potrero view

October 2009

A Tour of Potrero Terrace

By Tom Donald

It was with no small bit of trepidation that I got out of my car in front of the San Francisco Police Department substation located in the Potrero Terrace housing complex. I’d arranged to do a walk around with some officers assigned to the complex’s detail. They were a few minutes late, and as I stood on Connecticut Street, I couldn’t ignore the cars driving by slowly and repeatedly, along with long looks from a couple of young men across the street.  In retrospect, that seemed a reasonable reaction. What was a middle-aged guy in a ball cap doing in front of the empty cop shop, anyway?

I was touring the complex in an attempt to find answers to questions nearly all Potrero Hill residents have asked themselves at one time or another: What’s the story with those long, institutional buildings on the Hill’s south slope? Why are so many of us afraid to drive through that neighborhood, let alone walk down one of its sunny streets? Is that decaying collection of barracks-style apartments as drug- and violence-ridden as rumors suggest? Who lives there? And what do the officers deal with as they patrol the area every day?

I was warmly greeted by Officer Tim Fowlie as he and his three colleagues got out of their police car and entered the Spartan substation. Quick introductions were exchanged, and then we hustled up the hill to their first call of the day. A woman had been assaulted by her live-in boyfriend, who then fled by jumping out the window. No small feat, given that the couple live on the unit’s second floor. The man was apparently familiar to the officers through previous contacts, and there were indications that this was not the first time she’d been a victim of domestic violence. Officers Alex Rodatos and Jeff Rosenberg talked to the woman patiently and took her information, promising to look for the miscreant.

I chatted with Officers Fowlie and George Ferreaz outside the woman’s apartment. They were candid in their assessment of life in the complex. Just as most people would suspect, it’s exceedingly challenging, though things have improved considerably in the last few years. The San Francisco Housing Authority has moved more quickly to evict troublemakers and drug dealers, thereby reducing criminal activity. But as Officer Fowlie observed, “When you move in, your place is going to be broken into within a month. It happens to everyone and it’s an expected occurrence.” As Hill residents can attest, gunshots are heard less frequently these days, but it’s not unusual to hear the sound of AKs and Glocks going off, especially at night. Drugs are ubiquitous, and strong-arm robberies are commonplace.

Beyond that, the “snitch” culture tends to subvert apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators, because witnesses are often unwilling to come forward and testify. That’s understandable, because retaliation is an all-too-real occurrence here. Or the charges are dropped soon after the arrestees arrive downtown. As Officer Ferraez told me, “We find ourselves dealing with the same people, time after time. It’s frustrating because as street cops, we know the area, we know what’s going on. We’re here every day, and to see guys walk around who we know are guilty is disheartening.”

It’s not all bad at Potrero Terrace, though. There’s a steady steam of new residents, with the complex becoming a destination for families moving from Richmond and Oakland. The development is becoming more diverse, as Asian-American and Hispanic families move in. And both the Terrace and the Annex are scheduled to be redeveloped over the next several years, with final plans set to be created by the end of 2009.

While Officers Rodatos and Rosenberg drove around the facility, Officers Fowlie, Ferraez and I took a walk around the hilly grounds. Along the way, several residents acknowledged us with smiles, and some offered greetings. “Hey, how you doin’?” “What’s up, young man?” Both officers emphasized that the good people in Potrero Terrace far outnumber the “bad apples,” as Officer Ferraez termed the criminal element.

All of the officers have had opportunities to transfer elsewhere in the department. But to Officer Fowlie, walking a beat in Potrero Terrace represents “a chance to make a difference, to leave a place a little better than I found it.”  It sounded like a cliché, but when he looks you in the eye and tells you that’s why he goes to work every day, you believe him.

We reached the top of the hill near the playground and stopped for a moment. The view was breathtaking. It was a beautiful day and the City looked like a jewel box in the sun. It was Potrero Hill in all its glory. But suddenly the radio crackled, and it was time to head back to the substation. Once there, the officers and I shook hands and said our goodbyes. I got into my car, and headed to my South of Market home. Idly, I set the trip odometer. The distance came to less than two miles, more than most Hill residents, but close enough.

Will I return to Potrero Terrace? Perhaps. It might not take its place among Farley’s, Moshi Moshi and my other regular stops on the Hill, but on a sunny day, that could be one helluva bike ride down Connecticut Street to Cesar Chavez.

Tom Donald is a film director who lives with his wife Mitzi Ngim on the outer reaches of Potrero Hill.


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