A friend just visited San Francisco and the main thing that left a lasting impression was...yeah, you guessed it... (Richmond: city hall, condo)

[davidt1]

Ah, one of the prides of the "world's sixth largest economies."

Shame....shame....shame.

[likealady]

From the Chronicle article:

Another reason to pay attention to what tourists have to say about San Francisco? They’re fresh eyes on a problem that’s so familiar to us, we just shrug and keep walking.

True, as sad as it sounds. After living in the Bay for over 6 years, yep I'm definitely far less empathetic towards it than I used to be.

[TR95]

Originally Posted by skygazer1

Well maybe people should LIVE in a city before making blanket judgments of the entire picture? As I said before, the problem is isolated to the compact downtown area, where most jobs are, and most tourists visit. Therefore, this "impression" forms from this limited subset of people who just go to that little area.

I don't mean to belittle the hassles of meeting homeless constantly, if you work down there. I never worked in that part of the city, and lived in other neighborhood, hung around most everywhere else, except those bad parts of downtown, so I rarely if ever ran across homeless.

So, its obviously a judgment issue of the severity and impact, whether you are a specific area of downtown live/worker, or a part of the rest of the city. Whose views are more relevant and important? But, lets not generalize one bad problem, assume it applies to the vast rest of the city, it doesn't.

And again you just don't understand what you read. Where do I say it applies to the "vast rest of the city?" I compared the area to where I work in SF to other cities that I have visited, worked/lived there and to our other offices around the country and world, and none of those cities' workplaces compare to what you find in that compact area of SF that you are referring to. So yes, it's a city problem whether you like to believe it or not.

Maybe you should visit outside your city of SF to see that the rest of the world isn't like that tiny subset of your SF. One doesn't have to "LIVE" in SF to see the problem that exists. There are plenty other areas in SF where there are aggressive homeless, even in Pacific Heights and Russian Hill, so maybe the fact that you LIVE in SF, you are just jaded. Again, good for you that you enjoy it and don't encounter it. Most do encounter it.

[18Montclair]

So what's the solution?

People love to complain about this issue but can't seem to offer up a real solution. I personally dont know and that's why I ask.

And make no mistake folks, this is a national problem that might be more acute here but homelessness is growing everywhere, even in cheaper cities.

[skygazer1]

Originally Posted by TR95

And again you just don't understand what you read. Where do I say it applies to the "vast rest of the city?" I compared the area to where I work in SF to other cities that I have visited, worked/lived there and to our other offices around the country and world, and none of those cities' workplaces compare to what you find in that compact area of SF that you are referring to. So yes, it's a city problem whether you like to believe it or not.

Maybe you should visit outside your city of SF to see that the rest of the world isn't like that tiny subset of your SF. One doesn't have to "LIVE" in SF to see the problem that exists. There are plenty other areas in SF where there are aggressive homeless, even in Pacific Heights and Russian Hill, so maybe the fact that you LIVE in SF, you are just jaded. Again, good for you that you enjoy it and don't encounter it. Most do encounter it.

You probably mean Nob Hill, as it borders the tenderloin area, and you go one block and find tons of homeless. Another example of extreme wealth juxtaposed besides extreme poverty There's very few other areas of SF that have large numbers of aggressive homeless. I think its just gentrification that has created this mess, building all these fancy condos and hi tech businesses in what used to be an old industrial area of the city, bordering what used to be a very rough neighborhood, born of the original gold rush-era "Barbary Coast". You reap what you sow.

What really irks me about this forum topic, is the impression what these posts create that the whole city has a major homeless problem, not that it just exists in very, very limited areas. Every big city has bad neighborhoods, why pick on SF?

[Shooting Stars]

Originally Posted by skygazer1

Well maybe people should LIVE in a city before making blanket judgments of the entire picture? As I said before, the problem is isolated to the compact downtown area, where most jobs are, and most tourists visit. Therefore, this "impression" forms from this limited subset of people who just go to that little area.

I don't mean to belittle the hassles of meeting homeless constantly, if you work down there. I never worked in that part of the city, and lived in other neighborhood, hung around most everywhere else, except those bad parts of downtown, so I rarely if ever ran across homeless.

So, its obviously a judgment issue of the severity and impact, whether you are a specific area of downtown live/worker, or a part of the rest of the city. Whose views are more relevant and important? But, lets not generalize one bad problem, assume it applies to the vast rest of the city, it doesn't.

You are seriously asking tourists and convention attendees to assess the entire city of San Francisco before speaking up?

Why should they? Because your personal orbit doesn't cross paths with the madness they're experiencing?

Your attitude multiplied by thousands who think just like you, is why things keep getting worse. You just DGAF.

Oh! What's wrong with those silly convention people and tourists complaining about being accosted everywhere they go! Don't they understand it's just a perception thing? Who are you gonna believe? Me or your lying eyes?

[Shooting Stars]

Originally Posted by skygazer1

What really irks me about this forum topic, is the impression what these posts create that the whole city has a major homeless problem, not that it just exists in very, very limited areas. Every big city has bad neighborhoods, why pick on SF?

Because visitors and convention attendees have the worst experiences and see the most heartbreaking scenes in San Francisco compared to every other city.

It's not that you are the only city with homeless people. It's the LEVEL of insanity, aggression, and interference with visitors that is different. It's the juxtaposition of great wealth and unrelieved abject poverty and sickness on a larger scale than visitors have seen before.

[Shooting Stars]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

So what's the solution?

People love to complain about this issue but can't seem to offer up a real solution. I personally dont know and that's why I ask.

And make no mistake folks, this is a national problem that might be more acute here but homelessness is growing everywhere, even in cheaper cities.

Well, I posted this on page one.

https://www.wired.com/story/big-tech...its-all-of-us/

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Shooting Stars

https://www.wired.com/story/big-tech...its-all-of-us/

EXCERPT:

"Everyone who works on homelessness agrees on the way to fix the problem. Build more homes. Not coincidentally, more places for people to live would help alleviate all sorts of other problems, from climate change to income inequality. But the kinds of housing California needs are not the kinds that get built. The reasons amount to an obstacle course built from policy mistakes, economic vicissitudes, and prejudice. “This is not something like pancreatic cancer, where thousands of scientists are striving to find a solution for a really difficult problem that we literally don’t know what to do about,” says Margot Kushel, a professor of medicine at UCSF who studies homelessness. “We actually know what to do. We just lack the will.”

Really? And who is going to pay the property taxes? When something breaks, who is going to fix it? Who is going to mow the lawn? give these people a "home" and it will be trashed and in ruins within a year's time. You can't instill a sense of pride and self respect into people. There are so many programs out there to help people who want to make something of themselves. But you can't force people to be decent, caring, upstanding citizens who contribute to society.

[skygazer1]

Originally Posted by Shooting Stars

You are seriously asking tourists and convention attendees to assess the entire city of San Francisco before speaking up?

Why should they? Because your personal orbit doesn't cross paths with the madness they're experiencing?

Your attitude multiplied by thousands who think just like you, is why things keep getting worse. You just DGAF.

Oh! What's wrong with those silly convention people and tourists complaining about being accosted everywhere they go! Don't they understand it's just a perception thing? Who are you gonna believe? Me or your lying eyes?

Look, I don't lie, I just tell it like it is. Well, if you are going to be so blunt; Yes, the rights and views and contributions of the people who know the city well, who live, own property, pay taxes in SF, trumps those of transient visitors who come to a convention! I mean, we the people of SF should do what we can to be good hosts, but don't expect to stay in a hotel a few nights and think you can tell San Franciscans what to do, you go back home and expect us to solve all these major society problems, duh.

Maybe you should learn a little more about the WHOLE city. Don't just sit in your Union Sq hotel, walking around the block accosted by homeless. Visit the wharfs, the North beach, the museums in Golden gate park, the Presidio, the bridges, the ocean beach, the cliff house, twin peaks, Coit tower, Alcatraz, etc. You will quickly appreciate the incomparable natural beauty of the city, its friendly people, not accosted by any homeless in these areas. Go beyond just walking between your hotel and the Moscone Ctr., then, your views may be taken more seriously.