin said. “That love that I have for myself I can show you that I love myself so I can show you that I love you and you should love you and this is why I do the work.”

Velvet, which showcases nearly a dozen queer-centric organizations that proliferate SF’s nightlife scene, will take over The Midway this upcoming Saturday.

A point we can’t harp on enough is that San Francisco remains the queer mecca of the world. For a litany of reasons, San Francisco stays a bastion for LGBTQIA+ legislation, queer escapism (both before and after the sun goes down), burgeoning creativity, etc.; as the saying goes, “as California goes, so goes the nation”; one could line-edit that to read “as [San Francisco] goes, so goes California… [and then the nation.]”

And among those goings, if you will, is the queer renaissance San Francisco is presently in the midst of — representing a nexus of the larger trend of large metros across the nation seeing a surge of new LBGTQIA+ residents and, by proxy, an increase in hosted queer events.

Electroluxx‘s hosted Velvet party is, ostensibly, the zenith of that nexus, bringing together eleven Bay Area-based queer nightlife organizations this year inorder to throw one hell of a party. Some might sing it’s revolutionary, even; they wouldn’t be wrong in that tune.

“This is revolutionary,” says Comfort and Joy organizer Josh Smith in an email to Underscore, highlighting the intrinsic comradery between the event’s collaborators in crafting Velvet. “Velvet is not just bringing together a couple of promoters, this is 11 organizations coming together in an industry that is often known for being very competitive. Seeing these groups unite and set aside the individual for the collective is quite powerful. It also speaks to the ability of electronic dance music to bring people together.”

The first-of-its-kind partnership, which is now in its second iteration, will feature the following esteemed groups and nightlight entertainers, each helping fill the five-stage venue: Comfort & Joy, Electroluxx, Polyglamorous, Recess, GlamCocks!, BAAAHS, Bad Asstronauts, Mystopia, Something Queer, Gender Blender, Camp Beaverton, Provocateur, and iconic San Francisco Drag Queen Juanita MORE! 

Electroluxx co-founder Brett Mendenhall notes that Velvet is a “core expression of the queer community in San Francisco,” adding that it’s an opportunity for folks from a variety of groups to come together and celebrate under one roof — “it’s a place where we can dance together, create together, and connect together.”

Much like last year, attendees can expect to be bathed in breathtaking laser and light shows. Though organizers of the event have been clear about saying that said beams of light won’t be directed at crowds. “I always tell event organizers and lighting crew that they should never point beams down toward a crowd, because that’s how you cause eyesight damage and temporary partial blindness, it’s so dangerous,” co-creator of Velvet Elliott C. Nathan tells us in conversation.

Other onsight niceties include a silent disco, cuddle puddle, face painting, bracelet making, a 360-action photo booth, and some other unique surprises; Madam Zola’s Fortune Cafe will be open throughout the party’s duration, serving up tacos, pizza, and other hand-food-friendly fares. 

Velvet organizers say that the artist Chickpea, in tandem with the Comfort & Joy team, is crafting a “visual art spectacle that is guaranteed to amaze.” Multi-discipline artist Scott Levkoff of Mondo events will install “surreal and trippy decorations throughout the main hallway,” all of which will be lit by 3D Mapped Projections by famed projection artist Stefan who became known for his craft doing projections for The Fun Gallery in the 1980s where he projected at events featuring the work of Keith Haring and Basquiat as well as projection installations for famed Studio 54.

In the main room, High Beam Lasers is set to debut their newest light show technologies and types of equipment, helping create a euphoric dance experience (that, again, includes safe crowd scanning lasers). 

“I can’t wait to walk through the venue that night and see the huge amalgamation of art, music, and experience,” tells Mark O’brien of Polyglamorous — the esteemed Burning Man camp and among Velvet’s collaborators for 2024 — about the party’s expected grandeur. “It’s a huge stew of hard work and talent that each of the groups contributes, to make this over-the-top, multifaceted kaleidoscope of a party.”

Velvet, too, is much more than merely a creative showcase where warm bodies can mingle underneath the piercing glow of lasers — it’s as much a place to build and foster community. And

“I love it when the creators of VELVET reach out to me about DJing their party,” says iconoclastic and infamous finger-wagging San Francisco drag queen Juanita MORE!, adding tangentially that receiving nudes is a “great way to get my attention and start a good conversation” before waxing about her upcoming Pride party. “This event will allow me to see many friends I probably won’t see again until my annual party on Pride Sunday ––which is celebrating its 20th year, by the way! I hope to see you shaking your groove thing on the dancefloor.”

Similarly, this “amazing night” is vying to become a staple in San Francisco’s queer community, made more symbolic and important by the collective of bipeds responsible for putting it on.

“I love getting to build together with so many energetic, creative, and fun people. This is our second round of this collaboration and I hope it becomes a famous tradition and celebration in the city. ” artist and Electroluxx co-founder Elliott C Nathan tells in an email. “It’s going to be an amazing night and I hope it sparks the beginning of even grander collaborations.”

// For more information on Velvet, including its organizers and performers, visit the Instagram page dedicated to the party; tickets, which are selling fast, can be purchased here; those who find themselves struggling to meet the admission ticket price are encouraged to reach out to collaborators via an Instagram direct message; a portion of the proceeds collected from Velvet will go towards two local LGBTQIA+ focused charities and will be announced on our social media channels following the event.

Related

The San Francisco Giants will play two nationally-broadcast Sunday morning games this season, thanks to the new deal between Roku and MLB announced on Monday.

The Giants’ first game will be on the road at the Texas Rangers on June 9. To accommodate the broadcast, the game time has been changed from its original 11:35 a.m. Pacific time to 10:05 a.m., making it an addition to the original schedule.

The other matchup is also a road game, as San Francisco will be in Cincinnati to face the Reds on Aug. 4 in what will be a 9:05 a.m. first pitch.

The Giants are in the midst of a homestand that continued on Monday with the opener of a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After an off-day, the Giants get three more at home with the Colorado Rockies.

The Roku deal replaces the deal MLB had with Peacock for its Sunday Leadoff games. According to The Athletic, which reported the new deal, the two parties were far apart on the cost of the package. NBC, Peacock’s parent company, wanted to pay $10 million while MLB was looking for $30 million.

The cost of the new Roku deal has not been reported.

The new deal increases access to the game, as Peacock was a paid subscription model and Roku is a free streaming service. The remaining 18 games of the package will start on Sunday with the Boston Red Sox at the St. Louis Cardinals and the games conclude on Sept. 15.

Roku says it has 120 million subscribers. But, to increase access, the games will also be available on MLB.tv and will not be subject to blackouts.