Comments on: SF Public Library’s Alleged Peeing Vandal Is On The Run (And Carries More Cash Than You)

By: Max A. Cherney

Max A. Cherney — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Thanks.

I owe the pun jar a few bucks after this one, yeah.

By: Raynor

Raynor — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 16:41:00 +0000

The motive wasn’t to see how many urine-related puns Max could drizzle into one article? Hilarious, by the way.

By: Martha Bridegam

Martha Bridegam — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:41:00 +0000

Thanks very much. It’s good to know that. I did worry that the city had contacted you to promote the story and you’d gone with it because of the human-interest value.

Yes, I’m sure the library does need more security but it also needs to remain a place of refuge. Having helped to manage a storefront service office in the past I’m well aware that just plain allowing people to use the phone or the bathroom, when both are in short supply, can lead to all kinds of craziness, which in its turn leads to reluctant line-drawing.

Not an easy area. MZ above is right too.

By: eveb

eveb — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:35:00 +0000

Hi, Martha, Eve Batey, Appeal editor, here — I assigned this story to Max. I can assure that “the decision to highlight” this alleged offense was not made to justify any sort of crackdown, as the “decision to highlight” it was mine.

I had heard (through a casual conversation with someone who was not aware that I was in media) that the story had developed since Mike Aldax reported it in the Examiner in October, and I asked Max to follow up.

I’m hopeful that that explanation helps clarify Max’s and my (as the assigning editor’s) motives. It’s always a bummer to hear readers — especially readers like you, who we like and trust — impugn our motives for writing any story (that said, we’re glad you folks think critically and keep us honest!).

I promise you, if we wanted to be agenda-driven operatives, we’d dump this crazy journalism thing and would be making a lot more money (for a lot less work) than we are right now.

By: Martha Bridegam

Martha Bridegam — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:09:00 +0000

Readers should bear in mind that the Civic Center area has been under a coordinated street-life crackdown for the past month or so. The described offense sounds real enough, but the decision to highlight it sounds like a justification for extending the outdoor crackdown into the library. In this cold weather especially, people taking refuge in the library shouldn’t be made to suffer for the behavior of this one particular jerk.

By: MZ

MZ — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Libraries have become one of our last refuges for people who have needs far more complex than a couple books or some research help. Librarians aren’t social workers (though SFPL has worked with DPH to help) and aren’t paid to address homelessness, mental illness, drug addiction, and just plain old bad behavior. The library can and should improve its security, but unless we do something to fix the social safety net, we’ll just be moving the problem off the library’s property and onto mine.