San Fransisco is Collapsing while Nero (Newsome) fiddles.

[bigsky]

In or out, severe drug addiction and mental illnesses are 70% of the homeless issue. The “homeless industrial complex” would have you believe greedy capitalists priced housing out of reach. But none of these 70% have an employment history, have credit, or pass an interview sufficient to rent, much less buy even the least expensive housing. Probably only 5-9% of urban campers could qualify to rent from a property management company in Bozeman. Single digits percentage.

[MickintheHam]

In or out, severe drug addiction and mental illnesses are 70% of the homeless issue. The “homeless industrial complex” would have you believe greedy capitalists priced housing out of reach. But none of these 70% have an employment history, have credit, or pass an interview sufficient to rent, much less buy even the least expensive housing. Probably only 5-9% of urban campers could qualify to rent from a property management company in Bozeman. Single digits percentage.

The Homeless Industrial Complex is not seeking Affordable Housing. They want FREE Housing. They just take every opportunity to bash Capitalism.

[dan_bgblue]

It's like Portland died

[dan_bgblue]

Migrants overwhelm Midtown Manhattan sidewalks: 'Absolutely out of control'

[dan_bgblue]

Oakland does not want to be left out of the homeless, drug infested, lawless. California news. They appear to be striving to be #1 for irresponsible behavior.

Recently, people have been flocking to "Fentanyl Island" a patch of land between 7th St. and Brush St. in West Oakland which Scott describes as an open-air drug market that is home to dozens of burned-out vehicles. "They're coming here for the safe and easy access to their drug of choice and the ability to also steal to support those habits, because there's no rule of law."

The homeless population in Oakland more than doubled from 2015 to 2022, growing to over 5,000, according to city data. In Alameda County, where Oakland is located, homelessness has similarly ballooned, growing to 9,700 in last year, county data show.

Linkage

[CitizenBBN]

This person is a San Fran native, and writer, and has a very different view on the city from Stu:

https://www.curbed.com/2023/05/san-f...=pocket-newtab

He mentions some positives, but a lot of negatives. Fundamentally if you incentivize drug addiction, homelessness and theft, you'll get them. It's not rocket science, but leftists think they are just thinking at some higher plain of existence. The problem is the people they paint as helpless misunderstood victims are thinking like normal people.

Combine this with an economy that is based on tech, which is now remote and leaving their downtown empty, and you have a recipe for long term disaster.

[dan_bgblue]

That is a perfect tale of dysfunctionality.

[Catonahottinroof]

65K residents have left San Francisco since 2020
https://sfstandard.com/2023/03/31/sa...andemic-covid/

[CitizenBBN]

Remember though folks, you heard it here first, ALL IS WELL! in San Francisco

...

https://www.foxnews.com/media/major-...ilized-conduct


Yep, no biggie as long as you are just used to big city livin'.

[dan_bgblue]

Rep Kiley says San Francisco crime is 'so out of control' that employees are instructed not to drive to work

Linkage

[dan_bgblue]

Liberals in LA having a field day


As the City of Los Angeles struggled to reduce pedestrian deaths after its deadliest year in decades, state lawmakers have repealed jaywalking laws in the name of equity. And one high-profile prosecutor questioned whether the new rules are saving any lives.

So far this year, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, the city is on track to see a reduction from 2022's 20-year high in pedestrian fatalities. But nearly three-quarters of the deaths involved potential jaywalkers.

[dan_bgblue]

New York Democrats fear looming political 'disaster' over migrant crisis: 'Ticking time bomb'

Linkage

The sanctuary city idea works great as long as it is happening to someone else's city.

[dan_bgblue]

San Francisco business owner says media have 'no idea' how bad homeless crisis is: 'Apocalyptic'

Linkage

[dan_bgblue]

After 165 years of opening it's doors in San Francisco, Gumps seriously examining a move out of San Francisco and Cali entirely.

It's a sad state of affairs. I spoke to a customer today who's come to us for 50 consecutive Christmases and who won't come back because the city is in a difficult and awfully dirty condition. Our business is a business that people love and people want to come in to San Francisco, want to come visit a store, but if you can't get around and when you're trying to walk the streets you step over needles and human waste and often bodies on the streets, it makes it an unworkable business environment.

Linkage

[CitizenBBN]

New York Democrats fear looming political 'disaster' over migrant crisis: 'Ticking time bomb'

Linkage

The sanctuary city idea works great as long as it is happening to someone else's city.

The Martha's Vineyard response was so very classic. Probably not 2 Republicans in that entire community, but as soon as these "great unwashed masses" showed up instead of opening their largely empty homes to them they had the national guard show up and take them to a military base and off their little island paradise. They claimed they lack the resources. They are the richest enclave in the US and had like 40 people show up. They put on dinner parties for more than that. The could have easily housed 40 or so people in just their back yard guest cottages. That island is so short of food it can't handle 40 more people? 100?

Has anything better highlighted the hypocrisy of the Left? They lament the homelessness and illegal immigration they have caused through their failed ideology, and their solution is to move into gated communities with private security or off to hard to reach islands and then pat themselves on their backs at their $1,000 a plate charity event for their compassion. Leaving lower and middle class America to deal with the mess.

[MickintheHam]

The Martha's Vineyard response was so very classic. Probably not 2 Republicans in that entire community, but as soon as these "great unwashed masses" showed up instead of opening their largely empty homes to them they had the national guard show up and take them to a military base and off their little island paradise. They claimed they lack the resources. They are the richest enclave in the US and had like 40 people show up. They put on dinner parties for more than that. The could have easily housed 40 or so people in just their back yard guest cottages. That island is so short of food it can't handle 40 more people? 100?

Has anything better highlighted the hypocrisy of the Left? They lament the homelessness and illegal immigration they have caused through their failed ideology, and their solution is to move into gated communities with private security or off to hard to reach islands and then pat themselves on their backs at their $1,000 a plate charity event for their compassion. Leaving lower and middle class America to deal with the mess.

Citizens of Marthas Vinyard (COMV) should have done what democrats everywhere do, Raise Taxes!

[bigsky]

So the jaywalking laws are being re-instituted in some cities for a specific reason. Scamming bums walking in traffic and getting hit to get a payday. It was so bad downtown in one AZ city they made it a jailing offense to jaywalk and cause an accident even if the offender was hurt.

[CitizenBBN]

So the jaywalking laws are being re-instituted in some cities for a specific reason. Scamming bums walking in traffic and getting hit to get a payday. It was so bad downtown in one AZ city they made it a jailing offense to jaywalk and cause an accident even if the offender was hurt.

It's happening in lexington. I don't know that it's a scam but we have more pedestrians hit and it's basically homeless drug addicts just wandering into oncoming traffic. They cross regardless of the lights or flow of traffic on major roads like New Circle. Often at night with dark clothing, impossible to see until it's too late. I've watched some not even break stride and just keep walking.

High or don't care or a scam, all the same result. The city lowered speed limits in part due to those increased pedestrian accidents, but the speed isn't the issue. At any speed you can't avoid someone who just walks right out into traffic on a major road.

[dan_bgblue]

We went thru a similar scam issue in BG a few years ago with auto collision fraud. Gypsies were creating auto accidents and faking injuries to compound the auto damage. It was like a demolition derby around here for a couple of years. City council finally worked with law enforcement to put up traffic cameras at the most popular collision zones and citizens wised up to the tactics, and the gypsies packed up and created a war zone elsewhere.

[bigsky]

In the context of these street people zones, tough jaywalking laws removes yet another way to finance the drug fueled jamboree.

[ukpumacat]

I haven't been on the board in a bit (traveling, work, family visiting, off-season, hurricane, etc) and I haven't been on this particular forum in ages. I clicked on it just because of the Republican debate tomorrow night and was curious where some of my Republican friends stood on the primary election cycle.

I appreciated this thread though. These are topics I care greatly about. Not because I live in California actually. More just because I care about drug abuse, homelessness, mental illness etc. As I've mentioned in the past, I have spent a great many years on boards of non-profits that tried to tackle these very issues.

I am glad to hear Stu's report on San Francisco. I believe him (as I would any of you) when he shares his experience there. And glad to hear it as I also love that city. It has been a few years since I have been there but look forward to going back as it is such a cheap flight from San Diego. I also know we tend to see things through the prism of our experiences/beliefs so others may have a different outlook on the city right now.

It is an interesting time for me personally. I am a classical liberal. I am certainly a social liberal. And my social liberalism outweighs many of my other beliefs when I vote.

But, I also hate what I have seen happen in so many large cities (red and blue ones). The homeless problem is out of control and I could not agree more with Chuck and Bigsky above that 80+% of it is not related to housing prices. Some is. But there are really good programs for them. If you are clean....there are a myriad of programs to help you get on your feet. End of story. And if someone says differently they are either just ignorant of what exists or lying. Granted, I cannot speak for every city....but in California, there is tons of help. If you are clean.

I also hate the laws on theft. And I believe they will change soon. I also believe you will see more and more liberal cities bring back a much stronger police presence. It is already happening in Los Angeles. You will see it elsewhere. It is obvious that the pendulum swung too far after the BLM stuff and I think you are seeing people in liberal cities admitting that now.

I live in San Diego which is a much more moderate city politically. We often have a Republican (albeit moderate) Mayor. But even when we have a Democratic Mayor they always tend to be more moderate. This is a city that leans left but that is incredibly practical. And even though it is a "big city" people vote primarily for their "Small town". People who live in Ocean Beach are as passionate about that city as any other small town in America. And vote that way.
I like to call it a liberal city with a brain.
We lost the Chargers because the people simply refused to pay for a stadium for a billionaire. Several times. We voted on it and simply refused.

They have done ok with the homeless issue here. They have cleaned up many many areas and they never allow any area to become a "Tent city" for very long. They have moved them out of almost all touristy areas basically. Which is fine. It is better than other large cities. But it is cosmetic imo. If you know where to look you will find streets and streets of them.
Yes, some of that is policy. There are plenty of social services here that feed, etc. A lot of is weather. If I was homeless, I would live here as well. Some of that is charity. They go where people fund them.
Most of it is $ and drugs. Fentanyl is EVERYWHERE. And it is dirt cheap. We are close to the border where it is even cheaper.

Sorry for the long post.....but it is just something I care a lot about.

I have someone very close to me. I will leave out more details. But very close. His story/experience is a great example of the problem.

Three months ago he was living by himself in a 4 bedroom home about 5 minutes from me. He was making $500,000 a year. He had over a million in the bank. He's in his 30's. He's struggled with drugs off and on his whole life. He has a great support system in family and friends. He started using again about two years ago. No one noticed at first. He kept on working and making money. He wasn't using the worst stuff....but bad enough.
He put a huge amount of his money in the crypto market. And when it crashed he lost a lot. And he turned back to the worst stuff (Heroin). And then his business slowly started to fall apart as he began not showing up as much. And soon he lost all of his customers and all of his income. When his money ran out he found Fentanyl. It is cheaper and far stronger. Yes, even than Heroin.
That is the part that people missed during all of the hysteria about dying if you touched it (you won't). It is multiple times stronger than heroin and FAR cheaper. That is why it is everywhere right now.
His life unraveled and he lost everything. His car. His business. His house.

I spent two weeks cleaning his place. I cannot describe what I saw. Moved his stuff in storage. While he was comatose on a mattress. And finally moved him into a detox. He lasted 3 days before he left. I've driven him to two more. He's too depressed at what he's lost to be sober. He has no desire. And if he doesn't want it all of our wanting is in vain.
It is horrifying to watch it happen.

He has now joined the thousands of others on the streets. The tools and way out is there. But he would rather be high. He's depressed and has trauma he's never properly dealt with and no politics will change that.

Last week he was arrested. He did what most do which is turn to crime to pay for their habit. They can't work. No one would hire them and frankly they couldn't last 8 hours. So crime it is.
He was arrested for two felonies and a few misdemeanors.
We celebrated. Best thing that could have ever happened to him. He may not want to go to detox but now he would be forced to be clean. And once sober....maybe we could reason with him again.

And then 72 hours later they released him. Back to the streets. Back to the dirt cheap, mind-altering, emotion numbing drugs. A pill is cheaper than a craft beer. Literally. You can go numb for hours for a measly $10.

His story is like thousands of others. Housing is not his issue. He's had that. Jobs are not the issue.

Our courts and jails are simply overrun right now and him getting caught with Fake ID's and drug paraphernalia is nothing to them. The mental wards of the past have simply been replaced by the jails and prisons of today.
Good.
If they want to clean up the streets don't put a bandaid on the problem by moving them out of the tourist areas.

Change the Drug Laws. This is simply my opinion but Meth, Heroin and Fentanyl should be in their own class. Jail the hell out of them. (It is insane to me that ecstasy, mushrooms and LSD are Schedule 1 drugs and Fentanyl is a Schedule 2 drug. That is preposterous. Ask Stu....he just got back from a Dead concert....haha).

Make the possession and distribution of that new level of narcotic an even more severe crime.

Drug test every arrest. If they have one of those immediately send them to Drug Court, deny bail and make it a 12 month sentence. Their friends and family will love you for it.

Make crime a crime again. And make it hurt enough where the pain of the sentence is greater than the benefit of the crime.

And none of what I am saying above is as a Trumper or Republican who is distanced from it all and has no heart. I am saying it because I do. Because my heart breaks for every single one of those people on the street.
Drug court would be the best thing to happen to most of them. It is a forced detox that includes therapy, etc. It won't fix it all but it would help.

That is what I am actively doing in my own city. I am a liberal at my core and will continue to vote that way. AND I will fight for all I have said above. And I will continue to petition, write, vote and champion the fact that a liberal can be both.

Again, sorry for how long that was. I think I posted that mostly for me. It's been a very long and hard few months. Likely going to be a lot more.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Again, sorry for how long that was. I think I posted that mostly for me. It's been a very long and hard few months. Likely going to be a lot more.

Appreciate the post. I'm not the best person in the world. But I'm good listener (reader).

[kingcat]

A good friend of mine was talking to his cousin (more like a brother to him) and asked how his wife and he were doing. He said things were awesome and proceeded to tell him of his big business plans and so forth. Financial success was guaranteed. My friend knew he was an addict and had disappeared basically so he inquired where he lived so he could stop and visit some.

Finally he told him he and his wife lived in a pup tent under a bridge in Louisville. No car, scrounging for money, and thought he was “cooking with gas”

The man is a good sort and was relatively successful prior to a few years ago.

[bigsky]

“Ask Stu....he just got back from a Dead concert....haha)” I admit to some feelings of being left out here.

Puma’s friend’s story and kingcat’s friend’s story are all too usual. The drug issue. The mental health issue stretches back forever and the end of asylums meant the beginning of mental health crisis. I have a close friend whose brother has been missing since the 1970s. All that time the occasional popup arrest & then back disappearing under the overpass.

Those are the “storage units for humans” candidates. Send social services to the storage units once a week

20% maybe just find it cheaper to live in a cam Er and crap in the weeds. They need to be absolutely dissuaded and criminalized.

Third group needs both clean and sober housing seen as a better alternative to getting rousted every 3 days and social services to help now and a path later. A temp Housing situation with an address and contact info for the job applications.

The current situation can continue into anarchy , but obviously should not.

[CitizenBBN]

Puma, I'm very sorry for your situation, and his, but I think that is an outstanding post that goes right to the heart of things.

Here's the thing that, as a Libertarian/Conservative, I have almost never been able to get my more liberal friends to understand: Wanting to practice tough love does not mean I do not care about people. It means I want to do what it takes to really help people, even if that is to be hard on them.

Would anyone let their child in their home behave the way we allow the homeless to behave? Your friend? No, if we cared about them like we do our kids we would forcibly place them in rehab and get them clean and then work to try to make them productive, adjusted members of society.

We would do that for our child when they are a minor and we have that power, but we wont' do that for your friend. No for him we just put him back out there. We throw money at social services he cannot and will not take advantage of b/c he's an addict, but we do nothing as a society to take real action.

The solution is simple enough: we need to have the legal power to arrest people like him, take him before a judge and have him judged a harm to himself and others and placed by force of law in a rehab facility and ordered to stay there until clean, then on probation, etc. To basically compel him to join society in some fashion.

That would be the compassionate answer. that's why you celebrated at his arrest. That's why we are failing and have this problem, b/c the arrest meant nothing.

that arrest needs results at the end of it, and the solution is sobriety.

We caused this problem in part when we shut down our mental hospitals. I'm not suggesting we go back to the awful ones, but yes we need those in this society. There are those who are simply mentally ill, and those who cannot be kept from addiction without bars and fences.

We spend far more than enough to build and operate those facilities at a very well run, proper level of care. The total number of people we need to house is actually very small comparatively. LA I think is like 7,000 homeless. That's a tiny number of people for a city that size. We can provide whose who need rehab and long term mental care well within the budgets of what we are currently spending on these programs. these programs just have no teeth and are to scattered. Or at least close enough that we are all willing to write that check to solve this problem.

Then we need to deal with the crime. That as you said is also pretty simple. I would argue that we not only build the faciliites needed to do the job, but more important we stop sentencing people to TIME served, but to ACTS achieved.

For example, a recurring thief doesn't care about being sentenced to 30 days or 1 year of jail. Sentence him to a facility where he will stay until he gets his GED and can find gainful employment. That's his sentence. Get an education or work at the facility shop making license plates.

the current Leftist approach, which is NOT the same as being a liberal btw, not even close, is absurd. it's basically anarchy, presumably based on the belief that everyone who steals something is a misunderstood victim of society. They aren't. They are addicts, they are criminals, but the only people misunderstanding them are the LEftists.

It's time for traditional liberals, like puma and many here, and traditional conservatives, and Libertarians, to all stand up against this insanity. There is little disagreement at this point among all three groups that we need to fix this problem. Maybe it's bc of your compassion for the homeless who are suffering, maybe it's b/c you don't want to step over them or be accosted by them, and for most people it's actually both, but we all agree.

The solutions are simple and straightforward, but they are "tough love". They aren't polite. They wont' "feel" compassionate when we start. It doesn't feel compassionate to take your drug addicted child and force them into rehab either, but it's what a good parent would do if their child had become that lost.

We need to be parents. The grown ups in the room. Grown ups, parents, have to make tough decisions that are what's best for children in the long run. It's painful, it hurts as a parent to do it, but you do what is best for the child.

This is that situation. If we really care about doing what is right for people like puma's friend, it would be to accept that as an addict there is no reasoning with him, nor does he have any reason of his own. The only humane option is to use the force of the state to get him clean and sober and then try to help him rebuild a life.

I really am sorry Puma, but I couldn't agree more with your view on this problem or the solution to it. Given our disparate political ideologies I think that says a lot about where this nation can come together on this issue.

[CitizenBBN]

Oh, and I agree 100% on the criminalization of these drugs. This goes to issues like the border (where I am not anti-immigrration at all but where we need to get control over the process and away from the Mexican drug cartels), and absolutely to the classification of these drugs.

It will also get worse, not better, as they come up with more potent and cheaper drugs.

[kingcat]

We need the hippies to come back and lead those who do not want to conform. In many cases it’s a similar movement except the hippie generation was still in touch with the common sense of their mothers and fathers, even in somewhat drug inspired, social rebellion.

The last few generations know little to nothing about survival outside of the societal norm. It’s not that they feel hopeless imo.
It’s that they just survive by waiting on their ship to roll in..just any day.

The Lotto generation. How to help them does not have a perfect answer. The worlds population has exploded to the point such problems are forever magnified and destined to increase.

[bigsky]

That is a good observation. In the old days the people needing a miracle ticket wanted to buy a ticket. Now they want it gifted.

We went to communes where everyone had to work hard to succeed and they fell apart. We left every social convention and family and home and went off in search. Those that survived and succeeded found something within, not without. Independence meant self sufficiency, self direction, choosing and deciding and making it happen.

The kindness of strangers was welcome and appreciated, but those who depended on it failed, just as the speaker in the play.

[ukpumacat]

That is a good observation. In the old days the people needing a miracle ticket wanted to buy a ticket. Now they want it gifted.

We went to communes where everyone had to work hard to succeed and they fell apart. We left every social convention and family and home and went off in search. Those that survived and succeeded found something within, not without. Independence meant self sufficiency, self direction, choosing and deciding and making it happen.

The kindness of strangers was welcome and appreciated, but those who depended on it failed, just as the speaker in the play.

Yes. I am a firm believer in this as well.

The American Community has gone by the wayside in many ways and this youngest generation is a product of that. Their connection is all digital which is a facade. And it has led to a massive increase in mental health issues.

Drugs are not the problem. They are their solution. And until they deal with the problem they will continue to turn to the wrong solutions.

There is a wonderful book on this called, "Bowling Alone". It talks about the different ways people have been a part of community over the decades. Bowling Leagues. Moose Lodges. Neighborhoods. Churches.

Now, for most, those are now non-existent.

I used to always say we had a "Front Porch" society and now we have a back porch society. I am guilty of it as well. We spend all of our time on our back patio surrounded by bamboo that we planted for privacy. Heck, people can get their food and groceries delivered without ever having any face to face contact.

Community is dead for most. And that's a problem. I'm thankful for this one.

[CitizenBBN]

Agree as well puma.

I tell people that humanity is constructing a society in which humans can not live and function. We are genetically wired for social behavior, for certain emotions and needs and social structures like family. Humans have been this way since our inception and we are now building a world that is too fast, too disconnected, too intense, and too isolating for us to be happy or healthy.

We are engineering our own dystopian future. It isn't coming from some outside force like a controlling tyrannical state, we're doing it to ourselves.

I liken it actually to addiction. Addictions prey on our genetics, and our human frailties. The world we are building also caters to those same kinds of frailties and tendencies. It tears down the defense mechanisms we need, the support networks of friends and family, the socialization and the social contract that binds us.

Look at these criminals. They are operating outside the social contract, without respect for others, without empathy and with no desire to have any. We have always had some number of such people in the world, but that number here in the US is increasing dramatically. They grow up playing games where it is sport to shoot innocent people and cops, in a world with little contact with mature social structures, and then they go out and behave exactly as we might expect.

I often think of what life was like when I was a child. so much slower, so much more connected. It had it's downsides, b/c those same social networks also enforced behaviors like being straight, or whatever, but now we have an absence of those networks and it isn't working well at all.

I don't really care for the world humanity is building for itself, and neither does anyone else, though some don't realize it b/c esp. those who are younger have nothing with which to compare.