I remember leaving the subway for downtown SF, at Union Square for the very first time. My first impression of SF was playing slalom with all the homeless peopl

I remember leaving the subway for downtown SF, at Union Square for the very first time. My first impression of SF was playing slalom with all the homeless people right on the street. I've been living in southern SF for four months and often saw a saddening amount of poverty that most people just seemed to ignore. I also regularly saw homeless people that were so mentally ill that they appeared very dangerous (especially for a female). Berlin's homeless people become most visible when they enter the subway to politely tell their story and let people know why they need to beg for money. In terms of danger the organized beggar-robber gang type (which are not really homeless people) may be on the rise, but this is no comparison to what could be seen in SF. While there is the occasional lunatic you have to avoid, you usually just feel pity for Berlin's homeless people. There is also, without doubt a relatively stronger social net that can catch more of these human beings. You may also want to check out www.crimemapping.com for more "cultural differences".