by Greggy Carey,  Chief of Castro Community on Patrol

The success of yesterday’s hearing around Patrick McClellan can be attributed to concerned merchants who are part of the Castro Business Watch (CBW).  Patrick McClellan  had been arrested on serious charges about 3 weeks ago. Patrick currently claims transgender status and prefers feminine pronouns.  Her bail hearing was held in Department 9 on Monday, 4-APR-16. Two merchants and a representative of Castro Patrol made themselves available to testify if necessary to encourage the judge to hold her for later court appearances due to numerous threats and other inappropriate actions in the past.

Patrick pled guilty to 2 misdemeanor offenses and was sentenced to:

  • 1 year in county jail and/or in-patient rehabilitation at Walden House. She will be reviewed after 90 days in the re-hab, which cannot start until a bed becomes available. While waiting for the bed on open, she will be held in San Francisco County Jail.
  • Patrick has also been issued a 3-year protective stay-away order which covers the area from Market Street South to 19th Street and from Sanchez Street  West to Collingwood Street. If found within this area, she is subject to immediate arrest, and possible further jail time.

CBW is a program of SF-SAFE who also coordinate neighborhood watches. The difference is that CBW provides business-to-business communications about reducing crime where Neighborhood Watch provides residential safety. Our crime consultant at SF-SAFE is Frulishous Wyatt, Jr.  Castro Community On Patrol (CCOP) currently administers the CBW program on behalf of the neighborhood.

CBW currently covers 76 store fronts in the Castro. It is coordinated by Castro Community on Patrol, but it may be turned over to CBW members who will act as “block captains” to better represent the business community. The program provides a method for businesses to work together to identify issues or people whose actions are impacting the business climate and to find solutions that address the issues. Business Watches are also found in other business areas such as Union Square, Fishermans Wharf and 3rd Street corridor.

Credit should also be given to the ADA who serves the Mission Police station, Justine Cephus. At times, the DA’s office can use a process they call “bundling” where a person who has committed a number of minor but ongoing offenses when they can show a judge that a person should be issued a “Public Nuisance” stay away order from an area because of their continued inappropriate behavior. Most stay away orders are issued to prevent entering the business at a single address, but the offender can legally be just feet away without being arrested. An area stay away order means the person is subject to arrest anywhere in the defines area. In Patrick’s case, this is the core Castro business district for 3 years. One of the first people to earn one of these awards was the “Dirty Elmo” character who was known for offensive actions in the Fishermans Wharf area. The process is generally only used in the most egregious cases where a subject has been repeatedly arrested and released back to the public as the judge is basing each decision on the single event rather than the longer term impact the subject is having on the business climate.