Well, this is a pretty crappy way to start off the month. Last night, a group of masked marchers charged down the vibrant restaurant and shopping district that is Valencia Street, vandalizing local businesses and cars.
Mission Mission has the most thorough report on the aftermath, which includes a paint-balled Four Barrel, smashed windows at Artzone 4 Gallery and Weston Wear, and lots more unnecessary and sad stuff.
One witness describes his experience, dining at Locanda with his girlfriend when a band of thugs attempted to smash in the restaurant's windows:
"What was one moment a quiet, boring Monday night suddenly turned pretty frightening when three to four assholes, like a pack of dogs, started trying to smash the windows of the restaurant," he tells Mission Mission. "[They] were using what looked like a metal banister or something, in attempts to break through the window. Had the owners of Locanda not possessed the foresight to use heavy-duty windows, which did not break or shatter, the folks sitting in the front would have surely been hurt very badly."
Another business that was less fortunate in the window department, was clothing shop Weston Wear, whose owner Bridget Moore spoke with us this morning.
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"While the jury is still out on whether [the riots were] truly affiliated with the Occupy movement, this protest was tasteless and without tact," she says. "Attacking local businesses like Weston Wear and others who fuel the heart and soul of this city, is beyond me. Whatever message they were trying to get across turned out to be an epic fail. We've been a part of this community as a local manufacturer since the '80s and this is quite a shake up."
Moore says Delfina, Farina, Tartine Bakery, Therapy, and TACA Airlines also reported damage from the senseless and destructive event. If you care to see fuzzy footage of it all, here's a video. In the meantime, visit these local businesses and help them get back on their feet.
Photo: Via Mission Mission