I’ve lived in the Bay Area most of my adult life and the crown jewel is San Francisco. Rich in history, rich in aggregate wealth, the most expensive housing market in the nation. Tourists from all over the world come to The City by the Bay. So why is it such a dump?
Used needles and human feces are found littering downtown San Francisco as infectious disease expert warns the area is becoming dirtier than some slums in India and Brazil.
It gets worse;
How dirty is San Francisco? An NBC Bay Area Investigation reveals a dangerous mix of drug needles, garbage, and feces across a 153-block stretch of downtown San Francisco.
As the Investigative Unit photographed nearly a dozen hypodermic needles scattered across one block, a group of preschool students happened to walk by on their way to an afternoon field trip to city hall.
“We see poop, we see pee, we see needles, and we see trash,” said teacher Adelita Orellana. “Sometimes they ask what is it, and that’s a conversation that’s a little difficult to have with a 2-year old, but we just let them know that those things are full of germs, that they are dangerous, and they should never be touched.”
Not exactly the image the city wants promulgated to potential tourists and their expendable cash. But wait, no car parked on city streets is safe either. 85 break-ins on average a day and the cops don’t even come to take a report.
I know it is a cliche, a talking point to connect liberal policies with societal ills. The argument made is that each city has its now-unique set of problems, and this is probably true, to a point. But attitudes about police involvement, what laws the city elders want ignored, what approach to take with drug abuse, indecent exposure, are erratic even when it comes to dangerous behavior in public. Each city creates polices within its boundaries, shaped by their belief as to what the citizens who live there want. For San Francisco it has created a filthy, dangerous, crime infested city that only the truly deluded could find appealing.
We used to go into The City around Christmastime but that was years ago. Now between the nightmare of parking, the not-so-appealing smells, and all of the “interesting” characters walking around that appear menacing, we spend our casual time in other Bay Area locales.
It’s sad, really, because I have so many fond memories of it from when I was growing up; a genuine affinity still requires me to call this place home and hope for a much-needed rehabilitation. Silicon Valley has brought great prosperity and wealth to the Bay Area. The funds are here to make this place great again. Of course, this requires that those in power have the vision to actually see a problem. I’m not sure on this.
