San Franciso Standard
There’s a parking lot behind the club and concert venue The Midway where an independent businessman runs an illicit operation.
Standing at around 6 feet, 3 inches, and weighing somewhere in the region of 250 pounds, the man, whom we’ll call the Watcher, offers to protect the cars of clubgoers — for a price.
The Port of San Francisco, which owns the lot, contends that the operation is illegal, and The Midway issued a disapproving statement. But when San Francisco Police Department officers visited the lot Jan. 17, they merely gave The Watcher a warning and left, he said. The SFPD was unable to confirm this or “locate any information.” More
If I was foolish enough to drive into SF for any reason I think paying an extra $20 to have someone watch my car would be worth it.
Cleveburg here – we used to have the Spaghetti house in downtown Cleveland that had someone like that. The owners were the real deal Italians and so was Lurch… the parking enforcer. At well over 6 feet and +300Lbs we would joke that he should have tire swing to sit in instead of a chair!
The cops were given $200 each and just walked away. $50 just won’t do with the outrageous cost of living in SF.
If the owner, Port of San Francisco, was so concerned they could issue a trespass warning, problem solved. Of course, the SFPD would never show up to enforce it, they got out of the law enforcement business years ago.
Antioch is a bit of a drive to The City, over an hour, I say leave him alone in his personal pursuit of capitalism.
Next thing you know Snake Plisken will be sent in to rescue someone with the way things are going there
Two can play that game. I assume he’s there a lot. Something happens to my truck I’m coming back and you won’t be happy. In fact you better make damn sure nothing happens to it.
My kid works at a biotech lab near Stanford, I tell him repeatedly, to avoid going into The City. Last year he went to a concert in one of the better (?) parts of town, and found himself hip-deep in an insurance scam. While stopped at a red light, the car in front of him backed up, slammed into him, and then both parties jumped out complaining of whiplash. Naturally, the police report, required when injuries are involved, showed him at fault. We have good insurance so he was covered but his rates will now double for three years.
Remembering the old “Chicago Stadium” where you would pay young black kids to watch your car while you attended the Blackhawk games. Cheap insurance…
aaaaaaaaaannd that’s why I have a dash-cam.
@ Rich Taylor
not new. people were doing this in NYC in the late ’50s
Hey Rich, when we were young we used to go to the Cow Palace a lot. I see nothings changed. Just less good guys me thinks.
^^^ yes, it’s a damned shame.
I lived in the Bay Area for most of my life. What the libs have done to The City is downright criminal. Now, I wouldn’t go there on a bet.
Go to a ball or hockey game in Detroit. Any big event really and parking is a crapshoot.
There was an instance of that trick of backing up to smash the car behind in DC some years ago. The driver of the struck vehicle popped out and shot all of the passengers and driver to death.
No one witnessed it except about 20 people who couldn’t identify the vehicle or the shooter.
Erik,
I LIKE the way that guy handled the shakedown.
If The Port were SO concerned about their business and their customers’ cars, they’d hire their own person to guard the parking lot and cars.
BUUUUT…..since they don’t seemed to be all that concerned, and since nature abhors a vacuum, “Lurch” has stepped in to fill that void.
So leave him alone. Let him do his job that the customers are willing to pay for.
San Francisco. What do you expect. Same with Los Angeles – with the difference being the LA fires exposing what unbelievable moron the mayor of LA (Karen Bass) is. Maybe that’s the good that’ll come out of the fires.
Street parking in the area of FedExForum and the Orpheum in Memphis has had similar parking entrepreneurs for decades.
It’s not so different from people who live near football stadiums allowing fans to park on their lawns for $20 – $50 cash only, no checks on game days.