> “We are not going to criminalize people for being poor,” he said. “That criminalization is only going to make it harder for them to get out of poverty.” Unde

> “We are not going to criminalize people for being poor,” he said. “That criminalization is only going to make it harder for them to get out of poverty.” Underlying this sentiment is the idea that the poor are a monolith. That someone stealing from cars or someone with mental problems who can't maintain a job or relationships is a good representation of "the poor". The guy in the article who had his BMW broken into can afford to be blasé about the incident - he's insured, whatever was stolen he can replace without blinking an eye. The poor person who is robbed can't just replace whatever was stolen. "Poor people" aren't just perpetrators, they are also disproportionately victims (unless SF is different, which it probably is because it's so weird) - and I think they yearn for safety and stability MORE than wealthy people, they just can't do much about it. We mistake the complacency - which is the natural and probably healthy reaction when you don't feel you can affect social change - for a comfort with all aspects of the urban environment.