13 ms·
Federal agency tells SF workers to work from home due to unsafe conditions
- freedude 3y agoFederal Agency Tells SF Workers to Work From Home Due to Unsafe Conditions Outside Federal Building
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- mbg721 3y agoWell, of course; inside the Federal Building it's perfectly safe and cozy.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- freedude 3y agoThe article states the above as the title. Unfortunately, this is too long for HN so I truncated the unnecessary words and made a post with the actual title per the style guides. That said, your point is well taken in that I would hope inside the building would be safer.
- lost_tourist 3y agoFeral Buildings?
- local_issues 3y agoSo far, 1 comment and it's apologia. Step 1 to fixing your problems is to admitting they exist, and that they're your fault.
- mickdeek86 3y agoHe merely completed the article's published title...
- bluepod4 3y agoHow embarrassing. > Step 1 to fixing your problems is to admitting they exist, and that they're your fault. The (situational) irony.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago> How embarrassing. Or was it brilliant?
- bluepod4 3y agoComically so
- housemusicfan 3y agoWaiting for someone to inevitably proclaim "I walk through the Tenderloin every day and have never felt unsafe," eh?
- hn8305823 3y agoI've walked through the downtown of most major cities in the US, day and night, and the only one I've ever genuinely felt unsafe in is SF. Being "street smart" and constantly aware of your surroundings/situation will get you through most cities just fine but there is something utterly unpredictable about the street scene in SF that makes this strategy unworkable. It's basically one step above total Mad Max Anarchy.
- lockhouse 3y agoNo, don’t be ridiculous. The obvious solution is to move to another state and continue to vote for the same policies that made you leave in the first place.
- CoastalCoder 3y agoI have some strong, contentious views on this that I'd like to subject to a good debate. I.e., "tell me why I'm wrong..." But I know HN isn't a great forum for emotional topics like that. Any suggestions for where I can have that kind of discussion online?
- stemlord 3y agolesswrong.com maybe Hn is a great forum for it though, all things considered.
- spencerflem 3y agoI wish it wasn't though. I come here for tech news, if I want politics I talk with my friends. This place has some pretty frustrating opinions.
- brvsft 3y agoYep, like this one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37141370 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37141370
- spencerflem 3y agoHence why i wish there was less politics here. They're bait for annoying comments, mine included. Me & u would both be happier if we didn't have to be frustrated by eachother
- mistermann 3y agoWell I find great joy and fascination in what happened in the last 3 messages of this conversation.....it feels rather novel. Is the inverse of frustration fascination?
- tekla 3y agoHN is a tech worker bubble. It's a terrible forum for these kinds of topics
- 72f988bf 3y agoBack in 2021, Seattle's courthouse introduced armed escorts for the same reason. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/king-county-courthouse-safety-concerns-seattle-security/281-efbd6d5b-9184-4ecc-b91b-6a0aa5017831 https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/king-county-courtho... Not sure if it's still going on today.
- housemusicfan 3y ago[flagged]
- GauntletWizard 3y ago[flagged]
- phlipski 3y agoCare to expound upon how this is Pelosi's fault? Or how it in any way relates to her legacy? Try and use logic and facts if possible.
- awel24t 3y ago[dead]
- therealdkz 3y agoand preferably citation
- klipklop 3y agoShe is one of the most powerful people in the country or even world. She has a lot of influence that could fix this...yet that does not happen. If you are as "up there" as Pelosi and you still have no ability to change the district you run for election out of, who does?
- mickdeek86 3y agoSo is the Pope, who also does not set policy in the municipality of San Francisco. To reply to your question: the mayor and city council (which is a group of humans, a species which is famously given to disagreement between individual members) of San Francisco have some power to improve the situation, but even they have precious few examples of cities to have attracted and generated tremendous wealth without also having tremendous poverty and depravity, frequently sited literally across the street from said wealth. What US cities have done so humanely?
- dventimi 3y agoSF voters don't get to vote for or against the Pope.
- NotYourLawyer 3y ago[flagged]
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- convolvatron 3y agoWhich policies?
- brvsft 3y agoAny and all policies that made SF a comfortable and welcoming place for the homeless to live, specifically chronically homeless people who have no desire to sincerely receive help that might lead to a job and a normal life. Oakland and Berkeley across the bay have similar problems.
- NotYourLawyer 3y agoLet’s start with this one: https://www.hoover.org/research/why-shoplifting-now-de-facto-legal-california https://www.hoover.org/research/why-shoplifting-now-de-facto...
- vuln 3y ago$687 bucks a month to do drugs in open air markets in the tenderloin. https://www.sfhsa.org/services/financial-assistance/county-adult-assistance-programs-caap/caap-benefits https://www.sfhsa.org/services/financial-assistance/county-a... This article is from March of 2022 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10498607/amp/San-Francisco-homeless-man-says-gets-paid-620-month.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10498607/amp/San-Fr... Here is a comment from an HN user in 2019. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19942653 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19942653
- dventimi 3y agoThese policies: https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/13/16771912/mayor-ed-lee-san-francisco-silicon-valley-tech-jobs https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/13/16771912/mayor-ed-lee-sa...
- whalesalad 3y agoI used to live on the same block. Absolute disaster zone down at street level.
- brvsft 3y agoHad to double check where this was. I saw a man kick a pigeon to death right in front of the Federal building. Definitely one of the more depraved things I've seen in my years. Good luck to everyone who still lives in SF.
- threeseed 3y agoWould add that many cities around the world are struggling with an increase in homelessness and drug use. So whilst SF has its own issues it is far from unique. The rise in global inflation, decreasing home affordability and stagnant wages has resulted in more people struggling.
- hollywood_court 3y agoI believe the situation in SF is rather unique relative to anywhere else in North America. Even PDX isn’t that bad.
- cscurmudgeon 3y agoDo cities in Western Europe and Nordic countries also have this issue? I frequently hear they have excellent social support that prevents this. But, I haven't seen data either way.
- threeseed 3y agoI don't know the full extent of the issue in San Francisco. But there is an increase across not just Western Europe but Australia, Canada etc. And not just homelessness and drug use but upstream factors like inequality, poverty, cost of living etc. So many people have been living on the poverty line that it doesn't take much to push people over.
- simple-thoughts 3y agoAdvanced Asian cities which combine rapid zero tolerance policing with the resulting social conformity don’t have these issues. There has been a rise in drug abuse but it tends to stay out of the public view, again due to policing. I remember visiting nyc and seeing people shooting up in the street while the police were watching. Obviously the problem is lack of enforcement- and if petty crimes aren’t enforced even with just small punishments, then more serious crimes accelerate.
- BaseballPhysics 3y ago> if petty crimes aren’t enforced even with just small punishments, then more serious crimes accelerate. For readers who run across this, this is referred to as the Broken window theory: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory And despite the commenter stating it as fact, both here and elsewhere, the idea is very much controversial, and far from proven.
- rhuru 3y ago[flagged]
- spencerflem 3y agoThis is gross
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Redoubts 3y agoWhy?
- rhuru 3y agoSeriously why ?
- wonderwonder 3y agoSeems like it resolved the immediate issue. Store owner did not lose thousands of $ for which he said he was not insured. Perp. was not killed and was able to walk away. Optimally he learned his lesson, especially regarding threatening people with a knife (real or not). Proper resolution should have been the perp. arrest, conviction and incarceration but thats hard to get in SF.
- rhuru 3y agoIt was in Stockton. The city initially mulled over charging the store owner but some of us stepped in and made it very clear that the store owner will have the best defense team money and can buy and wide coverage. The city then complete backed off.
- hollywood_court 3y agoI’m a rather progressive individual but I recognize that violence is the ultimate authority in this world. SF is what happens when individuals are encouraged to not defend themselves or their property. Edit: I’m not sure why I’m being downvoted. Leverage is the most important thing in this world and in our society. And there is no greater leverage than violence or threats of violence. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is.
- drewda 3y agoInstead of joining in on the argument here, I'll just add the the SF Federal Building itself is somewhat architecturally interesting and contentious. Here's an initial review: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/new-federal-building-open-to-the-public-3191225.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/new-federal-building-... And a reappraisal: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/10-years-later-flashy-Federal-Building-falls-11292655.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/10-years-later-f... I believe this building is one of many commissionned under the GSA's design excellence program, which has produced a really adventurous range of buildings by American architects across the country: https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/design-excellence-program/design-library https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/desi... Finally, the building was designed by the lead architect named Thom Mayne. Of his other work, Id also recommend the Caltrans district headquarters in LA: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrans_District_7_Headquarters https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrans_District_7_Headquar... Love it or hate it, I think all can agree that this is stimulating architecture compared to most office buildings.
- nicolashahn 3y agoA few months ago the Supreme Court forced CA counties to begin issuing concealed carry weapon permits: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/legal-alert-oag-2022-03.pdf https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/legal-alert-oag-2022-0.... Previously it was up to the discretion of the county's sheriff to issue them, which meant only well-connected people had them. More armed citizens isn't the ultimate solution (people need mental and financial help) but it's better than the current situation.
- Rebelgecko 3y agoI think even with a CCW it's a big no-no to carry in a federal building, so it wouldn't help these folks
- xwdv 3y agoYes it would, you can valet your gun before entering.
- Rebelgecko 3y agoWhere/how? Do they have outdoor gun valets? Is the valet an FFL, is there a 10d waiting period when transferring back? How does that work at locations like post offices or the VA, where it's illegal to carry just in the parking lot?
- arcticbull 3y agoThere is no reason whatsoever to think that's a better situation than the current one. Different, sure. [edit] A better situation would be if they cleaned this disaster zone up.
- nicolashahn 3y agoThe city has consistently shown they're unwilling to do this. Getting a CCW is something you as a citizen can do now. Personally, I'm in favor of having an option other than being a victim.
- Simulacra 3y agoPerhaps SF could review a housing first policy to get people off the street ?
- laichzeit0 3y agoIs it something specific to SF and the policies made there? Clearly this doesn’t happen in all states, so what are they doing right that doesn’t lead to this type of degeneracy?
- nicolashahn 3y agoOther cities aren't paying drug addicts to shoot up on the streets, and actually take action against drug dealers, which SF refuses to do.
- proc0 3y agoThey're not enforcing the laws. I lived there for many years before the pandemic and it became clear the police and the city were prioritizing the drug addicts and criminals on the streets over tax paying citizens. My theory is that those in power acquired a certain perspective of human nature that says that people are inherently good and only commit violent crime because of the economic system that we have (plus other grievances). As a result it becomes unjust and cruel to punish anyone and put them in prison or removing them from society, even if they committed acts of violence repeatedly.