The Meeting Adventure, Round 2

Let me preface this tale by saying that it is nowhere near as exciting as the first. This story has no five and a half hour accomplishment, nor does it have the interesting little (creepy) bit about being hit on by a man nearly three times my age.

Nope, nowhere near as exciting. Yet, still interesting in its own right.

I finally managed to find time to get to a meeting for the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association (more commonly written HAIA and pronounced "hiya"). I had to cancel a tutoring session and hurry over after right after school, feeling definitely underprepared to meet my new profile subject, but hey, I still made it.

What blew me away more than anything else right off the bat was the demographic. White people. Seriously. Not a single person in that room wasn't white. Three of the four board members who showed up were in the prime of their lives (as in, at least 50). Of course, they all either live or work in the Haight (except one who has apparently since moved to San Mateo for some reason unknown to me).

I think what amazed me more than anything else about this meeting was the issues they were interested in. It reminds me of those little random things that my dad used to tell me about when I was growing up. Issues that seem to have nothing to do with anything (like the color you paint the trim on your house, or how long the trash cans can sit out in front of your house before you should be forced to put them behind the fence). I never really saw the importance of these issues until I went to this meeting.

Because let's think about it: the Haight is definitely the most upstanding neighborhood in San Francisco. No hippies, no homeless, and nothing to worry about. Except making sure that AT&T doesn't install more boxes to render internet and phone services to customers there.

(For those of you who have't figured it out: I'm poking fun.)

Seriously. Seriously? Twenty minutes on these phone boxes, including a vote to have the organization oppose their installation. Oh, and another twenty spent on how there needs to be volunteers armed with cell phones at Bay to Breakers (preferably two on every block) when things get out of hand so they can give a timely call to the cops. Seriously?

I'm trying to figure out why it matters. Maybe it's because I'm not a homeowner (or even a renter) and I don't see the problems that come with having to deal with such things. Or maybe it's because I don't really live in San Francisco and see the problems. Or maybe it's because I don't understand how rowdy the homeless can get. Or maybe it's because I don't understand why it matters that people spend some time sitting on the sidewalk and asking passersby for some extra change.

Maybe I just think that the Haight used to symbolize for some freedom and be a bit on the side of liberal, and this organization sounds like anything but.

Or maybe I just don't understand.