Sheriff Mirkarimi Says 
Web Site Needs 'Modernizing'

The latest turn in the Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi drama played out this morning in court, when he appeared before Judge James Collins for sentencing.

According to the Bay City News via the SF Appeal, the sheriff's punishment includes a day in the lockup, three-years probation, one-hundred hours of community service, fifty-two-weeks of domestic violence and family counseling, and must pay $600 in fines and fees.

After his court appearance, the sheriff sent me this note in response to my post yesterday about his office's lame site. I sure would like to know when he plans to get his office's web site functioning and providing the necessary engagement with citizens.

From: Ross.Mirkarimi
To: mpetrelis
Sent: Mon, Mar 19, 2012 11:48 am
Subject: Re: Anemic S.F. Sheriff's web site still 'under construction'?

Thank you, Michael -- there is a significant amount of electronic upgrading and modernizing that needs to be done, among them the website.

Be well,
Ross Mirkarimi

'Napoleon' Conquers 
Oakland's Paramount Theater

Back in the day, I saw Abel Gance's "Napoleon" presented at Radio City Music Hall three times when I worked for the publicist Renee Furst who was promoting the extravaganza engagement with Francis Ford Coppola's backing and flair for hoopla. Those screenings rank high on my list of cherished cinematic pleasures pursued over a lifetime.

I'm still in awe of the grandeur of "Napoleon" in its entirety and the final section when it expands to three synchronized screens and almost overwhelms the eyes.

The daring folks behind the San Francisco Silent Film Festival are the lead partners with Photoplay Productions, the British Film Institute, American Zoetrope and the Film Preserve Limited in a truly once-in-a-generation opportunity to see this monument of cinema in Oakland over the next two weekends at the Paramount Theater.

What will be shown is the fullest version of "Napoleon" with newly-discovered footage and the existing footage restored to all its glory.

Film historian Kevin Brownlow, who received an honorary Academy Award for his heroic efforts restoring "Napoleon", is overseeing the four screenings on March 24, 25, 31 and April 1. Have a look at the thrilling trailer for these screenings:



Brownlow will be at the Pacific Film Archive on March 30 for a reception, book signing and lecture about the restoration, with Judith Rosenberg providing piano accompaniment to the film excerpts. Go here for more info on the PFA event.

According to the Silent Film Festival, the showings start at 1:30 pm, and there will be two 20-minute breaks in addition to a dinner break of 1-hour and 45-minutes, and the film lets out around 9:45 pm.

Click here for more info on tickets and how to get to the Paramount Theater. Wise movie-lovers know not to miss this rare chance to see "Napoleon" in a fabulous Art Deco theater, with live orchestra accompaniment and a screen area big enough to accommodate the three-screen Polyvision finale.

Anemic SF Sheriff's Site
Still 'Under Construction'?

Remember my post back in January about the quite lame state of the San Francisco Sheriff's web site? I kvetched that the new top dog, Ross Mirkarimi, who maintained his legal troubles were no hindrance to his running the department, had no apparent public information office in place and operating in the modern age on the web. The site contained the bio and photo of retired boss Michael Hennessy.

Alas, two-months after my previous look at the sheriff's site, it's still "under construction" with a smiling portrait of Mirkarimi on the left and this info:

Welcome to the new web homepage of the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. Continue to check this site for information about the Department, and how we are working hard to provide the best service to the People of San Francisco. While this site is under construction, if you should need the assistance of the Sheriff's Department or require more information, please contact us @ 415 554-7225 or email us at sheriff@sfgov.org

Even before Mirkarimi took charge, our sheriff's site stank. It's embarrassing to compare the SF sheriff's web presence with that of the Alameda county, the San Mateo county and Marin county sheriffs' departments.

The "under construction" site is just another small sign of how Boss Ross ain't doing such a good job running his department, because of his personal and legal troubles. How many more months are needed before this here podunk municipality gets a functional sheriff's site to finally engage citizens on the web?

Castro Group, Wiener Hide Name
of Person Making Threats: Why?

Earlier this month I blogged about the troubling obfuscation by the publicly-funded Castro Benefit District to divulge all of the details regarding an individual who I thought had made threats against the CBD board members at only one meeting. It was outrageous to watch the CBD adamantly refuse to name the person and give the full context of his threats.

Now, thanks to a public records request I filed with Mayor Ed Lee's staffer responsible for all benefit districts in San Francisco, I know that even with seeking help from the city, the CBD refuses to name the person posing so many threats.

Andrea Aiello, the executive director of the CBD, emailed the Mayor's office detailing numerous threats the individual has made, the many times and locations where he made threats, as shown in the printout of her email.

What continues to strike me as so odd about this matter is how Aiello conveys the deep fears of herself and her board members in her note, that the police department has taken reports about the unnamed individual, while officers have attended at least one meeting to protect the CBD members if the individual should how up again. On top of all that, Supervisor Scott Wiener has been made aware of the situation.

And yet none of these parties have contacted the media and have kept the Castro community in the dark about the threats and this apparently dangerous person, against whom Aiello wants under a restraining order.

I would think Aiello, her board, Wiener, and the Mayor's office, would collectively provide all the facts in this case to the larger Castro neighborhood beyond the CBD, and additionally contact the news media and solicit coverage. The safety and security of the Castro is not served by this obfuscation. What possible reasons could they all have for keeping this case under wraps and from public discussion?

Here's the text of Aiello's emails and Wiener's reply, and all mistakes are in the original. Unfortunately, the batch of emails released to me didn't include any messages about what happened after police reports were filed.

A certain individual showed up at our Services Committee meeting [on February 29] and was very threatening to all of us. He threatened several of the committee members and their family members and he told us all he would see us in court and we needed to get lawyers. This is a very serious matter. My board members are volunteers and they also live and work in the neighborhood. This individual has threatened them before as they were walking down the street in the middle of the day, he has threatened them as they were gardening, he has threatened their business, on and on. The only reason he has access to us is because of the California Brown Act. I don't know who or how to do this, but I want to register a formal complaint and limit him from attending all our functions and meetings. I also want to have a new neighborhood restraining order.

My board members are volunteers. They do not have to put up with someone personally threatening themselves, their livelihood and their families. It is absolutely unacceptable that the City sits back and does nothing.

Please let me know the steps I need to take to register a formal complaint with your office and the steps I need to take to ensure the safety and security of my board members. It is important to understand this harassment is not only at CBD Board meetings...it occurs in our daily lives. He can easily find where we live, in plain words, it is scary.

Supervisor Wiener received a copy of the complaint and sent this reply:

Andrea, did you make a police report?

Ailello responded:

Dennis Z. [a CBD board member] and I are going to the Mission Station tomorrow a.m. to file police reports. I am telling my other board members to do the same.

NYT: Book Says No Evidence
FBI's Hoover Was Gay, Had Sex With Anyone 

 (Hoover, right, with FBI associate and rumored partner Clyde Tolson.)

Former New York Times reporter Tim Weiner has new book out, "Enemies: A History of the FBI", which the paper favorably reviewed yesterday. The matter of J. Edgar Hoover's sexual orientation and sex life are addressed, and quickly dismissed, in the book:

Hoover as a man never really comes alive in “Enemies”:’ Mr. Weiner is far more concerned with policy than with private life. He briefly addresses the idea of Hoover’s closeted homosexuality, even the hoary old story that he was a cross-dresser, dismissing both notions out of hand, saying there is “not a shred of evidence” that Hoover was in fact gay or ever had sex with anyone. 

Well, if there were some evidence, I wouldn't be the least bit shocked to learn it was destroyed by Hoover or the FBI.

Rainbow Iraq Plea Read
at SF Vigil for Slain Gays, Emos, Goths

(Credit: Bill Wilson.)

The rainstorms couldn't dampen the commitment of forty to fifty activists who participated in the Gays Without Borders vigil in the heart of San Francisco's gay neighborhood today, which lasted two hours.

(Credit: Clinton Fein.)

We tied our banner to the center of the steel bars on the large bank window at Castro and 18th Streets, taped posters showing one of the dead Iraqi emo victims and placed a memorial floral wreath on the sidewalk, and created a striking scene that caught the attention of people driving or walking past us.

(Credit: Dan Nicoletta.)

Among the community folks who came by to lend solidarity with gay, emo and goth people in Iraq were African-American transgender advocate Jazzy Collins, AIDS activist Gary Virginia, photographers Rick Gerharter and Dan Nicoletta and Bill Wilson, Bay Area Reporter writer Heather Cassell, drag artiste Donna Sachet, political artist Clinton Fein, parishioners from Metropolitan Community Church, members of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club and the Log Cabin Republicans.

(Credit: Clinton Fein.)

There was no formal program. Those of us who have read the news stories about the skull-crushing murders of young Iraqi male who are gay, emo, goth or just weird or perceived to be weak and effeminate, and have some knowledge of the crimes and the political reactions or apathy chatted with the many people who were ignorant of the situation.

(Credit: Clinton Fein.)

At various times, Gary and Clinton would take to the bull horn, make short speeches or read the letter from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad strongly condemning the murders.

A ton of gratitude to everyone who pitched in to make the vigil happen, all who were able to be there, the people who stopped for more information. Thanks!

 (Credit: Clinton Fein.)

I was honored to read a statement from Bissam, a gay Iraqi who started the blog Rainbow Iraq in reaction to the killings. Go to his blog now and leave him and his Iraqi readers messages of solidarity and love. Please.

Bissam is a pseudonym used to protect his personal safety, and here are his words that were read aloud and heard tonight in San Francisco:

We See You, They Don't

A comment from Benjamin from United States says we see you on all out website said the whole truth in one short sentence. And it is real that the whole world is seeing what is going on but the Iraqi government and the authorities. While the world is protesting against the brutality of these crimes the people in charge disgrace the victims. The Iraqi prime minister didn’t speak at all.

The Shiiat leader says it is a strange phenomenon has a devastating influence and the head chief of Baghdad police says it is a revenge and honor killings. He didn’t even have a courtesy to call them crimes.

Sad, bad and unethical actions against innocent people all what they did are to be themselves. The heart of the humanity is bleeding for what is going on. They say they are not 100 people who get killed. Does it matter if they are 1 or 1000?

Killing is killing and this is a forcing for a stupid culture upon people who they are so peaceful. For how long these crimes will go without any punishment or even a small investigation? From gluing the rectum of the gays to smashing the Emo and gays with bricks, what next?

I ask you all to stand as one with us to safe the rest of humanity remained in Iraq. And to tell the Iraqi authorities that everyone has his freedom of speech and express himself as he believes.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being there for us.

Bissam

SF Vigil Today:
Iraq: Stop Killing Gays, Emos and Goths

As I write this, a light rain is falling on San Francisco and regardless of the weather there will be a vigil today starting at 4:00 PM in the Castro district. Our group Gays Without Borders will display a banner and posters demanding that the skull-crushing murders of gays, emos and goths in Iraq immediately end. Please join us.


Political artist Clinton Fein designed the powerful poster above, which is quite difficult to look at but we must show the world the brutality of the murders of young people in recent weeks in Iraq. Permission is granted for everyone to use the poster to call attention to the killings.

And Gary Virginia, who penned the appeal below to the goth community, has also created a memorial wreath commemorating the young Iraqis who've died during this spate of murders:

I'm an activist and community fundraiser in San Francisco and am reaching out to your Facebook Group GOTH CLUBS for support.

I'm with a group called Gays Without Borders and we're having a vigil on March 14, 4-6pm, at Castro and 18th streets denouncing the brutal killings of Goths, Emos and Gays and suspected Gays in Iraq.

It is believed that 100 have been killed in recent weeks with a witchhunt mentality. Many of the victims are straight but dress differently so they were targeted. The killings are continuing.

Here is the FB event if you are able to quickly post it:
https://www.facebook.com/events/409370405745225/?ref=ts

We are of the belief that we are ONE human race on a very connected planet. These types of brutal slayings of innocent people should not be occurring in the 21st century. We appreciate any support.

Gay Jamaica Questions Needed
for State Dept Ambassador's Chat

(A transgender Jamaican person under mob-attack in April 2007.)

I just submitted several questions and a comment to the U.S. State Department's Dip Note blog post, for a conversation scheduled tomorrow with our ambassador to Jamaica. Read this excerpt requesting engagement and questions from the general public:

Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater, U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica, will hold a conversation with Ambassador Curtis Ward, President of the Caribbean Research & Policy Center, on U.S.-Jamaica Relations. The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and will be available for on demand viewing soon on DipNote, the Department of State's official blog.

You are invited to participate by submitting questions, some of which will be selected for response during the broadcast. Submit your questions below on DipNote and on Twitter using the hashtag #Jamaica by March 14 for consideration.

Of course, there are a few things on my mind to share with the State Department, since they are asking for my participation in their public diplomacy:

I am a member of Gays Without Borders, a group concerned with the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Jamaica. We applaud the State Department's advocacy for the respect of LGBT Jamaicans and request that LGBT issues are raised during the conversation.

How is the U.S. prodding the Kingston government to investigate and prosecute bias motivated crimes and will the upcoming annual human rights report mention an improvement or setback for LGBT concerns in Jamaica?

Are there plans to counter the virulent anti-LGBT preaching of religious leaders? What movement can be taken to repeal the anti buggery statues through legislative or judicial avenues?

Looking forward to having these and other LGBT concerns on the tape of the conversation. The conversation, asking folks for questions, and then making the chat available as on-demand media is all good. I would suggest also transcribing the entire conversation on Jamaica to further engage stakeholders.

That comment is awaiting moderation. As of this writing, there is not a single question in the comments section of the Dip Note post. Do the movement a favor.

Go there right now and leave a question or two, please. Let's interact with the State Department on global LGBT issues in as many creative and diplomatic ways as possible.

It's terrific our embassy in Baghdad responded to questions from Gays Without Borders regarding the skull-crushing deaths of gays, emos and goths in Iraq. Just one of hundreds of ways our foreign affairs federal bureaucracy is taking action to better the lives of LGBT people around the world. I like it.

Metro Weekly: US Embassy in Iraq
'Strongly Condemns' Gay, Emo Killings

(Screen shot of the recent New York Times story and photograph from Baghdad. Credit: Metro Weekly.)

Two sites in Washington today write about Gays Without Borders contacting the American embassy in Iraq over the brutal deaths of gays and emos in that country.

Kudos to the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance's Rick Rosendall for giving the embassy's note some attention, and to Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly for not only writing about the note but for also contacting the spokesman in Baghdad for additional comments.

It's always good for embassy officials to hear from American gay activists and reporters about such atrocities, if only to remind them that we are concerns about the murders and expect our government officials to act to stop the killings.

From Metro Weekly:

Addressing the recent spate of "emo killings" in Iraq, in which young gay men and others with similar public presentation have been targets, the spokesman for the American embassy in Iraq told the San Francisco-based group, Gays Without Borders, that the embassy "strongly condemns" the killings and "is fully engaged at the highest levels to end these attacks, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure a secure and free future for all Iraqis."

In a response to Gays Without Borders, embassy spokesman Michael McClellan, who confirmed the email to Metro Weekly, wrote, "Along with the Embassy, the U.S. Department of State strongly condemns the recent violence and killings in Iraq by groups who appear to be targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or personal expression. These acts of intolerance should have no place in any society." . . .

The response to Gays Without Borders was first reported by one of its members, Michael Petrelis. In the NYT report, Jack Healy writes, "An Interior Ministry security officer said that in the past two weeks, officials had found the bodies of six young men whose skulls had been crushed. Reuters reported the toll to be 14 or more, citing hospital and security officials, while rights groups say that more than 40 young men have been killed, but have provided no evidence for this figure." . . .

McClellan told Metro Weekly early this morning Eastern Time that there had been no further developments in the day since he had sent Petrelis the letter.

$408,000 Catholic Hater Donohue:
'We Don't Need Altar Boys'

Today's front-page of the New York Times' print edition contains a fascinating story by Laurie Goodstein, all about Catholic church leaders putting legal pressures on a group dedicated to helping people who have suffered all sorts of abuses from priests over the years. A quote from a notorious hater of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, not to mention feminists and others working to curb Catholic influence over public health and fairness matters, Bill Donohue, pictured, stands out, bolding added:

But William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a church advocacy group in New York, said targeting the network was justified because “SNAP [Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests] is a menace to the Catholic Church.”

Mr. Donohue said leading bishops he knew had resolved to fight back more aggressively against the group: “The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.” 

Oh, really? That metaphoric altar boy reference is rather unfortunate, given that many of the abuse charges involve altar boys who were mistreated by Catholic priests.

I last wrote about Donohue in April 2010, because of his $372,000 salary reported in his nonprofit's tax filing. Donohue, who has not taken a vow poverty or living within modest means, has received raises since 2010.

The latest IRS 990 for Donohue's charity reveals his compensation has jumped to $408,000, and they have $28 million listed in assets.

To view the tax filing, go to the Foundation Center, where you don't have to register to view IRS 990s, then search for the Catholic League's returns. Unfortunately, the center does not create URLs for individual filings.

Lastly, if Donohue wants to talk about menaces, let's expand the discussion to include the menace of the Catholic Church toward women's health, reproductive freedom and privacy, and respect for LGBT people.