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Property crime != violent crime. San Francisco has a problem with both, but the issues with theft and vandalism are far worse than things that'll directly thre

Property crime != violent crime. San Francisco has a problem with both, but the issues with theft and vandalism are far worse than things that'll directly threaten your personal safety.

ericd 7y ago
Well, property crime tends to make people feel unsafe, even if they’re not personally in danger.
pnathan 7y ago
Crime is, fundamentally, crime. Particularly for these cut and dried historical elements like "theft". It's breaking both law and ancient custom. SF needs to address this crime situation. So does, for that matter, Seattle. Short, medium, and long term solutions need to be developed, promoted, and delivered.
jshevek 7y ago
I agree that one can mis-evaluate the level of personal threat by assigning the wrong meaning to evidence of property crimes. This doesn't mean we should assign no meaning, though. Many of the factors at play which can cause escalations of property crime can also lead to violent crime. It may not be rational to see a broken car window and conclude that you are about to be mugged, but if you want to be as safe as possible you probably would prefer to live somewhere where cars are not often broken into.
- inferiorhuman 7y ago
  This doesn't mean we should assign no meaning, though. Which, as it turns out, is not what I suggested, alluded to, or claimed. Just because we get earthquakes out here doesn't mean I'm going to worry about hurricanes (nor does it mean that neither earthquakes nor hurricanes are significant). It may not be rational to see a broken car window and conclude that you are about to be mugged, but if you want to be as safe as possible you probably would prefer to live somewhere where cars are not often broken into. Having somewhat recently relocated to the burbs, I've had more problems with property crime out here than I did in San Francisco. More homeless people, worse traffic, worse pedestrian infrastructure, much worse (and more expensive) public transit too.

Property crime != violent crime. San Francisco has a problem with both, but the issues with theft and vandalism are far worse than things that'll directly threaten your personal safety.

ericd 7y ago

Well, property crime tends to make people feel unsafe, even if they’re not personally in danger.

pnathan 7y ago

Crime is, fundamentally, crime. Particularly for these cut and dried historical elements like "theft". It's breaking both law and ancient custom. SF needs to address this crime situation. So does, for that matter, Seattle. Short, medium, and long term solutions need to be developed, promoted, and delivered.

jshevek 7y ago

I agree that one can mis-evaluate the level of personal threat by assigning the wrong meaning to evidence of property crimes. This doesn't mean we should assign no meaning, though. Many of the factors at play which can cause escalations of property crime can also lead to violent crime. It may not be rational to see a broken car window and conclude that you are about to be mugged, but if you want to be as safe as possible you probably would prefer to live somewhere where cars are not often broken into.

inferiorhuman 7y ago
This doesn't mean we should assign no meaning, though. Which, as it turns out, is not what I suggested, alluded to, or claimed. Just because we get earthquakes out here doesn't mean I'm going to worry about hurricanes (nor does it mean that neither earthquakes nor hurricanes are significant). It may not be rational to see a broken car window and conclude that you are about to be mugged, but if you want to be as safe as possible you probably would prefer to live somewhere where cars are not often broken into. Having somewhat recently relocated to the burbs, I've had more problems with property crime out here than I did in San Francisco. More homeless people, worse traffic, worse pedestrian infrastructure, much worse (and more expensive) public transit too.