"Please won't you be my neighbor..."

After penning this post about some of the current problems with San Francisco, a client/friend of mine encouraged me to attend a monthly neighborhood meeting where issues affecting ourselves and our neighborhood are discussed – and I did, last night. I attended a meeting of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association, and despite the fact I was probably the youngest person there by about 25-30 years, it was pretty interesting and very informative.

The meeting was held at a local coffee shop, and there were around 30 local residents in attendance. The hour-long get-together consisted of updates on various street blocks in the region, news on construction sites that are being considered by developers, safety tips from experts and even a crime report by local police sergeants.

In addition to this general info, I also learned the following:

-The (dirty, sketchy) Cala Foods market by my apartment is closing down by 2010, with a new (hopefully cleaner) market taking its place;
-A prostitution/drug house a block and a half from my apartment was infiltrated by SFPD and shut down last week, with 12 related arrests being made;
-Developers are trying to move forward on turning a two-story church into a six-story condominium complex (and future eyesore); and
-There’s a new low-fat frozen yogurt shop opening soon (go Fro-Yo!).

The most significant thing I took from last night’s meeting was not the regional updates, but just seeing all these neighbors congregate in one place to discuss what’s going on in our ‘hood (and ways to keep it safe and attractive). Seeing everyone together, as a team, was quite uplifting.

(Plus, learning about the nearby prostitution/drug house was a bit alarming... All this time I thought those semi-clad, plastered women hangin' on the corner were members of the local 4-H club.)

When you migrate from the suburbs to the city, you tend to lose that sense of community that permeates suburban neighborhoods throughout the U.S., and you really feel on your own. This meeting proved to me that, even in a big city, people still care about their neighborhood, and more importantly, their neighbors.

If you have a chance to attend a similar event in your own district, I highly encourage it.