3 ms·

Christ, why? Have you see what decriminalization of street crime has done to San Francisco? It’s a disaster.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
Decriminalization without functioning social work infra is this result. Just because SF is incompetent in this regard does not mean continued criminalization of minor offenses should continue. There’s nuance, and that nuance is critical to the discussion.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  There's a massive gulf between crime with a victim like shoplifting and general petty theft and crime without a victim, like jaywalking, that everyone seems to go willingly blind to on an ideological as-needed basis.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    How much does it cost to run someone through the legal system for shoplifting? Is that an effective use of resources versus preventing the shoplifting using social services? Three strikes laws have proven very expensive and not very useful for behavioral nudges, so maybe we explore other ways to get folks to shy away from committing property crimes.
    - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
      If cost were what mattered we wouldn't prosecute all sorts of crimes. It's not about the cost. It's about making it not worth people's while violate other people's property rights.
- bigcorp-slave 6y ago
  Oh please. These crimes have real consequences, both financially and in quality of life for the people who live in these areas. Almost everyone I know has had their car broken into. I know multiple people who have been assaulted. I personally have had to run from a homeless man with a knife. I’ve seen people grind up pills on the roof of a trash can and snort them next to a police officer. We deserve a better quality of life than this. There is absolutely no reason to tolerate people behaving in this way in society. These are adult human beings with agency who should face consequences for their actions. The problem isn’t lack of investment or infra, the problem is incentivizing behavior that is destructive to a functioning society.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    I never said assault or threats against life were petty crimes worthy of decriminalization.
dls2016 6y ago
Simple: give the homeless houses.

Decriminalization without functioning social work infra is this result. Just because SF is incompetent in this regard does not mean continued criminalization of minor offenses should continue. There’s nuance, and that nuance is critical to the discussion.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
There's a massive gulf between crime with a victim like shoplifting and general petty theft and crime without a victim, like jaywalking, that everyone seems to go willingly blind to on an ideological as-needed basis.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  How much does it cost to run someone through the legal system for shoplifting? Is that an effective use of resources versus preventing the shoplifting using social services? Three strikes laws have proven very expensive and not very useful for behavioral nudges, so maybe we explore other ways to get folks to shy away from committing property crimes.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    If cost were what mattered we wouldn't prosecute all sorts of crimes. It's not about the cost. It's about making it not worth people's while violate other people's property rights.
bigcorp-slave 6y ago
Oh please. These crimes have real consequences, both financially and in quality of life for the people who live in these areas. Almost everyone I know has had their car broken into. I know multiple people who have been assaulted. I personally have had to run from a homeless man with a knife. I’ve seen people grind up pills on the roof of a trash can and snort them next to a police officer. We deserve a better quality of life than this. There is absolutely no reason to tolerate people behaving in this way in society. These are adult human beings with agency who should face consequences for their actions. The problem isn’t lack of investment or infra, the problem is incentivizing behavior that is destructive to a functioning society.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  I never said assault or threats against life were petty crimes worthy of decriminalization.

dls2016 6y ago

Simple: give the homeless houses.