South of Market "Redevelopment"

Community organizers, homeless people and street journalists <a href="/housing/">converged in front of the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday, July 28. Among their concerns were a heavy-handed police response to poverty which is intended to "clean up" this area in anticipation of gentrification and upper-class housing/businesses.<br><br>
On Wednesday morning, the South of Market Foundation will be holding a meeting to announce their "Six on Sixth" program for economic redevelopment. Local activists have their eye on this organization. Many economic redevelopment organizations have a tendency to applaud the "sweep the poor away at any costs" mentality. Among the goals of the SoMaFoundation are:
<ul>
<li>Retention, stabilization and expansion of small business through technical assistance, business loans and promotion of the San Francisco Enterprise Zone.<br><br></li>
<li>Creation of job opportunities for low-income, unemployed and homeless residents through community planning and micro-enterprise development.<br><br></li>
<li>Implementation of South of Market infrastructure improvements in conjunction with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, City Planning Department, Department of Public Works and community organizations.<br><br></li>
<li>Enhancement of the South of Market's commercial identity through outreach brochures, newsletters and events.<br><br></li>
<li>Promotion of an integrated residential and business community through work with neighborhood and merchant associations, social service providers and the Community Police Officers Program.<br><br></li>
<li>Development of opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses through technical assistance and referrals to specialized sources.</li></ul>
"These groups are often lauded as a community answer, but often they don't represent the community. They represent business interests, and work with the police to encourage neighbors to turn each other in. Many times, these can be an insidious attempt at increasing police presence in a situation which is already tense," said Andre, a local community organizer.