Commercial St - San Diego's skid row (San Francisco, Orange: how much, neighborhoods)

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by tickyul

I have lurked at this site for a long time, finally decided to sign up at make a post.

Yes, much of the Downtown San Diego are looks like something out of a Mad Max movie. I have lived downtown on and off for the last 8 years and it seems to be just getting worse and worse.

I agree with OP about the Commercial St area, it is just insane, bums everywhere. If you go to the I-5 underpass at 17th and commercial a lot of times there is no walking space on the sidewalk........tents, garbage filled shopping carts and bums block what should be a footpath. Go around this areas in the morning, there is a feeding program (among many) , you will literally see hundreds of shopping cart zombies all over the place.

Sometimes the downtown Post Office will literally be encircled with garbage filled shopping carts and their bedraggled owners. Someitmes the stench of urnie in this area makes me GAG.

Look at the Horton Plaza Park, they had to shut down the fountain becuase it was getting polluted with urine and feces. That park area does not serve tourist or taxpayers, it is filled with the dirty homeless bumming money or doing drugs/alcohol. And now they are talking about expanding the "PARK", haha, what kind of nuts are running this city???

I've been to many cities, and none of them besides LA seem to have as many bums per capita as SD. I literally see no less than 20-30 of them on my way to work downtown, and I have never even heard of the area you guys are describing on Commercial. But I do see them all the time by the post office and library. Does anyone know why they congregate there? I also see dozens on the underpass near the courthouse, and by that Presbyterian church in Banker's Hill on 4th and Date (I think they give out free meals).

No less than five people have told me that other states were offering bums a one-way train ticket anywhere just to get rid of them, and that most of them chose to go to CA due to the weather. Hence the disproportionate amount of them in CA. Does anyone know if this is true? Or is it just an urban legend?

[Mugsy]

I has gotten worse in the past 3 years. I work right downtown next to Petco Park and I have seen an increase in the homeless.

I also heard OB has gotten really bad regarding homeless, can anyone confirm it?

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

I has gotten worse in the past 3 years. I work right downtown next to Petco Park and I have seen an increase in the homeless.

I also heard OB has gotten really bad regarding homeless, can anyone confirm it?

I recently watched an MSNBC documentary on homelessness and it was filmed in OB

[futbol]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

I has gotten worse in the past 3 years. I work right downtown next to Petco Park and I have seen an increase in the homeless.

I also heard OB has gotten really bad regarding homeless, can anyone confirm it?

Originally Posted by Bluefoxwarrior

I recently watched an MSNBC documentary on homelessness and it was filmed in OB

I heard the OB homeless problem was different. That is, they don't ask for money, they demand it. I have no direct experience, but understand that these are young homeless people who just basically don't want to work or otherwise provide their own income. They expect it from others.

Anyone here with knowledge of the "Please don't feed our bums." effort?

I give $ to Father Joe's Village every year. They really understand the true homeless situation, and know how to handle it.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by Mugsy

I has gotten worse in the past 3 years. I work right downtown next to Petco Park and I have seen an increase in the homeless.

I also heard OB has gotten really bad regarding homeless, can anyone confirm it?

The Downtown homeless population grew exponentially over the past 2-3 years. Last year was undoubtedly the worst right before I moved out. I used to see the same tweakers and crazies as they had their places they roamed and really didnt bother anyone.


Yes, LA was giving away free bus tickets to SD. The same happened here with us sending them up there.

[tickyul]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

The Downtown homeless population grew exponentially over the past 2-3 years. Last year was undoubtedly the worst right before I moved out. I used to see the same tweakers and crazies as they had their places they roamed and really didnt bother anyone.


Yes, LA was giving away free bus tickets to SD. The same happened here with us sending them up there.

AND YES, the shopping cart zombies are one of the reasons that the fancy condos remain 1/2 full. Who the hell would want to pay 400K to live in an area populated by derelicts rummaging through your garbage and pissing in your planter?????

Mommy, why is that dirty man pooping on the sidewalk????

World class wino city is more like it.

[Tycho Brahe]

All I know is that viewing these streets on Google Street View from NYC, all I see is blue skies and palm trees.

[tickyul]

Originally Posted by Tycho Brahe

All I know is that viewing these streets on Google Street View from NYC, all I see is blue skies and palm trees.

Well, you come here and live in certain areas and you WILL get a different picture.

If you can afford to live in the NICE areas of San Diego, you are probably living in one of the nicest/funnest parts of the country.... in my opinion. On the other hand, live in one of the cruddy areas......well, let me just say it is not a pretty picture.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by tickyul

Well, you come here and live in certain areas and you WILL get a different picture.

If you can afford to live in the NICE areas of San Diego, you are probably living in one of the nicest/funnest parts of the country.... in my opinion. On the other hand, live in one of the cruddy areas......well, let me just say it is not a pretty picture.

I know. And that's TOTALLY unique to San Diego, too! I've never been to another city that had "cruddy areas"!

Sarcasm aside, I'm not sure what you're referring to as the "nice" areas. This thread is about the cruddiest of the cruddy areas, but there's not a lot od "cruddy" areas in general- I mean come ON. Have you BEEN to Chicago, or DC? I can't think of a single neighborhood in San Diego that I actually feel *unsafe* walking in. Even where the homeless encampments are. It might be distasteful and unpleasant, but unsafe? Naw. We got *nothin* in the way of "cruddy areas" compared to pretty much any other city of this size anywhere else in the country.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

San Diego is a great place to live and "nice" comes in many different colors here.

Cruddy here doesnt come with 3 feet of snow and freezing temps for months on end.