Glass breaking, lightening up on enforcing laws and gun theft

[Kukuforguns]

You've got love the SF way of thinking. Burglary and theft aren't serious crimes, but being a victim of burglary or theft should be.

SF doesn't deserve all the blame. The problems may be worse in SF, but several of the issues identified by AMC are statewide. Prison overcrowding was so bad that Federal Courts required California to improve conditions. California chose to improve conditions by decreasing the prison population by transferring low level offenders to county jails, who in turn release inmates quickly.

Nor is SF completely without redeeming qualities. SF has good public transportation, great restaurants, and easy access to beautiful scenery. On the other hand, it is expensive, has a homeless problem (when I lived in SF, homeless used the fountain in the UN Plaza as a public urinal; I hated walking by on windy days because the wind would blow the water at you and you could smell the urine), and significant violent crime. I lived in the Tenderloin neighborhood of SF (20 years ago). I could hear gun shots with some regularity from my apartment. Some friends and I asked a taxi driver if there were any neighborhoods he wouldn't drive -- he said "no, but if there were it would be where I'm taking you [i.e., the Tenderloin]."

[HCM]

SF doesn't deserve all the blame. The problems may be worse in SF, but several of the issues identified by AMC are statewide. Prison overcrowding was so bad that Federal Courts required California to improve conditions. California chose to improve conditions by decreasing the prison population by transferring low level offenders to county jails, who in turn release inmates quickly.

Nor is SF completely without redeeming qualities. SF has good public transportation, great restaurants, and easy access to beautiful scenery. On the other hand, it is expensive, has a homeless problem (when I lived in SF, homeless used the fountain in the UN Plaza as a public urinal; I hated walking by on windy days because the wind would blow the water at you and you could smell the urine), and significant violent crime. I lived in the Tenderloin neighborhood of SF (20 years ago). I could hear gun shots with some regularity from my apartment. Some friends and I asked a taxi driver if there were any neighborhoods he wouldn't drive -- he said "no, but if there were it would be where I'm taking you [i.e., the Tenderloin]."

I thought only Asian Gang Members, Paroled Sex Offenders and Tranny hookers lived in the Tenderloin......

[AMC]

HCM that's a gross over simplification....Parolees of all sorts live in the 'Loin.

In all seriousness, California is engaged in a grand, and certifiably insane, experiment. Basic reasoning skills and math seem to be beyond our voting population. The thinking seems to be..."If we lessen or eliminate the penalties for antisocial or criminal behavior...we'll get less antisocial and criminal behavior!" Between the Public Safety Realignment Act, Prop 36, Prop 47, and local stupidity, we've created a situation where the police really can't have any effect on crime. The only thing that influences it at this point is victim behavior. In a city with a lot of clueless hipsters...a lot of crime! In my city, locally known as "Copland" because half of my department lives here, hmmmm....much less crime! The ability of the police to have any measurable affect on these equations is essentially done. We can identify the crooks, we can arrest the crooks....but the crooks ain't going to prison. Hell, they won't do much time in County Jail. And don't think the cops don't realize this, and are beginning to spend their time and energies accordingly. Especially when pressured to bring in stats. John and Jane citizen are gonna start getting tickets, in lieu of the parolee in the dirty car with the expired reg tabs. Priorities.

[Tabasco]

Isn't this basically what happened to NYC in the 70's? Did someone not get the memo? I visited NYC for work in 1999 and 2000. I was amazed how clean it was and with the fact that I was never hit up for spare change once.

I always assumed that my experience in 99-2000 was a result of Mayor Giuliani taking a proactive approach and prosecuting minor offenses, sort of a no tolerance policy helping clean up NYC. No?

[MDS]

I thought only Asian Gang Members, Paroled Sex Offenders and Tranny hookers lived in the Tenderloin......

I spent a lot of good years in SF, and I still enjoy myself thoroughly when I go there. My first apartment out of college was in, ah, Lower Nob Hill, on Bush and Hyde, and we used to smoke cigarettes on the fire-escape-cum-balcony and heckle the cops when they'd round up the tranny hookers, every few Wednesdays around 8pm. Everyone was a good sport about it, including the cops, but that was during the first dot-com boom, and the city had lots of money to plaster over the systemic issues. It used to be that the drugs, hookers, and property crime were very contained to certain neighborhoods, but I hear that things are getting bad in traditionally "safe" enclaves like Nob Hill and Pacific Heights. Shocking, really, how the issue has traction in exact proportion to how much unpleasantness spills over into the nicer neighborhoods...

Anyway, I can't agree with the underlying wolrd-view but I love that there's a place for people who share that world-view can live it first-hand. I know it was an education for me in my youth.

[Kukuforguns]

I thought only Asian Gang Members, Paroled Sex Offenders and Tranny hookers lived in the Tenderloin......

I don't recall the Asian gang members. And, I can't swear that none of the hookers were women.

[rsa-otc]

Say what you want but we have seen a large decrease in violent crime since the mid 90's. It started right after the get tough on crime bills passed during that time. Was this a coincidence? I think not. Now we are rushing to decriminalize/roll back much of these 1990's reforms. I think we will know where this is going to end; hell we are already seeing increases in violent crime in jurisdictions that are soft peddling.

[HCM]

I don't recall the Asian gang members. And, I can't swear that none of the hookers were women.

Specifically South East Asians, Vietnamese, Cambodians and a sprinkling of Laotians. Some of the hookers might have been women who identify as men but dress as women......

I'm pretty sure the 'Loin was George Lucas's inspiration for the " wretched hive of scum and villainy" line in Star Wars. There are more dangerous neighborhoods in SF and the East Bay but the 'Loin was the sleaziest.

[Kukuforguns]

There are more dangerous neighborhoods in SF and the East Bay but the 'Loin was the sleaziest.

As a straight guy, I felt much more comfortable in Castro than in the Tenderloin. The guys in chaps (and nothing else) were clean and well groomed. I felt unclean just sharing the same street as the hookers in the Tenderloin.

[HCM]

As a straight guy, I felt much more comfortable in Castro than in the Tenderloin. The guys in chaps (and nothing else) were clean and well groomed. I felt unclean just sharing the same street as the hookers in the Tenderloin.

I was thinking more Hunters Point / Bayview re: actual Danger. Maybe parts of the Mission at night - good food there though.