SF cancels Castro Halloween to avoid violence repeat

The city of San Francisco has canceled Halloween in the Castro District following last year's violence that saw nine people injured by gunfire. Halloween has been a fixture of the heavily gay neighborhood for more than a half century, but lately has been plagued with violence and other problems. In an effort to prevent a "spontaneous" Halloween party in the area Supervisor Bevan Dufty has asked 110 bar and restaurant owners to close Halloween night. "It's [no longer] a holiday in the Castro. It's a night in which the neighborhood is overrun by people who come to gawk, not celebrate, and unfortunately it turns into gang night out in the Castro," Dufty told the San Francisco Chronicle. The city had hoped to put on a Halloween event at a city park miles from the Castro but the promoter has canceled out and the city says there isn't time to organize something else. Last year gunfire broke out during the massive street party in the Castro after a bottle was thrown during a confrontation involving two groups of young people. About 30 people between the ages of 15 and 25 were involved in the confrontation that led to the shooting, police said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, but city officials began expressing concern that despite a large police presence, the event was getting out of hand. Halloween on the Castro began as a spontaneous and unsanctioned party but was taken over by the city five years ago after police recorded five stabbings and a number of assaults in a 2002 crowd of 500,000 people. Officials and members of the district's large gay community said the party had started attracting gay bashers along with the usual colorfully costumed characters.