Cool Clean City of Love by Tom Scott - Transcript
Page 1:
Panel 1:
Wide view of seven of the famed “Painted Ladies” Victorian houses, all in a row as viewed from
Alamo Square Park, with the comic’s title above in the blue sky. Title Caption: “Cool Clean City
of Love. In San Francisco, Vince Yuen’s Nonprofit, Refuse Refuse, Creates Community—One
Cigarette Butt at a Time”
Panel 2:
The Narrator, a man, approaches a small group of people standing on the sidewalk. Narrator: I
notice a few people congregating outside Gamescape, our meeting spot. I awkwardly approach
the group, and it’s apparent they all know each other. We’re all waiting for the event organizer,
Tom. The Narrator thinks, “Hmm, none of these people look like a “Tom.”
Panel 3:
An image of a man in a baseball hat and a t-shirt that says “Gamescape.” He smiles and faces
the reader. The Narrator is shown in the forefront, in shadow, looking at the baseball hat man.
Narrator: The awkwardness is quickly dispelled when a cheerful middle-aged man emerges
from the store and introduces himself as Tom Hamilton, owner of Gamescape. The Narrator
thinks, “Aw, now he looks like a Tom!” Tom Hamilton says, “Hi, Everyone!”
Panel 4:
An image of a different man facing the reader. Narrator: As I shake Tom’s hand, I notice a man
carrying a bag the same size as what I estimate to be “Trash Picking Up Supplies.” I didn’t
realize he would be here, but I was soon face-to-face with Vince Yuen, the affable founder of
Refuse Refuse. Vince says, “Hi, are you here to pick up the trash?” The Narrator responds,
“Sure!” while thinking, “Actually, I was there for the dirt!”
Page 2
Panel 1:
Same image of the famed “Painted Ladies” from the title panel, except with a foreground sign
staked into the grass at Alamo Square Park. Narrator: I introduce myself and tell him I want to
learn more about his organization. He smiles and replies with something so disarmingly
forthcoming (maybe it was “Great! Sure!”) that I instantly trust and like him. Vince is in his early
40s and very enthusiastic about the mission, which is simple and focused... Keep San
Francisco Free of refuse!” (the last two words are written on the sign on the lawn.)
Panel 2:
Image of Vince talking to a group of volunteers before the event starts. Narrator: By now, our
group has swollen to about a dozen volunteers. The majority are YouTube employees on a
team-building outing. We are ushered through the store to Gamescape’s back patio, where we
gather our supplies as Tom and Vince give us a quick orientation. Vince says, “Don’t pick up
anything dangerous. If you see something like a needle or syringe, poop, hazardous waste,
anything you’re not sure of, just don’t touch it.” A man in the crowd asks his colleague, “What?”
The colleague replies, “Don’t pick up the poop.”
Panel 3:
Image of residential trash cans lined up on the curb. The wind blows paper out of the cans, into
the air, and onto the street. Narrator: Thus motivated the trash picker-uppers head out in small
groups of 3 or 4. I stay behind to talk to Vince. Vince notes, “San Francisco’s legitimately dirty. A
lot of it’s because we’re the second densest city in the U.S., and we’re also one of the windiest
cities. So, the combination creates a lot of litter. Most of it’s not purposely thrown on the ground.
It’s actually just blown out of trash cans or the recycling bins.
Panel 4:
A pie chart showing percentages of cigarette butts in all of San Francisco vs. Hayes Valley.
Narrator: Nonetheless, he estimates 35% of the trash they pick up are cigarette butts. In Hayes
Valley, it’s 65%! Vince says, “Of course, cigarette butts, which are the number one most littered
item, are pretty much 100% littered. People just throw them on the ground.”
Page 3
Panel 1:
Image of a child’s drawing showing Vince and his two young daughters picking up trash in front
of their house. Narrator: Refuse Refuse was a child of the pandemic. To keep his young
daughters busy with outdoor activities, Vince bought a couple of trash picker tools. After a few
weeks, he noticed a difference in how the block looked.
Panel 2:
Image of a city street with a trash picker tool interacting with the stenciled Refuse Refuse
logo. Narrator: He heard of others doing similar things, so Vince created a website to organize
the various efforts. The first Refuse Refuse event took place in April 2021.
Page 3:
Image of piles of trash bags forming giant heaps of collected trash. Narrator: Three and a half
years later, Refuse Refuse has collected tens of thousands of 13-gallon bags worth of trash and
recycling. Over an image of a large pile of trash bags a caption notes: 65,368 13-gallon bags of
trash as of 1/24/25. By the end of the day, the total went up by 16 bags!
Panel 4:
Image of a heart with a Cupid’s arrow going through it. Narrator: Vince’s job is basically that of a
matchmaker, pairing need with means. The organization runs lean--in fact, it’s just him. San
Francisco Public Works freely provides most of the supplies, and the organization and his salary
are funded and supported by other like-minded organizations working under warm and fuzzy
notions of “community pride”.
Page 4
Panel 1:
Image of a pile of stinking garbage with flies swarming around. The letters of the word “politics”
are strewn on the heap of garbage . Narrator: You can find over 30 weekly events by visiting
refuserefusesf.org. Sign-ups are facilitated by togethersf, a civic pride organization with deep
pockets and a notable political aim. In an atmosphere where every deed, good or otherwise, is
scrutinized, I ask Vince how he avoids getting entangled. He winces, then smiles a winsome
smile that seems to say, “I just want to pick up trash!”. Above the pile of stinking garbage, a
quote from Vince reads“I try to stay above (it). We will work with anyone.”
Panel 2:
Image of the map of San Francisco with trash bag icons scattered throughout. Narrator: Events
take place in literally every corner of the city, and if there isn’t an event planned, Vince is happy
to set one up for any size, anywhere. Though this model is very popular with groups and
corporations, individuals and small groups are also well represented on pick-up day. You bring
the people, and he’ll bring the supplies.
Page 3:
Image of the Narrator interviewing two volunteers as they pick up trash. Narrator: Out on the
street, I catch up with a YouTube group meandering towards Alamo Square—two out-of-towners
had never before seen the “Painted Ladies” of Full House fame. They were kind enough to let
me tag along. The Narrator asks, “Can I get your names?” A woman YouTube volunteer
responds, “What are the rights and appearances on this?” A male YouTube volunteer adds,
“Can we get a royalty?” They both laugh.
Panel 4:
Close-up image of the two volunteers facing the reader. Narrator: I remark that Chloe and Fabi
both are wearing some pretty great glasses before asking them what types of things they’re
finding. Chloe replies, “Insulation and cigarettes. A little bit of food.” And Fabi says, “A lot of
newspaper-type things. Just random snippets.”
Page 5
Panel 1:
An overhead map image showing the volunteers’ wandering route from Gamescape past the
Painted Ladies and back,between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Narrator: I’m finding that picking up
trash is fun and, oddly, surprisingly, meaningful. There’s a cheerful communal sense of purpose.
My group got so lost in a camaraderie that we’re nearly late returning to Gamescape. Scattered
throughout the map image are snippets of conversation: “Wow, this is steep,” “Ha, ha, ha,”
“Hazel’s from Singapore,” “My son goes to Rutgers,” “Let’s get all this broken glass,” “Those are
some nice glasses,” “I’m glad you came with us,” “This is the best sandwich place in the City,”
“Huff, huff,” “I found out it’s pronounced ‘Los Gatos,” “Oh, how pretty,” “2:55. Shit, we’re going to
be late!”
Panel 2:
Image of a man rolling a ball of trash up a hill with trash flying in the air, with the San Francisco
Bay in the background. Narrator: As we double-time it back, we pass tons of litter we must leave
behind for today. Now that I’m attuned to it, the task of cleaning the city feels Sisyphean, rolling
a trash heap up the hill only to see it blow away. But maybe it’s best to think of a clean city as a
process, not a goal.
Page 3:
Image of Tom Hamilton from Gamescape. Narrator: Or maybe it’s best to just simply think of
Refuse Refuse as a way to celebrate community and honor the great city of San Francisco.
Addressing the reader, Tom notes, “I’ve always...wanted clean streets and have a nice place for
people to visit and shop. You know, getting people together sort of aligns with gaming as well,
because games... just tend to bring people together.”
Panel 4:
Image of Vince standing on a street corner next to full bags from the day’s pick-up. His foot is on
a bag, and his hand is on his hip. Narrator: As I head home, contemplating notions of
community, I pass Vince, who is stacking 16 orange garbage bags on the sidewalk. He uses
San Francisco’s 311 app to notify the city that he has another pick-up. Vince smiles and puts his
phone back in his pocket, and says to the reader, “Clean-up is my church!”
The End.