Tenderloin, San Francisco
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Tenderloin | |
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PDT) | |
ZIP Codes | 94102, 94103, 94109 |
Area codes | 415/628 |
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown
It contains the
The area has a reputation for crime and has among the highest levels of homelessness and crime in the city. It is the center of the Fentanyl Crisis in San Francisco.
History
The Tenderloin took its name from an older neighborhood in New York with similar characteristics. There are several explanations of how that neighborhood was named. Some attribute the name to a New York City police captain, Alexander S. Williams, who was overheard saying that when he was assigned to another part of the city, he could only afford to eat chuck steak on the salary he was earning, but after he was transferred to this neighborhood he was making so much money on the side soliciting bribes that now he could afford to eat tenderloin ('filet mignon') instead.[5][6] Another version of that story says that the officers who worked in the Tenderloin received a "hazard pay" bonus for working in such a violent area, and thus were able to afford the good cut of meat. Yet another story, also likely apocryphal, is that the name is a reference to the "loins" of prostitutes.[citation needed]
The Tenderloin borders the Mission/Market Street corridor, which follows the Spaniards' El Camino Real, which in turn traced an ancient north–south Indian trail. The Tenderloin is sheltered by Nob Hill, and far enough from the bay to be on solid ground. There is evidence that a community resided here several thousand years ago. In the early 1970s, the area along Market Street was excavated to develop the BART/MUNI subway station at Civic Center.
The Tenderloin has been a downtown residential community since shortly after the
In the mid-20th century, the Tenderloin provided work for many musicians in the neighborhood's theaters, hotels, burlesque houses, bars and clubs and was the location of the Musician's Union Building on Jones Street. The most famous jazz club was the Black Hawk[9] at Hyde and Turk Streets where Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis,[10] Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, and other jazz musicians recorded live albums for Fantasy Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
With housing consisting almost entirely of single-room-occupancy hotel rooms, studio and one bedroom apartments, the Tenderloin historically housed single adults and couples.[11] After World War II, with the decline in central cities throughout the United States, the Tenderloin lost population, creating a large amount of vacant housing units by the mid-1970s. Beginning in the late 1970s, after the Vietnam War, the Tenderloin received large numbers of refugees from Southeast Asia—first ethnic Chinese from Vietnam, then Khmer from Cambodia and Hmong from Laos. The low-cost vacant housing, and the proximity to Chinatown through the Stockton Street Tunnel, made the area appealing to refugees and resettlement agencies. Studio apartments became home for families of four and five people and became what a local police officer called "vertical villages." The Tenderloin quickly increased from having just a few children to having over 3,500 and this population has remained. A number of neighborhood Southeast Asian restaurants, bánh mì coffee shops, ethnic grocery stores, video shops, and other stores opened at this time, which still exist.
The Tenderloin has a long history as a center of alternate sexualities, including several historic confrontations with police. The legendary female impersonator
On New Year's Day in 1965, police raided a Mardi Gras Ball at California Hall[16] on Polk Street sponsored by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, lining up and photographing 600 participants and arresting several prominent citizens. One of the first "gay riots", pre-dating the Stonewall riots in New York, happened at Compton's Cafeteria[17] at Turk and Taylor Streets in August 1966 when the police, attempting to arrest a drag queen, sparked a riot that spilled into the streets. The group ended up smashing the windows of the police car and burned a nearby newspaper stand to the ground; the riot promoted the formation of the Gay Activists Alliance.[18] Prior to the emergence of The Castro as a major gay village, the center of the Tenderloin at Turk and Taylor and the Polk Gulch at the western side of the Tenderloin were two of the city's first gay neighborhoods; a few of these historic gay bars and clubs still exist.
The apartment where Dashiell Hammett wrote The Maltese Falcon was once in the boundaries of the Tenderloin at the corner of Hyde and Post. Both the movie and book were based in San Francisco's Tenderloin. There is also an alley in what is now Nob Hill, named for the book's author (Dashiell Hammett). It lies outside the Tenderloin because the boundary was defined with borders different from today's. Some locations, such as Sam Spade's apartment and John's Grill, also no longer lie in the Tenderloin because local economics and real estate have changed the character and labeling of areas over time.
In July 2008, the area was designated as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.[19]
In 2017, a portion was declared the
Attractions and characteristics
Nestled near the downtown area, the Tenderloin has historically resisted gentrification, maintaining a seedy character and reputation for crime.[20] Squalid conditions, homelessness, crime, illegal drug trade, prostitution, liquor stores, and strip clubs give the neighborhood a seedy reputation.[21]
Part of the neighborhood forms part of the theater district. Prominent theatres include the Geary, the home of the
In his seminar 'Take Charge of Your Life', Jim Rohn recounted his visits to the Tenderloin to experience the "human tragedy". He described his visit to a bar in the Tenderloin where the bar tender told him about a dancer by the name of Cookie, who was severely crippled and had a child suffering from leukemia.[28]
Crime
The Tenderloin is a high-crime neighborhood, particularly violent street crime such as robbery and aggravated assault.
The first block of Turk Street, between Taylor and Mason, had one of the highest rates of violence and drug activity in San Francisco, according to a survey conducted by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic. On January 31, 2014, parking was banned on both sides of the street in an effort to reduce violence and drug activity. Without parked cars to hide illegal activity, there were fewer loiterers, and a decrease in drug activity.[31]
According to The New York Times, streets in the Tenderloin are littered with thousands of discarded heroin needles, and the sidewalks "have come to resemble a refugee camp". Public defecation and urination are commonplace, and between 2015 and 2018, more than 300 lampposts were replaced because they had been corroded by urine.[32]
The neighborhood was the origin of a notorious Bahala Na Gang (BNG) imported from the Philippines. In the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, the gang was involved in extortion, drug sales, and murder for hire.[citation needed] Additionally, on April 10, 1984, notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez committed his first known murder in a hotel basement, where he was living, in the Tenderloin district.[citation needed]
In the 2020s, the Tenderloin has experienced many of San Francisco's fentanyl deaths.[33]
Social issues
High prevalence of sex work in the Tenderloin area has been associated with a high rate of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, especially among
Gentrification
The position held by policymakers regarding gentrification is often divided, with one side of the debate arguing that it is of benefit to the public economy and revitalization of the built setting, while the other side argues that the huge social costs and displacement of people, especially the poor, outweigh all potential strengths of the process.[35]
Murals
The Tenderloin serves as a mecca for the art scene in San Francisco, housing the "White Walls" gallery and "Shooting Gallery". The Tenderloin has been home to mural work by artists such as Johanna Poethig, Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, and Blek le Rat.[36]
Social services
The Tenderloin has been the home of
The Tenderloin Housing Clinic has offered important social services to the poor of this neighborhood for decades. The Care Through Touch Institute, located between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, offers free seated massage therapy to clients in the Tenderloin community. The founder and director of CTI, Mary Ann Finch, began offering services here in 1997, after being inspired by her volunteer work with Mother Teresa in India.[39]
Religious institutions providing community services to the Tenderloin include
As transgender women often face barriers such as discrimination and stigma when accessing health care, and show reluctance to disclose their gender when seeking health related services, a collaborative project named 'TRANS' was set up near the Tenderloin to appropriately address the multifaceted needs of this diverse population, as well as offering support.[41]
In their study, Sausa, Keatley, Operario (2007) concluded that sex work for transgender women of color must be viewed as a forced consequence of structural barriers that they face, as well as an informed choice for survival as a result of these barriers.[42]
The Tenderloin Senior Organizing Project (TSOP; formerly known as the Tenderloin Senior Outreach Project[43]) was initiated when local university staff realized that many seniors felt afraid of crime, rent increases, and inadequate income. They facilitate interpersonal communication through coffee & refreshments, and groups of elderly people were encouraged to meet each other.[44]
Larkin Street Youth Services is a non-profit organization that offers a continuum of services that inspires youth to move beyond the street. Services run the gamut from street outreach and temporary shelters to transitional living programs, health and wellness services, and comprehensive education and employment programs.[45]
Culture
In 1987, residents and others from the Aarti Hotel on Leavenworth Street founded the
From 2006 to 2009, The Loin's Mouth – conceived by its editor Rachel M. – was a semi-quarterly publication about life in the Tenderloin and Tendernob areas. Since then, others have come about to fill the gap including the Tenderloin Reading Series, which is a quarterly literary event in the neighborhood as well as The Tender, a local journal focusing on the events, food, and politics of the neighborhood.[citation needed]
In 2006, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts was formed to produce, exhibit, and develop creativity with the most contemporary new media technologies. Initially located on Taylor Street in an 8,000 sq ft (740 m2) space, they have since moved.[46]
In the past[when?] the local Vietnamese Community has hosted the Tết celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year in the Little Saigon section of the Tenderloin.[citation needed]
Parks and recreation
Historically, the downtown Tenderloin had no park between Union Square to the East and Civic Center Plaza to the West until a number of activists, who organized the city's Citizens Committee for Open Space, advocated for more open space in the Tenderloin in the 1970s. As a result, a number of parks and playgrounds were created including first Boeddeker Park, a multi-use facility, then the youth-oriented Tenderloin Playground, followed by a number of mini-playgrounds.[citation needed]
Boeddeker Park, located at the corner of Eddy and Jones Streets, is one of the most used parks per square foot in the city. It underwent a renovation, completed in December 2014, which has revitalized the park. YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club occupy the clubhouse, providing programming for youth and seniors. "It's the hub of positive community togetherness", Tenderloin police Capt. Jason Cherniss said of the park. "It's not necessarily police, it's community. It's ripe for that now. We're all getting more connected and sharing information."[47]
The Tenderloin Children's Playground, on Ellis Street between Leavenworth and Hyde Streets, was opened in 1995 and has attractive indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and hosts a number of community and family events.[citation needed]
Sgt. John Macaulay Park, named after a San Francisco police officer who was killed in the adjacent alley while on duty, is a small gated playground at the corner of O'Farrell and Larkin Streets. Although the park is located across the street from a strip club, it is frequented by parents and children from the neighborhood.[citation needed]
The "Tenderloin National Forest" (a project of the nonprofit organization The Luggage Store/509 Cultural Center) is an unofficial park that was established in 1987 that maintains the park and opening hours. It is located on Cohen Alley just off Ellis Street.[citation needed]
Renaming attempt
In March 2011,
See also
References
- ^ a b "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "California's 11th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
- ^ a b "Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, California (CA), 94102, 94103, 94109 subdivision profile – real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets". City-data.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ Estrella, Cicero (February 16, 2004). "S.F.'s 'Little Saigon': Stretch of Larkin Street named for Vietnamese Americans". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ MacLaren, Don (February 1988). "70 Years Ago in Neighborhood History – TL Morality Crusade Draws Prostitutes' Wrath". The Tenderloin Times. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Williams, 'Ex-Czar' Of Tenderloin, Dies; Picturesque Former Inspector of Police Gave the District Its Sobriquet. Figured In Lexow Inquiry; Retired on Pension After That;-Noted for His Love of a Fight; 77 Years Old. He Never Shunned a Fight. Appearance Before Lexow." The New York Times March 26, 1917
- ^ "The Cadillac Hotel Shaped History of San Francisco". Beyond Chron. September 5, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ISBN 9780520244740.
- ^ "Success in a Sewer", Time, August 3, 1959
- ^ "Miles Davis: In Person Saturday Night At The Blackhawk, Complete, Volume II album review". Allaboutjazz.com. May 6, 2003. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ Shaw, Randy (April 16, 2015). "Gentrifying L.A. without displacing the poor: Lessons from S.F.'s Tenderloin". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "don't call me madam – the life and work of ray bourbon – ray's story – nightclubs and broadway". Coolcatdaddy.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
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- ^ Eaklor, Vicki (2011). Queer America: A People's GLBT History of the United States (New Press People's History). The New Press.
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- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Documentary movie Screaming Queens: the Riot at Compton's Cafeteria "Screaming Queens — the Riot at Compton's Cafeteria". Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
- ^ Stryker, Susan. Transgender History. First Printing edition. Berkeley, California: Seal Press, 2008.
- ^ "State Approves Uptown Tenderloin Historic District". Beyond Chron. July 28, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ ""Guidebook reference to Tenderloin as 'worst neighborhood in San Francisco'"". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "Academy Of Art Students Reimagine Homeless Shelter Design In The TL". Hoodline.com. May 10, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "Education Team". www.act-sf.org. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-4000-1051-6.
- ^ a b "The Tenderloin District". HTL 587. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Mobley, Esther (September 21, 2018). "Bourbon & Branch was a San Francisco cocktail pioneer. Should we still care about it?". SFChronicle.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Kukura, Joe (October 23, 2018). "Mitchell Brothers Theatre is Up for Sale - 10/23/2018". SF Weekly.
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- ISBN 978-1-935944-99-7.
- ^ Jaxon Van Derbeken, "3 Tenderloin slayings are called drug-related", San Francisco Chronicle, April 26, 2007
- ^ "Maps". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008.
- ^ Nevius, C. W. (February 6, 2014). "Banning parking on Tenderloin block drives trouble away". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ "385 died of fentanyl overdose in SF this year; could set record, health officials say". ABC7 San Francisco. August 16, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- S2CID 36603446.
- ^ Atkinson, Rowland (January 2002). "Does Gentrification Help or Harm Urban Neighbourhoods? An Assessment of the Evidence-Base In the Context of the New Urban Agenda". Centre for Neighbourhood Research, Paper.
- ^ "Graffiti Culture & Lifestyle™". Aerosol Fiends. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "GOOD-BOY 명품쇼핑몰 명품레플리카 레플리카 레플리카쇼핑몰". Ccsro.org. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- PMID 1772899.
- S2CID 40413106.
- ^ "Tenderloin Community Benefit District Receives Financial Support From San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Saint Francis Foundation, Shorenstein Residential | Tenderloin CBD". Tenderloin Community Benefit District. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- PMID 15727962.
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- OCLC 54029511.
- ^ "The Tenderloin Senior Outreach Project (TSOP) – USA".
- S2CID 21318165.
- ^ "GAFFTA has moved" The Tender, April 1, 2011
- ^ "Tenderloin Feels Safer With Sidewalk Stewards, Boeddeker Park Makeover". Hoodline. May 14, 2015.
- The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Moreno, Adam (April 25, 2011). "PETA lobbies for Tenderloin name change". goldengatexpress.org. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Humin (March 29, 2011). "PETA, get out of my Loin". San Francisco: The Tender. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Kamiya, Gary (November 2013). "Arise, Tenderloin". ISSN 1097-6345. Retrieved November 4, 2013.