by Sebastian on April 15, 2024 (BeyondChron.org)
Salesian Provincial Office & Priests’ Retirement Home, 1100 Franklin
“Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil”
I often see Father Jerry walk around the rose garden of the Salesian Provincial office which is also the home of their retired priests at 1100 Franklin and O’Farrell Streets in San Francisco’s Cathedral Hill neighborhood.
The Salesian Provincial Office Rose Garden, 1100 Franklin Street
But, life is not exactly “La Vie En Rose” in the priests’ retirement home according to Father Jerry who lives in there.
The priests have to live like hostages in their own homes.
One of the many 311 reports of 1100 Franklin Street reveals:
“LARGE Homeless encampment that is growing. Pedestrians will not walk on the sidewalk and will walk up O’Farrell St against traffic. Senior citizens and children need access to the sidewalk as there are senior centers, assisted living areas, and schools. Open-air cooking with high flames. Feces, urine, trash, meth pipes, and needles all over the sidewalk. At this point, this is a health concern and it has not been addressed going on two months!”
This was the photo of the homeless encampment that was on the O’Farrell side of the building:
The Homeless Encampment on O’Farrell And Franklin Streets
The priests kept calling the City for help but they kept getting this message from the City:
“CLOSED Comment Noted. Per Federal Judge Donna Ryu’s injunction order, unable to move subjects at this time.
The sidewalk is not blocked and is currently ADA compliant.”
After a fire at that homeless encampment caused some serious damage to their building, the City cleared out the encampment. But, soon, the encampment came back to the very same spot.
The priests called the City again to clear out the encampment.
Even the San Francisco Fire Marshal told SFPD to go back there again to clear out the encampment after the fire as the encampment posed dangers to the 7 retired priests in their 70s and 80s who live in the building and failing to do so would be “Elder Abuse” according to Father Jerry.
Nonetheless, the City couldn’t help them.
“Nothing Good Happens After Midnight”
In the shadow of darkness, burglars broke into their retirement home twice through the side door on O’Farrell Street, where the encampment was.
Burglars Broke Into The Priests’ Retirement Home Through The Side
Door Of The Building Twice
During one of the 2 break-ins, the burglars stole 2 cars which were later recovered by SFPD but badly damaged.
“Gardening With Soul”
After the break-ins, the City cleared out the encampment again.
The priests then immediately joined the SF’s Urban Garden District club by installing garden planters, just like other fed-up property owners in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, on the O’Farrell side of their building.
However, the encampment that was on O’Farrell Street just moved to the Franklin Street side of their building while their planters were still being installed.
The Homeless Encampment In Front of 1100 Franklin Street
One day, I saw a man with his pregnant wife had to walk on the street, as the sidewalk was not accessible, on their way to the nearby California Pacific Medical Center on Franklin Street.
The man said to me, “My wife is having a baby. This is insane. Why can’t the City do anything about this [the encampment]?”
According to the security guard of Harry R. Bridges Memorial Building at 1188 Franklin which is next to the Priests’ retirement home, he had been punched several times and almost got stabbed with a machete by drug dealers for asking them not to block the sidewalks on Myrtle and Franklin Streets.
He had recently left his job as a security guard at the Harry R. Bridges Memorial Building which currently has 3000-6,493 square feet of office space available for lease.
The encampment was there for more than a month.
After the City cleared out the encampment on the Franklin Street sidewalk, the priests wanted to install garden planters there as well but the sidewalk is not wide enough to meet the City’s new rules on sidewalk garden planters according to Father Jerry.
Father Jerry Who Lives In The Priests’ Retirement Home
They are now worried that the encampment will come back again.
Drug dealers and addicts have now moved just a block and two blocks away to Ellis and Eddy Streets between Franklin Street and Van Ness Avenue, a stone’s throw from Sacred Heart School and Oasis Inn, the St. Anthony’s Kaplan Oasis Family Shelter for unhoused women, children, and families on Franklin Street.
And the neighbors there have been calling the City for help as well.
Their insurance company has told them that they will not be covered if there is another incident at their retirement home according to Father Jerry.
All the retired priests want is a peaceful life.
They are praying for an angel in a ” black robe” to help them find their way out of the dark.
“We are not anti-homeless. We sympathize with the homeless but not the criminals who burglarized our home,” Father Jerry said about his garden planters.