I wonder why they call it the Castro?

“Of course gays and lesbians have to be illustrated as the designated targets. What they don’t get is that an out of control party like this attracts the type of predator who doesn’t care what your sexual orientation is - the lack of control is their license to be what they wanna be.” Even the area’s businesses are closing. The law of diminishing returns seems to be in effect:

The mega tolerant freaks in the Castro neighborhood, a largely gay and lesbian populated area known for its acceptance of, well, just about anything. Not any more. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

On Monday and today, rush-hour commuters at 15 BART stations received flyers telling them there would be “no party” and “no fun,” though that was not news to 31-year-old Sharif Crawford of Oakland.

“I already know,” said Crawford, who has spent at least 10 Halloween nights in the Castro. “Where haven’t you heard about it?”

San Francisco officials hope the other 7 million people in the Bay Area know the same thing. But the two questions on the minds of people at City Hall are: How many people will show up anyway, and what will they do when they get there?

“We are praying for a peaceful evening, but are preparing for the worst,” said Nathan Ballard, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom.

After nine people were shot during the event last year - including a pregnant woman who was hit in the head - city leaders said the gathering could not continue as it had in the past.

Halloween traditionally is a big event in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, but the celebration in the Castro neighborhood over time has become a regional party attracting hundreds of thousands of people.

Source: SFC

Filed under: Castro, Halloween, News, Party, San Francisco, neighborhoods, people