We Are the People We’ve Been Waiting For
By Mark Dietrich
While San Francisco continues to struggle, everyone has an opinion. But talk isn’t just cheap, it costs absolutely nothing, and you usually get what you pay for. In other words, it usually doesn’t help things at all.
Many neighbors see the work I do to spur positive action and community in the Richmond District (I try to lead by example with integrity, both online and off) and they are constantly asking me what they can do to get involved and help our neighborhood. Here is the list I share with them:
- Get to know the elderly folks on your block or in your building and check in on them now and then. Sometimes what is easy for us to do around the house can be challenging for older neighbors. Just spending a few minutes visiting with someone can brighten their whole day.
- Spend five minutes cleaning up trash and litter on your block. It sounds easy, and it is. But it’s amazing what a difference a clean sidewalk can make in your attitude about our neighborhood. Plus, picking up trash is contagious and habit-forming. (See RefuseRefuse.org for tips and tools) It doesn’t matter who dropped it, what matters is that YOU cleaned it. Maybe even make a game out of it for you and your kids.
- Introduce yourself to a neighbor you don’t know. You don’t have to be an extrovert – you just need enough courage to take the first step and say “Hello my name is _____.” You will be surprised how a small connection can eventually lead to a big one.
- Download the 311 app and use it to report dumping, graffiti, dangerous encampments or other civic issues. Sometimes issues are fixed instantly, sometimes it takes a few days. More importantly, 311 is how the City measures and monitors issues. The data that is captured is used to direct resources. If we all use it more, the magnitude and severity of our issues will become far more visible.
- Ask around and start or join a neighborhood watch group on your block. You can contact the professionals at SFSAFE for formal procedures, or just meet some neighbors and do it yourself. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You will find the benefits go far, far beyond just crime watching. For tips visit SFSAFE.org or StopRichmondBurglary.org.
- Feed our public servants with some praise. The next time you see a DPW worker, SFFD firefighter, Muni driver, SFPD police officer (or even a DPT parking officer), say thank you and show some appreciation. Their job is to serve and help YOU, so let them know that you appreciate them. It only takes a few seconds and costs you absolutely nothing.
- Talk to a local small business owner. They are the glue that holds our neighborhood together, making it an amazing place to live. Anza, Balboa, Geary, Clement, California – share your appreciation, ask how you can help them, and listen to what they have to say. Their struggles are our struggles. Get to know them just a little bit more, then buy something!
- Volunteer. There are countless opportunities to volunteer a few hours of your time with many local organizations: The Richmond YMCA, The Richmond Neighborhood Center, The Richmond Senior Center, historical groups, merchant associations, and local schools. Get active and donate your time. No matter how small, it will make a positive difference. Need help finding an organization? Just ask a few neighbors and the opportunities will probably present themselves.
- Get active and attend a community group or meeting that fits your sensibilities and works to affect positive change: Some effective neighborhood groups that host regular meetings include: SOAR (Save Our Amazing Richmond), the SFPD holds a roving community monthly meeting, United Democratic Club, Westside Family Democratic Club, GROW the Richmond, etc. There are many groups with opinions as diverse as our neighborhood itself.
- Last but probably most powerful: Ask a neighbor for a favor. Borrow some tools, ask for help moving something heavy, ask a neighbor to watch your cat while you are away for a weekend, etc. I can guarantee that you will be amazed at the results. Asking for help rather than offering it, may seem counterintuitive, but nothing builds community faster than someone asking for help. Try it. It works.
I’d like to imagine the positive impact of everyone in our community doing just one of these, or something similar. So, pick one, give it your unique spin, try it, and email me what comes of it (markdietrichsf@gmail.com). I can’t wait to hear your stories and share them to inspire others.
Mark Dietrich is a longtime community organizer and tireless cheerleader for positive, action-based community-building in San Francisco’s Richmond District.
Categories: Commentary
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
I do these in my neighborhood & do our own version of a Neighborhood Watch with several neighbors. Thank You!!
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Great suggestions! We can all play a positive role in helping the Richmond … and SF as a whole… be a better place.
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Bravo! More of this. We have a lot to fix, but we can be proactive as a community to see real change. Thank you Mark!
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This commentary is rich considering all the fearmongering Mark promotes on social media. He’s responsible for more neighbors and elderly being afraid to leave their homes without being encased in a steel car shell and insulated from personal interactions. Mark promotes a political agenda of authoritarianism by appealing to a conservative 1950’s nostalgic vision of a SF that never was reality
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I have to agree with Michael Nader. Mark Dietrich is one of the most divisive figures in our neighborhood. He uses social media to instill fear in Richmond residents. He is a regular on Nextdoor where he posts inflammatory report of crime incidents to stir neighborhood discontent. He regularly uses that problematic platform to posts photos of mentally ill people in crisis, violating their privacy and stirring up anti-homeless sentiment. He is not a good neighbor.
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This is laughable. Have you ever actually MET Mark? I live on this street. He’s like the best, most likable, most helpful neighbor of all time.
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Thank you, Mark! There’s so much good we can do to create a welcoming and supportive neighborhood. I embrace your suggestions on ways to express kindness and make positive connections in our community so that we can all rise together.
This is what I do everyday: say “good morning” or “hello” to every person I see when I walk around in my neighborhood. It’s so easy! Please try it!
For those that cannot write or say anything nice, it doesn’t help build a connected and positive community. But I will still say “good morning” or “hello” to you too!
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Mark, thanks for being a vocal advocate and action-minded neighbor and for sharing great thoughts on how all of us can lean in to do our parts to return civility, kindness, peace, and security to our beloved neighborhood!
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Thank you Mark for your leadership, support and advocacy of our neighborhood…from removing graffiti, helping neighbors start a SF SAFE Program, and assisting victims whose personal belongings were stolen from their cars. The people who are critical and disparaging of Mark are completely out of touch with the current reality. They are crime deniers and they do not represent nor reflect the Richmond District community.
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Thank you Mark for sharing your ideas! You care deeply about the Richmond District and the work you do (not just talking about it) have had positive impacts on our neighborhood. We appreciate you!
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All great ideas, advice and reminders to be a part of and bring our community closer together!
This has inspired me to do better with simple acts of kindness. I personally believe in social responsibility and am glad you are encouraging others to be better neighbors.
Thank you Mark. You are a hero in my eyes.
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I was a member of then-candidate Connie Chan’s campaign team. During the campaign, I was asked to knock on doors in the Richmond District. Mark Dietrich used his dead mother’s name to infiltrate Chan’s volunteer schedule. As a result, he knew where and when he met. I’ll admit, I was one of the youngest and smallest of those who were knocking on doors. As such, I was targeted to be followed as I tried to carry out my door-knocking. Dietrich followed me every step of the way, asking me if I “live” in the neighborhood. I had no idea that one needed a passport to walk in the Richmond.
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Thank you Mark for writing this positive commentary about how Richmond District residents can make SF a better place. Creating a strong community amongst neighbors and taking real actions towards solving problems are two necessary steps to help solve our city’s multitude of problems. I thank you for outlining these methods in your article and I hope people will follow this lead.
To those who accuse Mr. Dietrich of fearmongering, I don’t see this anywhere in his commentary. Comments are meant to be written about the article not to mudsling the author with your personal opinions.
Yet if you still believe fear isn’t real in the Richmond district, I beg to differ. I am an Asian woman who commutes to work daily via Muni. I am an SF native and have been taking the bus since I was 10 years old. I wasn’t scared in SF until I was assaulted near Golden Gate Park by a mentally unstable man in broad daylight. I also have 5 to 6 senior Asian neighbors, between the ages of 70-90, who live on my Richmond district block. They no longer freely go out in the evening and try to return home before dusk. This fear was not the case 5, 10, or even 15 years ago. The current fear of attack amongst Asians is very real. Belittling the fear is unneighborly.
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Reading this anodyne Op Ed I am struck by what is left unstated. The contributor was a leader of the 9M campaign which ousted DA Chesa Boudin. The most vivid visual display of Mr. Dietrich’s zealous insurrection is the June 7, 2022 election night photo. Mr. Dietrich is at the front of a frenzied crowd of celebrants hoisting a beverage, mouth wide open, arm outstretched lustily exhorting his Cadres. It reminds me of a Beer Hall scene from another era in another country. I would ask Mr. Dietrich, “Are you happy now?”
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A drowning person is a danger. They can pull you into the depths along with them in their desperation. Mark Dietrich is such a person. Mr. Dietrich clutches at any life preserver to burnish his damaged reputation, damaged June 7, 2022, when photographed in full throated howl of glee hoisting one with his mouth wide open and one fist pumping the air. Mr. Dietrich was besides himself the night of the recall of our honest and ethical DA, Chesa Boudin. This unabashed snapshot of Mr. Dietrich losing it as an unhinged fanatic also headlined the Chronicle’s weekly quiz “How will Chesa Boudin’s replacement be chosen? In my mind, Mr. Dietrich left decency behind. The recall of Chesa Boudin did not comfort this elderly San Franciscan. It did not invest in a brighter future for her, either. The recall of Chesa Boudin has left me feeling very unsafe, more unsafe than I ever have, while violent crime and tragic overdose deaths spiral out of control under the current DA that Mr. Dietrich helped boost into power.
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Mark Dietrich’s commentary is politically motivated. SOAR, The United Democratic Club, The Westside Family Democratic Club and Grow the Richmond are all YIMBY groups, short for Yes In My Backyard. These clubs are lobbying Mayor London Breed to drastically change the city’s planning code, allowing much of San Francisco — especially the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods — to be subject to rampant redevelopment. Not only are they advocating for high-rises to be built throughout the city, particularly on the Westside, they are calling for it to be done without public comment. In other words, the residents most impacted by these new developments, would be silenced. Also, they ask that it would be easier to teardown existing residential housing — older buildings with rent-controlled units — in order to replace them with luxury housing developments. If they are successful, the city would be changed forever as would the Westside neighborhoods.
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Sad that you have interjected your political mumble-jumble into a call for neighbors to help one another. But aren’t you the lady who fought against the Beach Chalet Soccer fields? Seems about right.
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So much misinformation being spread here. Thank you Mark for being such a great advocate for our neighborhood! The minority in SF has always been more vocal, but I think that is changing thanks to people like you.
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Yes. She is “the lady” who waged a Courageous ballot fight to stop the environmental train wreck at the oceanside. The bright lights. The artificial turf. All so entitled motorists can drive their environmental killing SUVs to the toxic play yard by the Pacific. The project should have been Red carded and kicked off the pitch years ago.
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I encourage anyone with children that play at the Beach Chalet, or anyone who works, to read all of Lee’s writings. He is an extremely influential person in the Richmond who supports progressive policies. The best I can interpret his poetry, cars and more housing in the Richmond District (aka development and commerce) are evil. You should not drive to work, you should not drive your kids to school, you should not drive to the park, and you should not have artificial turf fields that allow your children to play year round. Lee has no use for cars and he already has a house. Lee’s vision is that SF should slowly revert to a state of nature before humans developed the land. But, in the interim, please pay your taxes so we can continue to maintain the man-made park adjacent to Lee’s home and maintain the roads that transport food to his local store.
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Mark Dietrich’s portraying himself as a neighborhood do-gooder is simply laughable. Dietrich uses social media as a weapon, taking aim at the most vulnerable in our community. He frequently posts photographs of homeless people (making clear their location) using inflammatory language designed to ratchet up tensions between housed and unhoused San Franciscans. We’ve seen all too painfully how intemperate language often leads to intemperate actions. It is only a matter of time before Dietrich’s social media campaign against the poor leads to grave harm.
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I don’t know Mark, but I recognize his detractors as the same squeaky wheels who have been installing progressive supervisors and pushing their agenda for the last 20 years. While they have written their monthly articles about evil landlords, greedy corporations, the plight of the poor and homeless, and their elected officials directed our tax money to their favorite nonprofits and re-election campaigns, our City has declined precipitously. Under your leadership, we are less safe, our children are not being effectively educated, our streets and parks are dirtier, crime is rampant, you blocked any attempt to build housing, landlords are terrified to rent, and our small businesses are suffering. Maybe I should get to know Mark, cause I already know what you’re all about.
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I find it upsetting to see this man being lifted up and broadcast by our wonderful, local newspaper. Mark Dietrich’s mission for the past few years has been to be to cause maximum discord, fear and distrust amongst the people who live in the Richmond District. Mark’s fear mongering on Nextdoor has caused so much anger, unjustified fear and paranoia that it has spilled over into real life and neighbors now hate each other because of it. It is sad and upsetting to see Mark’s post constantly on Nextdoor and even more upsetting to see the fights which he deliberately causes on that website, while he seemingly sits back to enjoy it. This is also the man was responsible for starting the war over Slow Lake and then stepped back to pretend that he hadn’t caused it. We all know Slow Lake almost tore this community apart, Mark was the genesis of it by organizing the first meetings of “like-minded” neighbors and then stepping back as the fight that he had caused escalated. It should also be mentioned that Mark has continued to reach out to high-level media organizations to get quotes and commentary in about what a do gooder he is, while always mentioning crime and how people are so afraid. By agreeing to print this neighborhood commentary the Richmond Review is lifting up a man whose sole cause has been to tear down our wonderful neighborhood, make people afraid and in constant battle with their neighbors. I am so disappointed to see this here.
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Like a previous commenter, I had a run-in with Mark Dietrich when I worked on Connie Chan’s campaign. He stalked me around the neighborhood as I tried to talk to neighborhood voters. He asked me whether I was “from here.” I am a Chinese woman and I am “from here.” So are a lot of people who look just like me. The question was offensive.
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