From Juvenile Hall to City Hall: Your Resume Can Change by Shamann Walton

BY CHAITANYA TONDEPU

From Juvenile Hall to City Hall: Your Resume Can Change follows the journey of a young Black boy who went from spending his junior and high school years at Juvenile Hall to becoming San Francisco Board of Supervisors president.

Walton was raised by a single mother, Catherine Cartwright, who moved them around the Bay Area in search of affordable housing and to keep her son out of trouble. Walton didn’t have a relationship with his biological father; his mother was wary of letting them meet due to his dad’s abusive and promiscuous tendencies.

At the impressionable age of nine, Walton moved in with his grandmother in Bayview-Hunters Point, where he was often in the company of his Uncle Corey. Driven by his grandmother’s exhortations, Walton excelled in fourth grade academics. As a former “punk” who usually avoided trouble, Walton got into his first fight with a neighborhood kid, propelled by his desire for Uncle Corey’s approval. Walton leaned into his newfound confidence as someone who can “get the grades, but also have the fight.”

Walton moved to Mountain View for a year, and then to Vallejo the summer before sixth grade, where his life took a turn towards serious mischief. In seventh grade, he started selling drugs alongside his more experienced friends. At the time Walton believed that slinging crack cocaine was one of the only ways he could achieve a lucrative life distinct from how he grew up. In high school, Walton started carrying a 0.38 revolver, including to basketball practices. He and his friends would frequently carjack and engage in petty robberies, becoming regular patrons of the criminal justice system through high school.

Walton spends little time describing the emotional context in which he operated while a teenager, a loss given the almost stereotypical arc of his story for disadvantaged Black men, who often don’t secure his level of achievement.

Walton met Philmore Graham (PG), who founded the Omega Boys and Girls Club in Vallejo, where Walton’s mom sent him after school in an attempt to redirect him toward more positive behaviors. The club focused on academics and exposing young Black males to opportunities to enable them to overcome unfavorable financial or familial situations. PG, or “pops”, became integral to Walton’s evolution from a troubled kid to a mature man, serving as father figure and role model of ethics and integrity.

Walton refers to PG throughout the book, emphasizing the lasting impact that pops had on him because of the values he instilled and belief he had in Walton, as well as the unconditional moral and financial support he provided. PG would pay Walton to work in his backyard or get good grades, He’d interfere with Walton grinding, selling drugs, and regularly accompanied Walton’s mother to pick him up from jail when he got caught.

In 1992, when Walton had just finished tenth grade, PG advocated for Walton to be one of five young men to be sponsored to attend an Omega Psi Phi youth leadership conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a pivotal event, in which Walton’s perspective was entirely altered by seeing other Black men who were well put-together, thriving in their careers, supporting one another.

“When I got to the conference, it was a completely different world for me,” Walton wrote. “I saw a world I didn’t even know existed…While on the streets, my reality was framed by the hustle that this is all there is and the only way to having more. In one trip with a different landscape, I saw that there was more, and with education came exposure on so many other levels.”

Walton decided to entirely transform his life to secure a spot at an Historically Black College and University, such as Alabama State University, Morris Brown College (MBC), or Tennessee State University. He stayed on top of his grades, took the S.A.T. twice, stopped grinding, kept to a cleaner social circle, and tried to avoid trouble, though trouble seemed to remain an arm’s length away.

Walton started at MBC in Atlanta in the Fall of 1994. He excelled in his classes and socially. He joined the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the same society PG was a part of, and was elected student government association vice president. Walton graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Cum Laude honors.

After graduating, Shamann tried his luck in the entertainment business, working on a rap album with friends in Vallejo. After that effort failed, Walton went back to school to secure a master’s in public administration from San Francisco State University. He decided to pursue a political career, and although he didn’t get enough votes to procure a seat on the San Francisco Board of Education in 2012, he was elected in 2014. He later served as Board president. In 2018, Walton was chosen to represent District 10 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming Board president in 2021.

The book is at its best when it follows Walton’s journey from a simple, innocent boy to one with a troubled legal record who experienced a cathartic event that transformed his life’s trajectory, replete with references to the influential individuals that helped pave the way to a brighter future. The remaining chapters are haphazard, as he discusses his political career, with negligible references to his biological father. He only briefly alludes to his son and daughter, Malcolm and Monique, without providing much detail other than the financial responsibility he had to shoulder to support them. While Walton confesses his guilt as a teen father who repeatedly neglected his kids while he was studying in college, the reader is left wondering how they really impacted his life and decisions, a topic Walton says he’ll delve further into in his next book.

“I hope people understand that I wrote the book as a vehicle to provide hope to young people to say that no matter how tough life can be, with all the blessings and strifes, some of these obstacles can be fuel to do better, more energy to achieve,” Walton told the View. “And everyone remember to not give up on people, because if you work with people and give them opportunities, you’ll be surprised with what they can achieve.”

BIKE LANE from front page that we can count on to make sure that these kids can bike themselves places.”

Nearby businesses are concerned that the proposed lane-size reduction in curbside parking, as well as the loss of passenger and commercial loading zones, could prompt adverse economic impacts. The proposed design would eliminate 129 of 185 parking spots on 17th Street from Potrero Avenue to Mississippi Street. SFTMA estimates there are 1,800 on-street parking spaces within a one-block radius of 17th Street, typically used by people with close by destinations.

The plan attempts to keep street parking outside businesses where possible while retaining existing passenger and commercial loading zones by shifting the floating parking lane from one side of the street to another on different blocks. This wiggle has the additional benefit of traffic calming, as straight roads encourage drivers to travel at higher speeds.

The white loading zone is slated to remain outside Bottom of the Hill, albeit slightly shorter, with one parking lane remaining on the same side of the street as the venue. Existing zones that’d be replaced by the bike lane would be moved to adjacent streets.

“The neighborhood around us has changed a lot in the last 15 years, so the infrastructure no longer works. We’re having growing pains in terms of figuring out how to make it work better,” said J.R. Eppler, a Connecticut Street resident and Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association president, with a son, Frank, at Daniel Webster Elementary School. “The usage of this corridor for bicycle traffic is only going to increase, so taking the opportunity now to make it work better — not just for the bicycles but for the cars that have to mix with the bicycles — makes sense. We’ve worked with businesses to try to optimize what parking would remain.”

Short-term green parking and metered zones outside businesses could help offset decreased parking along the corridor by accelerating parking turnover. Additionally, the neighborhood will gain more than 150 off-street parking spots associated with opening of the San Francisco Flower Market on the corridor’s eastern side, which’ll be available for public use after regular business hours.

“The lower part of Potrero Hill has never had well-regulated parking, and as a result, it becomes a parking lot for people who go to their destination outside of the area,” Eppler said. “I think that enhancing targeted parking controls for the local businesses will help mitigate any impacts from the removal of parking spaces along the route. I would like to see that as part of the final plan.”

“I think they’ve done a smart job of preserving the white loading zone, shuttle zone; they’ve added some commercial loading zones. So overall, it’s a great design but there are always little tweaks where it can be better,” Belden commented. “The intersection of Potrero Avenue needs more protection, but overall, I think the proposal is something that will be a real step forward.”

“This is a great way to serve the neighborhood. It opens up the City for our residents in our neighborhood and so I think it’s a big win for making the whole City more accessible,” Jessica Holmes, a cyclist and PREFund board member, said.

PREFund is a nonprofit that works to ensure Potrero Hill families have access to quality educational opportunities.

“This opportunity at lower cost, using paint on the roadway and plastic bollards, is a good way to see how this protected bike lane will work and provide the blueprint for a more permanent protected facility in the future,” Eppler said.

While the protected bike lane is the focus of the Quick-Build project, other traffic safety improvements are included in the plan. A stop sign on 17th Street would be added at the Carolina Street intersection. Presently, a lack of traffic controls along 17th adjacent to Jackson Park enables vehicles to travel at faster speeds. The City’s new “crossbikes” — continental crosswalk striping extended into the street painted green – would be added to increase bike lane visibility.

“One thing that doesn’t get talked about is the way the quick-build will also make crossings much safer for pedestrians,” Belden said. “Right now, if you walk across 17th Street, you’ve got six feet of bike lane, 22 feet of cars, and another six feet of bike lane. That’s over 30 feet to cross, and when you have over 30 feet of unobstructed space, people tend to drive faster.”

The protected bike lane narrows the roadway width to roughly 20 feet, which’d further slow traffic.

“Walking those 20 feet for pedestrians makes it significantly safer, especially people who walk slower, older people, and those with disabilities. People have a refuge before they get to the sidewalk,” Belden said.

Four additional striped crosswalks would be added along 17th Street at Texas, Missouri, Connecticut, and Wisconsin streets to help increase pedestrian visibility. Black and yellow painted raised elements would be placed in the roadway of some intersection corners to create extra space from traffic, serving to safeguard bike lane users and pedestrians crossing the street.

“It’s not the worst street. Seventeenth is one of those streets where you see bikes because it’s a decent street, but it could be so much better. With this proposal, it will be so much better,” Blumberg emphasized.

“ This project is more than just protected bike lanes; it’ll make things safer for a range of folks,” Belden concluded.

SFMTA plans to approve a final design in time to implement the project this fall.

GOOD LIFE from page 4

Valley Community Store; and Community Corner in Bernal Heights, “affectionately known as Commie Corner,” said Hudiburgh.

“The beautiful thing about PFS was the enterprises it sponsored under its umbrella. The People’s Bakery baked real bread, not soft white processed bread. Later it became Tassajara Bakery. Offshoots of that are still operating, like Acme Bread Company and Semifreddi’s,” said Hudiburgh.

Hudiburgh first got involved with the food conspiracies by buying produce for the Peace and Freedom Party. She joined The Good Life staff in 1976, becoming a partner two years later. By 1980, she’d bought out all other members. Shortly thereafter Zeidman joined the enterprise.

“When we got married in 1982, he and I came to own The Good Life by ourselves. It was through his hard work and financial planning that we were able to grow the store, survive an eviction in 1985, and open in our current location on 20th Street in 1986,” said Hudiburgh.

In 2000, Hudiburgh and Zeidman bought the building for the Bernal Heights store, purchasing the structure housing the Potrero Hill outlet sixteen years later. The two locations collectively employ 70 people.

Hudiburgh’s favors local farmers who sell to the store directly, small cheesemakers, primarily based in Sonoma County, and Earl’s Organic Produce, which sources from local farmers. Founder Earl Herrick started the business by operating out of his truck in 1976. Hudiburgh still buys from Veritable Vegetable, a women-owned organic produce distribution vendor based in the City and established in 1974.

“The biggest emphasis was on organic produce. The founders of the community stores began a whole new industry of local and/or organic fruits and vegetables. They’re the reason most companies at the wholesale produce market carry both conventional and organic produce,” said Hudiburgh.

Hudiburgh and Zeidman originally met at The Mayflower, a bar located at the corner of 18th and Connecticut streets.

“He was a bartender there. I regularly traveled the three doors down from the store to have the Happy Hour specials at 50 cents a drink. There were only a few storefronts open on 18th Street at the time,” said Hudiburgh.

Hudiburgh arrived in San Francisco in 1969, drawn by the political scene, initially settling in the Fillmore. She’d grown up in Texas, where she’d been a teacher. Zeidman, from New Jersey, hitchhiked across the country after he graduated high school.

Goat Hill Pizza opened in 1975, also at the intersection of 18th Street and Connecticut streets. The commercial strip began to attract other businesses, including The Daily Scoop, Mary’s Flowers, Spiro’s Greek Restaurant, Just For You, and Seams Like Only Yesterday, along with previous mainstays Chips Liquor and The Little Red Door.

“Potrero Hill quickly became my favorite neighborhood. Lester also chose Potrero Hill. Both of us lived in various places on the Hill until we were lucky enough to buy our home on Carolina Street in 1984,” said Hudiburgh.

In the mid-1970s and 1980s, Zeidman volunteered as a photographer and reporter for The Potrero View, writing articles about the neighborhood and its history, especially street names.

“We have both been involved in lots of political struggles. We both have always loved being a part of the business community on Potrero Hill, seeing our neighbors come and shop. We got to know lots of people and watch young folks grow up before our eyes,” said Hudiburgh.

In 2022, Zeidman retired from The Good Life Grocery. Samantha Zuvella, a third generation Hill native, who started working at the Hill location bagging groceries as a teenager, became Hudiburgh’s new business partner.

“It is very rewarding to see her GOOD LIFE continues on page 11

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for bicyclists and pedestrians.

“Much of the hardest work that DNA does is behind-the-scenes advocacy with the City and speaking on behalf of the community at City Commission meetings,” said Doumani.

DNA has seen a new set of faces emerge as residents engage with one another more.

“This is reflected in the new members of our board. We look forward to this trend continuing,” said Doumani. “I turn my energy to work on solutions when I find myself complaining or troubled about issues in our community. Instead, it’s better to take the long view…enjoy the camaraderie we build with our neighbors, who become our friends, during the ride.”

Rebecca Kee, Daniel Webster Elementary ParentTeacher Association president, has been a PTA member since her son started kindergarten at the school in 2016. DW PTA has roughly 100 member-families, its highest participation level in years.

Kee lived the first decade of her life in the Sunset District, before her family moved to Marin County. After graduating from college in New York City, Kee moved to Bernal Heights, where she initially was a second-grade teacher at Paul Revere Elementary School. She’s presently director of Potrero Kids Preschool, a year-round, Spanish-focused preschool with locations in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill.

In 2022, DW PTA held a “Jump-athon” fundraiser.

“Kids had a great time on the (school) yard having a jump-roping party. (They) got small pledges from family and friends for how many jumps they could do. We raised $10,000 for the school,” said Kee.

Last year’s direct giving campaign,

“Give a Hoot,” raised tens of thousands of dollars. The DW PTA typically organizes two large evening events on campus, Pasta Night in the fall and Circus Night in the spring, at which educators, staff, and families can connect and have fun together.

Kee said DWPTA has a new website on which the group posts updates.

This month new families will “…be invited to join the PTA and get to know each other at our back-to-school BBQ (which) happens in the early weeks of the new school year,” said Kee.

Kee added that part of the fun of being involved with a PTA is that there’s always a guaranteed influx of new leaders.

“Local restaurants have catered events, nearby businesses have (donated) gift cards for our auctions, and local circus performers have entertained us at gatherings. There are so many ways to partner with (DW PTA) on supporting these amazing kids in the neighborhood,” said Kee. “It’s a joy to see how the DW community comes together to care for everyone’s children and invest in their success. My hope is that the DWPTA will continue to welcome new families into our community and engage them in our communityfocused vision for the school.”

Peter Linenthal, became Potrero Hill Archives Project director in 1990. He attended preschool at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House in the 1950s and has lived on Missouri Street since 1975. Linenthal worked for decades as a pre- and after-school teacher at several City schools. Most recently, he taught at Daniel Webster Elementary School.

Linenthal began amassing material for the archives in 1986 by collecting

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415.643.9578 | production @ potreroview.net | potreroview.net/advertise/ oral histories of Hill residents. Since then, he’s been acquiring “almost anything” connected to Potrero Hill and Dogpatch history.

The Potrero Hill Archives Project gathers historic materials and makes them available to the public. Images from the archives will be used as part of a projection project by Ben Woods, a visual artist, which’ll celebrate the opening of the San Francisco Flower Mart in the historic Pacific Rolling Mill building. The archives has held several popup museums on street corners and led walking tours of the Hill during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has a large display at the Potrero Hill Festival in October, and sponsors Potrero Hill History Night in November.

The 2023 History Night will take place at St. Teresa of Avila Church, focusing on interviews with longtime residents, along with scenes from the 1970s television show “Streets of San Francisco” filmed in the neighborhood, supported by a “generous grant” from Avenue Greenlight, a San Francisco program that funds merchant associations and community groups.

“It’s encouraging to see more and more newcomers to the neighborhood at these History Nights. I sense that, increasingly, folks want to find out more about where they live,” said Linenthal.

This year, the Potrero Hill History Archives Project will move from Linenthal’s basement to the Dogpatch Hub, creating more accessibility and the ability to display history collections.

“It means a thorough reorganization of the archives and finding folks to help us too. We’ll get help from other neighborhood history groups,” said Linenthal.

Along with Abigail Johnston, Linenthal co-authored two Arcadia Publishing books on Potrero Hill history, San Francisco’s Potrero Hill and Then & Now: Potrero Hill

“People sometimes think of the past as rigid and boring but, in fact, it’s con- stantly changing as we discover what’s been forgotten or neglected. There’s always something new to learn about the past,” said Linenthal.

He’s working with historian Hudson Bell on an article for the San Francisco Historical Society about a Black man from New Bedford, Connecticut who came to the City during the Gold Rush, established a soap-making factory, which eventually moved to Potrero Hill.

Linenthal has illustrated roughly a dozen children’s books, including the Look, Look! series of high-contrast board books for infants. He’s particularly proud of Jaya’s Golden Necklace, which takes place in the Kushan Empire of Central and South Asia. He’s working on a catalog of his collection of Central Asian artwork, which he calls “the Kushan Collection.” lowed by English, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese. Roughly twothirds are over the age of 60 and women. One-third of those who partake have someone with a disability in their homes and/or have children present, with more than one-third single-parent households. Only five percent are unhoused.

“I’m sure my early art experiences at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House were an inspiration. Art materials were always available there. The director, Rhoda Kellogg, was an innovative teacher who discovered common motifs in very young children’s art from many cultures. Kellogg was really my introduction to Potrero Hill,” said Linenthal.

According to Michael Reid, codirector of The Food Pantry, which operates at Saint Gregory’s Episcopal Church, most recipients are Potrero Hill residents, with the rest coming from the Mission, Bernal Heights and Bayview.

“We are seeing more younger people in food lines, as well as new immigrants from war-torn countries and young families,” Reid said. “We would see people come from Alameda occasionally, as well.”

From January to March, the Food Bank’s call center saw a 64 percent

FOOD BANK continues on next page

FOOD BANK from previous page increase in requests to sign up for its services. The organization’s staff reports that many participants are visiting pantries weekly, instead of a few times a month as a supplement.

“We are grateful for our community stepping up during the height of the pandemic, but we continue to need their help in its aftermath,” said Gonzales.

DAY ON THE GREEN from page 4 resident who now lives near Sacramento, remembers Day on the Green as “a big family reunion. People in the neighborhood did all the work. In the late-1980s and early-1990s, Potrero Hill was divided by streets. At Day on the Green, everybody forgot about all that. Everyone brought a community dish and came together.”

Woodson recalled that Day on the Green occurred around Greenberg’s birthday.

“Yet Jon didn’t make himself the center of attention. He used his birthday to celebrate everybody else,” said Woodson.

Greenberg, now 83, retired as Rec Center director in 2008.

“(When I came on in 1966), I felt there was a need to bring the community together in an event at the Rec Center to celebrate the end of summer. We had boys’ and girls’ teams, teen trips, and Tiny Tots, but little to offer families. Thus, an event that could offer this,” said Greenberg.

Greenberg named “Day on the Green” after music promoter Bill Graham’s legendary concerts in Oakland. Those events, which took place between 1973 and the early-1990s, were initially held at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, featuring well-known bands like The Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys, Chicago, and The Eagles.

“I used and applied (the phrase) to our green baseball diamond for (our) event. I wanted to bring the community together for some fun and food…to celebrate the Hill’s diversity and beauty,” said Greenberg.

Greenberg asked Rose Hammork, “Ms. Rose,” who worked as a recreation supervisor on the Hill for more than 30 years, and Jesse Wilson, who served as an RPD recreation and Potrero Hill Rec Center director, for help coordinating the event. He solicited local businesses for food donations, and requested that community members supply their own dishes, barbecue, and talent for the stage.

The Pickle Family Circus, which had an office and rehearsal space in the 1980s at a former church on Missouri Street, performed at Day on the Green for years.

“Circus members Geoff Hoyle and Kimi Okada were Potrero Hill residents. The Circus performed to raise funds for community service organizations. Its philosophy was that individual excellence contributes to the good of the group,” said Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archive Project director.

“I hope it (remains) an annual event. I think this type of event helps strengthen a community by pulling (everyone) together to have some food, fun, and music and mark the end of a wonderful summer,” said Greenberg.

To donate to Day on the Green or volunteer to help with setup or cleanup in the youth zone or with registration contact Stand In Peace: 415.289.5974; DOTGvolunteers@gmail.com.

GOOD LIFE from page 9 succeed. She shows other employees that they too can make a career of the grocery business. Her work lets others know they can be a part of something bigger, better, and more unique than working for a huge company that barely knows your name,” said Hudiburgh.

According to Hudiburgh, The Good Life Grocery’s most recent challenge was riding out “the pandemic storm,” staying open daily.

“Sometimes we opened a little later because deliveries were unpredictable. We all felt like this was our time to show the community that we were there. The staff was ready to help. It was our goal to feed our neighbors,” said Hudiburgh.

During the pandemic The Good Life Grocery rewarded its staff with weekly bonuses through the end of 2021.

As part of the Potrero Hill Festival The Good Life Grocery sets up a farmers’ market with local produce for sale under three tents, offering hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and other goodies. During Christmas the Hill store has brought Santa Claus to 20th Street.

“We live in a small community, and we need all these events to bring us together, to have fun together and to solve problems together. Small businesses help to create that necessary link, getting folks out of their houses,” said Hudiburgh. “It takes all of us to share the load and the laughter. Let’s meet each other in these special places and get involved. There’s plenty of work to do!”