At Sutro Heights, Strangers Gather to Scream at the Sea
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, a crowd of roughly 100 people gathered along the cliffs of San Francisco’s Sutro Heights, answering Danielle Egan’s invitation to square off against the waves — and scream.
“I think screaming is just more fun with friends,” said Egan, who christened the gathering “Guttural Scream at the Sea” and hung posters inviting strangers to participate.
As self-appointed “scream conductor,” Egan led the crowd in a collective wail — then presided over a screaming competition with points for volume, length and style. The loudest reached an ear-straining 121.9 decibels.
“We all have a little bit of rage in us,” attendee Davis Cox said. “It’s nice to get that out in a healthy way.”
“I practiced a little in the Trader Joe’s freezer after work,” said Lauryn Bell, who came to process a “very long, very tumultuous situationship.”
Another screamer, Rebecca Shaw, said she came on behalf of her husband: “He’s really going through it in grad school right now.”
“There’s lots of things to scream about these days,” Egan said.
She said that she hopes this will be the first of many Guttural Screams to come.
This story was reported as part of our series “A Little Bit of Good.” If you’ve got an idea for a story about people coming together to connect in your neighborhood, send an email to [email protected].