Day 238 at the 16th St. Plaza: Pinky and his plushies

"Pinky Midili is a stuffed animal-collecting, heavy metal-loving, tutu-wearing, self-proclaimed "biker rock star." Born Ronald Albert Midili, Pinky got his nickname from a pink one-piece tutu that he's often seen wearing around the neighborhood. He spent the last six years living in Arizona and traveling coast-to-coast in a "big" RV. Now, he lives at Jazzie's Place, a shelter in the Mission District for LGBTQ+ people."

""I like big things. Big RVs, big men, big cakes," Pinky said on Tuesday morning. Add to this: big stuffed animals. As he sat in a wheelchair on the 16th Street BART Plaza, at least eight were visible about his person, several strapped to his lap with a bungee cord. The rest of his collection, he said, he keeps in a storage unit, along with several musical instruments that he knows how to play, including a guitar and piano."

Pinky Midili wears a pink one-piece tutu, collects numerous stuffed animals, and embraces a heavy-metal, biker-rock-star persona. Born Ronald Albert Midili, he spent six years living in Arizona and traveling coast-to-coast in a 'big' RV before moving to Jazzie's Place, a shelter for LGBTQ+ people in the Mission District. He often positions himself in a wheelchair on the 16th Street BART Plaza with at least eight plush toys strapped to his lap and stores the rest in a storage unit with musical instruments. He plays instruments including guitar and piano, greets nuns and locals, and is widely recognized in the neighborhood.

Read at Mission Local