Police Beat: Commander Richard Corriea
Man hit by car; theater gems

Inner Richmond Tragedy
On Nov. 24, in the quiet early morning hours, 29-year-old Albert Bartal, a former Marine, firefighter with Cal-Fire and father to two-year-old Elizabeth, was at Ninth Avenue and Geary Boulevard walking home. Moments prior he had been involved in a dispute with another customer at a near-by restaurant, which Bartal ended by leaving the restaurant.

The other party to the dispute left the restaurant in his car and drove after Bartal, allegedly with the intent to run into him. The driver caught up with him at Ninth Avenue and Geary Boulevard, where he ran into him at high speed and then fled the scene. Bartal was taken to SF General Hospital suffering from severe head injuries, which necessitated seven hours of emergency surgery to stabilize him. As of Dec. 2, Bartal was still in a coma.

Hopeful family and friends wait at Bartal's hospital bedside as our larger community feels compassion for him and reels at the notion of such violence. The superlative medical team at General Hospital is doing everything they can and while Bartal's prognosis is uncertain, the path to recovery will be a long one.

On Nov. 30, Eduardo Chaparroesquivel was arrested in connection with the crime and charged with felonies, including, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in custody without bail.

The Albert Bartal relief fund has been established at the SF Police Credit Union. People can make donations at the credit union, located at 2550 Irving St., San Francisco, CA 94122 (account #1379608) or visit the website at www.sfpcu.org for further information. Friends have set up an Albert Bartal Support Group page on Facebook to keep our community updated on his condition.

Our neighborhood theaters
As a fourth generation Richmond District resident I appreciate the importance of the many commercial areas in our neighborhoods. These quaint and vibrant hubs sprouted up along transit corridors to support new neighborhoods as the City grew to the west. Small neighborhood stores supplied perishables and other food items, dry goods and hardware. Shopkeepers also earned a good living seeing to the needs of folks adventuring to the "Outside Lands" for levity and fun. These commercial areas were places to meet your neighbors and share information.

Starting about 1910, architecturally-pleasing movie theaters opened in our commercial areas, making entertainment available in the neighborhoods. Some theaters remain in neighborhoods around the City. In the Richmond we have the Vogue, Bridge, 4-Star and Balboa theaters. During a recent meeting with neighbors about the future of the Balboa Theater, I began to wonder a bit about our love for these little theaters.

While these venues give us nostalgic touch-stones to the past, they serve a far greater purpose. They play a key role in public safety. Neighborhood commercial centers help prevent crime because they are venues where the social bonds between neighbors are strengthened. And they also are places where a community's behavioral standards are demonstrated thorough daily activity and folks being visible. Being out and about doing business, socializing and enjoying community sends a message to passersby about what sort of behaviors are acceptable. Moreover, folks' vigilance for budding safety problems followed by cell phone calls for police and fire services leverage our City's public safety resources, prevent crime and save lives.

So, the next time you are heading to the Balboa or the 4-Star, remember that by activating your neighborhood you are making things safer. There is a strong case that doing so is a public service, but besides that, movies are fun. It is in a theater that we plan our entertainment futures based on trailers and feel a touch of excitement when the lion roars, or Columbia's torch flickers, or you try to count Universal's stars. It's showtime!

Many of our theaters are supported by the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation. Gary Meyer, who runs the Balboa Theater, and the Foundation recently teamed-up to save the historic Balboa Theatre. On Dec. 13, between 7 and 9 p.m., please join Gary, members of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation and me to celebrate at a fundraiser featuring a "then and now" presentation of San Francisco Theaters, an Oscar season preview and a live auction. Tickets start at only $35 and are available at www.sfntf.org!

I am a supporter of SFNTF's work and look forward to a day when all students can enjoy a field trip to see the classics in a neighborhood theater.

Commander Richard Corriea is the former captain at Richmond Station.