On March 29 at approximately 6:30 am, a police officer patrolling the 400 block of Castro Street noticed broken windows, missing signage, and a man inside the Castro Theatre along with two others. The suspects, Gary Marx, 38, and the two additional men were arrested on suspicion of breaking into the century-old theatre, and Marx was also booked on suspicion of burglary.
At some point between that Tuesday and the following Friday, Marx was released, because he was re-arrested at the Castro Theatre on April 1 at around 4:45 pm and booked on charges of “attempted burglary, vandalism, and possession of burglary tools.”
“This is both heartbreaking and galling,” said Mary Conde, Vice President of Another Planet Entertainment. “Why this individual was allowed on the streets again is beyond my understanding and should be unacceptable. We are so grateful to the San Francisco Police for their continued vigilance and for again arresting this person. However, our system is failing us.”
According to Conde, an additional $15,000 worth of damage was done in Friday’s incident adding to the previous $30,000 from the previous incident. Additionally, the expensive leaded glass on the iconic freestanding box office has been broken five times since January.
“We have tried to avoid installing a metal security gate across the front of the Castro’s iconic entrance, but I don’t believe we are now left with any choice,” said Conde.
According to Conde, who is overseeing the renovation of the historic Castro Theatre, such a gate would be costly. In January of this year, Another Planet took over management of the LGBTQ community and film landmark that is celebrating its centennial in June. Opened in 1922, the registered San Francisco landmark is still owned by the local Nasser family who built it.
Published on April 7, 2022
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