3 ms·

It seems funny that there's many downvotes to responses in these threads. It's like people don't want to acknowledge how messed up SF has been, and how unsafe i

It seems funny that there's many downvotes to responses in these threads. It's like people don't want to acknowledge how messed up SF has been, and how unsafe it has become, so they're just downvoting folks. It used to be that I'd even gotten my roof rack stolen off the top of my car. Then without much to steal during the pandemic, and with drug use off the charts, things just became unsafe. People I knew started carry mace. There was a firearm homicide in the Civic Center station (yes, really, in the station). You have to be absolutely crazy to go back to the office right now.

thefourthchime 5y ago
I lived there 10 years ago. Back then it was bad but manageable. I used to park my motorcycle on the street and once a month it would barely start. It was because someone busted off the top of my spark plug to use as a crack pipe. My wife and I just visited, the parts that were bad parts are worse, and the nice parts still seemed fine.
ravenstine 5y ago
Although it's sorta not in line with the HN rules to introduce downvotes as a conversation topic, I'll just say that mere observation of the problems in SF used to face way more downvoting. I was not a popular guy years ago when I was honest about why I promptly left SF after finishing school there. Now I get upvoted when I talk about SF because it's all out in the open so much that mainstream news articles discuss the crime, the urban decay, the feces, the drug use in broad daylight, the homelessness, etc. Those left who are still apologizing for SF have either never experienced anything else or are in denial. Trust me, it breaks my heart the extent to which SF has let itself go. As bad as it was a decade ago, there was still a lot to like about it and it was a fun place to be as a young guy. I criticize SF because I want to love it, not because I hate it. As much as there's also a lot to criticize about places like New York and Los Angeles (my hometown), they really have nothing on San Francisco in terms of social issues. Yeah, LA probably has the largest homeless encampments, but in my whole life I've rarely or never have seen what can be seen in SF. SF is the only city in America I've been to so far that's featured drug use in public parks during broad daylight, huge packs of rats running around, fentanyl zombies that actually resemble fictional zombies, elevators covered in urine, poop smeared on walkways and walls, gutters overflowing with rotten restaurant food, gangs spraying graffiti with bystanders around and no fear of being caught, and of course public displays of nudity (and occasionally other distasteful displays). It's really amazing what the human mind can be conditioned to accept. We can become accustomed to anything.
- lhorie 5y ago
  > gangs spraying graffiti with bystanders around and no fear of being caught For the record, they do try to crack down on those. I witnessed a couple of pissed off cops coming down on some kids doing graffiti at Battery Crosby last month. The nudity thing seems mostly tied to some pockets of the LGBTQ+ community, my impression is that people generally don't want to criticize it out of respect for freedom of expression for those communities. The drug abuse and rampant theft in broad daylight though are definitely disturbing though, for sure.
- hintymad 5y ago
  > but in my whole life I've rarely or never have seen what can be seen in SF. I was wondering if that had to do with the profit chain of helping the homeless. The city spent $1.1B on homeless for year 2021-2022. I'd assume many people want the government to spend like that: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-has-an-unprecedented-1-1-billion-to-spend-16318448.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-has-an-unpre...
- enimodas 5y ago
  There was a video going around recently of Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia with a lot of fentanyl zombies.
dfxm12 5y ago
It seems funny that there's many downvotes to responses in these threads. Says the top reply to the top comment of the thread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

thefourthchime 5y ago

I lived there 10 years ago. Back then it was bad but manageable. I used to park my motorcycle on the street and once a month it would barely start. It was because someone busted off the top of my spark plug to use as a crack pipe. My wife and I just visited, the parts that were bad parts are worse, and the nice parts still seemed fine.

ravenstine 5y ago

Although it's sorta not in line with the HN rules to introduce downvotes as a conversation topic, I'll just say that mere observation of the problems in SF used to face way more downvoting. I was not a popular guy years ago when I was honest about why I promptly left SF after finishing school there. Now I get upvoted when I talk about SF because it's all out in the open so much that mainstream news articles discuss the crime, the urban decay, the feces, the drug use in broad daylight, the homelessness, etc. Those left who are still apologizing for SF have either never experienced anything else or are in denial. Trust me, it breaks my heart the extent to which SF has let itself go. As bad as it was a decade ago, there was still a lot to like about it and it was a fun place to be as a young guy. I criticize SF because I want to love it, not because I hate it. As much as there's also a lot to criticize about places like New York and Los Angeles (my hometown), they really have nothing on San Francisco in terms of social issues. Yeah, LA probably has the largest homeless encampments, but in my whole life I've rarely or never have seen what can be seen in SF. SF is the only city in America I've been to so far that's featured drug use in public parks during broad daylight, huge packs of rats running around, fentanyl zombies that actually resemble fictional zombies, elevators covered in urine, poop smeared on walkways and walls, gutters overflowing with rotten restaurant food, gangs spraying graffiti with bystanders around and no fear of being caught, and of course public displays of nudity (and occasionally other distasteful displays). It's really amazing what the human mind can be conditioned to accept. We can become accustomed to anything.

lhorie 5y ago
> gangs spraying graffiti with bystanders around and no fear of being caught For the record, they do try to crack down on those. I witnessed a couple of pissed off cops coming down on some kids doing graffiti at Battery Crosby last month. The nudity thing seems mostly tied to some pockets of the LGBTQ+ community, my impression is that people generally don't want to criticize it out of respect for freedom of expression for those communities. The drug abuse and rampant theft in broad daylight though are definitely disturbing though, for sure.
hintymad 5y ago
> but in my whole life I've rarely or never have seen what can be seen in SF. I was wondering if that had to do with the profit chain of helping the homeless. The city spent $1.1B on homeless for year 2021-2022. I'd assume many people want the government to spend like that: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-has-an-unprecedented-1-1-billion-to-spend-16318448.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-has-an-unpre...
enimodas 5y ago
There was a video going around recently of Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia with a lot of fentanyl zombies.

dfxm12 5y ago

It seems funny that there's many downvotes to responses in these threads. Says the top reply to the top comment of the thread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯