Children of the Phoenix

Some people feel the teens who hang out at the Phoenix Theater are unruly, rude and engage in improper behavior. But those who have spent their formative years at the Phoenix say it a special place, run by a man who really cares about them.

January 7, 2004

By JUSTIN VELA
FOR THE ARGUS-COURIER

Tom Gaffey strolls down the street outside the Phoenix Theater, picking up litter as he goes. He mumbles something about the garbage needing to be emptied, and then enters the theater, followed by a horde of teenagers. The teens are decked out in an assortment of dirty T-shirts and ripped jeans. One boy is being led around by his new rottweiler, which Gaffey suggests should be de-wormed.

They all seem happy in this building with old couches and frayed carpet. It is a place where when life become rough, they can be either totally alone or with 20 or 30 of their friends. For the teens who hang out there, the Phoenix is both a haven from the outside world and a second home.

The Phoenix Theater was built in 1896. Originally an opera house, it suffered a fire in the early 1900s and was closed. In 1925, it was reopened as a movie theater. A second fire destroyed the attic in 1957, but it was rebuilt again and named the Showcase Theater. In 1966, a teenager named Tom Gaffey was hired to collect tickets.

Gaffey, who attended Petaluma High and was on the student council, spent a lot of time dreaming about someday running a community theater where everybody would be welcomed and accepted.

Upon graduating high school, he set out to travel and find the perfect small town in which to run his dream theater. Three years later, he realized how much he loved Petaluma and returned. In 1983, he was hired to run the theater, now called The Phoenix.

Over the years it built up a reputation as being an unsupervised place where teenagers went to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and do drugs. Teenagers stand outside it all day and into the night, and it is common for kids as young as 12 to be seen smoking.

Often called unruly, the Phoenix kids have been accused of vandalizing the downtown area, kicking down trees, and starting fights. A downtown Petaluma shop owner said teens from the Phoenix entered her shop, threw stink bombs inside, and then ran wildly around the store.

"I've worked with kids as both an employer and a mentor," she says, "and the kids at the Phoenix are just rude and nasty."

David Rosefield, a waiter at Deaf Dog Café, is a five-year veteran of the Phoenix. Rosefield used to spend most of his time in front of the computer "chatting" on AOL Instant Messenger and occasionally asking his neighbors to keep their parties down. Now considered part of the Phoenix family, he laughs when he is confronted with accusations of what goes on inside the Phoenix.

"We are definitely one of the city's more hated communities," he says. "Once anything bad happens in Petaluma, we are blamed. But we're just a community that works in and contributes to the Phoenix."

Inside the Phoenix, Rosefield says, there is zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs and Gaffey believes the Phoenix is better than the national average when it comes to drug use.

"We aren't half the legend people say we are," he says. "We have a large Straight Edge (a lifestyle that does not involve alcohol, drugs, or casual sex) movement here and I wish kids wouldn't stand outside and smoke. I banned it for awhile, but people just started going onto my neighbor's property."

Gaffey himself is considered a mentor for the teens. He often works 12-hour days and loves all the kids who spend time there. He offers advice, helps with schoolwork, and is considered by all the kids as the greatest man alive. "It's an awesome responsibility," he says, "and I will do my darnedest to always be there for them."

Besides concerts and a hang-out spot, The Phoenix offers a free tutoring center with computers, a library, and art supplies. In the Planned Parenthood rooms, a nurse-practitioner offers free checkups and testing for HIV and Hepatitis C.

Kids skateboard down ramps and sit on the lobby stairs chatting cheerfully. A talented pianist plays and the radio blasts an assortment of rock songs. A man appears to tell Tom he is grateful for one of the kids helping him change a flat tire the previous night and a boy searches for a screwdriver to repair some damage to one of the skating ramps.

"I spent my most formative years hanging out at the Phoenix," Rosefield says. "I'm going to school to learn art because of something I discovered there. The people who say bad things about the Phoenix haven't spent any time there. All they see is what's on the outside, which often isn't great. Whoever reads this article come by. Bring a list of rumors you've heard and check us out."

(Justin Vela is a high school student in Marin County. Contact him at argus@argus courier.com)