Prop C(atastrophe)Oct 16
pirate wires #150 // on marc benioff’s suggestion we send federal troops to san francisco, and a reflection on prop c, his last dystopian contribution to the city
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San Francisco's (Partial) Comeback
after years of chaos under radical leadership, a new moderate coalition and builders like the sf 10x project are engineering a (fragile, partial) recovery, mostly fueled by the ai boom
Sanjana Friedman
Nov 17, 2025
This piece was first published in City Journal.
The first direct action taken by an operative of the San Francisco 10X Project was the installation of an unauthorized tree swing on a grassy knoll in Bernal Heights. Mechanically, the operation was simple: scale the towering cypress, loop thick rope through one of the low-hanging branches, and tie up a plank. The wrinkle was the park ranger. He showed up halfway through, chastised the operative for creating a safety hazard, and took the swing down.
A day later, the swing reappeared — this time affixed with adhesive-secured bolts and chains rated for 600 pounds and engraved with the phrase “You can just do things (at your own risk).” After a week, the Parks Department dismantled it. Sixteen hours later, it was up again.
The skirmish, which began in February, continued unacknowledged (except in Bernal Heights and on niche corners of X) until May, when the San Francisco Standard profiled the “Swing Man,” as he asked to be called, and his “guerrilla effort” to keep the contraption up. By this point, the swing had developed a cult following among locals. Each time the Parks Department took it down, the Swing Man put it back up in less than a day. “I will keep doing this until the sun swallows the Earth,” he told the reporter.
Prop C(atastrophe)
How San Francisco's DEI Industrial Complex WorksFeb 9
for years, mayor breed has presided over massive budget increases to a now-$100 million a year DEI clientelism scheme
25 Likes
19 Comments
Audit the NonprofitsJan 31
dolores park #11 // a chesa boudin acolyte rises from the ashes, homeless caves are found in modesto, jackie fielder cancels garry tan, car theft joyrides abound
10 Likes
1 Comment
Waymo NationalismOct 1
a brief history of clownery against cute, unassuming autonomous vehicles — and why waymo always wins
53 Likes
0 Comments
Inside California's New Mandatory Ethnic Studies CourseNov 3
the course teaches students "how to tell someone they sound racist" and claims race is a "eurocentric biological fallacy." it will soon be a high school graduation requirement.
34 Likes
3 Comments
Doom LoopSep 1
pirate wires #104 // looking back on proposition c, tech's san francisco turning point, "doom loop" analysis, a well-paved path to eternal homelessness, and how to solve the crisis
4 Likes
0 Comments