San Francisco Crackdown on Flash Mobs?
When a Valentine’s Day pillow fight cost the city of San Francisco $20,000, officials started talking about a crackdown on flash mobs.
Well, it’s looking like the city is starting to make good on its promise.
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More recently, the city shut down the April 4th FlashDance, a semi-monthly outdoor dance party. The city is also talking about banning booze at the annual Bay to Breakers 12k race. Organizers of the 10th annual How Weird Street Fair got hit with a $10,000 up front fee that is putting the event in jeopardy. According to the San Francisco Bay Guardian:
…the insistence on paying in advance is also fairly new. In previous years, How Weird organizers were allowed to pay their fees on the day of the event, which is when organizers take in most of their money. Because the event is on a public street, promoters can’t sell pre-sales tickets and may only ask attendees for a donation at the gates.
There is still no official word on the proposed flash mob ban, but moves like these point to some stricter policies about outdoor gatherings. The small, independent groups that plan these events likely won’t be able to come up with fees for a permit. If this trend continues, only larger companies and big corporations are going to be able to afford to throw outdoor San Francisco events. If only the pillow-fighters had collected those used up feathers for reuse in a craft project, things might be going differently!
