On-going shoplifting, extortion, break-ins, and threats of violence have forced Cafe International, a beloved Lower Haight fixture, to close while the owner contemplates the future.
The story about the sea of lawlessness on Haight and Fillmore brought me back the memory of the plaque I saw on the wall of the 507 Haight and Fillmore building in 2020 during the Pandemic shelter-in-place which had me curious about the history behind it.
The plaque is about crime and civil disobedience.
The plaque on the wall of 507 Haight and Fillmore. May 16, 2020
507 Haight and Fillmore where the plaque is. May 16, 2020
The plaque became more significant when the Castro Merchants Association and the Tenderloin Business Association attempted to withhold city taxes.
Their attempts were not the first in our city.
Other people, one of whom is still alive today to tell the story, had done it before.
During my research, I found out that Ron Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law was the city’s district supervisor during that time.
I kept digging to find the history behind the plaque and finally got a break a few months ago.
A local reporter, Max-Harrison Caldwell wrote an intriguing story about the plaque which was published in the Frisc on January 25, 2022.
