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San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

city-journal.org

11–20 of 42 posts

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#11

"If San Francisco wanted to give its homeless addicts their best shot at stability, it would go after the open-air drug trade with every possible tool, including immigration law" "Taxpayer subsidies should go to citizens, not individuals who are defying the rule of law." "The tales veer from one confused and improbable situation to the next, against a backdrop of drug use, petty crime, and chaotic child-rearing. Behi…

I don’t think you know what fascism is.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#12

Something annoying about this kind of reporting is that the writer constantly refers to the homeless population as a monolithic group called "the homeless." The writer ascribes all kinds of attitudes and beliefs onto them, ostensibly based on the writer's interactions with homeless people in investigating this story. There's a weird self-fulfilling prophecy going on in which the writer only interacts with homeless pe…

[deleted]

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#13
post #7

San Francisco in 2019 arguably has more wealth concentrated within it than any place at any other time in history. Making poor and mentally ill people sleep on the street is a choice you have made as a society. Places with far, far fewer resources have somehow managed to sort this problem out.

Have you actually been to SF? Nobody makes these people do anything. In any sane polis, you'd institutionalize the ones that require it, and run the rest off. SF's leaders pride themselves on adopting the opposite approach.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#14
post #9
post #7

San Francisco in 2019 arguably has more wealth concentrated within it than any place at any other time in history. Making poor and mentally ill people sleep on the street is a choice you have made as a society. Places with far, far fewer resources have somehow managed to sort this problem out.

What's the solution?

Any variation on "add new housing units," which is something San Francisco seems to be allergic to.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#15
post #9
post #7

San Francisco in 2019 arguably has more wealth concentrated within it than any place at any other time in history. Making poor and mentally ill people sleep on the street is a choice you have made as a society. Places with far, far fewer resources have somehow managed to sort this problem out.

What's the solution?

Spend some of the money on social good.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#16

"If San Francisco wanted to give its homeless addicts their best shot at stability, it would go after the open-air drug trade with every possible tool, including immigration law" "Taxpayer subsidies should go to citizens, not individuals who are defying the rule of law." "The tales veer from one confused and improbable situation to the next, against a backdrop of drug use, petty crime, and chaotic child-rearing. Behi…

I think that while the wealthy doing drugs is bad, arguably, when they do drugs, they can both easily seek help for it, and pay for that help. When the homeless do it, the public health system picks up the tab, and it there are higher barriers for help.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#17
post #9
post #7

San Francisco in 2019 arguably has more wealth concentrated within it than any place at any other time in history. Making poor and mentally ill people sleep on the street is a choice you have made as a society. Places with far, far fewer resources have somehow managed to sort this problem out.

What's the solution?

Free housing, food, and healthcare for every human being. Figure out how they can contribute back to society once they are no longer sleeping at a bus stop.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#18

"If San Francisco wanted to give its homeless addicts their best shot at stability, it would go after the open-air drug trade with every possible tool, including immigration law" "Taxpayer subsidies should go to citizens, not individuals who are defying the rule of law." "The tales veer from one confused and improbable situation to the next, against a backdrop of drug use, petty crime, and chaotic child-rearing. Behi…

>The author presumably has no problem with the wealthy doing drugs, sleeping around, and violating laws

What makes you say that?

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#19
post #9
post #7

San Francisco in 2019 arguably has more wealth concentrated within it than any place at any other time in history. Making poor and mentally ill people sleep on the street is a choice you have made as a society. Places with far, far fewer resources have somehow managed to sort this problem out.

What's the solution?

Build houses for them, for one. Make housing cheaper in the first place, so they don't go on the streets. At a bare minimum, at least have sufficient shelters for them so they don't have to sleep on the streets. (Almost) no one wants to sleep on the street, and San Francisco has more than enough money to make it so they don't have to. Heck, some individual Bay Area companies have enough money for it, not that they would ever spend it on the homeless.

Re: San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless

#20

"If San Francisco wanted to give its homeless addicts their best shot at stability, it would go after the open-air drug trade with every possible tool, including immigration law" "Taxpayer subsidies should go to citizens, not individuals who are defying the rule of law." "The tales veer from one confused and improbable situation to the next, against a backdrop of drug use, petty crime, and chaotic child-rearing. Behi…

You're putting words in her mouth, and you should try living in China or reading more history if you read anything above as remotely resembling fascism.

Also as someone who does not do drugs, I consider it a bigger problem when a homeless person who survives off of government programs does drugs than when an otherwise functional adult does drugs, especially given how much likelier the homeless are to be psychotic and violent.

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