The Castro Fire Benefit at the Lookout Bar: The Community Pulls Together During a Tragedy

Organizer Kate Ryken, host Rebecca Prozan, and friend of the victims Elissa Berger

There was a community fundraiser to benefit the victims of the fires in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood at the Lookout bar on Feb. 15. The event drew a cross section of local LGBT neighbors and friends to the trendy hot spot. Guests got a cold chill that was not from the cool drizzle when they spotted the horrific fire damage on a building’s façade just one home over from the Lookout on 16th Street. Activists Eileen Hanson and Denise Wells live in the building next to the damaged building, and Wells attended the benefit.

Thirteen people were displaced by the fire and they were thankful to the San Francisco Fire Department for their fast attention to a tragedy that could have been much worse. The arsonist set a fire that engulfed the front of the building and it could have caused injuries and deaths.

Victorian building in the Castro damaged by an arson fire

Friends of the victims Kate Ryken and Elissa Berger sold raffle tickets for prime goods and services from Café Flore, Nancy Boy, restaurants Home and Chow, and Beach Blanket Babylon. The donors and the raffle ticket buyers were thanked for their generosity. Hostess Rebecca Prozan joined San Francisco City Supervisor Scott Wiener, Rafael Mandelman, Andrea Shorter, and Charles Sheehan and dozens of others to try to alleviate the pain of a forced evacuation.

Fine sounds from the Lookout’s DJ APC (Andrew Gibbons) made it clear that he does not have Bieber Fever. His striking, wholesome, good looks rival those of DJ Christopher B who plays at the bar’s Pledge party.

A sleek, classy, seven-foot-tall drag queen in a clinging royal-blue dress sashayed through the benefit and revealed herself to be Patty McGroin, owner of the new drag clothing store Cocomo’s on Castro Street. It is the kind of business that will be of considerable help to cross-dressing neophytes and McGroin’s blue ensemble could be a fine choice for Supervisor Wiener on Halloween.

The protection group Castro Community on Patrol was represented by Greg Carey and Rick Holte. They handed out arson warning flyers with phone numbers to call and what to watch or listen for on one side and fire safety tips on the other side.

Victorian building in the Castro damaged by an arson fire

There is increased tension in the neighborhood, but there is also a new bonding and alertness that has caused an awareness that future fires can be deterred or at least spotted before they become serious. Increased police patrols possibly saved lives when a non-arson related fire broke out days after the Castro fires on Clayton Street and officers were passing by at 3:00AM. The police department suspects that the evil-doer being hunted has prior arson arrests, Neighbors who are agitated by the chronic vandalism in the Castro think that those destructive perpetrators may be linked to the fires.

St. Patrick’s Day on Castro Street: A Wild Night for the Big Green Holiday

Sarah Al-Kassab, unidentified guest, DJ Joan Crawford Texas, and Alex Hannun at Café Flore

One of San Francisco’s premiere party areas, the Castro, did not disappoint on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

The neighborhood’s last blue collar bar, The Mix, was even more packed than usual, and an ocean of green beer was consumed. Men and women in green T-shirts and hats were crushed up against each other, and they celebrated in grand style.

Bruce Beaudette and friend at Café Flore

Café Flore served multiple shepherd’s pies, green mojitos, and quarts of green beer with a smile. Shimmering green absinthe was poured with a sugar cube.

Absinthe is linked with the infamous pairing of famed French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. Rimbaud was 17 and Verlaine was 28 when he introduced the boy to absinthe and sodomy. Their relationship was realistically displayed in the 1995 film “Total Eclipse” with Leonardo DiCaprio as Rimbaud and David Thewlis as Verlaine. Reportedly DiCaprio’s mother placed a protective pillow over his butt before Thewlis engaged in an infamous sodomy scene after multiple glasses of absinthe were drunk. DiCaprio was 21 at the time, but he did seem to have a fully involved stage mother. Gay audiences have embraced the film and it is especially popular with queer college youth, who drink absinthe during screenings.

Carl With Records at Magnet's Smack Dab

Larry-Bob Roberts and Kirk Read hosted another Smack Dab open mic show at Magnet on the big green holiday, and a literary crowd converged on the Castro’s cultural and medical center. Featured performer Carl With Records showed up to sing wearing a Baby Jane Hudson wig and makeup, a green spangled gown, and a hat with frog dolls wrestling each other on it. Guests were divided on his singing, some calling it caterwauling and others said it was sophisticated, expressive karaoke.

The Q Bar placed green lighting throughout the bar and in its doomed smoking lounge, so that all of their imbibers had a St. Patrick’s Day glow, and green drinks were popular.

Steve Adams, the president of the Merchants of Upper Market/Castro (MUMC) was checking out the festivities with congressional aide Miguel Bustos and the Castro’s ubiquitous three naked guys added green hats and beads to their usual flip-flops and cock ring attire.

It was a wild celebration but not out of control, as seen in some neighborhoods. No one tried to turn over a bus and there were no mass street fights, so the Castro St. Patrick’s Day is a moderate traditional party for locals and tourists.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.