Eric Kauschen’s daughter shared a class with Mikaela Lynch, and also has autism. Photo courtesy Eric Kauschen.

Opinion by Eric Kauschen

These were the kids we made fun of. They were like us, but not like us.

While we made fun of them, it was usually a good-natured sort of thing because they would do things we would think of doing but didn’t, because we knew right from wrong and they didn’t. These were autistic kids.

Growing up I never heard the word autistic. It was a term that just started to pop up more so people in the general public were hearing it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they understood it.

I didn’t really understand it even after meeting an autistic kid. For many people that’s still the case today.

You don’t really start to understand what dealing with autism is like until you have to deal with it 24/7.

Given the recent sad ending of the search for Mikaela Lynch I felt I needed to speak up because there were too many people who didn’t understand what it is like to raise an autistic child.

My daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was just under 2 years of age, and it was very difficult for us to take at first.

There are lots of fun times to be had because my child is really happy (like Mikaela, with whom she shared a class) and wants to have fun all the time. The downside to this is that they don’t always understand that what they want to do or try to do is dangerous. You as a parent try to be on top of things constantly, but it’s the one time you turn your head or sneeze that they decide to do something like run into the street.

My daughter is like Mikaela in several ways, but not as severe. She can sort of talk, using mainly one or two words, but if you ask her what her name is she can’t tell you. She also doesn’t enunciate very well so it takes a while to understand what she’s trying to say.

She’s not a dumb kid, though. She has tried to run into the street, not understanding she could be hit by a car, but she also knows that if she wants something on a top shelf that she can’t reach, she can build a way to get up there to reach it.

Then you have the other times when she imitates something you’ve done that you don’t even think about.

I was cleaning up our living room one day and I happened to turn a chair over and put it on her toy stove. The next day my daughter brought her chair into the kitchen and turned it upside down and put it on the stove. She knows that her play stove is a kid version of a real stove, but doesn’t understand that you shouldn’t put a chair on the real stove like Daddy did with the toy stove when cleaning up.

For a while, if you handed her a piece of food she was interested in she’d put it in her mouth and try it, but if the texture or taste was off she wouldn’t just take it out and throw it down. She’d try and stick it in your mouth as if to say, “Here, you eat it.”

Luckily we’ve gotten her away from that, but she still will run up to me and shove her hand into my pockets when she knows I’ve got candy in them. She doesn’t even have to see me put the candy in there, she just knows when I’ve got it and goes for it.

Autistic kids don’t feel pain like other kids do, so you have to watch them very carefully. I didn’t realize my daughter was right behind me one day, when I turned around and accidentally knocked her over. Her response? She laughed.

Lots of these kids like to play rough because the extra stimulation they get helps them calm down. You have to remember, though, that if they don’t feel pain in the same way you might, they might have something wrong with them and not realize it.

I hope my experience raising an autistic kid will help you understand it a little better if one day you meet someone who’s autistic or if you have a child that’s diagnosed with it. It definitely is more work, but because they see the world differently they’ll give you a lot more to think and smile about.

Eric Kauschen is one of the few born-and-raised natives left in San Francisco. He grew up with a love of the writings of San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, and since Herb has passed on he works to bring the spirit and enthusiasm of San Francisco’s history and culture to people around the world. Read more by Eric Kauschen at http://baghdadbythebaysf.com.

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This opinion article does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Ocean Beach Bulletin. It represents the opinion of its author, who is responsible for the veracity of statements made in it. The Ocean Beach Bulletin accepts submissions of opinion articles, but does not guarantee publication. For more information, please email Tom Prete.

Richmond Station police activity: Business burglaries spike; car burglar busted; Clement Street crook caught; 25th Avenue mugging

This is an excerpt of the May 17 newsletter of San Francisco Police Capt. Sharon Ferrigno of Richmond Station, which is responsible for the Richmond District and Golden Gate Park.

Captain’s Message

There has been an increase in commercial burglaries in our district over the past week.

Yesterday, in the early morning hours, officers from Richmond Station arrested a commercial burglar who had gained entry into a restaurant.  Please take extra care to lock doors and windows, set the alarm and make sure there is no cash or anything of value left for burglars to take.  If you are not sure how to increase the security of your building please reach out to Project SAFE a local non-profit that partners with SFPD to conduct security assessments of you property.  SAFE offers both commercial and residential security evaluations.  Burglars are usually responsible for numerous burglaries and their arrest can greatly reduce the crime rate.  Safe can be reached at www.sfsafe.org.  Our local representative is Morgan St. Clair.  Morgan is a tremendous resource she can be reached at 415 553 1968.

Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6pm.  It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6^th Ave.  (NOTE TIME CHANGE)

Richmond Station distributes an email newsletter every Friday.  Our newsletter, which is sent to several hundred email addresses, contains information about recent crimes, arrests and upcoming events in the District.   To be added to this list, please email us at SFPD.RICHMOND.STATION@SFGOV.ORG.

Captain Sharon Ferrigno

Sharon.Ferrigno@sfgov.org

Noteworthy Arrests

On 05/12/13 at 5:50am, officers were called to the 2600 block of Pine regarding an auto burglary in progress.  The witness reported that he heard the sound of glass breaking and when he looked out his window, he saw the suspect getting in and out of a vehicle with the car alarm going off.  The officers locate the suspect at the scene and detained him.  He was in possession of two backpacks, one he was able to describe the contents of, and the other he had no answer.  The officers located the owner of the vehicle that was broken into and he confirmed that the second backpack and its contents had been taken from his vehicle.  The 50 year old male, who is on probation, was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools and stolen property and a probation violation.

On 05/13/13 at 1am, officers patrolling the area of the 300 block of Parker Ave observed a male crouched down and hiding on the passenger side of a pickup truck.   Officers stopped to speak to the male who was sweating profusely, shaking and out of breath.  They also recognized the suspect from prior arrest and knew he was on probation for burglary.  Officer located in his possession a glass smoking pipe and a plastic card that was bent.  The bent card is used as a burglary tools to insider between a door frame.  The suspect, a 35 year old male was charged with probation and narcotic violations as well as the burglary tool.

On 05/15/13 at 4:53am, officers responded to a call of a burglary in progress on the 2400 block of Clement St.  The caller was reporting that he was hearing banging noises from inside a restaurant and could see someone walking around inside with a flashlight.  Officers arrived and went to the front and rear of the building.  Officers could see someone rummaging around the front desk and could also see the flashlight being shined around.  The suspect suddenly stood up and was surprised to see the officers outside.  The officers were able to enter and took him into custody.  The owner of the business arrived and saw that several cabinets had been forced open as well as the cash register.  The 53 year old suspect, who is on probation for burglary, and also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for burglary, was charged with this burglary and an attempted burglary to the business next door.

On 05/15/13 at 6:53pm, officers were called to a suspicious person on the 600 block of 3^rd Ave. The caller was reporting that the male was sitting on a landing, rocking back and forth.  The officers located the male and determined he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for burglary out of Sonoma County.  The 32 year old male was booked on the warrant.

Noteworthy Incidents

On 05/12/13 at 5am, the victim was walking on Geary at 7^th Ave, texting on his phone.  The suspect walked up to him, pulled out a handgun and demanded the victim’s phone.  The suspect fled east on Geary and could only be described as a black male in his 20’s.  The victim reported the incident 6 hours later.

Between 05/12/13, 11pm and 05/13/13, 9:30am, on the 6900 block of Geary, the suspect attempted to gain entry into a business by removing the door handle, but was unsuccessful.  The suspect then went to the business next door and forced open the door.  The suspect took the cash register drawer only.

Between 05/13/13, 7:30pm and 05/14/13, 7am on the 4300 block of California a suspect smashed the glass on the front door of a business and took the cash register drawer and cash.  During the same time frame another business on the block had its glass broken out but entry was not made.

On 05/14/13 between 8:30am and 11:45pm on the 700 block of 28^th Ave, a suspect entered a residence by prying open the front gate and front door.  The suspect took a laptop and cash.

On 05/14/13 at 4:53pm, on the unit block of Presidio Terrace, an employee of the home heard a noise coming from the back door.  When she went to investigate she saw the suspect who had just entered the house.  When she confronted him he took off running. He was described as a white male, 35-40yrs, wearing a blue baseball cap, grey t-shirt and light blue jeans.

Between 05/14/13, 9pm and 05/15/13, 7:30am on the 400 block of Clement St, a suspect entered a business by throwing a rock through the glass on the front door.  The suspect took the cash box with cash.

On 05/15/13, between 7:15am and 6pm on the 100 block of Funston, a suspect entered a home by breaking a pane of glass on the front door.  The suspect took jewelry and cash.

On 05/15/13 at 9:25pm, the victim was walking south on 25^th Ave from Geary Bl.  As she was mid-block she was grabbed from behind by the suspect by her shoulders.  A second suspect came to the front of her and pointed a handgun at her.  He demanded her purse and then punched her in the mouth.  The first suspect grabbed her purse from her shoulder and ripped her bracelet from her wrist and they both fled north towards Geary Bl.  The suspect who grabbed her was a black male in his 20’s wearing a black beanie, black jacket and blue jeans.  The second was also a black male with a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

Huey Lewis and the News shot the video for 1981′s “Some of My Lies are True” on Ocean Beach. Photo: screenshot via Youtube.

This week in the Ocean Beach news roundup: man stabbed in Sunset District robbery attempt; back to the ’80s on Ocean Beach; Devil’s Teeth picked for Small Business Week honor; protest in support of Richmond District cannabis dispensary

We can’t link to every story out there. But if you think we missed something, leave a comment here, or tell us on Twitter or Facebook.

• Man stabbed in Sunset District robbery attempt. – SF Examiner
• Ocean Beach to the Embarcadero in 25 minutes? On Muni? That’s the transit agency’s long-term goal. – SF Bay, SF Examiner
• Huey Lewis, the Regular Guy of 1980s pop, recalls shooting an early video for Huey Lewis and the News at Ocean Beach. – Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
• Richmond District resident a key figure in San Francisco winemaking club. – Noe Valley Voice
• Richmond District medical cannabis dispensary at center of protest against federal action. – SF Weekly
• San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee picks Sunset District’s Devil’s Teeth Baking Company for special honor during Small Business Week. – SF Examiner
• As garbage company proposes boosting bills for most city residents, the Inner Sunset gets to experiment with more control over costs. – SF Examiner

Here’s that Huey Lewis and the News video shot on Ocean Beach:

Photo: Tom Prete/Ocean Beach Bulletin

The California Coastal Commission is set to weigh in Thursday on San Francisco’s plan to install artificial turf, fencing and field lights at Golden Gate Park’s Beach Chalet soccer fields.

A staff report prepared for commissioners suggests they take a hard line against much of what the City has proposed for the site.

The $14 million plan would replace the fields’ existing grass play surface with artificial turf, and bring in lighting and spectator seating, all with the aim of reducing the amount of maintenance required and increasing the number of hours the fields can be used for active play.

The City already has approved the renovation project, but opponents in October sued to block it. They also appealed to the Coastal Commission, a state body that has jurisdiction over much coastal development.

Advocates of renovating the soccer fields have said that the plan will allow more people to play while saving money on maintenance. The fields, like many grass playing fields in the city, are often partly or completely closed to allow them to recover from the wear and tear that come with hard use.

“The kids of San Francisco deserve a safe athletic field to play on,” Patrick Hannan of the City Fields Foundation told the San Francisco Examiner. The City Fields Foundation has helped pay for similar renovations of fields throughout San Francisco.

Opponents, however, say that the plan completely and inappropriately changes the way the area would be used. Banks of lights to allow nighttime play would confuse birds migrating along the coast and diminish the number of stars visible nearby, they say, and some worry about whether the plastic and rubber playing surfaces might contain harmful chemicals.

“San Francisco’s own Local Coastal Plan requires that development ‘emphasize the naturalistic landscape qualities of the western end of the park,’” opponents wrote in an Examiner opinion article.

A notice hangs on the fence around Golden Gate Park’s Beach Chalet soccer fields informing the public that the California Coastal Commission is considering a permit for San Francisco’s plan to put in artificial turf, lighting and other changes. Photo: Tom Prete/Ocean Beach Bulletin

A Coastal Commission staff report prepared in advance of Thursday’s meeting recommends that commissioners decide the proposal falls within the commission’s jurisdiction and block a number of key aspects of the planned renovation. Among other recommendations, it suggests that artificial turf should be dropped from the plan altogether and even asks the commission to require that fences already on the site be removed and replaced with lower ones.

Thursday morning’s Coastal Commission meeting is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael.

Read the California Coastal Commission staff report on the Beach Chalet soccer fields plan:

California Coastal Commission staff report on Golden Gate Park Beach Chalet soccer fields_A-2-SNF-12-020 (B…

The Mondrian house is one of San Francisco’s quirkiest homes, according to SF Gate. Photo: Flickr user geekstinkbreath

This week in the Ocean Beach news roundup: Outerlands love, Richmond District gun stash; Katy Tang makes time for moms; Instagram founder wets his feet at Ocean Beach

We can’t link to every story out there. But if you think we missed something, leave a comment here, or tell us on Twitter or Facebook.

• Dwell magazine loves Judah Street’s Outerlands restaurant. – Dwell
• Assault weapons sting leads authorities to Richmond District guns and about 10,000 rounds of ammunition. – Bay City News via SF Appeal
• Mother’s Day comes early for the Sunset District’s Supervisor Katy Tang, who’s taking steps to turn potential November election rivals into supporters instead. – AsianWeek
• New book tells the story of infamous mafia snitch Joe Barboza, who was shot to death in the outer Sunset District. – SF Examiner
• Yes, this article is about how Instagram ended up selling to Facebook. But you’re probably going to click over just to see what Instagram founder Kevin Systrom looks like standing in the Ocean Beach surf wearing a suit. – Vanity Fair
• Geary Boulevard cannabis dispensary targeted for shutdown. – SF Weekly
• Alexandria Theater project gets green light. – SF Business Times
• The Lower Great Highway’s Mondrian House is named one of San Francisco’s quirkiest homes. – SF Gate

Patrons who ate at the restaurant April 16, 17, 18, 20 or 27 should visit a doctor immediately if they experience a set of symptoms that can include fever, weakness, stomach pains, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of appetite, officials advised.

Testing for typhoid fever is available for free at two local health clinics, San Francisco State University’s Golden Gate Express news publication reports:

• The Franciscan Treatment Room – 1199 Bush St., No. 160; (415) 353-6305
• Dr. Meenakshi Jain at the Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation – 595 Buckingham Way, Suite 515; (415) 731-6300

Read the San Francisco Department of Public Health press release about the case of typhoid fever in a Stonestown restaurant worker:

SFDPH press release on typhoid fever at Stonestown Galleria Nordstrom Cafe by Ocean Beach Bulletin

The San Francisco Department of Public Health announced today that anyone who ate at the Nordstrom Cafe at the Nordstrom department store at Stonestown Galleria, located at 285 Winston Dr., is at risk of contracting the bacterial disease.

Patrons who ate at the restaurant on April 16, 17, 18, 20 or 27 are advised to see a doctor right away if they start to experience fever, weakness, stomach pains, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of appetite.

In some typhoid cases, a rash of flat, light-red spots may appear.

Health officials said typhoid fever is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi and is usually acquired by those traveling internationally.

In the U.S., there are as many as 400 cases each year of the illness. It is usually caught when someone eats food or drink contaminated by someone with typhoid fever, such as the case at the Nordstrom Cafe.

This article is from our news associate KQED.

Death is uncommon, especially with antibiotic treatment. Those who suspect they have typhoid fever should make efforts to avoid spreading the illness.

Health officials said Nordstrom staff are cooperating with the health department’s investigation and is working on informing and protecting the public and their employees.

Update 1:10 p.m. Nordstrom’s spokesperson Kara Darrow says the affected employee is “recovering just fine.”

She said the store has a relationship with a local clinic where anyone who wants to can be tested for typhoid fever. Information on that process is available at Nordstrom stores, she said  — nothing on the web.

The cafe at the Galleria is still open.

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This article comes to the Ocean Beach Bulletin from our news associate KQED. Read more about our partnership with KQED.

In San Francisco, we have a lot of streets with no-nonsense names, like Pine, 3rd Street and Broadway. But what about Geary? Divisadero? Castro? Do you know what they’re named for?

There’s a map for that.

A new interactive map from Noah Veltman, a Knight-Mozilla OpenNews Fellow at the BBC, gives the history behind the names of San Francisco’s streets and parks. If you’re interested in San Francisco history in the slightest, this map is a goldmine.

“It’s a very interesting window into the layers of San Francisco history,” Veltman said. “You have the mission era, the gold rush, railroad tycoons,” and many others represented in the city.

See the interactive map here. It lets you filter by categories and neighborhoods, or you can type in a place of interest.

Screen shot: History of San Francisco Place Names by Noah Veltman.

Veltman said worked on the map for two months. He used Open Street Map, an open-source depository of world map data, and he designed and built the map himself.

The hardest part, he said, was the historical research.

This article is from our news associate KQED.

Reliability was an issue, he said. He tried to cross-check all his facts, because often one source would tell one story and another source would tell it slightly differently.

“It’s a lot of just manual legwork,” Veltman said. “Looking at old archives, school books, old newspaper articles from The Chronicle, checking out historical society pages. There were certainly no shortcuts.”

Learn more:

Two of Veltman’s favorite resources were “San Francisco Street Secrets” by David Eames and “Streets of San Francisco” by Louis Loewenstein.

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This article comes to the Ocean Beach Bulletin from our news associate KQED. Read more about our partnership with KQED.

This week in the Ocean Beach news roundup: Corruption accusations at SFSU; Alexandria Theater project approved; Adolph Sutro to get City Hall honor; SF State response to bomb threat questioned; in a huff over herring

We can’t link to every story out there. But if you think we missed something, leave a comment here, or tell us on Twitter or Facebook.

• Former San Francisco State University official is accused of colluding with waste company in contract fraud, and his alleged accomplice leads cops on high-speed chase through the Sunset. – SF Examiner, Golden Gate Xpress
• Alexandria Theater project approved in the Richmond District, but the armchair architects are still bickering over the design. – SF Bay, SF Examiner, Socketsite
• Outside it’s still Doelgerville, but inside it gets pretty swanky in these remodels up for sale in the Sunset District.  – Curbed SF
• Dizzy’s is gone, Would You Believe? isn’t the same, but Trad’r Sam’s keeps flying the old-school Geary Boulevard bar flag. And who knew the Scorpion Bowl was supposed to serve four? – SF Examiner
• Adolph Sutro’s accomplishments weren’t limited to his eponymous baths and park out here on the western edge of the city. The 1890s mayor is finally getting a bust in San Francisco City Hall. – SF Examiner
• Bomb threat at SFSU leads authorities to evacuate a campus building, but did the university respond correctly to the incident? – Golden Gate Xpress, Golden Gate Xpress, Golden Gate Xpress
• Herring fishermen sue over new restrictions in waters next to Golden Gate National Recreation Area. – SF Examiner, Mill Valley Patch
• This Sunset District native discovers he really can’t go home again. – Enterprise-Record (Chico)

Richmond Station police activity: Golden Gate Park encampment broken up; drunken driver passes out on the horn; street jewelry sale goes bad; more burglaries, bike thefts and stolen phones

This is an excerpt of the April 26 newsletter of San Francisco Police Capt. Sharon Ferrigno of Richmond Station, which is responsible for the Richmond District and Golden Gate Park.

Captain’s Message

Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6pm.  It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6^th Ave.  (NOTE TIME CHANGE)

Richmond Station distributes an email newsletter every Friday.  Our newsletter, which is sent to several hundred email addresses, contains information about recent crimes, arrests and upcoming events in the District.   To be added to this list, please email us at SFPD.RICHMOND.STATION@SFGOV.ORG.

Captain Sharon Ferrigno

Sharon.Ferrigno@sfgov.org

Noteworthy Arrests

On 04/18/13 at 9:45am, SFPD Mounted Units were in the area of Hellman Hollow and came across a large encampment.  They detained 5 subjects who were staying there in tents and under tarps.  The officers located numerous bike frames, bike parts and tools.  A check of the serial numbers to determine if the bikes were listed a stolen came back negative.  The 5 were charged with camping in the park and escorted out.  The encampment was cleared out and the bike frames were booked as found property.

On 04/23/13 at 2:52pm, officers were called to the area of 28^th and Clement on a report of a victim chasing a suspect he had found in his vehicle.  A description of the suspect was broadcast and the officers located the suspect at 25^th and Anza St.  The victim, who was doing construction nearby had left his vehicle unlocked and when one of his employees went to put some tools in the car, he found the suspect sitting inside.  There appeared to be no loss, however the suspect was on probation and was charged with a probation violation.

On 04/25/13 at 11:20am, officers were called to the area of 28^th and Geary on a report of a drunk driver. The caller had reported that the driver was entered the intersection passed out with his head resting on the steering wheel and then collided with a parking meter.  The caller provided 911 with a vehicle description, partial license plate and description of driver.  The caller then reported that the driver was attempting to flee but was stuck on the parking meter.  The suspect was eventually able to free his truck and fled south on 28^th Ave towards Anza.  Officers searched the area and additional calls came in about the vehicle being parked on the Great Highway with the driver passed out at the wheel and his head resting on the horn. Officers detained the male who did not remember being in an accident.  When asked how much he had had to drink, the driver replied, “too much.”  The 40 year old male was charged with driving under the influence and hit and run.

Noteworthy Incidents

Between 04/18/13, 4:30pm and 04/19/13, 1pm on the 3500 block of Jackson, a suspect broke out the glass on the front door of a residence and took jewelry.

On 04/19/13 at 11:59pm, officers went to a call of an alarm on the 5400 block of Geary.  When they arrived they saw that the glass on the front door had been smashed out and conducted a walk-thru of the business but the suspect had fled.  While waiting for the owner to respond the officers were approached by a witness who told them they heard the alarm and then saw a black male exit the business through the smashed door carrying a duffle bag.  He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.  The loss was cash.

On 04/20/13 at 3:15am on the 1700 block of Lyon a resident awoke to the sound of his dog growling at the bedroom door.  Suddenly the door to the bedroom opened and the suspect poked his head in.  The victim shouted at the suspect to get out and the suspect fled the residence.  The door to a roommate’s bedroom was now open but as the roommate was not home at the time; it is unknown what might have been taken.  The suspect was described as a black male, 20-25yrs wearing a brown baseball cap with a flat bill and a dark hooded sweatshirt.  There were no signs of forced entry and the front door may have been left unlocked.

Between 04/20/13, 10pm and 04/21/13, 6:30am on the 600 block of Clement St, a suspect entered a business by smashing out the glass in the front door with a brick.  The suspect took cash.

On 04/22/13 at 12am, the victim was walking west on Clement St at Park Presidio Bl. She noticed the suspect standing at the corner and as she got closer he approached her with what appeared to be a switch blade knife in his hand and blocked her path.  The victim began to back pedal and the suspect put the knife away and put his hands in his front pouch of his sweatshirt and told her he had a gun.  She continued to walk backwards and went into the middle of the street and suddenly turned around and walked away, north on Funston.  A motorist then drove by and the victim knocked on the window for help and said she was being robbed.  The motorist continued but then made a u-turn and came back.  She then said the suspect appeared to be gone and made her way home. The suspect was described as a mixed race, 30-35 yrs, 6’3”, with a full beard, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

On 04/22/13 at 1:05am, the victim was walking north on the 500 block of 3^rd Ave with his head down.   He then saw the suspect standing on the sidewalk and then pull out a “big gun” and demanded money.  The victim said he “was broke” and ran away.  The suspect was described as a black male, 25-30yrs, wearing a white knit ski cap with ear flaps, white sweater and black track pants with white stripes.

On 04/22/13 at 8am, on the 500 block of 46^th Ave, the victim left his residence to drive his wife to work.  Shortly after he left, his daughter heard the doorbell ring, however she did not answer.  At this point she heard loud banging on the door and ran down to lock the deadbolt.  The suspect never entered and when the father came home he saw the damage to the front door.

On 04/22/13 at 8:10am on the 500 block of 47^th Ave, the victims were home when they heard the sounds of the alarm beeping as it someone had entered the home.  Believing it was the housekeeper the owner didn’t check until the alarm continued after a long period of time and had not reset.  When he got downstairs he saw that his front door and front gate had been forced open.  The bedrooms adjacent to the front door appeared to have been ransacked.  Video from the area recorded the 3 suspects, one of whom can be seen forcing open the gate with another acting as a look out.  A short time later, two suspects flee the home and go south on 47^th Ave and the lookout went west on Geary Bl.  A witness approached the officer and said that  she had seen these males acting suspiciously on the 500 block of 46^th Ave (above incident) just prior to this call.  The suspects were all black males, 20-25yrs wearing dark clothing.  One of the suspects was noticeably heavier than the other two.

On 04/22/13 at 4:15pm, a witness observed the suspect get off of a 31 Balboa MUNI bus at Balboa and 12^th Ave.  She observed the suspect walk past an open garage door on the 1000 block of Balboa, then turn around and enter the garage.  The suspect then rode out of the garage on a red bicycle and go north towards Anza St.  The owner of the home said the garage door had only been open for a couple of minutes. The suspect was black male, 30-35yrs, wearing a black jacket with red detail around the neck area.

On 04/23/13 at 2am, a resident of an apartment building heard the front door slam and went to check on the noise.  He discovered his bike was now missing from the garage.  The suspect may have gained access to the building via a fire escape.

On 04/24/13 at 12:35am, the victim exited a 38 Geary MUNI bus at 9^th and Geary.  The suspects, who were also on the bus exited and followed the victim as he walked west on Geary.  The first suspect came from behind and pushed him on the ground and when the victim got up, the second suspect pushed him back down.  They began kicking and punching his back and leg area and the first suspect took the victim’s backpack off of his shoulder.  At some point the victim’s cell phone fell out of his pocket  and the second suspect picked it up and they all fled south on 10^th Ave.  The suspects were 3 black males, all 6’4”, wearing dark clothing.

On 04/24/13 at 4:40pm, the victim drove the area of Walnut and California St, to sell some jewelry he had posted on Craigslist.  The suspect was waiting for him when he arrived and asked where the jewelry was.  The victim then asked where the money was.  The suspect told him that he needed to go to the bank and got into the victim’s vehicle.  The suspect asked to see the jewelry and at this point the second suspect arrived and the first suspect told the victim that this was his brother.  When the second suspect arrived, he stood on the driver’s side of the car, which was a convertible, and pointed a gun at the back of the victims head.  The victim immediately handed over the jewelry to the second suspect who then told the first suspect to get out of the car.  The victim then accelerated with the suspect still in the passenger seat, traveled half a block, and then the suspect opened the door and rolled out of the vehicle.  Both suspects fled west on California St.  The first suspect was described as an Asian male in his 20’s, wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans.  The second was a white male, 26-30yrs, wearing a black sweatshirt and dark jeans.