Capt. Sandra Tong: Homeless Issues, Night Out

The Memorial Day holiday weekend that just passed marks the start of the summer for many of us. Whether that means taking to the roads for vacations or just having more free time on our hands because schools are in recess, the end result is the same: Traffic patterns change slightly and there are more children around to be cautious of when driving.

Many of you know from previous articles and from community meetings that one of the primary concerns of the people living in the Richmond District is traffic safety. That is why I want to take this opportunity to remind all of you to drive safely around the City and to watch for children who are now out of school and might be playing on neighborhood streets.

The Richmond Police Station and the California State Automobile Association will be hosting traffic safety month in September. We will be asking each of you to actively participate in our traffic safety campaign. More information will be forthcoming.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
The 2005 Avon Walk for Breast San Francisco will take place July 9 - July 10. Approximately 1,800 participants will walk 39.3 miles over two days to raise funds for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.

The walk begins on Saturday morning at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Walkers will journey 26.2 miles across the Golden Gate Bridge to Mill Valley and back before finishing at Crissy Field in the Presidio, the overnight campsite for event participants. 

On Sunday morning, the walkers will depart Crissy Field and walk 13.1 miles through the City before heading back to Speedway Meadow for the event's celebratory closing ceremony. 

On July 9, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer will be passing through the Richmond District. Although there won't be any street closures or restricted parking on neighborhood streets, there may be times when traffic gets congested. Avon organizers have provided me with route information to minimize traffic and access problems for residents. Starting at 7 a.m., participants will exit Golden Gate Park and take the following route:

Northbound on 30th Avenue from Fulton Street to Geary Boulevard; eastbound on Geary to 29th Avenue; northbound on 29th Avenue to California Street; eastbound on California to 28th Avenue; northbound on 28th Avenue to El Camino Del Mar; eastbound on El Camino Del Mar to the Presidio.

Anyone interested in participating in this fundraising event can call (877) WALK AVON or visit the group's Web Site at www.avonwalk.org.

Homeless in the Richmond
In April's issue of the "Richmond Review," I discussed the SF Police Department's and the mayor office's program called "Homeless Outreach," wherein there is a concerted effort to contact chronically homeless individuals to offer them services. Some members of the Richmond community have brought to my attention that they have noticed an increase in the number of homeless individuals in the Richmond District, specifically at bus shelters.

It may be that we are seeing some homeless influx into the district from other parts of the City because of this project. I want to remind the public that being homeless in not a crime and that the police department will respond to complaints involving public offenses by anyone, no matter the seriousness of the offense. Prioritization, of course, places the least serious offenses at the bottom of the list, as common sense would dictate. But, all calls for service are handled, regardless of their priority.

The Richmond Station is implementing a pilot program where Operation Outreach officers are accessible via a "quality of life" cellular phone. On the days the officers are working, they can be reached at (415) 298-0639. If you do not receive a response from Operation Outreach officers in a timely manner, call 553-0123 and request an officer through the dispatcher. 

If anyone has a specific concern that occurs on a regular basis, please send me a letter with the information and I will have my Operation Outreach team address the matter.

National Night Out
It is not too early to start thinking about this year's National Night Out event, which will be held on Tuesday August, 2, at the mini-park on Seventh Avenue behind the Richmond Station. Past year's events have been very successful.

If you want to host your own neighborhood event, block party, etc., start planning it now. The goal is to unite the community to regain a spirit of safety and cooperation between the residents and public safety sectors. So, if you choose to plan your own event, don't forget to invite the police and fire departments.

June Community Meeting
The June community meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 21, at 1 p.m., at one of the On Lok senior centers in our district. If you're on the mailing list, the meeting notice will be sent out with the exact location. If you aren't on the mailing list, you can access the information through the Safety Network's community calendar.

Capt. Sandra Tong is the commanding officer at the Richmond Police Station.