Chess-In on SF Market Street

I have always admired street chess from afar. Don't know how to play and intimidated by the scene but Oct. 6th I will be there and ask a chess veteran to show me how it all works, "under their direction" as Idriss suggests. I am disgusted that sf is trying to ban street chess-- a tradition, an intellectual pursuit, a city life open to all classes and not for sale. In my childhood in cities in the 60s and 70s, streets were for touch football, chess, old ladies sitting in folding chairs watching the street life and grooming each other, tag games covering many blocks, flirting, unsupervised playing, and so on. If all of those things are banned, and abandoned to media-promoted fear of the sidewalk, what's left but anti social activities and shopping? We really do have to keep hold of the right to be human, outdoors, maintaining and evolving cultural practices that began even before we were human.

In response to this SFPD crack down of a three decade tradition of playing chess on Market Street between 5th and 6th, there is going to be a "Chess-In" protest this Sunday, October 6th, 2013, noon to 3pm.

In speaking with Ivy Lee, Legislative Aid to District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, I learned yesterday that when Jane's office asked the chess players what they actually wanted, many wanted a better and safer location. Some players complained about being intimidated by drug dealers. Many said they didn't feel safe and sought someplace else to play. It was an important question to ask - a question that was overlooked by many - what do the actual chess players themselves want?

Personally, I was appalled by the police crack down and seizure of their chess boards, tables and chairs. I also view it as another unfortunate example of a gentrifying neighborhood clean up action driven by adjacent property developers - especially the new high end vertical mall being built across the street.

In some ways, this is a class conflict - a conflict between rich and poor. Chess on Market Street is one of the few constructive and affordable recreational activities that low income residents can participate in. Chess also enriches the mind. It is healthy and positive in so many ways. It also enjoys a 30 year plus history.

Still, I want to see the expressed needs of the chess players themselves being met. They want and need a safe but accessible place to play, a challenge in a neighborhood with precious little open space.

Ideally, I would love to see a permanent installation of concrete chess tables and benches, all shaded by an overhead canopy.

I have a proposal. Maybe some of the open space surrounding the nearby 5th and Market Street BART station Hallidie Plaza could be repurposed. In specific, there is a tier near the Forever 21 store, positioned below street level but above the station level that is currently occupied by pigeons. I propose displacing the birds and putting a row of tables right there. This could work. There are several other open spaces in and around Hallidie Plaza that could also be used. I propose that this is investigated. Meanwhile, I hope you will attend this Sunday's Chess-In protest.

#JaneKim #Chess #SanFrancisco #MarketStreet #District6 #SocialJustice #Displacement #RichVersusPoor #SFPD #SF

A photo showing a single chess game being played on the ground of Market Street, September 23rd, 2013, 5:18pm. A thriving thirty year plus tradition was destroyed by a SFPD crack down that seized players game boards, tables and chairs. I hope you can attend the Chess-In protest this Sunday, Oct 6th, 2013, noon to 3pm, Market Street between 5th and 6th.