We've all been in that situation on BART -- the train doesn't arrive for another 20 minutes and you've got to take a dump.
But what about those people who aren't waiting for a train and have no place to go to take that dump? Or the people who are too drunk and can't wait. Well, it seems they squat right down on the BART escalators and relieve themselves without getting caught. According to today's Chron, one too many people are peeing and pooping on the moving stairs, enough that it's causing mechanical breakdowns.
As the Chron notes
All those biological excretions can gum up the wheels and gears of BART's escalators, shutting them down for long periods of extended repairs, increasing station cleaning costs and creating an unpleasant aroma for morning commuters.
Apparently, the fecal matter has accumulated to disturbing levels, forcing BART to call in the county HazMat team.
A 17-year-old kid and his stepfather were arrested today in connection to a shooting of another teen in the city's Western Addition neighborhood earlier this week.
Officer Albie Esparza says a search warrant led police to the teen and his stepfather, 39-year-old Marcus Leslie, both of whom were booked into jail. The 17-year-old, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, was charged with attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. His father was charged with being a convicted felon and addict in possession of a firearm.
On July 21, police responded to the 1500 block of Eddy Street at about 4 p.m. on reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found a 14-year-old boy who had been shot in the face. Investigators believe the victim was being chased by the 17-year-old, who then pulled out a gun
and shot the boy.
Updated 4:55 p.m. to show Hyatt's statement about the boycott initiative.
The stories coming from Hyatt housekeepers explain why people in 20 cities are rallying to launch a global boycott of the hotel chain: overworked employees, unfair firings, management turning on heat lamps on protesters in the middle of summer.
Remember, your local firefighters are here to help you, not harm you ...
The San Francisco Fire Department is warning local residents of a callous scam that's started up again. According to department, one too many residents and businesses have contacted the Fire Department lately complaining that firefighters have been contacting them and asking for money or their personal information.
In one instance, a business owner got a call from a man who said he was raising money to fund the San Francisco Fire Department yearbook. The merchant agreed to donate $195, so the caller sent a UPS package with a $195 COD fee and no return address. Before the package arrived, the generous merchant decided to contact the Fire Department, just to make sure.
Well, this is odd. The City Attorney's Office is having some trouble getting consumers to come down to City Hall and claim their free money.
A San Francisco jury relied on Facebook postings to decide that a laid-off cable installer was not guilty of beating a female pimp/prostitute who claimed he assaulted her in a parking lot.
Jurors deliberated for two days before acquitting 23-year-old Anthony Dorton, a San Mateo resident, of numerous felony charges, including assault, criminal threats, and dissuading a witness.
On Sept. 19, 2011, Dorton was arrested after a 35-year-old woman told police he pulled her out of his car by her hair, grabbed her cellphone, threw her to the ground, and punched her in the head after the two argued. She also claimed he forced her into prostitution.
According to the Public Defender's Office, the woman had approached Dorton's girlfriend on the street 11 days prior to the alleged attack, telling her she had been abused and prostituted by some other man and was now homeless. Dorton's girlfriend invited the woman to stay with the couple at their apartment, temporarily.
The plan to provide low-income kids with free Muni rides was dealt a possible death blow yesterday, when the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission declined to put up the necessary millions.
Commissioners hailing from out of town were not enthused with the idea of ponying up $4 million to benefit solely San Francisco youths; the proposal failed by an 8-7 vote. One of those seven ayes, however, came from Scott Wiener, one of San Francisco's two representatives. Wiener, who is also a city supervisor, has been an avowed opponent of burdening Muni with more passengers while stripping it of their fare money. He even editorialized about the follies of making Muni free for kids in the Chronicle.
So while proponents of making Muni free may have lost the day, at least they gained a Wiener. When did Scott come around?
"I didn't," he says. "I don't support it."
Say what?
Don't let that headline turn you off -- this event is actually pretty cool.
On Saturday, Change.org is holding its second annual hackathon, where more than 200 geeks from all over the Bay Area will spend 24 hours creating new apps for social good. The engineers and designers will head over to the Change.org headquarters in Potrero Hill on Saturday morning, with sleeping bags and ideas for a stellar new app in tow.
They will spend the entire 24 hours designing and engineering an app that will then be judged the following morning. The winner will receive cash to continue building the new app. And if that doesn't get you excited -- Mayor Ed Lee, probably the least tech-savvy elected official -- will be there too!
"There's an incredible amount of talent among engineers and designers in Silicon Valley, but it isn't being harnessed for good," said Ben Rattray, founder and CEO of Change.org. "We want to give folks the chance to see the incredible impact they can have if they devote their energy to changing the world - even for just a day."
Tourists aboard a cable car got a not-so-welcoming surprise from San Francisco.
A man who might have been drinking too much allegedly rammed into a cable car in Union Square last night, injuring the car operator.
At about 9:20 p.m., a 62-year-old man driving a blue SUV slammed into a cable car at the intersection of Powell Street and Geary Boulevard. Witnesses detained the driver until police arrived, said Officer Gordon Shyy.
Lt. Vincent Calvares, the sheriff's deputy charged in a domestic violence incident, appeared in court yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic violence, assault, and false imprisonment.
SF Weekly broke the story on Tuesday that Calvares had been arrested last week and charged with domestic violence after he allegedly assaulted his ex-boyfriend at a Gold's Gym in the Castro. Prosecutors told the Examiner that Calvares, who is openly gay, threatened his ex, saying he was a "captain" and could have him
arrested. Both men working out at the gym when Calvares, who is 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, confronted the much smaller victim in the locker room,
prosecutors said. The couple had dated briefly between January and March.
