Bullying practices threaten small businesses on 24th Street (San Francisco)

Laura Waxman
El Tecoloto
August 29, 2013

Librería San Pedro and G.G. Tukuy Indigenous Arts and Crafts store at 24th and Florida streets may be the latest targets in what seems to be a pattern of prospectors threatening to evict mom-and-pop businesses on 24th Street.

“A huge amount of prospectors, realtors, individuals (are) looking for space on 24th Street,” said Erick Arguello of the Lower 24th Street Merchants and Neighbors Association. “It has become very popular in the last couple of years—Valencia (Street) is saturated so a lot of the businesses are looking for space here.”

Packed from floor to ceiling with faith oriented gifts, books, rosaries, clothes, charms and crosses— Librería San Pedro is a Catholic bookstore for the community’s faithful.

“As Latino business owners, we all feel under pressure. We were already kicked out of (other areas), and now they want to kick us out from here,” said Arnoldo González, who runs the store with his family.

Both businesses are tenants in property owned by the adjacent St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and their leases with the parish have expired. They are currently renting on a month-to-month basis.

In the spring, Rev. Manuel Estrada, pastor at the St. Peter’s Church, received notification from the Archdiocese of San Francisco that the two businesses may be subject to eviction.

“I told (the Archdiocese) that these spaces are already rented…by families from our parish and that I don’t want them to leave,” he added. “It’s important to preserve these businesses … because this is a Latino neighborhood … I think that is our identity as a neighborhood.”

According to Arguello, the Archdiocese was made an offer of $100,000 by prospective investors to replace the current tenants with a high-end restaurant.

“The Catholic church came to us and offered to rent the space,” said Mark Kaplan, real estate broker for Rock
well Properties.”I found someone who wanted to take it, and he made a general offer in May or April, the church did not reply to it.”
Despite repeated attempts, the Archdiocese did not confirm the amount, nor disclose the identity of the investor to El Tecolote.

In a neighborhood with a low vacancy rate and businesses that have been rooted in the community for generations, many merchants are reluctant to sell—making it plausible for investors and realtors to take measures into their own hands.

“We have seen a pattern of businesses being made an offer to sell, and a couple of months later they have problems with the health department,” said Arguello. “That is very suspect to us—if the business owners don’t want to sell, (the investors) try to get them out of the way.”

Despite Father Manuel’s opposition to the evictions, a meeting was held in which representatives of the Archdiocese Real Estate and Property Services found that both stores had electrical problems that needed to be addressed.

The business owners were told by Father Manuel that if they fix their electrical problems—an endeavor that would cost the businesses an estimated $6,000 out-of-pocket—then there “wouldn’t be a problem.”

“We could be evicted at any moment—we are worried that we invest the money and then they tell us to go,” said González. “For me and my partner next door, that’s how I feel.”

Neither G.G. Tukuy nor the bookstore have been given an eviction notice, yet the uncertainty of what will happen to their livelihoods and lack of transparency by the Archdiocese has all parties worried.

“Father Manuel is feeling the pressure from the Archdiocese … he wanted to let us stay,” said González. “But at the same time I don’t know why he doesn’t offer us a lease.”

In reference to aggressive tactics being used on Librería San Pedro and G.G. Tukuy and other small businesses on 24th Street, Arguello said: “If things change naturally over time and people and new people come in, fine … but it’s more clammed, more aggressive, (and) if they can’t find a space they’ll pay somebody to kick you out,” said Arguello. “They’ll do all kinds of different things. It’s not good change when people are bullied and harassed.”