On Monday, October 6th, a loud thud and an ensuing gasp echoed through a packed room inside San Francisco City Hall when someone suddenly collapsed.
The San Francisco Arts Commission held a public meeting today that included a long list of agenda items, one most notably around the proposed Vaillancourt Fountain removal. For over an hour, public commentators approached the podium and addressed members of the committee; opinions were varied, with many dwelling on notions around repurposing the structure and not creating more environmental waste as a result of its outright removal. A little over two hours into the meeting, an individual who publicly commented on the proposed Vaillancourt Fountain removal collapsed en route back to their seat.
The person, whose name shall not be shared out of privacy concerns and respect for their family, unexpectedly dropped to the ground, causing an audible gasp from the room heard on the meeting’s published recording.
A woman asking for someone to “clear his face, please” is captured on a microphone amid the flurry of controlled confusion. Another person’s glasses were apparently broken while someone was trying to “press a button” to alert on-site first responders about the situation.
The meeting soon fell into an unplanned recess that lasted just about 30 minutes before resuming. Before further public comments were taken, the president of the arts commission, Chuck Collins, briefly acknowledged they’ve all “shared a difficult moment” before allowing Officer Ramon of the SF Sheriff’s Department to address the shaken crowd.
Live microphones in the room failed to capture much of his address, but Ramon remarked on how “grateful” he and other first responders were for how professional and cooperative the room was in the emergency situation.
The individual was promptly taken to nearby Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, where it’s presumed they received emergency care and remain under medical treatment and observation.
The next full commission for the San Francisco Arts Commission will be held on Monday, November 3rd, at 2 p.m. and will presumably allow for additional public comment regarding the Vaillancourt Fountain amid today’s premature cut-off.
