daddy. >> call on speakers in support of the project sponsor. i have a bunch of cards. if you find yourself being slightly repetitive, you might say you are in agreement with previous speakers. >> arnold wong. phyllis johnson. james wirley, marlee, kenny yu, mike skernl and rene zoey. >> thank you, with all speaking the neighbors that resides upstairs sent me a separate e-mail stating that it not about the space, it's about a

personal relationship with jim or their lack of. so she made it very clear that it was personal. so that long e-mail i think doesn't hold much weight in my opinion as the owner. she rent from me equally as well. i'm just saying how i see it and how i read it. 93 years old is how old my father is today. he started the business in 1956. he started the confound to raise his family. when he bought the building, the person selling it was asking if it's okay to sell to an asian family. i grew up in this area. his vision became his pride. he became part of the

neighborhood. he was the hub of the neighborhood. it quickly became that and he was quickly glued in the fabric to build for blocks on end. this was before the days, not like we have now with big box and trader joes and on and on. since the early 80s the delli has just solidified the fact that it has brought the community together. i started cooking there as a kid. i later on ran two very successful and popular restaurants in the city. i speak more to this to the fact that it is the community and i learned so much from being a part of the community and giving back. there is nothing that jim is doing differently than what is

created there. he has provided food, he's a small business, he's learning his craft and supporting jobs whereas i said i grew up and raised in the city. we don't see small business anymore. i grew up where small grocery stories were on every corner. you just don't see that and it really sad. i just think that, yes, there needs to be dialogue of communication and things do change and upgrades need to be met, that's fine. but i don't see any reason for this really absurd opposition for a business that has been here for over 30 years. thank you. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, president fong and commissioners. i thank

you for your time and service to san francisco. my name is phyllis johnson. we are long time residents of san francisco to have resided on downey street for over 40 years. we are supporting the permit application of bacon bacon 205, a, frederick street which is around the corner from our home. when we first moved on downey street, the corner was the site of the beloved original market. the whole neighborhood frequented the store and it's delli. after the wongs sold the market, it was a real void. the businesses did not thrive. not surprisingly over the past 3 years, ashley

market split in two. the market could not support both store fronts. we are happy to report that ash berry has provided to the neighborhood. bacon now occupies the former ash berry market delli. we are delighted with the owner. bacon has filled avoid for so long. it offers reasonable prices all week, family friend, kid friendly, neighborhood friendly addition to the area. we could not imagine opposed the permit application of bacon and bacon and also offers vegetarian items and provides a convenient place for folks to meet and catch up with one another. san

francisco needs to support small businesses in order to thrive, but bacon bacon is not only a business, but it's a gem. bacon bacon has good food and for locals and added tax revenue as well and only as san francisco resident, everything taste better with bacon. we whole heartedly support bacon and bacon. >> thank you, next speaker, please. >> good afternoon president fong and commissioners. my name

is rene pickso, i am a neighbor and here in support of bacon bacon. it's my hope that the city will allow the business to continue to operate. my family has lived in this neighborhood for over 35 years. after going away for college, i returned to this neighborhood. as a kid we became close to the wong family who owned the market. as we heard earlier one of his sons opened a sandwich shop. it allowed friend and neighbors to meet there. i met many of my friends there often. unfortunately the sandwich shop closed. for years the windows were boarded up. i saw people

sleeping in the door ways of this store. it was a great reaction to see the store open. i'm blessed to have three small boys now and bacon's owner took the time to know my name as well as the names of my three sons. jim lived a few blocks away and chose to open a store here in our neighborhood. this hat put life back into our neighborhood. as a homeowner who lives one 1/2 blocks away from bacon, i can a at test to the fact that this is a great area. i don't want people to come to our area and find boarded up store fronts. instead i would like them to

join me for coffee. please let them continue to operate here so that our neighborhood can continue and our friends and especially our children can experience it the way we did when we were growing up. thank you very much for your consideration. >> good afternoon. i have lived at 116 frederick for over 25 years and very familiar with my neighbors and the community and we are a very vocal and opinionated group of people. we treasure our neighborhood. it has been a shame to have vacant storefront on that street. it has been a very difficult retail price to stay in business. and bacon bacon has filled that need wonderfully. i find them charming. it's very clean and issues brought up can

be and will be addressed and remedied. i'm very much in support of this. i love having an area that is walkable so i don't have to walk on a rainy morning. thank you for your consideration. >> mr. president and commissioners, thanks for having me. my name is mike shell. i'm here for one reason #57bd -- and that is to support small business. i first want to apologize to you guys, people behind me and the city of san francisco. we are wasting tax dollars here. the fact is, this is a legal

business. he did everything right. he's being attacked by three people. attacked for being a small businessman. he's not the only one. his other neighbors, his other store keepers are being attacked as well, harassed. i want to apologize everyone for this circus. it's ridiculous. look, jim has a dream, mr. angeles. start a business, provide for his family, build something great. the american dream. that's what is, it's all it is. it's being attacked by people who refer to him as al capone running an empire. referred to as a bank robber. the fact is he's running his business

legally. he wants to continue. he is building and enhancing the community. as you heard from everybody behind me. we can't shut down small businesses. we do that, we are no longer san francisco. period. my advice to you is to let him stay open, let him reopen, let him build his business, provide for his family, build his dream, let him be an american. i had a lot more to say, one thing i want to say is that it sad that we are here. it's totally unnecessary. you can thank the three people. thanks. >> next speaker, please. >> i'm nervous. but i'm also here in support. thank you for your time and i will make it short and sweet. i completely lost what i was about to say.

well, with everybody else here. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> i'm going to call a few more names while you approach. tina bernard, andy core a; kobe moore, michael stern, lauren daily, jonathan griffin and brian gibson. >> hi, my name is molly gravis. i live at 231 frederick street adjacent to bacon and bacon. i'm in support of them. i have been in that neighborhood since 1972. it where i have always

gone to get food. i now live next door to them. it was a shame when it was closed. i now have to go a few blocks. i was thrilled when they opened up and thrilled that they served good food and great to meet my neighbors there. which is great when you don't have a dog. it was great to have a sandwich and a cup of coffee. i think they are a real asset. they improved my life. i think it a shame that they have been closed down in the last month. they have been an addition to my life and i believe they are an addition to the neighborhood and they offer a service that we want. >> my name is tina bernard. i have to agree with phyllis as

well as with the points that were made here. when i moved to this neighborhood part of the reason is that i saw two businesses at the time not being in the neighborhood i didn't realize weren't thriving. i thought these could be places where i can gather with my neighbors. bacon is here and thriving and i can meet with my neighbors and i appreciate the service. >> any -- my name is robert dawson. i live in the house i owned in 1971 for $20,000. the previous occupants were the black panther party. i bought it with the intention of repairing it and selling it quickly. however i liked downey

street. it was a mix of social groups, economic groups with rich and poor and especially ethnic groups. my neighbors on both sides were filipino. the young teenager who helped me break into the house to do repairs in advance of my permit, was a black kid from up the street. at that time, downey street and most of the upper hayes was pretty dilapidated. it was the end of the hippie era there. lots of houses could be bought for $50,000. my house is worth a million 1/2 now. when the

neighborhood lost the ash berry market a lot was lost and people began not to know each other so well as they had before. downey street is a level a long block very densely populated. if you go out from downey street.when it was small

one laundry mat and one continually failing other grocery store and convenience store. now there are two spaces because of the laundry mat and expanded and made a deli there and the deli operation was much busier than bacon bacon at its busiest time. i used to stand in line at that deli for 15 or 20 minutes to get a sandwich or a cup of coffee, they have not changed the density of the neighborhood. now there are no other places that could possibly be turned into businesses anywhere near that block of fredrick street. there is no danger on earth of commercializing the neighborhood and that is just simply nonsense, what other space could be used? there are houses and apartments and a large school and a couple

of churches. it is not going to happen. if people want to live in the suburbs let them move to the suburbs. we want our little tiny commercial zone because it is convenient, because it makes our lives better. >> my name is andy and i would like to be respectful of everyone's time and so i will be brief. i lived on the location of the street for three and a half years now and i would like to under score the points that the other speakers made regarding the delicious food, the spirit of the neighborhood, and cooperation fostered by this business. and i would like to site what they placed on the door which has not been mentioned yet encouraging the customers to be respectful and friendly to the people in the neighborhood.

thank you. >> >> good afternoon, i will keep this short and sweet, my name is kevin fewer and i am a neighbor. and i live at 116 fredrick street and i know that i speak for many, many other people in my large apartment building saying that bacon bacon has been a great addition to the neighborhood and a respectful neighbor and they have become part of our neighborhood fabric and we would miss them terribly if they left. thank you. >> good afternoon, my name is colby moore and i am a resident of the neighborhood and also jim's brother-in-law. jim had the opportunity to take me into the store when he had first leased it and the fact that we are standing here today

is quite a surprise to me. everything is just as it was when he opened the store and the excitement to breathe life into that block was infectious and i am not surprised with the support that you see here today. our kids love going there. and i think that other kids in the neighborhood love going there. and i think that the most revealing thing to me is that i asked jim, you know, i don't know these folks, i understand that they may have some issues but have they ever come to the store in do they know what you do? they have never been in during business, and that does not make sense to me and i proposed a lot of projects over the years and i have taken the time to try to understand that and so i just want to resoundingly support jim and his business and i think that it is a tremendous addition to the community and to the urban landscape that we live in, thank you. >> thank you. >> my name is steven evans and

i lived in to 154 dounty street, five years ago this month. i want to make the comments to revitalize that area but something that has been overlooked and under played is the sense of cooperation and the sensitivity to this neighborhood that jim has demonstrated. and i disagree with anyone who would say that he has not been opened, to dialogue, and he actually has created the situations where he has brought the neighborhood together to create a dialogue and have the discussion and i really appreciate that about him. >> hi, good afternoon, my name is laurne daley and i am here to support my friend jim and his wife and i have known them for almost 20 years and they want to do right by the city of san francisco and their neighbors. they live 5 blocks away, jim has the ability to walk to work. and his kids can come and visit

him and i bring my two sons from the east bay to go and visit them and i just really hope that they are able to stay in their community to have a small business on their corner. thank you. >> gerbing robinson, robert perez, robert francor and jim angles and robert dau son. and rilely varm en. bartlett. sorry, laura gilty. >> my name is michael stern and thank you for the time to speak today. the addition and the value to the neighborhood has already been covered and i agree with that tremendously and i love stopping by on sundays with my family to get a coffee and a breakfast and it is just a wonderful addition and to hear from the perspective as a business person in san francisco and i have started

numerous businesses in san francisco and i have conducted business with jim, and i have to say that he has the utmost integrity and we need more business people like jim within the community and within the san francisco. when jim says that he is going to do something, he does it. i like to call this for what it is. this is a very small number of people, who are opposing a local business and they have the right to. but i wonder what kind of community we are constructing for the small businesses within the city if we let the fact that a number of people are unhappy about what is going on across the street from them destroy what small entrepreneurs have created. we are creating jobs. we are making people happy through our products. and i think that that is outstanding and we need more of

that i know that he has promised to install the exhaust system and i hold that to him. and i know that the people have asked him to drop this who process if there is a pay out. let's call this for what it is, this is a shake down by the few, who are not in the interest of the community, who are not in the interest of the neighborhood. this is self-interest. and i am here because this is a worse-case scenario for those who own the small businesses within san francisco, and for those who aspire to own small businesses within san francisco. this is a worst case scenario and this is a nightmare and i hope that it does not happen to anyone and i am sorry that it is happening to jim and i am here today to speak to hope that we can through your judgment, your sense of justice, and put an end to this today, thank you.

>> >> hello, my name is jonathan, and thank you commissioners for your service and i agree with much of what has been said by the support of bacon and bacon and jim the owner. i want to paint a portrait for the people who want to come together and share their lives. my sister was in town and my girlfriend and i were going to visit and she was excited to visit the place that she heard about. when we got there my sister could not join us and she had medical issues and gave me over the phone a list of symptoms that she was experiencing and could not join us. my girlfriend and i we were disappointed and a little bit worried about my sister but enjoying our breakfast sandwich with bacon and jam, and we met a friend a few minutes later his name is lars and he is not here today and we came in and chatted in and he is a former

co-worker and i asked him how he had been doing and i had not seen him recently and told me about the medical issues and mentioned the very specific medical symptoms that he had. they were the same that my sister told me about on the phone ten minutes earlier. i called her back and said that my friend just said the same thing that you said and you didn't sound like you were taking it seriously and didn't want to go to the doctor, i suggest that you go to the doctor as soon as you can. she took the advice and went to the doctor and was rushed into emergency surgery and the doctor suggested that it would have been a bad thing had she not gone to the doctor, this is a long way of saying, that good things happen from community. and when i ask my sister, she said thank god for bacon, bacon. thank you.

>> hello, my name is greg robinson and i am 16 years old and i just live right up the street. and i just want to thank you for your time and just reiterate that it is a great place for the community is built and i think that, you know, i remember when i have lived in the neighborhood for almost a decade and i remember when there were empty storefronts there. and i think with the addition of the newest ash bury market and sam the owner and with jim with bacon bacon, and i think that when they were working together, and it was you know, when bacon, bacon was still open, it was really great, they had a symbiotic relationship and the two were working and the two businesses really fed off of each other and i think that it would really hurt the neighborhood if they, if jim could not continue to run the store and i do think that with the proper permitting, the

problems that the opposition has voiced, i think that they could most definitely be resolved and i do respect their opinions but i do thifrk that with the permitting and what jim has offered up and put on the table, i think that, it would be great if they could reopen and it is just has been a great addition to the neighborhood and so thank you for your time. >> hello, my name is michael and i don't need to reiterate much of what has been said more eloquently then i am just here to support ten people in their efforts to improve the community and also to make san francisco more attractive for our visitors thank you. >> thank you for your time, i

lived in the neighborhood and this is determined as the best neighborhood that i lived in. i am a home owner now, 101, downtownty, 290 people from bacon bacon. when i moved with my husband into the place that we now call home. i realized that every other neighborhood is soared of pailed in comparison because of the true neighborhood feel of this community. and it really sort of is embodied in at bacon bacon where the people come together and they say hi to one another and they actually in the urban setting look each other in the eye, spend time with one another and talk with one another. and so i love this place, i hope that it stays here, it would be shame to lose it to another neighborhood or to lose it altogether. thank you. >>me