A rowdy, unsanctioned Pride party took a wild turn Saturday night in SoMa when revelers graffitied homes along an alleyway and smashed the windshield of at least one car.
Social media footage shows that the orgy of vandalism on Grace Street was part of the annual “Stud Alley” block party, at which hundreds illegally take over alleyways. The events have been known to cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Elizabeth Wayne, a nurse practitioner who lives on the block, said she planned to go to bed early to prepare for a 6:30 a.m. shift Sunday.
But that went out the window when Stud Alley organizers rolled out a DJ booth and soundstage around 9 p.m., then proceeded to blast “the loudest techno music I’ve ever heard” until 6 a.m., Wayne said.
@deathbyjules when the afters is gay ppl in a random alley #pridemonth #sf #Pride #lgbt #california #rave
♬ original sound – jules 😵💫
“I’m trying to keep transplant patients alive, and it’s really upsetting that these jerks are keeping me from doing my job,” she said. “It’s just so entitled and obnoxious.”
Partygoers tagged buildings with messages including “queer joy = dead cops,” “outlaw heterosexuality,” “kill Peter Thiel,” and “EAT ASS.”
Footage shows that several climbed a fire escape to write “Free Palestine” on a rooftop.
“I hate saying this, but this is a Republican fever dream,” Wayne said.
Wayne said she called the San Francisco Police Department’s non-emergency line several times throughout the night but saw no officers at the scene. A neighbor who got home around 1 a.m. and had to wade through partygoers said he also called the police.
An SFPD spokesperson said officers arrived at the party at 12:40 a.m. and “monitored” the unpermitted event until crowds dispersed. The spokesperson did not respond when asked why officers didn’t shut down the party.
The manager of a building on the block, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation, said crews were having trouble removing graffiti from the perforated metal on the side of his building. He released sighs and several expletive-laden soliloquies while on the phone with The Standard.
“This is fucking brilliant,” he said sarcastically. “These guys are very sinister.”
The Stud Alley event made headlines in 2023 when revelers smashed four cars and vandalized half a dozen buildings on Gordon Street in SoMa. The unsanctioned events started in 2020 when The Stud, a landmark LGBTQ+ venue, closed permanently.
Attempts to reach the event’s organizers were unsuccessful.
Though fewer cars were damaged this year, the graffiti appeared to be far more extensive.
An East Bay local who was housesitting for a friend in the neighborhood and didn’t want to be identified for privacy reasons said partygoers left a note on the smashed car that read: “We are so sorry, we told them not to,” with a heart.
Another car’s license plate was spray-painted over, though organizers apparently cleaned up their trash and left the bags on the sidewalk, the housesitter said. Wayne added that organizers gave her $200 in the morning for her trouble, though that came as little solace to her.
“It’s this whole renegade thing,” Wayne said. “But their renegade-ism is being assholes.”