Crime, Fentanyl and Exodus: The Crisis That Is Devastating San Francisco

Join the VisualPolitik community and support us on Patreon: / visualpolitik
It's the city of the iconic Golden Gate, with its steep, winding streets and is, for many, the gay mecca. San Francisco has always been considered one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in the world, with enormous potential for growth and entertainment, but things may be changing. Lack of security, drugs and homelessness are plaguing the city so beloved by such greats as Rudyard Kipling, Frank Lloyd Wright and Tony Bennet. Many believe it is descending into the abyss already familiar to Detroit. Yet San Francisco shows no signs of surrender. What are the problems afflicting San Francisco today? Why does it seem to be following the same path as Detroit? How can the city government stop this drift? Today we tell you.
#America #Crisis #VisualPolitik

[@Moosedrewl]

The problem is that far too many are deeply entrenched in their political idealism and misplaced desire to appear compassionate for anything to change. There is NOTHING compassionate about allowing thousands of people to be consumed by their addictions and essentially abandoning entire neighborhoods to the crime and total lack of safety that comes along with it.

[@notorioustori]

Isn't the same thing being done in more rural states like Iowa, Nebraska, etc.? Since this isn't the crack epidemic, for obvious reasons the police aren't rounding people up and throwing them in prison. There was always a drug issue. It was just legally handled differently depending on the type of drug and demographic of the criminal. We were so collectively busy pointing at others and the problems they needed to work on that we collectively didn't notice the growing shadows behind us. We didn't care enough to help our neighbors and other communities and we lacked contextualizing the concept that nothing happens in a bubble and that almost everything is relative. So now we don't have the necessary tools to collectively deal with the issues that are now at our front door with a finger adhered to the doorbell.

[@Moosedrewl]

@@notorioustori We've overcorrected. Throwing people in jail for having serious addictions wasn't the solution, but now we're enabling addiction with free paraphernalia. We also closed the vast majority of our mental hospitals due to rampant abuse in the system, putting thousands on the street without adequate help as well. People with serious addiction and mental health problems need to be institutionalized, with serious oversight and accountability for those entrusted to help these people. Leaving them to suffer on our streets is not okay, and neither is enabling addiction. These people need help, and those living and working in the most heavily effected neighborhoods need relief.

[@notorioustori]

@@Moosedrewl 100% agree. We need to invest exponentially more in people. I believe that addictions, homelessness, and (some) mental health issues are symptoms and not causes of societal failings.

[@IntellectuallySuperior2U]

Democrats run SF. They are dedicated in running the city into the ground. I say that as a non partisan Brit who lived there for twelve years after university, during the first phase of my career trajectory.

[@fr2ncm9]

I can speak from experience. I work as an intensive case manager. My population is primarily, homeless mentally ill substance abusers. About 80% are crack or meth addicts. Two weeks ago, one of my clients was taken to the hospital because he overdosed on an antipsychotic drug. The reason why he did this was because he was told by staff that they wouldn't call EMS for a non life-threatening condition. I also once had a client who suffered from Schizophrenia. She rarely took her meds and often got into altercations with the tenants in the building where she lived. It took months for me to get her an interview for a structured residence with onsite treatment. We couldn't place her because she did not want to go there.

[@jerrymiller9039]

In 1950, Detroit had the highest per capita income in the US. If you think that a city being wealthy means it can't collapse think again

[@Chris-pq3wp]

The tech industry is even more mobile in its location than the auto industry. All it takes is a few big companies to say it's not worth being there any more and many more will follow

[@dhvanitdesai1044]

​@@Chris-pq3wpcombine that with an inflow of cheap office buildings available everywhere

[@GungaLaGunga]

@@dhvanitdesai1044 Yep. I don't get it. Plenty of unused office and commercial space and they keep building more. Numerous brand new office buildings in Tempe Arizona. Yet no reasonable affordable housing. This economy is utterly corrupt. Has been for decades. This mess is the result.

[@tripleblue1]

​@@Chris-pq3wp SF industry is not only tech. That was more silicon valley which is not actually SF until the 2010s. There are other industries.

[@johnteets2921]

Most analysts think China is not doing its' share to fight Fentanyl ? Most analysts say what ever Bidens' handlers want them to say.

[@antoniotoledovalle-hi2mj]

I moved to San Francisco in 1986. Left after 37 years I feel like I left my heart there. It is just a bittersweet feeling The City I loved and both my son and grandson were born is not at all what was. I’m a heartbroken old man that can’t stop remembering the smell of coffee roasting at Hill’s Bros plant on Embarcadero. The City doesn’t smells good, no more.

[@ab8588]

No one cares

[@jayasmrmore3687]

@@ab8588 clearly you did enough to comment

[@loraa3873]

The stale urine isn't fragrant?😜

[@You_Tube000]

@@ab8588you obviously love the toilet life.

[@andrelockridge9109]

Same here in Seattle! Use to spend weekends in San Fran. Love my beloved Puget Sound but its not the same!

[@lizazagirova]

I went for vacation to SF last year and someone broke a window in my car in plain daylight in downtown and stole everything including my passport. Then a war in Ukraine started and I got stuck in California for SIX MONTHS until Kiev issued a new one. It was absolute shock for me to discover a situation happening in SF. I wish I would know before and would avoid that from happening 🤦🏻‍♀️ undocumented, with no soul in foreign country for 6 months…Just crazy

[@octavbarbulescu9147]

And did you become a homeless that 6 months undocumented alien?

[@mariasmirnova2286]

And this is the course your country took, course to “democracy and freedom”

[@LaSenoritaLadrillos]

What’s crazy is that you left your passport in your car 😂

[@Tommyknocker.]

It looks like you enjoyed my city, isn't you?

[@philipiano001]

You left your passport in a car? Nobody does that.

[@mrmoneyhacks5480]

The crime rate has gone up far more than reported. Police aren't bothering to press charges in most cases because the prosecutors don't prosecute. So the crime doesn't show up in statistics.

[@user-zu3md5qz8y]

its renamed SMASH AND GRAB CITY

[@user-mh1qt4ln5g]

What’s the point of reporting a crime here? My car- which had a tracker- was stolen and the first thing the cops asked was if I had seen it being stolen. When I told them “no”, they told me to come down the the local station and file a report. They would not take one over the phone. I told them I was watching it drive around and they just didn’t care. My car and the thief ended up in Napa, where the cops arrested him. No bail. The DA there charged him with two felonies and he went away for two years. From the time he was arrested to the time he went behind bars was less than two months. That would never happen in SF, which is the Land of Restorative Justice.

[@stevenlynch33]

That just sounds like the wire tv show except a whole lot gayer 😂

[@mrmoneyhacks5480]

@@stevenlynch33 Did I something untrue, or are you programmed to be repulsed by the truth?

[@A.Martin]

@@user-mh1qt4ln5g so good for you he took the stolen car out of San Francisco. If he stayed in the city he would still be free and with your car.

[@jcam5]

As a former SF resident, housing is indeed problematic, my family's attempts to take back our rental house has been a war of attrition.

[@KjiehTV]

It’s not your homes if you don’t own them stop saying that..

[@ryanhall9877]

​@@KjiehTVpretty sure they are saying that they OWN the house, and still have to pay for it and maintain it, but while someone else is living there, not paying rent. That is not sustainable and it just ends up destroying the middle class.

[@KjiehTV]

@@ryanhall9877 doubt it!

[@krakken-]

@@ryanhall9877 Likely someone else is living there AND paying rent. Rental evictions can be difficult in San Francisco (and many other cities), even for the homeowner.

[@ryanhall9877]

@@krakken- maybe the OP can clarify about this situation. But I live on the West Coast and know people who are trying to get people out of their units that haven't paid rent for a while. Not to mention the legal moratorium on rent in California, due to Covid meant that property owners couldn't evict tenants for not paying rent. Either way could very likely be true.

[@Daniel-gs9eh]

I'm from London and went on holiday to California last month and SF and LA shocked me how bad the streets were

[@SebastianGarcia-kz4kr]

60% of LA County is freaking nice actually, but SF is 100% shitty, idk how 1/3 of the entire population can be millionaires and live in that city by their choice.

[@junioradult6219]

Why would you pick there?

[@siblej1]

California is a lovely place…if you stay away from the cities. Stick to PCH, Tahoe, Shasta, Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite, Lassen etc.

[@RedheadLondon]

It is only good if you are stinking rich, and can avoid those places. Not good for the poor.

[@andrelockridge9109]

Londonistan has seen better days!

[@jemo2931]

I had family visiting from UK. SF was on their bucket list. I told them that it would be costly and a BIG disappointment. They still wanted to go and see. They felt that as a former Calfornia resident and someone who worked and lived in the Bay, I was being overly critical. Upon their return, they were astonished how bad things were are that people were just allowing things to happen and going with what was their norm. They also went to LA and again were astonished how bad the US has become. Their exploratory trip was so eye-opening, and they said they would never move to CA and couldn't believe how bad things were in SF. Their finally thoughts were aligned with mine, which is that SF is now just a postcard city. It only looks good from afar and is actually dangerous and declining at a faster rate than any other major city. It's a shame that the state of CA isn't interested in keeping the state safe or attractive. The only good things left in the state are the weather, ocean, and some of its natural beauty. I see why people are leaving SF at such an alarming rate.

[@edanalytics9336]

Yep - visited in 2018 with my GF, the cheapest AirBnb was in Berkeley and cost over $250 per night. We were hassled by 4 separate people on the train from SFO > Berkeley. I got slapped in the arm on day 2. Screamed at by crackheads. And we saw a mini-riot with 20-30 homeless people trashing a building off Eddy St. Oh and our BART train was suspended because Nia Wilson was stabbed to death on the train ahead of us that evening. Oh and there was also another riot in Emeryville a day after we left. And tents everywhere. Disgusting place.

[@RedheadLondon]

@@edanalytics9336 This sounds like enough to make an action packed movie, in one visit!

[@Hmmmmmmmm320]

Even before fentanyl, you would walk down any street in soma or Fillmore and homeless people would be openly injecting or smoking crack with police doing nothing. People literally would shit in the street and social customs are to just avoid eye contact and pretend it’s not happening. On my first day at work I got swung on by some lunatic shouting at demons. The only thing I could do was slip his punch and keep walking. It’s truly a disgraceful place to live or visit these days.

[@andrewawp]

The last time I lived in the city was 1990 or so. Already seemed like heading to unlivable (cost). Passed thru a few times in the 90's, and I like Albuquerque better. I heard it got rediculous sort of with the internet boom. then latest attempt at sane economics, after 2007...oh well.

[@andrewawp]

If I were the pol-ice starting a shift, I wouldnt be doing none, would I?

[@mylesgray3470]

Seems like a social experiment to bring back the dark ages. I live near Seattle and it’s not a lot better. It’s truly scary jut to go the the grocery store.

[@CHMichael]

Fentanyl is the result of a failed oxi policy. Don't blame the Mexican, they just fill a need pharma has cheated.

[@LeannsAdventures]

Seattle is the same. Sad.

[@jrgills]

“The Biden administration is combatting the Fentanyl crisis by asking China to not export Fentanyl anymore.” That made me laugh out loud 😂

[@mickkelly6389]

Of I were American, I would be a democrat, but that is a lol.🇬🇧☺

[@scottbarber9374]

Lol ... pretty funny, right? Except that's not what he said.

[@jrgills]

@@scottbarber9374 of course, but that’s the summary of what was said…

[@scottbarber9374]

@@jrgills It's not. A "summary" would convey the spirit of what was said accurately.

[@jrgills]

@@scottbarber9374 pretty sure that’s what it does since China is the main source of products used to make fentanyl and our gov’t basically just said “hey you stop that! Now!”, but sorry I can’t write a peer-reviewed reaearch paper in the KZbin comments section with cited sources. Good grief.

[@Cross-xm2fr]

It's America's mental hospital

[@louislamonte334]

My parents spent their honeymoon in San Francisco in early 1963. They described a beautiful, vibrant, interesting, clean, friendly, colorful and affordable city full of beautiful department stores, wonderful restaurants, exciting nightclubs and interesting specialty stores of every kind and full of amazing city life. Folk music was all the rage at the time and there were many clean-cut groups of college age singers and musicians performing positive songs about a better world. SF is now completely opposite of everything there was at that time. It is a filthy, corrupt and increasingly empty nightmare. I wouldn't go in that city in broad daylight. The horror stories I keep hearing don't surprise me at all.

[@consultante1650]

In 1996 it was still so. I learned English there as aforeigner. Only a few used Internet. But just very few years later all tech went there where space is very limited.

[@richardr3511]

Everything & everywhere was better back then from what I've heard

[@jayo9750]

Most of america was like that in the 60s but even back then bay area cities oakland and richmond were rough

[@mrsleep0000]

SF stayed that way up until the mid to late 00's, then they made drugs defacto legal, and it started to fall. Then they passed Prop 47 and it started to crumble.

[@louislamonte334]

@@jayo9750 Rough in 1963 and rough in 2023 may well be two different things!

[@schalitz1]

As a world traveler who goes to foreign countries alone multiple times a year, San Francisco is the only place I've ever been that I felt unsafe. As the sun set I felt a primal instinct to get off the streets asap.

[@andyyang5234]

As a foreign visitor, I feel unsafe just about in _any_ major US city. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Baltimore... Not the entire city for sure, but some parts of it are really sketchy. I think Austin and Las Vegas were the only two cities I've been to that felt relatively safe at night, but that's just a feeling. It's a far cry from what I'm used to in East Asia.

[@schalitz1]

@@andyyang5234 I can see why, compared to your cities ours are super messed up, but SF is far worse than any other. I feel perfectly fine in cities like Boston, New Orleans, and Detroit.

[@richardgreen2200]

You haven't been to that many places in this world if SF is the worst place you have ever encountered.

[@jayo9750]

@@richardgreen2200 youd be suprised how it turns at night completley different world

[@celtiberian]

I'm brazilian and downtown San Francisco is way worse than most brazilian cities in south and southeast regions of the country. It is a cesspool.

[@JohnSmith-bm6zg]

Detroit feels disrespected

[@benjammin9745]

Detroit is used to it

[@ninerempire3398]

Detroit is much worse and it’s not even close

[@matt75hooper]

😂😅😂 and that's not easy to do. Spookaboo Thugville feels disrespected Bwhahahahaha. Thanks for the chuckle.

[@RedheadLondon]

Isn't it where Motown comes from?

[@jaredgambeski2991]

SF in the early 2000s felt like every bit of how it was portrayed in the movies. Special times in that city

[@jonathanmoore9661]

I’m heartbroken at what SF has become. I spent half my life there. It’s really bad and the citizens there are at fault. They like to feel good about themselves but won’t lift a finger to help anyone- and this is the result.

[@jayo9750]

Cool go move back to ohio

[@tropics8407]

Help ? Seems they have enough help already. Try law and order like everywhere else in the world 🤷‍♂️

[@ganner23]

A shining example of "Go woke, go broke"

[@user-ov5tw9rk2h]

Americans the crazy house of the world

[@Aaron.Monroe]

Tons of right wing dumps in this nation. All those Southern dump holes as well as midwestern ones are all in red states, buddy

[@tijldeclerck7772]

Those broke woke states are funders of the deep red states, so better respect us, or no more socialist handouts for the poor red states.

[@williamwilson6499]

Only the stupid use that trope.

[@westq2]

​@@user-ov5tw9rk2hreally? Have you looked around the world?

[@PiousPriest]

The next Robocop reboot will be in San Francisco

[@msmaria5039]

Renamed Sin Fransisco.

[@maccurtis730]

I wonder if Robocop goes from beating up drug dealers to going after billionaires.

[@Cynical_Ninja]

Yup, he's gonna roll around handing out justice to people who misgender the woke mob 😆

[@sn5301679]

​@@Cynical_Ninjacant wait for black female transformers... i mean robo-"social worker..." Cops is triggering word.

[@tst6735]

And Judge Dredd

[@EXPRECDJ]

I last visited San Francisco in 2019 and I will never go back. It's a complete disaster.

[@ram90mar99]

They have everyone focused on other problems but they are not bringing the main issue to light 💡. The biggest problem is the disappearance of the MIDDLE CLASS!! These are the repercussions of having the really rich and the really poor coinciding! Gonna be shops like GUCCI and next door is Payless!

[@andrelockridge9109]

Same though my with Manhattan!

[@daveh893]

My one and only visit to San Francisco was in the early 80s. I was very impressed with the beauty of the city and surroundings. I'm sorry that the city has suffered from so many misfortunes.

[@schalitz1]

I was there a few weeks ago, and it is the first and only place I have ever been that I felt completely unsafe, and I travel to foreign countries alone every couple of months.

[@schalitz1]

@@graymatters2 Mainly the downtown core, feces on the streets, used needles, people who belong in an asylum. Its a mess, pier 39 was the only area in the city itself I enjoyed.

[@kittykatz4001]

Yep. I just posted how I visited in 1989, and how impressed I was with the beauty of SF and region. After my visit, when I returned to the E coast, I told my sister if I had more $ and were wealthy, I’d move out there bec it’s so beautiful! It’s so sad what is happening now 😢!

[@notorioustori]

I was there for the 100th anniversary of the great earthquake. It was pretty amazing and beautiful. I also did a couple of tours where I learned there were areas in San Fran (like the tenderloin) that really went through some struggles. However, I've been traveling all over the US (and a few international locales), and during my travels I get the opportunity to have amazingly candid conversations with people from all walks of life. I've visited large metro areas, sleepy towns, and mid-sized cities in between and it's bad sooo many places. If a great place like San Francisco is in crisis, imagine what hell less fortunate areas are going through.

[@djteknokid]

Still beautiful as long as you avoid few places

[@beaumac]

How do you not mention the homeless? It’s the biggest problem in the city. The exodus is just beginning. Things will continue to deteriorate until the jobs come back.

[@poodlescone9700]

It is not homeless. It is drug addicts.

[@TheDysartes]

The US has had a major drug problem for decades, blaming Mexico and China is just an easy excuse to pass the buck rather than deal with the issues that caused a lot of these people to turn to drugs. The war on drugs just caused the dug problem to become much larger and more widespread.

[@drake.707]

I lived in San Francisco for years and it was a really terrible place 10 years ago. These days I go there enough to know that it's exponentially worse and heading down a path of no redemption.

[@jeffkelly4024]

Yeah, I didn't stay long, they had a few homeless outreach places but I didn't trust them, bunch of actors there.

[@SeaSnake123]

Unfortunately these policies have made it into Portland and my city of Seattle.

[@dontcomply3976]

And all the way over here to New Zealand Just the other day, police told some workers who made a citizens arrest of a thief to let him go. These far left soft on crime policies are always disastrous where ever they are tried.

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

@@dontcomply3976 the myth of Republicans being tough on crime is a joke. Some of the most violent crime cities are Republican-run - Don't fall for the false narrative and be lulled into thinking Republicans are the answer - they aren't. Do even a little research on it and you will find out. It's the U.S. issue any many states

[@skurinski]

@@dontcomply3976 look into George Soros and the soft on crime DA's he helps elect by funding millions into their campaigns

[@guymontag5084]

If you invite the tech workers/companies in this will always happen. Look at Austin. It would be better if tech was not geographically centered.

[@melodyg4727]

And Vancouver (Canada)

[@barryt2666]

Everyone is also forgetting a simple truth about the West Coast homelessness. Weather. It's warm enough to stay outside as an addict, an insane person or simply an unemployed or homeless person. People who are unemployed and homeless will always flock where a roof over your head can be a tarp or a box.

[@San_Francisco_Downtown_Watcher]

I live in SF, but I know how deteriorated it is. Supermarkets and stores hired armed security who can not stop thieves, merchandises are locked down or stores closed, gun robberies, car windows are broken, mental homeless are dangerous, and so on. It is the bad experience for citizens and travelers. I have recorded these video in my channel every day and see how bad the street can be.

[@buffyranger6355]

And just who are these pack of theives? The same ones who have taken over every major city in this country. It has to stop.

[@ThatShitGood]

I’m Persian, haven’t been to USA yet, i felt in love with San Francisco after watching Bullitt when i was 5, it became my dream place in US, I watched so many movies that happened there and my love for SF was growing and the game Driver: San Francisco was the thing that maximized it, my biggest fantasy of being American was driving a mustang on the Golden Gate Bridge, since then i was always dreaming about going to San Francisco and suddenly the shock came in: seeing the real San Francisco in YT, after seeing all these footages from SF i couldn’t believe it, it was like my whole dreams and hopes falling apart in a click right before my eyes, I cannot believe this is what my dream city have become.

[@hawrajaber1392]

سلام عزيزم. ببين بايد خودت بري سانفرانسيكرو ببيني تا بفهمي. بنظر من فقط داون تاونش يجاش اينجوريه. ولي بقيه جهاش خيلي خوشكله. كسي رو باور نكن❤ make your dream be true

[@EviMlcak]

In the 70's and the 80's, I took holidays to southern California, which included San Francisco. It was beautiful then. You said the magic word, 'Mustang'. I had planned to save up for a 2007 Mustang but I took a turn and bought my best friend's Mazda 2. I loved it! In my younger days, I had a Camaro and 2 Firebirds. I automatically like anybody that likes what I like.

[@pouyaz8472]

Unlike Detriot, San Francisco's problems are self-inflicted and can easily be solved. It could certainly benefit from adopting a firmer stance on crime reduce red tape and bureaucratic processes tied to construction to increase the supply and relocating soup kitchens and homeless shelters and Section 8 away from the downtown area where commerce and tourism happens and it will all be god again

[@jinzoboy]

I dont think it can be “easily” solved. Too many zombies roaming the street there

[@eccentricthinker142]

Sometimes, the hardest issues to solve are the self inflicted ones

[@looseycanon]

Yeah, problem is, for that, you'd need to solve the state. These limitations on new construction and red tape stem state laws, which have protection of nature, not people, in mind. Add to this the mild weather California gets all year round, and you have perfect magnet for new homeless people to come in... In short, to solve San Francisco, you'd have to solve California first

[@leroy92TX]

The money goes into the politicians pockets. This is well known facts now and I don't see anybody stopping it unless the feds get involved

[@Longknife]

Yeah and instead of doing all this, they're entertaining reparation committees with proposals that could bankrupt the city. Theoretically fixable? Absolutely. Any indication they're going to? Not a one.

[@amb163]

My cousin's husband spent years battling ALS before it took his life. It took a huge toll on her family, including her then teenage daughters. One daughter (18) went to the their doctor and was prescribed opioids (?!?!) for her depression and anxiety. Turns out the doctor was getting a kickback every time he prescribed the opioid. He got a fine, but didn't have his license taken away. My cousin's daughter? She's in her mid-20s now, and has been in and out of rehab, on the street, addicted and lost custody of her little girl. She managed to get clean for nearly a whole year at one point, but then got sucked back into addiction. She was once an A-level student with a bright future. The doctor got a fine -- she (and many of his patients) had their lives destroyed. F*CK OPIOIDS and F*CK DOCTORS who care more about money than their patients.

[@aurorathekitty7854]

Doctors like that and people who abuse them make it harder for the people who actually need it. I have degenerating disk and get prescribed butrans patch with oxycodone for breakthrough pain and forced to take random drug test like I'm being punished just for taking pain meds

[@avancalledrupert5130]

​@@aurorathekitty7854health care cannot run on a profit motive. This shit doesn't happen in Europe. There's no incentive to give any unnecessary medication.

[@heitorvasconcelos8146]

This doctor would be way too less likely to prescribe opioids if there wasn´t a master plan to destroy America. It´s been putting on march a long ago, long before your cousin´s daughter was born. The Democrat Party nowadays no longer hides it, they want to destroy everything so that they then can replace all for the communism. Will it work? It has been working on Cuba? In Russia? In North Korea? In Brazil? Just look at what has been done to SF. They want the SanFranciscanization for the whole country. They´ll probably be successful. It´s up to you guys to stop this insanity. Will you guys be brave?

[@odellowe7340]

I had 2 family member on drugs in new York, we beat the duck out of them, toe them up in the basement before and beat them, it work, they been clean 7 years meo, did y'all try that or just being nice to them

[@djguy100]

America is a dog eat dog capitalist society.

[@Lansdowne11]

San Francisco is an example of what happens when a well-intentioned government becomes the worst enabler of people with horrific addictions and habits. The experiment of being compassionate to people with severe mental health problems and addictions (at the expense of the healthy and functioning citizenry) has failed everyone miserably. People are overdosing in record numbers. Businesses can no longer function. Average citizens are driven off the streets and locked in their homes. Everyone is losing, and nobody knows how to repair it responsibly and with empathy. I don't know the answer or where all this will go.

[@michaeldesilvio221]

Tourists should know that the vast majority of people who live in San Francisco identify as heterosexual Christians.

[@sallyjdawg]

well intentioned masked in fraud & corruption

[@jgrantsf]

On the money commentary!

[@randolphwilliams2365]

Even in the last 8 years it's gotten so bad that I will never go back.

[@Aaron.Monroe]

Bro your teeth are becoming yellower each episode until I can now see a tiny of green. I don’t know what you’re doing to them (or not doing to them) but you need to reverse course.

[@4Usuality]

My great grandfather lived in San Fran during the 1906 earthquake which destroyed many lives and much property. I heard a lot of stories about him. He played violin at the time, and had just bought a newer one from a Russian visiting America to sing and perform. That violin fell off a shelf in his house and cracked down the middle due to the earthquake, and now I have that violin today. It was somewhat repaired, but I want to get a professional to repair it some day. What an amazing family relic and story is how I see it.

[@4Usuality]

@lazarus921 Very true! The only reason I do want to repair it is than I've learned how to play violin myself, and I'd like to play the violin that was built in Prussia in the 1850s or 60s (there is a Prussian seal inside it which is dateable), it wasn't some super expensive piece, it was made to resonate. Then a Russian woman bought it, came to the west coast, and it entered in my family. My Great Grandfather played it in California, and then in my grandmother's home state, and she played it in my home state, my dad did not play violin but my aunt did and played it here too, but I have learned, and some part of me wants to keep the family tradition going, and repair it to a degree that it no longer sounds like it was severely broken. It's playable now, but the repairs are starting to fade and I'm worried it will re-break. If the back needs to be removed entirely, I'm considering mounting that piece in some way. I'm sure it'll be expensive if I do that haha! I also have a Victrola from the late 1800s (1897 is what the seal says) which my grandmother received from my great grandfather in the early 1900s, that piece will never be changed, I love that thing.

[@MB-xq3ol]

please enclose a pic of that violin

[@4Usuality]

@@MB-xq3ol I would if I could haha, yt should add that

[@angelescamilla5841]

Honestly Detroit is the future of America itself in my opinion

[@Cyrus992]

This is what the hippy, "woke" diversity and tolerance culture gets you! It is the heart of that along with Portland.

[@cowboytx26]

The comparison of Austin and San Francisco for purposes of housing starts in the last decade is inappropriate. Unlike San Francisco, Austin is surrounded by relatively open and available land while San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by ocean. It’s much harder (and more expensive) to build tall buildings than to build out. Forgetting to point out this geographic obstacle to San Francisco doesn’t help to portray the true issue.

[@supermash1]

It's actually cheaper to build up rather than out.

[@cowboytx26]

@@supermash1 because of costs such as elevators, pumps to get water supply up to higher floors, and more stringent engineering requirements to use steel or cement, building higher is MUCH more expensive than building out along flat land

[@supermash1]

@@cowboytx26 Roads, sewers, electrical supply, all infrastructure is MUCH more expensive than a few elevators and heavy beams. It is much cheaper to build up than out, which is why you see that happening in every city world-wide.

[@maxmillianwiegel1643]

To be fair, Detroit has improved. So it’s not even as bad, because one city is improving, while the other is falling off.

[@supersnapp]

According to Nerdwallet, Detroit is 9 from the bottom worst run city in the US.

[@bapo224]

It's improving today compared to it's worst point a few years ago, but it used to be a thriving prosperous hub. The title compares what's happening in SF now to what happened in Detroit over multiple decades up to 2010ish. For context, from 1950 to 2010 the population of Detroit *decreased* 60% while most other cities doubled to quadrupled their population in this same period.

[@ElTigre12024]

I live not far from Detroit and you’re correct. Detroit (Midtown and Downtown in particular) has revitalized a lot over the last decade or so, but it is still pretty crime ridden outside those areas.

[@supersnapp]

​@@bapo224 You don't find it odd that Detroit was one of the US's great cities and it became a punch line as soon as blacks concentrated in Detroit? The dates that people often use to analyze Detroit's decline are incorrect. Detroit went into a decline far before the rise of Japanese competition. The first step was the car companies moved out of downtown Detroit to get away from the black population. In SF they are repeating the process by being tolerant of blacks, however blacks have no history of producing a successful city anywhere in the US. Is Detroit 10% better than it was? Its possible, I can't say it hasn't, but Detroit was an indicator as was Baltimore that the rest of the population did not observe.

[@TheUsmc7211]

@@supersnappYou’re saying that it’s the black people’s fault that white people were scared of them and left?

[@Rotowhaka]

Went to San Francisco in 1988, as a single male overseas tourist. Had a great time, seemed safe enough, no problems or issues Went back in 2017, this time with my wife and son, and it had gone down hill, were not even sure if the crap we stood in was human or canine Witness some bum yelling at a young female tourist for not giving him any money, accidentally walked up the wrong street to catch a bus and just about tripped over a couple of guys passed out on the footpath. Got hassled for money a few times. But in saying that there were a lot of very helpful people, and possibly the very best food I have every had in the USA, it was a Italian joint That I can’t remember the name of or where it was as we found it by walking down Lombard street away from the switch back section, If I ever go back to SF I will be walking the full length of Lombard Street and all its side streets to find this place. The place we stayed at seemed safe enough, and was clean and tidy.

[@expatveteran7815]

A shining example of locals being kicked out, and outsiders not caring about my city

[@cursedmonkey1033]

I find it amazing that property owners would rather have their property sit empty, actually costing them money than lower the price to something affordable.

[@dankelly5150]

I find it amazing that voters there continue to support awful Democrat policies that are responsible for the problems the city has right now ! 🙄

[@aSSGoblin1488]

if san fran falls, it will trigger the next property bubble recession its also way harder to evict someone than having idle property (probly paid up, not credit). especially when the laws skew towards deadbeats and not suppliers. probly exacerbates racism too since u wuld not lend to a black since they can generally cry racism and be deadbeats

[@MultiSkyman1]

I have been harping on that for years! How F ing greedy do you have to be?

[@aSSGoblin1488]

@@MultiSkyman1 people invested moni in property. then these voters affected legislation by opposing low income housing NIMBI. The problem with housing is complex

[@bobsemple9341]

Because if u lower it too much druggies will try move on

[@tillyrhodes-mayo6448]

Not all opioids are derived from opium, in fact oxycodone and fentynal are entirely synthetic.

[@jasonlou2013S]

The city is declining. I moved from SF to LA in 2018. By the time my girlfriend was living in there. Sad to see San Francisco turned into a hell like this.

[@morganiloncaie9999]

Sad that they compare SF to Detroit. Detroit has never had its streets lined with homelessness and people doing drugs openly on the streets.

[@chrismcgoldrick1378]

I moved to SF in 97, it’s turned into a horrible shithole unfortunately. Everyone I know is leaving the city now.

[@rocksmo3384]

Effectively legalizing crimes will destroy the local economy sooner or later. No shop can operate long term when its frequently plundered.

[@stephenhowes6509]

Well part of the problem is these organized raids where 10-20 storm a particular storefront and ransack everything. What do you propose? Place 5 cops at every store? Even if SF doubled their police force, those criminals will just go elsewhere. Out here in Walnut Creek (east of SF) we've had a number of these group raids but these people usually come from Oakland or SF.

[@levismith7444]

Criminals have more rights than business owners

[@KjiehTV]

@@levismith7444right it’s crazy

[@stoda01]

@@stephenhowes6509 One of the root causes of crime is poverty. Increase in poverty leads to more crime. You can't police your way out of that. Locking someone up for petty crime just creates a vicious cycle. When they get out they have limited options due to criminal record and are forced into crime once again to survive. To prevent crime you need to reduce poverty and create opportunities. Of course it's always easier to just say "more police" and heavy handed approaches. Which never works long-term and often leads to significant blow-back.

[@salkoharper2908]

@@stoda01 The problem is that is exactly the policy being applied in SF. Over Leniency and toleration of criminal behavior. It is also a vicious cycle that leads the criminals to think 'Hey, I got away scot free from the last crime, so i'll do it again'. My family run a business, we contribute to the community and pay our taxes. But you are defnding the scum who would rob people like us, hell they would rob you as well. This is the problem, your ideology blinds you to the facts. Criminals don't care about ideology, all they care about is getting away with their crimes and freely hurting people. Your beliefs allow that to happen.

[@natedog2304]

Let’s be real here, the only thing keeping San Francisco alive is the tech industry. If all those companies leave that city, then San Francisco is officially the new Detroit.

[@spencervanhauter]

I left after 44 years. It’s really sad what the city has become.

[@JiggidyJives]

I moved to San Francisco in 1999. I loved it then. I moved out March of this year. The place is crazy now and not fit to live in. I am much happier living in the hills off-grid!

[@thibfraisse]

China has an interest in this drug epidemic. They are using the same strategy used by the UK during the first opium war

[@ibvghgfvbnbc]

Do not do unto others what you do not want to do unto you, they have protected UK and making devious alliances far too long, so it is no surprise that they will partake in theor longsuffering

[@TheTransatlanticExchange]

The glamour of San Francisco is part of a Bygone Era, now lost. From someone whose family lived in San Francisco since the 1950s, and lived or spent much time there from the 1980s to the mid-2000s, it has gone from a gleaming jewel to a bombed out crater. It is now a hyper-expensive, unsafe, unfriendly, dirty, pretentious pit with only small slivers of its past remaining. It has become worse than Detroit after de-industrialisation. Virtually all of the fabulous restaurants of yesteryear are now gone, most of which were shut in the last few years, including Fisherman's Grotto Number 9, Tarantino's, Jack's, Ernie's, North Beach Restaurant, The Carnelian Room, Tommy Toy's, Capp's Corner, Julius's Castle, Forbes Island, Jardiniere, Louis' Restaurant, Ocean Beach Cafe, and perhaps most devastatingly of all, the fabulous 150 year old Cliff House, whose fittings, decor and autographed photos were all auctioned off. A number of these restaurants had survived the Great Depression and, like countless other smaller businesses, are now gone. Half of Chinatown and one-third of Union Square has closed permanently due to soaring rents, the pandemic and tourist drop-off. Stores that are still in business often shut early and look like a war zone at night, as they're protected from thieves and vandals. "Smash and grabs" have become socially acceptable in the city and you cannot find a public loo open to the public due to the homeless situation. If the truth be known about just how bad the homeless situation is, think of mass Hoovervilles from the 1930s. Only residential neighbourhoods are spared much of this, but not all. As for festivals and fun destinations, like Halloween in Castro and the glorious cabaret show, Beach Blanket Babylon, the former was banned after several stabbings and the latter shut after 40+ years of performances. Events like Gay Pride have become corporate and are now sponsored by social media companies, who must force their employees at gunpoint to all march to show their "inclusivity," as the parade now lasts over six hours as the corporate participants pass by. Lastly, and the elephant in the room, the new tech and investor populations that now dominate the city live in areas away from the once thriving downtown and don't go out like people did up till the early 2000s. This new, more introverted lot don't go out, often work from home or travel outside the city, and this has destroyed small businesses that once depended on mass foot traffic. Finding a sit down family restaurant outside of downtown is a struggle. San Francisco is like Rio de Janeiro, with hyper-expensive real estate that only this population can afford, but with a degradation and high crime surrounding them. Hyperbole? Ask others who may verify this, but for someone who has the family longevity and visits quarterly from the UK, the mire it has become is all too apparent. In closing, having a friend walking next to you, getting punched in the face at random by a homeless man, only reinforces its status as a ruined relic. Upon arrest after a lengthy wait for police, after being asked why he did it, he duly said, "I felt like it."

[@banto1]

It's really a shame since SF really is a beautiful city. I visited several times up until 2015 and if you avoided the "problematic" areas, it felt pretty normal. I don't think asking other countries to help solve YOUR drug problem will work as there will always be another criminal group happy and willing to fill the gap. The US used to have mental health institutions that dealt with the problems these homeless and/or drug users have. Tax payers decided it would be a lot more humane to fund prisons instead of psychiatric hospitals, and now that the prisons are too full, this approach has come back to bite these tax payers hard in the ass.

[@sterlingmarshel6299]

It started with Republican Ronald Reagon in CA then as President in the early 80's. Each Governor of CA has failed since -both Republican and Democrats to get the necessary funding for mental health facilities

[@videomaniac108]

China is deliberately exploiting the problem we have with drug addiction to benefit itself monetarily and as part of its program to weaken the US economically and socially. This is vastly different than the competitive relationships that countries might have with one another and amounts to a war that is being fought against the West on various fronts that has been going on a good 45 years now.

[@brockwilkie6022]

To be fair, some of the problems are bigger statewide issues that San Francisco is just amplifying

[@philipkoekemoer4705]

Yes, Newson was the mayor now he is the governor

[@krakken-]

Yes, land in CA is expensive, and the dense cities are surrounded by oceans, bays, and mountains, making housing costs even higher. Geography is a huge factor here. It's not like TX, where you can just develop the next field over and add houses 100mi in each direction...

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

biggest elephant in the room that everyone still fails to accept ; is INFLATION AND THE 34 TRILLION OF DEBT.

[@yaweizhi7966]

So nothing to worry about?

[@junecat1597]

Nice, balanced post of the situation. Thanks! 👍🏼

[@Sly88Frye]

Another thing that sucks about San Francisco being so damn expensive is that a lot of people have moved out from there and even come an hour north up to the city I live in, Santa Rosa. A lovely city indeed, but the cost of rent and housing should not at all be as high as it is here. We aren't coastal. Sure just about a 30 minute drive to the west brings you to Bodega Bay, but still other than being the largest city in Wine Country, yes larger than Napa, there isn't much reason for it to be so damn expensive here.

[@petechau9616]

I visited San Francisco back in 98 -very crowded, parking hard to come by and those hills will drive you crazy. I liked Monterrey alot better than I did Frisco.

[@dogpark77]

The problems are the mayors, prosecutors, governors. So simple.

[@PistonHonda87]

You can’t vote your way out of this.

[@user-zu3md5qz8y]

LETS CALL IT the Smash and Grab city of the World

[@lavalampluva55401]

It is amazing how many easily get sucked into fentanyl addiction. And it's a hole that is almost impossible from which to escape.

[@anthonymanderson7671]

I hate it when people voted for the politician into office who legalised crime and we now see what san francisco is becoming.

[@_winston_smith_]

The really odd thing about how San Francisco is portrayed in the media is that the tech industry is, and always has been, based in Silicon Valley. The largest city in the area is San Jose; it has a larger population than San Francisco and much better weather! San Francisco is known locally as Fog City. The myth of San Francisco being a tech hub became a self-fulfilling prophecy over the past couple of decades and some large tech companies did move into the city. However, it never really made sense. Other than picturesque sea views, homeless people and a ton of crime I don't see much of note about the city. Work from home has shown that for many businesses there is no good reason to pay expensive downtown office rents. Businesses that fail to adapt will be out competed.

[@EmptyZoo393]

Biggest reason companies moved there was because other tech companies were moving there. It's easier to hire people if everyone in your industry is gathering in one area and people can shift between companies more easily. Fairchild Semiconductor just happened to be founded in San Jose, and it exploded from there over the course of a few decades.

[@notaspy1227]

San Francisco is a hub transit-wise, that's why it's more relevant then San Jose because even with the city emptying out San Jose is still boring af.

[@andrewawp]

The whole connected place is huge and unweldy, and a potential environmental complexity. Looks weathered, and boring.

[@andrewawp]

@@emmettkeyser1110 it could all have issues. where in Cali would anyone think is economical and a value and useful culturally?

[@sidneybristow815]

The City is cool. It’s not always foggy, it burns off. The history is amazing. It was clean when run by Conservatives and was family oriented. Rich young people did move there with their techtarded woke ideas. Many big businesses were there. Tourists flocked to see the Golden Gate, the Exploratorium, the Aquarium, Japanese Tea Garden, Cable Cars, Zoo, Fairmont and Mark Hopkins, Alcatraz, Pier39, luxury shopping, Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. San Jose=0. The Governor is pro crime and anti tax payer.

[@Mr.Neko1]

A change in policy is unlikely. The major issue is that politicians vehemently hate to admit being wrong. They will hold their stance until the day they die or get paid off to change.

[@edwardturner1282]

Outstanding video. Well done. Amazingly comprehensive for 14 minutes and 15 seconds. In other words there you have it in a "nutshell".

[@lrn_news9171]

California in general is experiencing decline and exodus. Some areas are still growing but the major cities are declining.

[@Jorr235]

I lived there from 2005 to 2010 and the homeless and drug addiction situation was out of control then . The stench of urine was everywhere.

[@Grk149]

Imagine living in a city where criminals families might get in trouble in another country. The city gave up years ago. I lived in CA 2010-2019, by the end of it the jewel of the pacific had already started becoming a 💩 hole

[@marcbuisson2463]

Americans calling it a jem is always funny. Yeah, it's nicer than Dallas, Tulpa or New York. But it stays a quite ugly place, with ugly towns and very few exceptions. These exceptions being naturally completely unaffordable. Portugal is a jewel. California may have been one before the 60's.

[@kineahora8736]

@@marcbuisson2463not better than my City New York-sorry, not.

[@marcbuisson2463]

@@kineahora8736 I can understand this comment, I think I'd also prefer New York x). Though it's for different reasons.

[@salmathecopt7969]

@@marcbuisson2463 ew portugal is horrible looking. why you think its not a popular destination like greece?

[@marcel1463]

I am from Germany and only know San Francisco from movies like Bullitt and tv series. That is why i always wanted to visit this wonderful fascinating city. But after seeing this i am not sure if i ever want to visit America.

[@bruceabbott4435]

As the owner of 350 units of low-middle income housing units, 80,000 more units to destroy sounds like a really great idea! A million new units wouldn’t solve the world’s problems, either. The people are the problem….

[@rs2993]

It breaks my heart to see SF crumble. The progressive policies mean well but the implementation were open for abuse and people took advantage of it.

[@supermash1]

Gee, who would have thought? That is a truly childish statement.

[@salkoharper2908]

Let criminals be free to do whatever they want with no consequences. My god, how could it go wrong?

[@edcotterjr1926]

Boudin was a menace to society just like his parents (convicted murderers) but the problem is much deeper. The entire state removed penalties for theft below $1,000 or so and shoplifting became an organized business. The new DA is better but compared to what? Turnaround will not come quickly if at all. Sad. I have a 20 year history with the City back when it was still thriving.

[@SpelareTV]

Btw, great thanks for the video, seems to have a lot of interesting news!

[@Idahoguy10157]

I grew up near San Fran. Quit visiting eight years ago. Before fentanyl. Drugs, rampant crime, the mentally ill, derelicts, feces, needles laying around… San Fran was killing itself before fentanyl

[@MarkGentry-xn6te]

As a person who lived in the Bay Area for over twenty years, this makes me very sad.

[@euroschmau]

It's a crying shame what happened to San Francisco, but it's not surprising. The USA has a long history of letting its great cities go to hell, it is a national passtime to watch our cites decay. What we do to our cities, much like who we are as a people, is disgraceful.

[@slw0599]

Needs Harry Callahan, he'll sort it out, even at 93.

[@starguy2718]

"Do you feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?" -- Dirty Harry

[@GaryHardin]

I sure hope that they solve these issues. I lived in SF in the 70's I love the city and hate to see it this way.

[@BetaBuxDelux]

Don’t forget this affects surrounding areas too. Crime has gotten worse in Palo Alto, San Jose and other surrounding areas. As shops shutdown in SF the thieves begin stealing from other parts of the bay. :(

[@klauszinser]

That is a very good overview of what happened and how a place or country can be destroyed. Having been there around 2006 and already wondered about some poor people in this extremely rich town.

[@juliangodsend9418]

EVIL IDEAS HAVE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES

[@globalautobahn1132]

4:03 the reason 2014 kicked off the massive of Crimewave was because of Prop 47 passed in 2014

[@limerickman8512]

Back in 99 when I was there, Many other Democrat Cities bussed (trafficked) their homeless to SF with financial incentives. The homeless were friendly then. But today the biggest issues in SF is all self owned. The City politicians and officials allowed the homeless and drugs users free reign to harass the people and allow thefts and destruction of property. Back in 99 I would have recommended the city to visit. Today I would not, It would be on my blacklist now.

[@jeffmcdonald4225]

You mean telling people they are free to commit crimes didn't work? Wow, who knew?

[@westnblu]

There's a prophetic movie from yesteryear called Escape from New York. It's uncanny how accurate it is in its depiction of a decaying metropolis.

[@samtoo2010]

Lived in Bay Area for 12 years . Best time of my life. Relax en atmosphere. It’s sad to see it goes down and become junkies homeless violent drug addicted home. I was among one of people who left the ca. miss the food and life style there 😢

[@benjammin9745]

At 7:04, you state: "... as I'm sure many of you know already know opioids are drugs derived from the opium poppy...". This statement is untrue. Opiates are drugs derived from the opium poppy, whereas opioids are drugs that have similar chemistry or effects as opiates but are derived in part or fully from synthetic sources. For example morphine is an opiate and fentanyl is an opioid.

[@sfdatman8097]

The real problem is SF pays you to stay homeless an addicted. They get Federal funding and homeless get city funding.

[@joeykitty2892]

When you have a city like San Francisco, that has ALWAYS been a haven for drug users, this is the result. I've lived 15 miles from SF my entire life, and I've always considered it a 'sleazy' city. Fast forward to today, and I feel the same way. There's only so much that officials can do to mitigate the problem, but when a person chooses to use harmful and addictive drugs, there's no stopping them! Time for some tough love...

[@Cynical_Ninja]

In 20 years I've gone from: I want to visit the US, maybe even move there to: I wouldn't go to the US if you paid me. Sad 😐

[@Pyrochemik007]

Natural reserves and mountains are still worth visiting.

[@bradolfpittler2875]

USA has 50 states. The vid only showed one. A bad one.

[@anita.b]

@@Pyrochemik007 The rest of the world has them too :)

[@danielr3661]

Go to Florida, you will like it

[@Stipperstone]

Very good video. Good mix of narative and visual.

[@666Otomo]

My wife and I went to San Francisco for our honeymoon in 2016 and we loved it! Beautiful city and we did a lot of walking during day and night. People were friendly. Sad to see it in this state now.

[@RightSideNews]

It's called progressivism

[@anita.b]

Maybe check on "regressivist" states and major cities in them and look up economics and social statistics adjusted per capita. LMAO cockroach

[@tjr4459]

It’s a shame because SF is one of the most geographically beautiful places in the world. I think some more draconian measures are needed to rein in the problems. There’s only so much compassion you can do. There should be no tolerance for people shooting up on the sidewalks and defecating in public. The lack of housing I believe is intentional, many of the so called progressives who favor more housing in general will quickly vote against any changes in zoning that’s in their backyard. Will it become the next Detroit, it remains to be scene but I don’t think so, there’s just too many people with money invested in the region but it will likely get worst before it gets better.

[@garyworthington840]

Thanks!

[@javiersalinas1458]

Crime, drugs, etc, are not problems. Those are consequences of wrong policies and ideas.

[@AtPeacePiece]

pEoPlE hAvE tO pOop oN tHe SiDeWaLk bEcAuSe tHeRe iSn'T aFfoRdAbLe hOuSiNg!!!

[@ekesandras1481]

if you can't afford to live in an expensive place, move elsewhere.

[@Warriorcats64]

@@ekesandras1481 Moving is expensive too. Try again.

[@Escall]

I’m from SF and I thought you guys did a pretty good job of presenting the issues without bias. SF politics have always been a mess and it’s the people of SF who have pushed for innovation and social changes. I’m a proud liberal but I agree with some of the comments. Some of SFs policies have gone too far and I’d say the majority of SF residence feel the same. With that being said a lot of folks in the US have been rooting for cities like SF, NYC, LA and Seattle to fail and it shows.

[@catman422]

You can easily tell who is either from SF or lives near the city and those who have never been there and base their opinion on what they have seen online. I really do hope the people finally remove the poor leadership from the city and it can get back to what it was when I was a kid.

[@hsatin20]

I live in Seattle and am a moderate. I have watched the mostly liberal population supportive of the societal changes which have taken place, similar to those in SF. Just as you say, the politicians did not know when to quit and basically handed the city over to the criminal element and gave the homeless more rights than property owners. It has really been insane to watch and the liberal populace has turned against these changes. Too little, too late for now.

[@georgegiorgio]

Hahahaha You and most San Franciscan voted for it

[@catman422]

@@georgegiorgio you read “I’m from SF” then wrote that. The people voted for what they believed would be compassion, not shit leadership.

[@dansands8140]

We're rooting for you to fail because we're hoping the shock of seeing your homes come down around your ears will convince you to stop trying to do the same thing to the rest of us. You hate us for being uncompassionate, but compassionate acts with horrible consequences are not compassionate.

[@buffyranger6355]

I was there in 2007 at Christmas and had a wonderful time seeing the famous sights . I never felt any fear walking the street or going in stores. I am so glad i went then as no homeless were to be seen and we walked all over China town and the Warf. Sooo sad for such a beautiful American icon city to fall into corrupt hands. People! Take your city Back!!!

[@stevo8685]

It amazes me that the government there considers this normal

[@canteluna]

SF has always attracted the open-minded, less traditional, so a culture of tolerance developed unlike anywhere else in the country. At its philosophical core, tolerance is about relaxed attitudes toward the rigidity of social norms, which, can be different enough in deifferent cultures to result in social segregation of various ethnic groups. While SF, too, had its ethnic neighborhoods, there was less segregation between them than in most large cities and as a result, there was more social cohesion. However, the culture of tolerance (also a key component of liberalism) eventually reached the point of diminishing returns and went too far and became over-indulgence for those who had no interest in social cohesion (e.g. drug addicts, the homeless and criminals in particular). We can blame the advocates of neo-Marxism and the post-modernists - esp Fouccault - whose philosophies launched an assault against traditional social norms and institutions, and advocated making the most antisocial of the society the sacred cows, the untouchables, who were to be pitied as the righteous victims of "the system" (of white patriarchy in particular - ironically, "the system" that has produced far fewer of them than we have now) and so this old system needed to be razed and a new "indulgent" system imposed (because if it weren't imposed it wouldn't get enough support and those who oppose the imposition are all bigots of one stripe or another - so much for tolerance). A lot of blame is laid on Chesa Boudin, the SF DA until 2020 and as insane as many of his policies were, the leftist (as opposed to "liberal") agenda, had been a long time coming. This philosophical change, over the last 3 or 4 decades, resulted in an influx of "social justice warriors" who have gotten themselves into positions weilding such political power that anyone of these groups can veto a project if it doesn't meet their standards for helping their particular group. So the great Liberal city of SF degenerated into the leftist city that it is today with open, rampant drug use, homeless from everywhere camped anywhere they please, and liberals cowering in fear of losing their jobs and reputations if they dare to cross the lefties running the asylum. That's where we are now. What will change this? Probably nothing for a while, until the liberals demand the tenets of liberalism be restored and the leftwing insanity is exposed for the fraud that it is.

[@Bacchusmbt]

I just came back from a week in SF. Everyone was fantastic, willing to help with directions, I hardly saw any homeless and my family and I had a wonderful time.

[@richardgreen2200]

Same here. If you look for problems, and SF does have many, you will find them. It's chic on the right to eviscerate all things California, especially SF and LA. Hence, SF is a drug crazed dump where everyone craps on the sidewalk and all stores, restaurants, etc have closed down. Yet try to find an apartment or get a reservation at a good restaurant last minute and see how successful you are in this 'abandoned', dystopian ghost town.

[@jayo9750]

So you stayed in embarcadero lol

[@supermash1]

So you didn't go downtown then.

[@Bacchusmbt]

@@supermash1 nope, i went downtown. Sure there was some homeless, but not more than I e seen in several cities across the US. No one bugged us for money, everyone was friendly, and I just don’t see all the doom and gloom from this vid with my own eyes in my visit last week.

[@Bacchusmbt]

@@jayo9750 no, I did not stay in embarcadero.

[@mrsleep0000]

Best city to live? Are you high? $3000/month for a studio apartment does not make it the best place to live...