SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. April 15, 2024 – Dave Hodges, Pastor of the Church of Ambrosia, says it’s the “canceled” party he never sought to take on, with guests he hopes will not attend.
He’s referring to the 420 Hippie Hill event on Saturday – an annual ritual for cannabis lovers in Golden Gate Park. The event has been going on since the ’70s, but this year’s organizers say they cannot financially support it.
In response, the Church has offered to cover the cost of everything possible in order to keep the community safe and reduce the impact to the neighborhoods, Hodges said, adding, “Nothing is going to stop thousands of people from showing up on 420.”
The city last managed the event in 2016. City Recreation and Park spokesman Daniel Montes told SFGate last week that he’s confident the city can successfully step up this year and is preparing to have resources available for traffic, garbage and crowd control as needed.
In 2016, the gathering was marred by a stampede with two people trampled, according to a KTVU story that aired at the time.
https://www.ktvu.com/news/stampede-robbery-mar-sfs-massive-4-20-gathering
The question: Who can stop the 15,000-plus who go to Hippie Hill as part of their 420 ritual?
“No one,” said Hodges, noting that many who traditionally attend are members of the Church of Ambrosia, which uses cannabis in its sacraments. “For most people who smoke weed, 420 is a religious holiday,” he said. “They’re going to be at Hippie Hill no matter what. This is a big crisis if we don’t get involved.”
In response, the church and the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association are joining forces. “This is the church and merchants coming together to stop a disaster,” Hodges said.
Among the efforts:
- The Merchants Association plans to provide 60+ portable toilets using church donations, supplementing the 10 toilets offered from the city. “We’ve been very disappointed in the response from the city,” Hodges said, adding that he doesn’t think the city is taking the event seriously enough.
- The Church of Ambrosia will set up a booth to dispense thousands of bottles of water for those who do not bring their own.
- Bay Area Psychedelic Network will be there supporting the church’s efforts to keep people safe.
- MICAH’S HUGS will be providing Narcan; and DanceSafe will have test strips.
- Red Cross has been invited to help respond to any medical emergencies.
- Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit, has been invited to aid in fostering a peaceful gathering during the event.
“We’re still waiting for a response from the Red Cross & Urban Alchemy, but we are committed to working with everyone we can to keep people safe.” Hodges said.
San Francisco Police spokesman Officer Robert Rueca, asked what plans are underway to handle a large Golden Gate crowd on Saturday, said in an email that the department is planning to have “increased staffing for several other events” that day but added: “We are prepared to address public safety issues throughout the city and work closely with our city partners to handle these issues in a comprehensive manner.”
Among Hodges’ recommendations for the day:
- Find other ways to celebrate 420. There are many events throughout the Bay area that cannabis users can attend.
- Those who do go to Golden Gate Park Saturday should bring their own food and water.
- Visitors who plan to use cannabis should bring their own supply purchased from local dispensaries they support. They should not assume that cannabis sold in the park will be safe.
“We’re just asking everybody to be safe,” Hodges said.
“We’re just asking everybody to Stay Alert to Be Safe,” Hodges said
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Media note: On Monday, April 15, Hodges will attend the one-year anniversary of Church of Ambrosia’s location at 1121 Howard St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. He will be available during that time to talk to members of the news media.
For more information, contact:
Loretta Kalb
Loretta_Kalb@prxdigital.com
916 835-4043