Plus: A quick assemblage of (fake) homeless encampments sparked more than a few “311” calls in San Francisco’s Financial District earlier this week.
Friends and family of 32-year-old Gabriel Carreon noticed his absence and lack of communication this past week had grown uncomfortably long; Carreon was last seen on July 7th around noon. Up until Saturday morning, he was reported missing in San Francisco.
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Given the wave of recent anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment and growing number of hate crimes directed toward queer people — trans women remain the most vulnerable demographic to homicide, with the demographic being four times more likely to be murdered than cisgender women, regardless of ethnicity — those close to Carreron feared for his safety. A canvassing effort was done earlier in the week in front of the Safeway in the Castro; it unfortunately produced no leads.
“Very out of the blue,” Carreron’s friend, John Shinogle, told KRON4. “Gabriel is a huge pillar of the Castro community where he (lives), and this is shocking, of course, to all. Most people would describe him as someone who puts others before himself, and just wants to make sure everyone feels special, feels welcome, and feels included.”
Posts calling for any information on Carreon’s whereabouts gained massive traction on social media; many examples were shared hundreds of times, some well over a thousand; corners of the Castro, Mission District, and SoMa were plastered with flyers calling for information on Carreon’s location. Saturday, San Francisco police confirmed that Carreon was found just before 9 a.m. at a local hospital. First responders later reported Carreon was in “good condition” and self-reported he’d not been a victim of any crime.
What else transpired over this week? Let’s take a look.
Muni is back, bb! A growing trend among SFMTA data reveals that ridership is steadily growing, month-over-month, with weekends now 100% up over this time two, three years ago, and workweek traffic increasing at a steady, predictable rate; San Francisco’s municipal transportation agency was one of the most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, with ridership at some points dropping over 80% from normal. More info.
The Oakland Zoo has rescued five tigers from a very “Joe Exotic” kind of situation. In partnership with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Oakland Zoo has agreed to offer sanctuary for five tigers, one of which is over 13 years old, from a now-closed roadside zoo called in Butte County; it’s unclear the level of neglect (and mistreatment) the animals were subjected to, but at least one of the tigers has mobility issues. More info.
Yes, those really were fake homeless encampments in FiDi. A Netflix filming crew erected prop-styled homeless encampments along California and Battery streets Friday afternoon — the film, positioned as Joseph Gordon-Levitt-starring vehicle, is going under the production alias “2034” — and people, of course, called “311” to report them … believe they were real; publicity associated with the film noted that San Francisco’s tax incentives for on-site filming were a selling point in choosing to host production here. More info.
Frida Kahlo’s old San Francisco crib is officially on the market for the first time in decades. The $8 million cliffside collection of domiciles that once housed Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, offers breathtaking views of the city, perched on a precarious ledge along Telegraph Hill; the Calhoun complex was completed in 1938 and has a long list of documentation chronicling its rich history. More info.
Feature image: Courtesy of GPSMyCity.com
