(San Francisco – February 21, 2013)  On Saturday, February 16, 2013, the Excelsior Action Group (EAG) executed a grassroots safety program with the help of over a dozen local youth in San Francisco’s Excelsior neighborhood.  Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior is a pedestrian level lighting campaign that enlists youth as safety liaisons to distribute free energy efficient lighting to small businesses to brighten their storefront windows at night.  Generously funded by PG&E, the program addresses the neighborhood’s dire need for pedestrian level lighting to increase safety and foot traffic on Mission Street after dark.

Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior was developed in response to a call from merchants and residents alike for better lighting and improved safety along the Excelsior’s commercial corridor.  In EAG’s recent community needs assessment, merchants shared common anecdotes of increased break-ins and defacement of their storefronts during the night.  Residents living, working, and shopping on the corridor cited that their sense of security on Mission Street dramatically decreases after dark.  EAG’s Public Safety Planning Group took these findings as a call to action, working with PG&E to develop the Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior program.

Fifteen neighborhood youth from Balboa High School and San Francisco State University volunteered with EAG staff to distribute energy efficient light bulbs to 193 small businesses along Mission Street.  Their message was simple: leave a light on at night to improve pedestrian safety after dark.  When asked why the program was important, SFSU student Rosson Pan remarked, “Increased lighting will encourage more people to feel safe and to shop on Mission Street after dark, which will increase safety even further.  It’s a cycle that will help to improve the local economy!”   

Small business owners were warmly receptive to the program and pleased to see local youth volunteering in the community.  “We recognize that a free light bulb is only a temporary solution,” explained Commercial Corridor Manager Nicole Agbayani, “But it also sparks a neighborhood-wide conversation about a much needed project to permanently install pedestrian level lighting here in the Excelsior.  Merchants recognize the positive impact more lighting has on their businesses.  Youth recognize that more lighting engenders a safer community, and that they can be the impetus for that transformation.”

Bernardo Cortes, Customer Relationship Manager at PG&E, the program’s primary funder, said, “PG&E is proud to work with the Excelsior Action Group to promote safety along the Excelsior commercial corridor.  We will continue to collaborate with EAG to provide local businesses with energy-efficient measures to help them save money and improve public safety.”  EAG is grateful for all of the support it received in bringing this program to fruition, particularly from PG&E, Whole Foods, Balboa High School’s PULSE program, and SFSU Professor Brigitte Davila.

• If you are going to a bar or someone's house for a party, please designate a driver before arriving.  "Buzzed Driving" is drunk driving.  Stopping at halftime does not ensure that you will be sober by the end of the game. 
• If you are hosting a party, ensure that none of your guests leave your home while intoxicated.  Consider serving non-alcoholic drinks later in the game and to those who appear to be over doing it.  Coffee does not speed up the sobering process.  It just creates a wide awake drunk.  Only time will bring about sobriety.  Consider scheduling dinner for after the game to give the streets time to clear before your guests leave. 
• When the 49ers win the Super bowl, there will likely be spontaneous celebrations and people taking to the streets.  Remember to stay on the sidewalk.  Running into the street to celebrate may seem like fun, but it is very dangerous.
• The San Francisco Police Department will have additional personnel working to keep the celebrations safe.  We want people to have a good time, but we want them to be safe.  If an officer asks you to leave an area or directs you to go in a certain direction, please understand that they may be aware of a potential problem in the immediate area of which you are unaware.
• If you are driving and see there is significant road congestion ahead, change your route and avoid that area.      
• After the Giants won the World Series, crowds took to the streets to celebrate.  Some in the celebration became a problem.  A bus was destroyed, fires were started, and fights broke out.  If you are out in a celebration, use your own good judgement to gauge the crowd.  If you see the celebration turning into something you don't want to be a part of, leave the area and return home or to a place of safety (a friend's house, etc.). 
• If you witness an individual or group of people starting a problem, call the police and avoid contact with those individuals.  Be as descriptive as possible to help officers identify any trouble makers.  If people in a vehicle are driving in a very unsafe manner, please try to get the license plate, vehicle description, and a direction of travel.  Do not confront persons who are being aggressive or who you think "are looking for trouble". 
• If you want to be a part of the celebration, consider waiting for a City sponsored event after the 49ers return. 

This should be a day of pride for the City and a chance to show the nation that we know how to celebrate. 

GO NINERS!!!

The Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior (SBLE) program is a grassroots safety initiative of EAG, sponsored by PG&E.  The program goals are to promote safety directly on the Excelsior commercial corridor, educate merchants about Crime Prevention through Environmental Design concepts, increase the perception of safety on the corridor among those who live, work, and shop after dark and enhance the environmental sustainability of businesses on the corridor through the provision of energy efficient lighting.   The program involves the distribution of energy efficient light bulbs and educational posters for display in every small business on the Excelsior’s Commercial Corridor.  The outreach will be conducted by trained Safety Liaisons volunteers. 

Please join the San Francisco Police Department,
Ingleside Police Station, the Ingleside Community Police
Advisory Board (CPAB) – and the community for the 29th Annual “National Night Out” 

National Night Out is a nationwide, annual event designed to raise crime prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood spirit and unity, and foster community-police partnerships.

Ingleside Station has set up a voluntary bike registration system for community members to recover bikes that are lost or stolen. All you need to do is fill out some basic information about yourself and the bike to receive a sticker in the mail or you can also go to the Ingleside Police Station to fill out the form and get the sticker to place on your bicycle. Even though this can't stop it from being stolen, it will make it easier for the Police to return the bicycles to its owner if recovered. The police will not give the bike back unless you have proof that it belongs to you, so this will be an easy way to identify you as the owner.. To learn more, click here. To find the bike registration form, click here.