Police shut down chess games on Market Street
Neal Riley
Tuesday Sep 17, 2013 6:00 PM PT
It may finally be “checkmate” for the chess players of Market Street.
For more than 30 years, chess games have been a staple in the Mid-Market neighborhood. But earlier this month, the San Francisco Police Department confiscated the playing equipment, chairs and tables where dozens of people, mostly homeless, would gather every day to play between Fifth and Sixth streets.
Police said regular chess players aren’t the problem. They said the area has become a hotbed for illegal gambling and drug use.
“It’s turned into a big public nuisance,” said Capt. Michael Redmond, contending complaints from nearby businesses and arrests for sale and possession of narcotics have increased over the past six months. “I think maybe it’s a disguise for some other things that are going on.”
On Monday afternoon, the only sign of street chess that could be found was at the feet of Marvin Boykins, 57. Across from his latex chess board, a friend moved chess pieces at the command of a smartphone computer game set at the grandmaster level, which Boykins refused to listen to after it warned him that he’d made a bad move.
“I’ve been playing since I was 7 or 8 years old,” said Boykins, one of the original homeless street chess players who charges people a dollar or two to play. “Chess is a true San Francisco tradition.”
His friend, Hector Torres Jr., said chess saved him from a gambling addiction when he moved to San Francisco from Las Vegas more than 20 years ago. He said the chess games are a discrimination-free zone that has welcomed everyone from millionaires to people who have been in jail for decades.
“They’re being mean for no reason,” Torres Jr., 42, said about the police. “To me, it’s a scapegoat.”
Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said the police were wrong to take chess away.
“Having activities for folks to do is a positive thing,” she said. “We have elderly people who are very isolated and this is a great way for them to be out in the community.”
Redmond said the players’ property will eventually be released back to them and he hopes to help work out a plan for chess in the future — but that may involve convincing a business to pay for a permit so games can be played on the sidewalk.
“I’m optimistic that something is going to work out,” Boykins said.
Source: http://blog.sfgate.com
That’s crazy.
Hope they’ll be back soon, too sad indeed.
Hope people are protesting, just nice
advantages of street chess.
I wish Union Square in New York is next.
Toronto has a few chess tables on the streets and in parks – they were started after Joe Smolij (http://chess.ca/smolij-josef) set up shop at Yonge and Gould for several years.
Police state rocks!
Chess players all over the world are reading with dismay at the insanity of the SFPD’s mean-spirited raid to destroy street chess in SF. “Criminal element” is a canard. Undercover cops had better things to do than bust a few pot smoking chess players on Market! Let’s support Marvin Boykins, an urban legend and chess hero to so many around the world. Pat Fahey, Chess coach, Loweel High School
Chess players all over the world are reading with dismay at the insanity of the SFPD’s mean-spirited raid to destroy street chess in SF. “Criminal element” is a canard. Undercover cops had better things to do than bust a few pot smoking chess players on Market! Let’s support Marvin Boykins, an urban legend and chess hero to so many around the world. Pat Fahey, Chess coach, Loweel High School
Chess players all over the world are dismayed to read about the police raid to destroy the long tradition of street chess on Market St. Marvin Boykins is an urban legend, but SFPD and business jocks see a black homeless guy. I support Marvin Boykins and urge the community to come to it’s senses–let street chess live! Pat Fahey, Chess coach and Faculty Sponsor, Lowell High School Chess Club
Chess players all over the world are dismayed to read about the police raid to destroy the long tradition of street chess on Market St. Marvin Boykins is an urban legend, but SFPD and business jocks see a black homeless guy. I support Marvin Boykins and urge the community to come to it’s senses–let street chess live! Pat Fahey, Chess coach and Faculty Sponsor, Lowell High School Chess Club