[fernandotakai]

it makes me super sad to see SF like this. it's by far my favorite US city -- the weather is great, people are quite welcoming, the food scene is out of this world.

but the last time i went there, just before the pandemic, it was just... horrible. within 1h of leaving my hotel, i saw a guy breaking into a car. a block later, two homeless people were arguing and then started beating each other to a pulp.

and no police officers around anywhere.

[olalonde]

Reminds me when I first moved to SF. I saw a guy breaking car windows on the street at night and called 911 to notify the police. They seemed a bit baffled that someone would call to report something so trivial and I don't believe they did anything about it.

[dehrmann]

> within 1h of leaving my hotel

Union Square is uncomfortably close to the TL.

[bigtex88]

Why don't they do anything to fix it? I truly don't understand the logic here. It's the same as Seattle. They've gone so far left that they've started delving into the absurd.

[TylerE]

Because fixing it makes it worse. Provide services for the homeless? Surrounding states start bussing their homeless in and dumping them on you.

It's especially bad considering SF's year round mild weather.

[jstrong]

of all the places to be homeless in California, I'm not sure SF is winning the "mild weather" category.

[TylerE]

Really? You think 90F+ summers are mild to someone spending the vast majority of their time outside, likely without ready access to water.

The areas where it doesn’t usually get as hot get bitterly cold in the winter.

[jstrong]

if it's too hot in socal, that's what the beach is for

[CWuestefeld]

> i saw a guy breaking into a car. a block later, two homeless people were arguing and then started beating each other

Implied is that you didn't do anything about either of these things you witnessed. I don't mean to single you out, but collectively for the people of the city: wouldn't it be better if you stopped expecting somebody else to fix the problems? Instead, be part of a better community by trying to right what wrongs you can. At the very least, photograph the thief and send it to the police, if not trying to stop him yourself. Similar for the fighting homeless people.

Yeah, maybe that's dangerous. I don't want to start the conversation of Californians trying so hard to give up their right to self defense. But maybe that's the reason we don't see such a big problem in, e.g., Texas.

[IG_Semmelweiss]

I don't think you get it. The community is no more. Its all transient SV, just like NYC.

Most pay taxes, sometimes very high taxes. And, San Franciscans have voted to have someone else fix the issue.

The citizens gave the monopoly of violence to the government, so citizens would be safe. The government has stopped protecting its citizens and their property. The social contract is broken.

Now they are where they are.

[CWuestefeld]

I think you misunderstand me - I think you and I are in agreement.

But although the SFans made a deal with the devil, there's no reason they can't go back and change that. It's not written in blood, they still can go take back their community themselves.

[IG_Semmelweiss]

There is no community to turn this around anymore. What could have been the community is gone. Those people are not voting anymore.

They leave. Gone. Poof.

For something to turn around, you have to make an investment (money/time). People with money and means are going to invest elsewhere especially since they don't really have a true community to defend. They started as transients, remember that. No generations of family. No roots.

[reducesuffering]

Attempting to fix these issues yourself every time they occur (which would be often in SF) is a recipe for ending up in TFA. Last time I tried to offer something to a homeless man, he pulled out a knife and started chasing me (he must've not been anywhere near reality). It needs a collective response from everyone, like government, not a lone vigilante.

[giardini]

A "lone vigilante" is indeed a useful idea for SF.

The local SF TV streamers and memers should re-broadcast Charles Bronson's "Death Wish" movies. Perhaps doing so will inspire civic responsibility in SFans! IIRC there's even a bit of drone technology in one of the later movies.8-))

[dumbotron]

Clearly the only tech billionaire with Bruce Wayne level ambitions is Elon Musk.

[ericmcer]

The police will not pick up the phone for homeless people fighting or a car break in. If you are advocating physically intervening then that is terrible terrible advice. Keep your head down and don't walk around in certain areas or at certain times.

[giardini]

Even if you brought your own knife, to:

>"At the very least, photograph the thief and send it to the police, if not trying to stop him yourself."<

is the very definition of "foolhardy".

[Gunnerhead]

This article is about a man who was aimlessly murdered and you’re advocating for OP to also aimlessly get killed trying to stop a break-in?

[themaninthedark]

And then you end up with the situation where you intervene and are attacked yourself.

Sibling mentioned contacting the police and got no good response.

[re-thc]

What can you do? Lots of people have tried and do try.

As per other comments, the police won't act on it and if they do the DA won't and even when all this happens they get let go of easily and come back for more. Lots of these people are repeat offenders.