Anybody in SF as Pissed about this as I am

I'm 34 and from the North East and I realize that all good things must come to an end. That said it is time for a quick rant.....

I moved to SF in 2002 and one of the first places I went was Haight Ashbury. The first thing I noticed and it seemed kind aprapos was right at the cornier of Haight and Ashbury was a big fucking GAP store (now gone btw). As I wandered around I realised that the Haight became a shopping mall with dope dealers.

Now I'm going to bitch about the dope dealers. I for lack of better terms like to think of myself as a hippie. But what I've seen in the Haight is a bunch of gutter punks intimidating others with pitbulls selling bunk weed for exorbanant prices to tourists so they can go back to Ohio or wherever and say "hey I scored dope from a hipie on Haight Street isn't that cool." The worst part of this is since I self identify as a Hippie I'm constantly having to explain that these kids in the Haight aren't really hippies. I call them Parasite Hippies. They don't come for the music or the community they take whatever they can and give nothing back. Kind of the attitude of What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine now fuck off.

Now because of this yes I have long hair and a beard, yes I wear the uniform (if you take offence to this term let's be honest we all wear uniforms). I get lumped in with them. I work as a personal attendant for the disabled (yea I get paid to help people). I don't make much scratch so the only thing I can really give is my time and I give it when I can. I believe in helping others but also have a yin yang love/hate relationship with humanity. I love humanity because it is beautiful and capable of some really beautiful wonderful things. But I also hate society because we aren't doing beautiful wonderful things.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Time moves on. And things, unfortunately, change. It is less about the people who live there now and more about the memories of what was.

 

The Haight was a focal point where all the energy gathered. It drew us by the thousands.. we united and became on the same vibration of the flow of energy that beconed us all. This vibe showed up in many places at the same time. The united effort bonded us all together a Family, like soilders during a time of war, but our war was for peace and change for all humanbeings to be equail as was meant to be from the beginning, we all come from the same source and we will all go back the same way.

You have to look beyond all the commercializum and plastic. You have to hookup with the vibe. There were always dope pusher/pimps/robbers and thieves, it's a huge city a melting pot, a port from all corners of the world..

But it was the light we found, it was in us and it grew and grew into a beautiful thing. We brought it out in one anoter, we were peeking untill the light came on and then we peaked on through to the otherside and saw what Alice saw in the looking glass.

We saw as we peeked that we should be on a path of renewal, bringing Mother back to sit on the throne beside Father. We are their children, The Children of Eternal Light. As secrets were revieled we returned to the land to set our souls free. Some stayed behind to guide others and direct them home.

They are still there holding the lamp.

Brightest Blessings

sh

 

Wow, that was a powerful read. I can't speak for SanFran hippies because I live in the North East. I think the problem may be that there are so many "hippie wannabes" out there. I attended a festival last year and on the last day of the festival, I saw these people who were wearing the "hippie uniform" all weekend long... (patchwork clothes, hippie dresses, lots of hemp and bare feet) totally transform themselves before leaving for home, they put on shoes, shed their hippie clothes and dressed like they just stepped out of a Macy*s store. I was thinking, "Was is all just an act for the weekend?" Those people are not REAL hippies and probably don't value hippie ideas, they just think it's cool to wear the clothes and act the part. In real life they may have office jobs and may be greedy corporate thinkers.

 

Reverand JC : The Haight has become a tourist attraction. I believe that the community that existed there in the sixties really started to die in the summer of '67. I know alot of people who were there won't believe me, but in my opinion all the summer was was one big party. Once everyone spent all their money and went home, all they could do is brag about their summer. There were actually very few hippies who went there- most people went their to see what they could get - not what they could give. And, from what you said, I guess things haven't really changed that much.

SH: I wish I could be as optimistic as you! I really don't see very much of a future in this so-called new hippie movement. To me, it is just a bunch of kids who got lost and have nothing better to do with themselves. And, when they find their love of money, they'll find an answer to all their problems. It's alot easier,isn't it? Being a hippie is alot of hard work. Just trying to keep a smile on your face and showing people all the love in your heart really isn't that easy,is it? I sure hope I'm full of shit.

PAX

 

SH: I hear what you're saying. I think that the light spread out to other places. Then the Parasites (ie Pushers/Pimps/Robbers) did what parasites do they kind of sucked off the organism until there was nothing leaft. It's strange though. I moved to Berkeley and Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley which was the center of the East Bay scene is less fake than the Haight has turned. There is still some chains store activity up by the college. But there are street venders still. The people seem reverent of the past and the movement but are trying to move it forward. There are less of the parasites I bitched about in my last post and the vibe is a lot more positive. Maybe it is because Telegraph got less exposure.

Barefootjaime: I grew up in a small town in Maine. The Highschool where I went had kids from 4 towns. We didn't have a football team we had a soccer team and a lacrosse team instead. One of the funniest things happend when I was a Senior. BTW my senior year book was tie died and had the slogan "What a Trip". One or two members of the Lacrosse Team were Deadheads so the whole team started wearing Greatful Dead t-shirts. My first day of Jr. High in 7th grade I wore a tie died Greatful Dead t-shirt and a lot of these jock assholes wanted to kick my ass (but I digress). Me and one of my friends started joking sinse that was the new fad everytime we saw someone in a Dead shirt we would stop them and demand them to name 3 dead songs besides Truckin. My friend did once and got this response. "UHHH? Touch of Grey, Hell in a Bucket, and something about a train."

Pax: I think that the kids that will carry on the movement are the ones whos parents didn't become Yuppies. My dad farms with horses and is running a school for sustainable living. He taught me to do things for others and to teach others to do for themselves. He taught me to think for myself and gave me the tools to find the truth. I've learned where my food comes from and to see beyond the illusion of independance. I know that I can't be the only one out there. I have the feeling that we're kind of like a rash waiting under the surface waiting to surface when the time is right.

All that said I'm also sitting here typing this with "Who Needs the Peace Corps?" by Frank Zappa playing in my head.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

SH, waxing poetic are we? Nice writing.

Yep, I was there in the summer of '70, went right after the July 4th Atlanta Pop Festival. There was still some color around and the vibes of real Hippies was in the air, but there were a lot of burned out speed freeks and other hard druggies just exploiting the scene. I actually had a stranger, (no a brother whom I had just met in passing) drop a hit of acid in my hand for nothing and tripped down the street. That was still going on.

However, I almost got mugged in a park there but put up enuf of a fight and noise that they left me and my two tripping friends (who had no idea we were being mugged) alone. They followed us menacingly for a few blocks but finally left. That is the only city in the world where I have been so accosted.

 

I'll admit it, I'm touristing(?) it to Haight-Ashbury this summer when I go to Burning Man...more of a nostalgia thing than anything, sorta like a hardcore Christian making his way to Jerusalem to see the spot where Jesus died.

Sorry to hear about it man, but real communities are the people who take part in 'em, not the place that they're located. The hip scene in my town is made up of people from every neighborhood, and we gather somewhere different all the time.

 

After many years in another world I came back - 1st to a fest in Arkansas, later to Rainbow and also in my mind all along. At the Arkansas fest (Coalessence) I was blown away by the presence of so many young hippies. The best I could tell there were a lot of people with basic hippie values like getting high, rock&roll, the moment, freedom, and all that. People were helpful and respectful to one another. I was so happy!

Yeah, neighborhoods change and sometimes for the worse - as in the Haight. I've seen the people you're talking about. Still, coming from Texas to visit the Bay Area a fair amount in the past few years, there's A LOT of good things happening out there in SF and Berkeley.

This year headed to a psychedelic conference April and to Sonic Bloom in June and then the mountains.

 

SHALE:
I'm surprised that your weren't in SF when you were in the military. It was an attraction for the military who were on leave. Granted, it was mostly Navy personnel that you saw there, but there were also Army and Marines. They used to come into the Haight all the time, looking for drugs. But- no one gave them a military discount. LOL. SF was always a destination for the avante garde. It attracted all kinds of people, esp. gays. They were accepted by most people there except the police. But, then again, the police weren't any different than police elsewhere. They just loved their power and authority.
The Haight was a great community.But it started to change after the Monterey Music Festival. Everybody wanted to go to SF and meet the gentle people and wear flowers in their hair. Unfortunatley it also brought alot of undesirables into the midst. When the talk of the summer of love started, you would be surprised how many people didn't want anything to do with it. I was fortunate enough to get a job housekeeping in Topanga Canyon around June and I stayed there until almost the end of Sept. I was totally surprised on how much the Haight had changed when I got back . I had never seen a gun before then. But within the first two weeks that I was back, I saw over four guns that were being shown in the 'so what the fuck are you gonna do?' type of attitude. I even had a gun waved in my face a couple of times. If I didn't have such close ties there, I would have left with the rest the hippies that fall. That's not to say that all the hippies left, but alot of the people I saw every day just left. I can go one forever, but I better end this.

PAX

 

I agree with the OP about SF, everyone tried hustling me. However I think being a Masshole helped me be out. I guess being a Mass jerk was enough to get those parasitic tweakers away from me. Had to get into some peoples faces at Carls Junior to get them to back down. I think it surprised them.

went something like this.

2 maybe 3 am, walked into carls junior, several black kids were in front of the counter so I would have to go through them to get food, some try selling me weed, I say no, others kinda eyed me, then one of them says, "hey man you got 3 bucks?" with a scummy smile. I leaned in on him and said face to face, "yeh I got money, for ME!"

they backed off. There was another issue with some tweaker trying to get me to buy his bus tickets, and on and on.

I hated it there.

 

There are a few places in PA which have transformed from hippie havens into corporate tourist traps. I wish I would have been around to know what they were like "back in the day".

New Hope, PA - Was a hippie mecca. You can still find many hippies around that town and quite a few hippie shops, but I hear it is nothing like it was years ago. Supposedly there was a headshop on every corner. Now it's mostly overpriced souvenier junk and overpriced eateries. Some of the restaurants even have signs up "no tank tops, ripped clothes, or bare feet" give me a break!!

South Street, Philadelphia - Back in the 60's there was even a hit song that went "Where do all the hippies meet? South Street, South Street" An older friend, who's also on Hip Forums took took me there when I visited Philly. I think I saw 1 or 2 actual hippie shops. The rest was all hip hop clothing stores and countless pizza shops, etc. Quite a boring scene. I don't even really remember seeing any hippies that day, just lot's of "urban hip-hop" people giving me odd looks at the way I was dressed...lol

 

I intern at a recording studio in the Tenderloin on Tuesday nights. So I have to walk through the crackheads on the way in and the way out usually carrying a musical instrument but nobody usually fucks with me. Some of the completely burnt out speed freaks or acid casualties have long onesided conversations with me. Again with my love hate relationship with humanity sometimes I stop and talk with the ones who are selling Street Sheets. They are generally less agressive and have really interesting stories to how they got there.

On the other side Gavin Newsom the mayor of SF at one point a couple of years ago put a group of homeless people on a Greyhound bus and shipped them to Humboldt County. Another part of the homeless problem in SF is the state law that states that while on probation a sex offender can't be within 100 yards of a school park or anywhere near wher children congrigate. San Francisco is only 7 Miles by 7 Miles. There are no areas that are more than 100 yards of these places. The law also states that if they are arrested in San Francisco County in all actuality San Francisco city limits they have to stay there until their probation is over. Now I know I'm going to piss some people off with this but there are some non dangerous sex offenders. Don't believe me James Hetfield the singer from Metallica was arrested for indecent exposure. His crime pissing in the bushes in Golden Gate Park. That falls under the heading of Sex Offender.

Anyway I think that the difference between the Haight and Telegraph in Berkeley is that while people were getting loaded in the Haight people were getting Tear Gassed on Telegraph. They were here to protest and there to party.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

I wasn't there, I was 13 and living in Massachusetts at the time, but my understanding is "The Summer of Love" was kind of a misnomer as so many kids crowded into the Haight in '67 that it ruined the experience. A lot of them wound up living on the streets hungry, cold and sick. Many others who moved in were not really hippies but hardcore druggies, bikers and predators, the most extreme example being Charles Manson.

That October the original hippies who didn't abandon the Haight held a mock funeral called Death of the Hippie, where they told people not to come back next summer, instead to set up their own hippie communities in their cities and towns.

I finally visited the Haight in 1999 and could see it had become a tourist attraction. Some of the spirit was still there, but the commercialism was undeniable. But hey, that's America.

 

C'mon, man... They got a Ben & Jerry's right there on the corner. What more could you want?

 

Especially after you you get burnt by a gutterpunk who just sold you some overpriced bunk weed in front of the GAP.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

I know, I got a cone of Cherry Garcia at that Ben & Jerry's 'cause I had the munchies! But it wasn't free! It's not like the Diggers were giving out free cones!

 

The Haight hasn't been a peace & love place for some time now. Before the current kids w/ their dogs there were the junkie kids dealing, scrounging, begging & sleeping in Golden Gate Park. Every era has their own. Hell it used to be winos so it just moves to a different vibe. Hippie Hill's (GGP) drum circle is still cool. But with all the legal Cannabis from all the Medical marijuana clubs out here, why waste time with street punks? There's still good folk out here. But you have to find them. Go to the Filmore or the Great American Music hall or whatever they're calling the Warfield now.

 

Dude, I'm not saying I haven't met some cool cats out here. I'm just pissed about the Haight scene. I'm also sick of trying to explain to some people the difference between a Hippie and a gutterpunk when they look at me and ask me why I'm not hanging out in the Haight. The first time I dropped acid was at a Phil show at the Warfield. It was a free hit too. And yes there are good pot clubs around there if you have a card. As a matter of fact when I was staying at a youth hostel and not smoking pot I would hear all these stories of people getting burned by "Some Hippie in the Haight." Then I'd have to do a public service announcement telling them the difference. When people asked me where to score some weed I told them not to go to the Haight. I just feel like somebody needs to say something.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

That's very true. There was a time back then when anything to do with California was cool, except its governor (Ronald Reagan). And don't forget that LA had its hippie community too.

Also, the UC-Berkeley campus has always been a hotbed of liberal freethinking. I haven't been to Berkeley in a number of years, but I would suspect it's still a hotbed.

It wasn't just San Francisco.

I remember going up to the Haight Ashbury 'round about 1971 or 1972, and my friend was robbed at knifepoint on the street. I stayed away for a long time after that.