ok yes. i see a lot of homeless encampments in sf. by my home, right next to my shop, and all the way in-between (down chavez, the strip written about in this

ok yes. i see a lot of homeless encampments in sf. by my home, right next to my shop, and all the way in-between (down chavez, the strip written about in this article). at least 50 people in that 1 mile stretch. homelessness has been an issue in sf for quite a while. but i think there has been a qualitative turn. the homeless used to try to find a place out of the way, where they could stay unmolested as long as possible. camps got bigger, were busted up, and everyone moved on. today, they are going out of their way to put themselves front and center. yesterday, when trying to chase away three tents that suddenly appeared on the sidewalk right outside my front door, i was told that this was public property, and that i can call the police all i want. which of course i did to no effect. suddenly the encampment down the block, with the concomitant human waste, snaring dogs, asphalt fires, and all manner of detritus needs to be crossed to get into my shop and there is apparently nothing to be done about it. public works comes out a couple times a week to collect trash and spray down the street. i was already used to dealing with hugo, whose been living on the our street for a couple years - passed out in the doorway from huffing paint. he's really an ok guy. he steals power from us and sells bikes assembled from stolen parts. and old crazy bill that parks in front of the shop and yells and threatens people. all the tweaked out scrappers. that used to be what you put up with for light industrial space. but it was stable. today, its pretty hard to even drive down the street with all the tents and dogs and stolen bikes lying around. there are easily 3 acres underneath the highway where people can live, and have for decades. but now its some kind of occupation, a ticketless burning man. a giant middle finger to anyone that can afford to have a home.