Promoting Safety One Step at a Time
Safe Passage Assists Children and Seniors in the Tenderloin
A band of individuals wearing aqua-blue vests march up Hyde Street like soldiers. Except this isn’t a battleground. It’s the Tenderloin – a misunderstood district in San Francisco.
There are misconceptions that this is a rough neighborhood riddled with drugs and crime. While that may be halfway true, this is also an area rich in culture and premiere dining experiences. Families live here. And an organization called Safe Passage promotes a culture of safety.
“What we do is we cross the kids going to school, and we cross seniors and disabled people,” explains Safe Passage Corner Captain Diana Noel.
Diana is one of several Corner Captains enforcing safe behavior during the morning shift. She’s on her way back to the Tenderloin Community Benefit District Center at the moment - her shift is over.
Safe Passage Manager Greg Moore greets her on her way in. He’s ecstatic about making a difference in the Tenderloin, even if it is one step at a time.
For the next thirty minutes, Greg and the morning team discuss data and daily events. Data is important to measure how successful the program has been and to evaluate trends. Data is also accounted for during the afternoon shift.
“Our morning shift is typically… we’re out on the corners assisting people crossing from approximately 8:20 to 9:10. Our afternoon shift, which is post-school, is from 2:45 to 3:30 – with the kids traveling from schools here in the Tenderloin to five different after-school programs,” explains Greg.
“When dealing with unsafe behavior what we do is we practice de-escalation. When someone, whether it’s a driver, whether it’s a pedestrian, or an individual just out on the sidewalk somewhere emotionally-charged in some form or fashion, we try to de-escalate or take the emotionality out of the situation as best we can.”
De-escalation includes techniques such as speaking slowly, being respectful, and disengaging when appropriate.
Just last week, one of the Corner Captain’s was walking up Jones Street when he noticed an individual crossing the street unsafely.
“Have a safe day, sir,” he emphasized.
The individual turned around and began acting aggressively.
“The Corner Captain disengaged almost immediately. He was great because I was sitting there watching it, but the man wouldn’t let it go. And then finally, we just began to walk. The gentleman just kept yelling at us… so, yeah, sometimes they just don’t want to let it go,” admits Greg.
“Studies have shown that the higher an individual’s perception of their own safety, the more safe, in fact, that they are. This is particularly important for seniors and persons with disability. When you live in a challenging neighborhood where there is negative activity that may make me feel unsafe, I’m less likely to do the things I need to do.”
Greg has been with Safe Passage for about four years but has been active in the community for fifteen. The program began a decade ago.
A group of moms in the neighborhood were concerned for their childrens safety - particularly when they traveled from school to the after-school programs. Blatant drug-use and individuals displaying signs of mental illness along their route led to the creation of Safe Passage.
Moms would stand at street corners to assist children to their destination. Ten years later, the program has expanded.
“It’s so dense… and a tremendous amount of pedestrian traffic. Part of the City’s Vision Zero plan… they have identified streets, and portions of streets, corridors they call them… they have identified a high-injury network. Every single street, I repeat, every single street in the Tenderloin is on the high-injury network,” emphasizes Greg.
It’s the afternoon and Corner Captains begin to trickle in. They adjust their vests, grab a traffic sign, a walkie-talkie and a clicker to count the number of children crossing the street. It’s business-as-usual.
The team strategically disperses into small groups at designated posts. Greg continues toward Turk and Hyde, an intersection known for heavy drug-use. This is ground zero. On his way there, he meets up with Stephen Tennis, a fellow Corner Captain.
He’s monitoring the park, which is only accessible to the public under Corner Captain supervision. Unsupervised, only guardians accompanying children are permitted beyond the hours of one to three - Monday through Friday.
“When we’re here, we’re able to maintain it. If I see drug activity, I’ll just kindly ask them to leave, you know, go somewhere else. And they’re good about it. It’s just establishing a relationship with the dealers. It took about two… two to three weeks. Well, I mean, I bribe them too. You know, I’ll give them chips, or a drink, or something,” explains Stephen.
“For one, we’re not law enforcement, we’re not squealing on people, really, we’re just trying to provide a cleaner and safer space,” adds Greg.
The walkie-talkie beeps. Corner Captain Yolanda Villasenor calmly addresses an incident of unsafe behavior.
“Okay, here we go,” says Greg.
Along the way, a scruffy man with a long salt and pepper beard hovers over a blue garbage can engaging in drug activity. Greg guides him in another direction, so he is out of the children’s view.
“Have a safe and happy day, sir,” insists Greg.
Yolanda helps a row of children cross the street safely. She holds her traffic sign high, keeping an eye out for renegade vehicles.
“We try to make sure the kids don’t run across ‘cause they can hurt themselves. My heart goes out to all these little kids. These cars here… even if they know it’s a red light, they don’t wanna stop. They want to go in front of the kids, and that’s the wrong way to go,” Yolanda points out.
Every child crosses safely thanks to the team of Corner Captains at each intersection. By working in unison, the streets have become noticeably cleaner, residents feel secure, and a great deal of respect is given to Safe Passage and its Corner Captains because of it.
“One of the misconceptions about the Tenderloin… I’ve worked in the Tenderloin for fifteen, sixteen years now… the Tenderloin is often portrayed as a bad place, or a place where there is a lot of negative stuff. There is a lot of homeless people, there’s a lot of drug dealing and drug use. And that’s the… I think the identity for much of the general public,” explains Greg.
“The Tenderloin is a neighborhood, and it’s filled with wonderful people, with families, with many children that want to have a safe, clean environment in which to live their lives. I would encourage anyone who only reads about the negative aspects, which is often what’s reported… to make an effort to learn more about the positive aspects.”
(Photos by Anthony Sutherlin)
