Unruly World Series Revelers Vandalize San Francisco Nonprofit, Cause Thousands Of Dollars In Damage
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Smack in the middle of San Francisco's Mission district where thousands of Giants fans took to the streets following a World Series victory last night, vandals among the celebrants attacked a nonprofit neighborhood center.
Plaza Adelante at Mission at 19th Street suffered about $7,000 in damage, mostly in the form of graffiti on walls and windows, said the organization's executive director, Luis Granados.
"It's really painful for me because I love this building," Granados said told KPIX 5. "This is for community. We are serving 6,000 people for free. We don't have a whole lot of resources. So now, we have to spend close to $7,000 for security, the painting, and now we have to repair the windows."
GIANTS WORLD SERIES COVERAGE:
Granados said because of damage from the 2012 aftermath, he hired a security guard this year. But the crowd overwhelmed him and he took shelter inside the building.
"People were threatening the security guard, so he went inside and called the cops," Granados said. "The cops said this wasn't bad enough … so the cops left."
Granados said the damage hurts because, like many nonprofits, Plaza Adelante is constantly scrounging for funding sources. The group provides free financial help to low income families in the community with services that range from helping people get jobs, improve their credit, and increase their savings accounts.
"And instead, we're paying it to mitigate things that shouldn't have happened. The celebration to the vandalism. The celebration to the vandalism doesn't make sense," Granados said.
"People are asking me 'should the city being doing something different? Should the Giants be doing something different?' I think there's two things: it's great that the Giants are doing well. But how is there messaging around that this should not happen. And then also, how is there more regular security around here to prevent this stuff?"
Granados said he has one message to sports fans celebrating in the streets: "Celebrate, don't damage," he said. "We are helping your community."