San Francisco Police Chief Promises Another Zero Tolerance Halloween
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - San Francisco police officers will be out in force on Monday night to ensure no spontaneous Halloween gatherings take place in the Castro District or other parts of the city, Police Chief Greg Suhr said.
Since the 2006 shooting that injured 9 people at the Castro District street party, San Francisco has held no official city event to celebrate the holiday.
"It just got too big for the neighborhood," Suhr said.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
The year after the shootings, most Castro bars opted to close on Halloween night amid heavy police presence.
Since then, Halloween has attracted plenty of revelers to the streets even without the officially sanctioned block party that once drew tens of thousands to the neighborhood.
"The merchants in the Castro enjoy a busy night," Suhr said, adding the evening had been more peaceful without the Castro street party.
"Residents in the Castro are happy that their gardens aren't overrun and that we don't exceed capacity on our port-a-potties," he said.
The Police Department's zero tolerance approach this Halloween will include citations for any kind of code violations in the Castro neighborhood, Suhr said, from open container violations and public drinking to jaywalking.
Suhr said people are still welcome to dress up in costume and enjoy nightlife in the city on Halloween.
"We absolutely want people to come here and patronize our bars and restaurants and clubs safely, but not out on the streets and especially not in the Castro," he said.
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