October 31, 2024 | October Surprises on The Circle

Friends and neighbors:

Happy Halloween! It’s the final day of October, which has been an eventful month around The Circle. But we head into November and the holiday season full of hope for good things. A recap:

On Saturday, Oct. 5, a car descending Marin Avenue struck another car and flew into the center island of The Circle, narrowly missing the fountain but doing serious damage to the protective bollards. Amazingly and fortunately, the crash was not fatal for anyone. As of today, Oct. 31, our partners in the city’s Public Works department have been able to repair almost all the damage and return the fountain island to normal, meaning FOFW’s annual holiday decorating can proceed as usual later in November. Thank you to DPW Director Terrance Davis and to Councilmember Sophie Hahn’s office for their help in getting these repairs done so quickly.

Late Sunday, Oct. 27, a group of people chose the Fountain at The Circle as a place to stage a protest against the yearlong war in Gaza. They plastered signs around the rim of the fountain’s main pool and poured blood-red dye into the water. The signs were easily removed, but the dye required draining the fountain, which meant close to 5,000 gallons of water had to be sent into the sewer system. And at least temporarily, it tinted the fountain pink. (We are hopeful the water-soluble dye wears off.) Against the tragic costs of the ongoing war in the Middle East, these are minimal impacts. But such vandalism, whether it’s soaping or dyeing or similar actions, can do both short-term and potentially longer-term harm. While we understand the feelings that prompted this recent action, there is surely a better and more effective means of expressing them.

And as the election season comes to a climax, we make our annual plea to campaigns for candidates and ballot measures (and to yard salers and home sellers) to refrain from planting signs on the fountain island. The Circle is tough enough for drivers to navigate without more things to distract them. So please keep the center island free of signs. Thanks.

Finally, thank you to all those in the community who continue to support the work of Friends of the Fountain and Walk, now in its 31st year of working in partnership with the city to preserve and maintain this community treasure. We look forward to a happy and healthy holiday season for all.

— Board of Directors, Friends of the Fountain and Walk