A few days ago I excitedly got into my vehicle and headed over to my framer’s shop. As I approached her wide alley, it was shocking to see all the tents lined up on the sidewalk. One right after another! It felt disconcerting to see yet another sidewalk in SOMA overtaken by the homeless, tents, and all their disheveled belongings. When I asked her what’s going on, she replied that it’s being “controlled”, that police come by periodically to make sure the situation is “calm”.
To pay high commercial rent and have to contend with this is beyond absurd. So is issuing and maintaining strict shelter-in-place mandates for all of us who pay high property taxes while homeless folks are allowed free rein of the city streets day and night to do whatever whenever, and the reduction in our property values. This is just not right!
Homelessness is not a monetary issue, rather one of policy. So much money is being allotted and spent on this issue to no avail year after year, and the problem is getting worse. It’s the fault of the governor, mayor who’s in over her head, the board of supervisors, and other officials committed to bad policies. Drug and alcohol use has been decriminalized, and it’s now legal for people to live on the streets. Leniency over tough love is the norm and, as a consequence, SF is starting to look and feel like Gotham.
Similar to the hair salon visit, I feel confident that Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, and Gavin Newsom for starters would never allow tents to be lined up on the sidewalks flanking their homes and businesses.
Whoa!
