In SF Tenderloin, move two bus stops AWAY from playground

Open letter to SF Mayor and Supervisors:

Recently SFPD officers have been rousting "loiterers"
from two Muni bus stops on the NW corner of Hyde and
Turk (one on Hyde, one on Turk).

Why? Because both stops adjoin a small playground, the
Turk-Hyde Mini Park.

One officer says the kids need to be shielded from the
addicts, dealers, homeless persons, etc., who
frequently gather at these two stops.

But expensive police raids won't accomplish this goal.
Within an hour after a dispersal raid, loiterers return to
these stops. (By "loiterers", I mean adults who AREN'T
waiting for any bus. ) Periodic police presence
provides a mere pretense of preventive problem-solving.


For real change, Muni should shift both stops away
from the playground.
Move the Hyde stop across Turk
Street, to the SW corner of this intersection.
Move the Turk stop across Hyde to the NE corner,
so it will border a parking lot instead of a park.
The Mayor and Board of Supervisors can and should
pressure Muni to make these changes.


Of course, socially-disfavored ("undesirable") folks
will still congregate at these two Tenderloin stops --
but they'll be further from the playground,
and thus easier for families to avoid.


In some cities, intelligent police chiefs realize that
arrests are a last resort; and that some nuisances can
be reduced by civil laws or policies.
Sometimes pro-active prevention works better than
responding AFTER a crime occurs.


Perhaps some right-wingers, reading this proposal,
will respond with exhortations to "lock 'em all up!"
If this fantasy were possible, our SF county jail
system would be overwhelmed, and the costs would
bankrupt our city.


Sincerely,
S F Voter

April 2007