At Civic Center after dark, Friday is dope night in San Francisco.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, as I threaded my way with my press pass through the crowd under the dome at City Hall, past the cascading marble staircase, everyone was in outer space. Like they do at the many City Hall Friday night events, bow-tied, inebriated Men in Black, and fantastically gowned chattering women tippled champagne at a crystal, silver, and golden gala.

At what appeared to be an Asian celebration, a frilly red, pink, and white silk dragon undulated by. But the only beings considered strange alien beasts were the homeless folks hunched in the dark across the square at United Nations Plaza.

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