# A long week in frisco, unabridged



## Venatus

so im a homebum from san jose, i want to get back on the road again, but i have obligations. but enough of that. anyways i had to leave my camp because of a big fucking sweep the city was doing. i decided to spend the week in frisco, because all the camps in san jose where being raided. i dont know why, i guess cause its summer. but im sitting here now bitter and pissed off about all that shit. Like leave the homeless alone for once god danm. My woman went off to her dads, (she wouldnt survive otherwise) we packed up our shit and i went off to frisco. 

When i got there it was clear things whernt any better, probably worse. it all started with that fucking button. that god danmed button i spent every 15 minutes resewing back on my pants, the other 15 holding my pants up. i went down to haight and got some dental floss from some tweaker dude. i fixed my button, but it would be a consistent problem all week. i noticed that the park was nearly empty, barely any of the regulars in haight where there. some where off at gatherings, some had been driven off by the fuzz (more on that shit later) some had migrated out to the civic center or the tenderloin. whatever it was, the numbers where pretty small. There was also this stink of paranoia, like i could feel the nervousness of some people as i walked by. some shit had gone down. i knew it.

It wasnt any of my buisness and i didnt really care at the time, but i would learn to. so after wandering around looking for a place to camp. i settled for a spot tucked in the trees, and out of sight from anything. i tracked dogshit into my tent because i couldnt see the ground, so i had to scrape it off my boot and scrub down the tent with tp (even after i did that it still stank) and eventually i got comfortable enough to sleep in my bag.

I woke up at 3 in the morning to a fucking cop. he ordered me to get out of the tent and my boot zipper broke -_- he grumpily gave me a ticket, offhandedly told me to have some obscure homeless organization cover it, and then told me to get the fuck out. so i packed up my tent, and wandered around until i got on a random bus and rode it to nowhere.

the rest of the day sucked ass, this would be a repetitive theme. i spent my time scavenging and surviving like i always do. except in frisco i was always neck n neck with a bunch of other folks when it came to diving resources. i ended up near the city hall, running around lookin for a place to pee. i tried to take a piss at the front of a gate, but just as i pulled out some random corporate asshole pulled into the driveway behind me in his car, so i fucking bailed. eventually i peed in a dirty allyway next to some obscure club. then i went off again wandering around looking for a comfortable place to relax.

In the end i went back up to haight, hung there for a while. then i got on a bus and spent the night bus hopping to stay off the streets. see it wasnt the druggies and gangsters and thieves i was worried about, it was the cops, THEY WHERE EVERYWHERE! the fuzz patrolled streets every 20 or so minutes, pulling over to harass some crippled old crip who decided to pass out on the sidewalk, arresting some random dude for peeing in front of city hall, bitching at some hippy girl at haight because she lit incense at the park. they where handing out tickets like it was going out of style. i already had bad experience with cops, and i didnt want to wake up to another ticket, so i stayed on the muni system (MUNI FUCKING SUCKS) and when dawn broke i ended up near the beach in the middle of nowhere. i went out to the ocean, froze my ass off in the icy winds, then went and slept on some more buses. 

Eventually i decided i would check out the main library in san francisco, because the big library in san jose was nice and quiet and was nice, why not check out this one? i was sure it would be a great place to charge my devices, so i waited 6 hours wandering the streets until it opened. i met some dude named tree, who was missing two bucks for a weed deal. eventually the library opened and when i got in, some asshole security guards told me to leave my baggage outside the library for "safety reasons" i wasnt about to leave my shit unguarded in the open just to use their shitty cramped library. so i said fuck it and went off to a better library.

i think it was 6 when i got back from sunset branch library, i hung around some hippies in haight, which had cooled down a bit. this guy told me all about greatful dead concerts. he also dropped 2 hits of acid.... and picked em back up again. no seriously him and a couple of other folks where scrambling around hippy hill looking for the acid they dropped. so i laughed and joked with them for a bit, then i headed off to catch the bus for the night. my button broke, so i sewed it back again. 

late at night i went by carls junior near city hall. i bought some fries with my foodstamps, and sat back to rest for a while. some rude asshole was sizing up the cashier and demanding water and free food. he got the water but the ancient lookin security guard told him to get the fuck out. so he comes back with his crew, and some big fat gangster dude is like " come on! come on! we gonna go! right here right now!" and threatening the cashier. whos just so used to this shit, hes like whatever. anyways i sat around till i got bored, then i went back on the bus.

the next day things started to look up a bit. i was tired, filthy and sleep deprived, but i was getting more familiar with the city than i had ever bothered to before. i went to sunset branch, had some milk and cookies, looked up info on where to go to get rid of my ticket, hung out in buena vista park, to repair my boots and my clothing. it was generally quiet for me on that day.

After that resting day i went to the homeless coalition, a group specializing in helping hobos survive the legal world. i got some paperwork, and was told to go to this church in the heart of the tenderloin. i tucked my paperwork in a newspaper with my ticket, which flew out into the wind. so then i had to backtrack all the way through to where i may have dropped it. i passed some crazy old hag called me a cop because i was snoopin around looking for my paperwork n shit. in the end i found my paperwork tucked in the arms of a sleeping drunkard. i plucked it away from him, went and got shit done, and then went by this handout place.

It was this hole in the wall warehouse place run by college students, some of the girls working there gave me the look, i get that often, and usually from people i dont like. i dont like women my age, their stupid and impulsive once the see something they like. and frankly i didnt want to deal with it. so i took my cookies and got the fuck out. spent the night in the subway station, then waitn for the bus. 

i watched this old guy slowly hobble across the street while i waited. he was moving so slow that the light turned green 4 times before he was even half way across the street in his crutches. i watched some crackhead hag wander off with an office rolling chair loaded with stuff. some crazy hobo was running around screaming incoherently and hitting things with a stick. He ran out into the middle of the road in front of a taxi cab rantin and raving. the cops drove by and didnt give a fuck as he wacked the side of the taxi with a stick. that taxi was fucking gone so fast.

anyways i got on a bus and ended up near the beach again -_- and the next day i got court paperwork done from my ticket and went off back to san jose.

here i am now, at 1 in the morning writing after all that shit happened. i want to start traveling again, summer here sucks and i kind of feel like id be having more fun out there on the road then here in the city.


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## SnakeOilWilly

Man sorry to hear you had such a rough time. I don't know what the deal with all the cops is... I guess san Francisco is another city trying to "clean up" the tent cities to build condos or some shit. I mean could they just leave the hobos alone for once?


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## Tude

Dam dude that is one hell of a story. I hope things look up from there and get better!!!


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## Andrea Van Scoyoc

Wow...what a story.

Cops piss me off. 

Pissing in public, okay, I understand ticketing for that.

That's not only nasty, it's unnecessary.

Go to a McDonalds, or city parks have bathrooms...there is no need to piss in public and stink up the place with human waste.

But the girl lighting Incense in the park?

What the hell? If I'd been cited every time I lit Incense in the park, I'd probably be like Otis on Andy Griffith and they'd just leave a cell open for me.

The disrespectful people ruin it for all of us, because as far as asshole cops are concerned, we're all pieces of shit.

It sucks.


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## Deleted member 2626

Me personally. Get out of Cali. and them damn cities man. I don't know how you do it. I would completely lose my mind or fall apart all together.


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## Mankini

Ya just gotta know where to go/ where to be!!! And where to avoid. I usually hang out around Lands End, the Presidio, and Fort Mason...For camping I like Mount Sutro, and of course the beaches in the extreme SW of the city. Also Marin County. Cross that Bridge and you're in a whole different world, instantly. I try to treat every excursion into SF like a military Op. Infiltration; Action; Exfiltration. Get in; do what you gotta do, and GTFO. Don't linger and loiter, that's when bad things happen. A comfy camp on the outskirts of the city suffices well. Run errands in the poopier parts of the city, then retreat back to where things are nice.


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## iamwhatiam

Venatus said:


> Wow...what a story.
> 
> Pissing in public, okay, I understand ticketing for that.
> That's not only nasty, it's unnecessary.
> Go to a McDonalds, or city parks have bathrooms...there is no need to piss in public and stink up the place with human waste.
> .


I understand where you're coming from, but if you ever spend any amount of time with a backpack in SF you will learn how hard it is to find a bathroom. Business owners there deal w/ so many bums/junkies/tweekers/homeless that most won't let you use their bathroom unless you buy something. and even then, they think you're shooting up in their bathroom so there's constantly a suspicious feeling in the air. even mcdonald's/burger king/carl's jr. won't let you unless you buy something.
and a lot of the parks have these things called "space toilets" - they're like self automated porta porties but most of the time they are constantly filled with people that are shooting up/hitting their pipe/whatever. it really is hard to find a "legal" place to pee there


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## iamwhatiam

Venatus said:


> here i am now, at 1 in the morning writing after all that shit happened. i want to start traveling again, summer here sucks and i kind of feel like id be having more fun out there on the road then here in the city.


I'm sorry you had such shitty experiences but at the same time I couldn't help but laugh, because that shit brought back some memories of when I used to homebum it there.
ahhh the shitty ass main library and carl's jr. in tenderloin. I swear, everytime I ate in there, there was some kind of altercation going on.
and as far as sleeping places - yea...you just gotta know where to go. The sutro heights/presidio are a lot more peaceful than golden gate park. although, I always liked to camp on the ocean beach side of GG park if you can mind the tweekers/sex maniacs scouring the bushes late into the evening.
and like voodoochile said - once you cross GGbridge and get into Sausalito and all those little towns ....it's like a whole nother world. so quiet and peaceful compared to the city.

and wow, I cant believe tree is still around...if its the same guy. in his 30's, shorter guy, long scraggly reddish-blond hair and beard?


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## Mankini

Secrets of an SF Ninja: Get a clothing voucher. Go to a thrift store with it and get brand name clothes like Brooks Bros., London Fog, etc....Not cotton or polyester: people who know can tell the difference immediately. Linen shirts and pants; silk ties. These items are readily available at thrift stores if you know what you're lookin for. Cuff links; not buttons....And shoes! General rule is the thinner the sole the better. Shoes are immediately noticeable and they'll get you entrée or PNG status, depending. The key is to come off as a WASP/Bridgehampton socialite, not a nouveau riche Pimp. Then wander about the city lookin like a James Bond/Master of the Universe. Noone will ever suspect you're secretly living in the Dunes or the Eucalyptus groves. I infiltrate art galleries, museums, offices, $8000 a night hotels, etc. There is a way of smirking at the System while simultaneously having a great time and getting freebies. Another of my favorite activities is to attend luncheons with mislabeled bottles of wine...Get an empty Grande Cuvee bottle; and also a bottle of Boones Farm or the equivalent. Now very carefully steam off the label of $2000 Krug and replace it on the cheap bottle(s).....And serve. Many people will not know the difference.


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## Andrea Van Scoyoc

iamwhatiam said:


> I understand where you're coming from, but if you ever spend any amount of time with a backpack in SF you will learn how hard it is to find a bathroom. Business owners there deal w/ so many bums/junkies/tweekers/homeless that most won't let you use their bathroom unless you buy something. and even then, they think you're shooting up in their bathroom so there's constantly a suspicious feeling in the air. even mcdonald's/burger king/carl's jr. won't let you unless you buy something.
> and a lot of the parks have these things called "space toilets" - they're like self automated porta porties but most of the time they are constantly filled with people that are shooting up/hitting their pipe/whatever. it really is hard to find a "legal" place to pee there




That really sucks. I can't imagine a place that bad and people being treated like animals.

It's always the bad people who spoil everything for everyone else.

I appreciate the info. Not that I ever had any plans to go, but SF is definitely off the list, now.


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## Mankini

SF is where its at, in most ways, Madame. .....Its like very few cities in the US in that you can make a grand adventure out of it or it can be a hellhole. But it is NEVER boring.


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## Andrea Van Scoyoc

voodoochile76 said:


> SF is where its at, in most ways, Madame. .....Its like very few cities in the US in that you can make a grand adventure out of it or it can be a hellhole. But it is NEVER boring.




Even with your travel-brochure-worthy charm, Sir...I still have no plans to go.

I prefer rural areas. I won't even go to Tampa or Miami, anymore.

The city, unless I'm a rich socialite (which I'm not and never will be, I can pretty much guarantee) holds little interest for me.


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## Mankini

Gives a whole new meaning to ''Ragz to Riches". LOL
http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm

I know what youre sayin. Last time I was there I would stay out at Point Reyes....Taking the bus out there was a magnificent experience, each and every time. Golden, sun baked hills with oak groves and dairy cows....the sea....eucalyptus...mountains...redwood rainforests...all in one 45 minute bus ride from the GG Bridge. There is something pure and holy about the land when people protect it and leave it alone.


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## Mankini

The Patron Saint of San Fran:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Snyder


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## Andrea Van Scoyoc

voodoochile76 said:


> The Patron Saint of San Fran:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Snyder




Awesome!


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## Mankini

Life is nothing more than a joke. Why do you think the Dalai Lama's always got a goofy grin?

Facades and masquerades....Lets turn the city into the grandest masquerade of them all.

Society is based ultimately on vanity. What do we have without vanity? What are we without it?...

In any city there are pockets of extreme vanity and pockets of extreme shame. There are those who are intimate with one, the other, or both. How can we get people to acknowledge these polarities?


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## Odin

voodoochile76 said:


> Why do you think the Dalai Lama's always got a goofy grin?



I always figured he has gas...


This description though... sounds like a clever guy. A high class traveler in space & time.

http://www.gluckman.com/DalaiLama.html


> But there is no doubt about it -- the Dalai Lama is a charmer. The world's most famous monk looks like a cross between Gandhi and Groucho Marx, with the cocky confidence and world-class wit of both. Yet beyond the abundant humor and humility is the rarest of individuals


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## Venatus

im thinking of stayin at a squat till it cools down. probably a quiet place in the bay area. if you guys have any updated info lemme know. in the meantime ill be sleeping sitting up in the middle of nowhere.


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## Venatus

come to think of it, im gonna make a thread about that, i mean its really uncomfortable, but if you do it right, you can bail out from a place in a seconds notice if theirs danger.


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## Venatus

iamwhatiam said:


> and wow, I cant believe tree is still around...if its the same guy. in his 30's, shorter guy, long scraggly reddish-blond hair and beard?


i dunno, his dreads where brown and fused together. he was pretty chill tho, and not too old


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## Doc Road

voodoochile76 said:


> Gives a whole new meaning to ''Ragz to Riches". LOL
> http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm
> 
> I know what youre sayin. Last time I was there I would stay out at Point Reyes....Taking the bus out there was a magnificent experience, each and every time. Golden, sun baked hills with oak groves and dairy cows....the sea....eucalyptus...mountains...redwood rainforests...all in one 45 minute bus ride from the GG Bridge. There is something pure and holy about the land when people protect it and leave it alone.


Yeah, man ! I stayed on the peninsula for like three LONG months. Then the east bay for almost two years,still going back and forth but always learning from past times. Once I scord a bike,life was... Lets just say there is way to much shit going on in the bay to not have one. It's a true shit hole but where els are you ganna have spectacular drugs and places to do them. Come up on some rich fucks un locked iPhone and Hugo boss shades. Or open a raging squat with well,too much support! And yeah just look a part,here in Texas it's blue collar painter ,SF it's a hipster with too much time and money. Find an outfit. Just stay generally weary of over zeal-lest, random fucks. Smiles and cries all day,just get a bike for fuck sake,too run to and away from them all!


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## Anagor

Venatus said:


> it all started with that fucking button. that god danmed button i spent every 15 minutes resewing back on my pants, the other 15 holding my pants up. i went down to haight and got some dental floss from some tweaker dude. i fixed my button, but it would be a consistent problem all week.



Stupid question: why not getting a belt? Then a ripped off button wouldn't be such of a problem ...


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## Venatus

Anagor said:


> Stupid question: why not getting a belt? Then a ripped off button wouldn't be such of a problem ...


your absolutely right, but i had made the stupid mistake of forgetting to grab one, because i was rushing when i packed for sf and i had just escaped a sweep.


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## Anagor

Venatus said:


> your absolutely right, but i had made the stupid mistake of forgetting to grab one, because i was rushing when i packed for sf and i had just escaped a sweep.



Ah, okay.


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