Controversy over film shoot featuring Marines in San Francisco

[Archangel]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline...s-.html?csp=34

City officials barred members of the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon from shooting a recruiting advertisement in San Francisco, according to KGO-TV.

A police official tells the station that Stefanie Coyote, the head of the San Francisco Film Commission, would only give the camera crew permission to film a city street if they didn't have any military personnel in the shot.

"This -- a slap in the face of every veteran and every parent of men and women who are doing their duty -- is shameful," says police Capt. Greg Corrales, a Marine veteran who commands the city traffic bureau.

His son is on his third tour with the Marines in Iraq, the station says.

"Ms. Coyote's politics blinded her to her duty as the director of the film commission and as a responsible citizen," Corrales says.

After refusing to answer a reporter's questions, KGO-TV reports Coyote later said during a public meeting that "traffic control was the issue."

Corrales, who oversees the traffic-control officers who work with film crews, says that's bunk.

"If they want to get the job done, they find a way to get it done," he tells the station.

USA TODAY has requested comment from Coyote and will update this posting if she gets back to us before the end of the day.


The crew found a more receptive host at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

For the footage they filmed in the city, editors will insert the Marines during post-production, the ABC affiliate says.

Just yesterday, the Marines were allowed to film in the middle of New York's Times Square during the morning rush hour.

You can learn more about the unit here. This site has information about the production schedule for the unit's recruiting commercials, which are scheduled to be shot across the USA through the end of October.

Update at 1:49 p.m. ET: Despite repeated calls, we haven't been able to reach anyone at the city's film commission. As a result, On Deadline has requested comment from Mayor Gavin Newsom. We'll update this posting if they get back to us before the end of the day.

Update at 5:59 p.m. ET: Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the mayor of San Francisco, says he takes issue with the KGO-TV story.

"You're running a story that is not accurate. We actually provided the Marines with a permit," he says in a voicemail message. In another message, Ballard demanded a retraction. When we finally spoke, Ballard repeated his claims that the story was inaccurate and said: "We welcome the Marines to San Francisco. They were terrific guests and we welcome them back any time."

We contacted KGO-TV to ask if they have any concerns about the accuracy of their report. "The story is accurate," reporter Dan Noyes says, adding that no one from the city has contacted him to challenge the report, which aired yesterday.

The city says it gave Tight Productions a permit that allowed them to film the Marines on Sept. 9. "We had carte blanche on Sunday, but we didn't have the Marines," Donald Block, the executive producer at Tight, tells USA TODAY.

The Marines weren't due until Sept. 11, according to the Silent Drill Platoon's website.

"We were locked into that Tuesday," Block says, adding that he's sure the police could have handled the traffic problems caused by the production crew. But that's only part of the equation. Because the director didn't choose the locations until a few days before they were scheduled to film, Block says the company didn't have time to get the required approvals from local residents who would have been inconvenienced during the filming.

"We didn't leave there feeling the least bit singled out," Block says. His crew shot generic streetscapes on Sunday, and then moved to a federal park where they filmed the men on Tuesday with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to film a portion of the America's Marines commercial and documentary in the Bay Area," the Silent Drill Platoon says in a written statement. "Dozens of former Marines, parents and supporters attended the shoot and we appreciate their support."

I wouldn't bat an eye if San Francisco falls into the ocean.

[ABN_FO]

I would be willing to bet the farm that if it were a gay rights, anti-gun, pro abortion, anti-American flag burning; They would have no issues with "traffic control".

[The Reaper]

IIRC, there is a "ride your bike" day there monthly that is a real traffic killer.

Sounds like lib politicians and activists hating the military to me.

TR

[Razor]

When I visited San Francisco, I heard the "restaurant" with the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge was the Burger King next to the commissary at the Presidio. I checked it out, and agree that it has a great view. At the time, the Presidio was a national park, and the commissary/PX was still federal property. If that's still the case, they Marines could shoot the ad from federal land, get great scenery doing it, and perhaps run a small "thanks for nothing, Stefanie Coyote" banner at the bottom.

[82ndtrooper]

Personally I wouldn't see it as any real tragedy if San Fransico simply fell off into the big blue sea the next time the fault decides to hiccup.

[Gypsy]

I suppose the Folsom Street Fair won't be nearly as disruptive to traffic as our Marines shooting a commercial.

[sg1987]

San Francisco Schools Trying to Boot Junior ROTCWednesday, October 01, 2008
Fox News



In this city long associated with the peace movement, some teens are taking an unlikely stance — campaigning to keep the armed forces' Junior ROTC program in public schools.

If a school board decision stands, San Francisco would become the first city to remove a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. But supporters, including many college-bound Asian-American students who make up the majority of cadets here, initiated an advisory measure on the November ballot. They hope it will persuade a new school board to save JROTC.

Board members who decided to kick JROTC out of town see it as arm of the military that reaches into schools, discriminating against gays by enforcing the "don't ask, don't tell" mandate, and recruiting teenagers for an unpopular war.

"It's a broader issue about the Bush administration and military recruiting through JROTC," said board member Eric Mar. "It's clear with the military, if you're gay and out, you don't get the same opportunities," he added.

He was among board members who voted two years ago to phase out JROTC and replace it with programs not linked to the military. The deadline was set for 2008, but the board later extended JROTC until next June because an alternative was not developed in time.

Participants, called cadets, wear uniforms, study military history, practice marching and drilling and can win awards for things like marksmanship. Armed forces retirees serve as instructors, and cadets can get academic credit in fields such as physical education.

If the aim is recruitment, however, JROTC in San Francisco is a failure. Only two of the 1,465 cadets there signed up for the armed forces after graduation in 2006-2007, the latest year for which numbers are available.

Supporters view the elective course as valuable self-improvement — teaching them discipline, responsibility and leadership skills they say they do not get in other classes. JROTC rules prevent instructors from trying to recruit participants.

"It's helped me stand up for myself, have more confidence, and to fight for what I want," said Trina Mao, 16, standing on a corner in Union Square passing out fliers about the program.

They also say the arguments about the war in Iraq and the Pentagon's policy toward gays miss the point: The program in San Francisco is inclusive, with 90 percent minorities and 40 percent women, they say.

Some gay and lesbian student groups have come out in support of JROTC and the ballot measure, saying some of their members have found a home in the program.

Even as the debate went on and board members held their ground, students and their parents gathered enough signatures to put an advisory measure on the ballot asking voters to show their support for keeping JROTC.

"It's become a 'Bonfire of the Vanities,' San Francisco-style — a lot of people want to use JROTC for their own purposes," said Mike Bernick, co-chair of a campaign to keep JROTC here and father of an ROTC graduate.

With confusion over the future of the program, enrollment in San Francisco's JROTC has declined by about two-thirds in the past year.

But participation in JROTC has climbed steadily around the country, with additional funding approved by Congress. The program reached 3,351 schools and 503,306 cadets in 2006 — the latest numbers available from the Pentagon — and there is a waiting list of more than 700 schools that have requested JROTC.

"We're watching the San Francisco situation very closely," said Curtis Gilroy, an official in the Defense Department's office for personnel and readiness.

The U.S. Department of Defense does not keep track of how many cadets later enlist in the military, but ROTC critic Mar said that, no matter the numbers, "14- and 15-year-olds are too young to be susceptible to their recruitment."'

The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Friends Service Committee agree that military-backed programs are not appropriate for public schools.

The ACLU intervened in cases where entire classes were enrolled in JROTC without giving students a choice, or where cash-strapped schools used JROTC to substitute for physical education, said Jennifer Turner, a researcher with the group's Human Rights Program.

"The United States is unique in the world in having this type of program that targets kids as young as 14 operating in public school, where students sometimes don't even have a choice," she said. "It is apparent that the JROTC program is a recruiting tool."

[SF_BHT]

The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Friends Service Committee agree that military-backed programs are not appropriate for public schools.

The ACLU intervened in cases where entire classes were enrolled in JROTC without giving students a choice, or where cash-strapped schools used JROTC to substitute for physical education, said Jennifer Turner, a researcher with the group's Human Rights Program.

"The United States is unique in the world in having this type of program that targets kids as young as 14 operating in public school, where students sometimes don't even have a choice," she said. "It is apparent that the JROTC program is a recruiting tool."

Has anyone ever seen a school that forced anyone to take JROTC? I may be out of touch but I have not.

[Richard]

Guys,

I grew up in the Sacramento Valley and, as a city, I love to visit San Francisco--weather, food, views, etc. That being said, as a political entity, SFO has long been on the weirdo side...especially since the Haight-Ashbury days and its recognition as some sort of international "Peace City." Since the opening days of OIF it has grown even weirder with all the peace stuff. Anyone remember Cindy Shehan? Some of this peace only initiative came to a head about five years ago over the issue of giving the USS Iowa (decommissioned in 1990) a home and allowing people to visit it like the North Carolina in Wilmington, the Missouri in Pearl Harbor, the Alabama in Mobile, the Texas near the San Jacinto Historic Site, the Wisconsin near Norfolk, and the New Jersey near Camden. The city council voted it down and was even trying to remove any historical mention of the military in SFO's history--very 1984-like. Much hasn't been done along those lines since...except a vote which removed JROTC and military recruiting from the public schools and things that become news bytes such as the one over the filming refusal for the USMC commercial. I really like SFO as a unique and very international city...but maybe it needs a passenger plane to fly into the Transamerica Building and the Golden Gate Bridge to understand why NYC feels the way it does about supporting the military.

Note to Mayor Gavin Newsome and the SFO City Council - "REMEMBER...THE US MILITARY IS NOT YOUR ENEMY."

Richard's $.02

[Soft Target]

Take away every federal cent and demolish federal facilities. Make them go to LA for federal business.

[ZonieDiver]

Make them go to LA for federal business.

At least make them go to Oakland - they'd hate that almost as much!

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

At least make them go to Oakland - they'd hate that almost as much!

Absolutely......They hate Oakland! They consider them low class.

GB TFS

[Peregrino]

This is the constituency that has given us Nancy Pelosi so many times that she's now Speaker of the House. The most extreme concentration of left fringe lunatics; approximately 1/435th of the population, is dictating their mores on a nation of 300 million. Term limits anyone?

[Debo]

I wonder where "peaceful" people find such hate within themselves. The City of Austin REQUIRED one of our fire trucks to take part in the Gay Pride parade but DENIED a request to have one in a Veteran's Day parade.


D.

[charlietwo]

Originally Posted by Archangel

I wouldn't bat an eye if San Francisco falls into the ocean.

I've been saying the same thing to numerous people in the past few years. I would miss Michael Savage for sure