Hey there, San Francisco. 

Happy Monday. Pride was upon us this weekend, and on Saturday, Dolores Park looked like the place to be. 

Sunday, the parade returned to Market Street. 

But organizers cut the celebration outside of City Hall short after someone sprayed mace into the crowd. The incident created confusion among attendees and some people ran, thinking there was an active shooter in the area. 

“I think we all assumed it was an active shooter because of how this country is,” one attendee told the SF Standard. “It was a really scary experience.” 

Pride organizers released a statement on Sunday night, saying that while no one was hurt, “we know it was not a pleasant experience.” 

“All in all, this year's Pride had its challenges,” Honey Mahogany, who’s running for District 6 supervisor, said on Twitter. “But I'm glad we were able to come together, celebrate til (almost) the end, be in community, and above all else, keep each other safe.” 

With that… onto the news… 

Quick bits: News to know 

🌈 A laser beam art installation near the Ferry Building created a 4.1 mile-long rainbow down Market Street this weekend at night. Did you see it? 

• Illuminate, the group behind the project, called it “the largest pride flag ever made in the world.” (SF Standard) 

🚗 Cruise started charging passengers for its San Francisco robotaxi services last week. 

• The service, which only operates at night and early mornings in “NW third of the city,” is limited to Cruise employees, their friends and family, and those who have been selected off the public waitlist, a company spokesperson told me. You can sign up for the waitlist here. 

• As for actual prices, the Verge said a 1.3 mile ride with Cruise would cost $8.72, according to the numbers provided by the company. That’s lower than the $10.41 it would cost for the same trip on Uber, the Verge said. (Verge) 

🍫 Fancy chocolate startup Topogato, which started in ​​the Liholiho Yacht Club kitchen during the pandemic, is opening its own shop in a former Subway near Union Square. 

• “What’s hilarious is that Subway is so normcore. And our thing is so niche,” Topogato co-founder Beau Monroe told Eater. “Two years ago someone ordered a spicy Italian there, you know?”

• Topogato will first use the space for production to fulfill online orders with the goal to open a full retail experience within the next year. (Eater) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse

• Man fatally shot on S.F.’s Muni appeared to attack gunman with a knife, videos show (Chronicle) 

• Obsessed With Guns, an Officer Frightened His Family Before Taking His Own Life. Did SF Police Fail Them? (SF Standard) 

• Miniature Victorian House on a Tree Stump In Golden Gate Park Sparks Curiosity, Tweets (SFist) 

• Over Twice as Many Homes on the Market in S.F. Than in 2019 (SocketSite) 

And finally… Tamale Lady Day 

Lost a bit in Pride festivities, Sunday marked the city’s fourth annual Tamale Lady Day. 

The June 26 celebration commemorates the birthday of Virginia Ramos, who for years fed late-night Mission-goers with low-priced, homemade tamales. Ramos passed away in 2018. 

“It wasn’t a real night out in the Mission if you didn’t run into Ramos trudging down the street, pushing her plastic, four-wheeled cart with two coolers filled to the brim with tamales,” SFGATE reporter Nico Madrigal-Yankowski wrote. “‘Tamales, tamales,’ she would shout.” 

“I don’t know you,” Ramos used to say to customers. “But I love you.”

That’s all for today! Have a wonderful evening y’all and I’ll see you back here tomorrow. - Nick B. 🫔