SF Police To Crackdown On Dore Alley Fair

San Francisco police have met with the organizers of the Up Your Alley Fair (better known to some as Dore Alley) to warn they will will not tolerate public sex at this year's July event. The fair is considered the smaller, more local version of the famed Folsom Street Fair. Via Bay Area Reporter:

The stepped up enforcement against lewd behavior at the South of Market street party, officially known as the Up Your Alley Fair, comes after two individuals filed numerous complaints with the city's Office of Citizen Complaints against the 14 police officers assigned to patrol the 2008 event for not addressing the acts of public indecency. Police also point to the Web site Zombie Time (NSFW) that documented numerous photos of men performing oral sex, urinating in public, and masturbating from second floor windows overlooking the fair as another reason for their increased vigilance. The site, created by an anonymous local photographer, also questions why the police took no action against the public nudity and sexual behavior at the fair.

Police say that if the event's promoters do not rein in illegal behavior, they will not approve an application for the 2010 fair. Fair organizers were caught by surprise.

The department's stance caught off guard officials with Folsom Street Events, the nonprofit producer of both the Up Your Alley Fair and Folsom Street Fair. Executive Director Demetri Moshoyannis said the first time he learned about the complaints stemming from the 2008 event came during last week's meeting before a panel of city staffers charged with approving street closure requests. At the hearing, Greely said that the "public sex last year was very blatant" at Up Your Alley and that people sent the police photos that "were very demented." The hearing grew testy when Moshoyannis said he had not been apprised of the problems and Greely jokingly asked how he could not know of the sex occurring, eliciting laughter from those present. "I don't think this is funny at all," shot back a visibly annoyed Moshoyannis, who asked "SFPD to address us within 30 days of the event if there are problems." He added that if brought to his attention earlier, "We can help you do your jobs."

Without a doubt, those complaining about fairgoers' behavior are doing so at the behest of Peter LaBarbera, who routinely posts diatribes about SF's leather events, including photos of unsuspecting attendees. Last fall LaBarbera's complaint campaign successfully ended a leather/sex event that was to occur during Washington DC's Mid-Atlantic Leather.

(Via Matthew S. Bajko @ Bay Area Reporter)