Fun New Scavenger Hunt Game Helps Out SF’s Homeless Population

Apparently this is what people look like when on a scavenger hunt. (image from Mr. Treasure Hunt)

San Francisco Voters! We need your help. We’re only a few weeks away from election day and we’ve got some nasty, deceitful propositions on the ballot that have disguised themselves in extremely in misleading rhetoric .

Have you heard of Proposition Q? You know, the Proposition that uses the tagline “Housing Not Tents”? Well the truth is, Proposition Q is mean spirited, hateful measure that demonizes individuals experiencing homelessness through fear tactics and misinformation, oh yeah, and it has ZERO housing involved.

Prop Q is simply a dirty game of politics, so dirty that Supervisor Mark Farrell is using homeless people as his stepping stool to build himself up politically…frustrating right? It gets worse…Prop Q has folks like Ron Conway, SF Travel and SF Chamber of Commerce throwing money into it left and right. And of course, with money comes resources—bodies to distribute their propaganda and Yes on Q signs.

Well, who says you have to have private interests groups throwing money at you to get a message across? Not us, not today. We’ve come up with a game that everyone and anyone can get involved with, and rather than spreading hate and fear to get folks attention, we’re going to use education and the facts! Plus, there’s going to be a prize for the winner, and who doesn’t like winning prizes?

You can win a big prize! (image from omega forums)

The Game:

The goal of the game is dispel the lies that have been circulating around Proposition Q. We need SF residents to know how harmful passing this legislation will be, that despite what the Prop Q proponents say, this measure will not get folks into housing, it will not solve homelessness, rather it will simply exacerbate the situation. We need people to vote No on Proposition Q!

So here is how the game will work in four easy steps:

1.Pick up your No on Q signs from a designated pick up location.

Coalition on Homelessness, 468 Turk Street (9am-5pm)

Artillery AG, 2751 Mission Street (12pm-7pm)

Hospitality House, 290 Turk (9am-12pm, 1pm-5pm)

These are the good signs!

2. Identify a location with a Yes on Q sign, and start a conversation with someone who works there.

We want to get out and talk to merchants and residents, and for the purpose of this game, the ones with Yes on Q signs in their shops, restaurants, stores, etc., as they’ve already been fed a bill of lies by the Yes on Q campaign. We will have talking points and literature available for you. But fortunately for us, since this legislation is such a joke, it’s really easy to explain to folks why they’ll want to vote against it…like for instance…. THERE IS NO HOUSING IN THIS MEASURE!

These are the evil signs

3. Remove the Yes on Prop Q sign, replace it with a No on Q sign, take a picture of the new sign and post it to social media!

Once we’ve had a conversation with the merchant/resident we will ask them to remove the Yes on Prop Q sign and replace it with the No on Prop Q sign. Then take a picture of them with their new and improved sign (if they’re a little camera shy, no sweat, you can do the honor of posing for the photo instead. Or simply take a picture of the new sign by itself). Don’t forget to post the picture to Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag(s) #HousingNotQ #NoOnPropQ .

This is you looking awesome with your No on Q&R Sign and putting it on social media!

4. Bring your garbage (aka Yes on Q sign) to the Coalition on Homelessness.

We ask that you hang on to your signs and drop them off at the Coalition on Homelessnesss (468 Turk) so that we can give you points for each SF merchant/resident you’ve educated! Each sign is worth one point, you have from now until November 8^th to collect as many signs as you can, aka, dispel as many Prop Q lies as you can. The person to collect the most signs gets the most points, and that would make you the prize winner!

**Please note!** It is our hope that you engage in a conversation with the sign holders, and not just take their sign. Stealing signs is technically illegal, and we do not encourage folks to break the law, even if it’s for the right cause…

This is the garbage sign you bring in for points

We are really excited about this game and think it’s going to be a lot of fun, but the game can’t happen without your help! The more people involved, the more impact this game will have. Let’s work together to fight Proposition Q. We need REAL solutions to homelessness! We need housing, NOT Q!