The street performer known as “Evil Elmo” is back, and so are the accusations he shouted more anti-Semitic comments in public.
Some San Francisco residents say 50-year-old Dan Sandler is still shouting hateful rants to anyone within earshot. Sandler was previously cited for similar comments made on the streets of the Big Apple.
Randy Meyers, 57, said he was on an outbound L-Taraval Muni train on Friday afternoon when a man he recognized as Sandler boarded his packed car at the Powell station, his Elmo suit in a plastic bag next to him.
“As the car pulled out of the station, he started in a loud voice, getting everybody’s attention, saying that he’s boycotting Israeli businesses on Fisherman’s Wharf,” Meyers said. “He went on to talk about the Zionists and the Jews taking over Fisherman’s Wharf and that we should boycott them….”
“He started talking about Fisherman’s Wharf as Jew Town, and the Jews this and the Jews that, in a derogatory, racist fashion,” he said. “I was getting upset. There were kids in the cars, young girls listening.”
Sandler sent an e-mail to The San Francisco Chronicle defending his rants, describing himself as a Jewish man who has strong opinions on Israel.
I believe that apartheid in Palestine is wrong and that all businesses that are connected to Israel should be disclosed to the public and boycotted,” he said. “Certain Zionist interests are causing problems for me with the city and directly on the Wharf. I counter it with negative information on Israel.