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Every complaint I've seen on this topic is about how repulsive or unsafe it feels for someone commuting to their job in SF. No one talks about these thousands o
by all_usernames 9y ago
Every complaint I've seen on this topic is about how repulsive or unsafe it feels for someone commuting to their job in SF. No one talks about these thousands of people who are suffering from drug addiction, mental disorders, socioeconomic injustice, and all kinds of abuse. No one's complaint is: "how can we, as society, allow these conditions to persist, why aren't we helping these people in a meaningful way?" It's the apathy of the population in general that allows this kind of situation to come about and then persist despite the best efforts of "they" who are supposed to "do something about it."
- joenot443 9y agoMillions of homeless people in hundreds of other cities around the world suffer from the exact same conditions you've described. Yet nowhere but the Bay Area have I seen those conditions caused those people to behave the way they do in SF. The city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on safe injection sites, needle disposals, and public restrooms, and yet still must continue to spend money to pay city employees to clean up needles and human waste from the streets and transit stations. Homelessness is a massive problem in SF, but the attitude that they behave this way "because of the situation they're in" is untrue and counterproductive.
- prawn 9y agoI disagree with that strongly. There are loads of people describing what they see of the homeless issue, and proposing or discussing potential solutions in a generally respectful way. For the most part, the evidence is described more as remarkable than repulsive. Whenever the topic comes up on HN, I think the discussion is very reasonable and considerate, and I always find it an interesting read.