May 31, 2007Quickie Link: Era Ends as City Moves Halloween Away From Castro
By vanrozenheim
(San Francisco) - A strong message is going to be sent to the tens of thousands of Halloween revelers who descend upon San Francisco from throughout the Bay Area - the Castro party is officially busted. This year, fun-seekers will find no party set-up - no barricades, no portable toilets, and no entertainment - in the historically gay neighborhood, said Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who represents the Castro. This is not the first time city officials have tried to move the event out of the Castro. From 1996-2001, the city sponsored a Halloween event at Civic Center, but tens of thousands of people still flooded the Castro, doubling the work of police. “People are still going to go to the Castro,”said Ted Strawser, founder of the San Francisco Party Party, a group that has rallied against recent crackdowns on city events and festivals. “Without services, they’re just going to pee in the street, and without entertainment, mischief will occur.”
