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An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

jonb.org

111–120 of 216 posts

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#111

I also heard you have tent cities in the USA. Seriously guys, stop fighting brown people and start feeding your own people. / Your allies in europe =/

Well we need practice since you guys are starting up your Nazi parties again.

/ Your allies in the US =/

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#112
post #11

This is just me, and my approach to the homeless or destitute, but if someone asks me for money, the answer is some form of no (if I even acknowledge the asker). Yeah, you tell me you're hungry or whatever, but I'm not going to risk participating in your next fix. If they ask me for food , however, it's always a yes, assuming I can do it right then (not late for something, have money or my card on me or whatever). Yo…

Food isn't as fungible as change, but there's still opportunity cost. Each dollar they don't have to spend on food is a dollar that can be spent on drugs instead.

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#113
I live in San Francisco too and I have to say it's OK to just buy the dude a sandwich if you feel bad or go ahead and help them up if they have fallen over instead of just walking by (I'm looking at you startup kids in south park and SOMA). And you know what, screw it, I even give them a five or a ten if I have some cash on me. It sucks being poor and it has to really suck being homeless, possibly drug addicted and maybe mentally ill and I may not be helping in the long run but you know what? They just care about the food or the a couple bucks for whatever and I care about not feeling like a tool walking by a destitute person and doing nothing for them when I know I can make their day a little better with money I'm just going to spend on overpriced coffee.

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#114
post #30

What's remarkable about this is how the poster finds these casual encounters with homelessness "unremarkable". No other western city that I have visited has the massive, in-your-face homelessness as SF. I don't know enough about the causes of this phenomenon in SF to suggest what can be done about it; I'm sure they are complex, multi-factorial and politically fraught, but the level of homelessness in SF and (almost)…

Local law enforcement has told us that, off the books, many East coast cities have actually paid to fly their homeless out of their areas into other parts of the country, California (namely San Francisco) because of their homeless-friendliness. People wonder what happened to all the crime and homeless in NYC? They were flown out west.

While living in Japan, I've heard from numerous sources that Tokyo has gotten in trouble in the past for purchasing one-way bus tickets to Osaka for the homeless. (I'm having trouble finding citations, though.)

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#115
post #26
post #3

I've been homeless. No one in SF is hungry. In a span of a few blocks a person could eat for free 5 or 6 times a day. Money is used for drugs or McDonald's. My advice: don't give anyone money or food. If you want to help, give your time.

As someone who hasn't spent much time in SF but plans to move there very soon and doesn't want to live off of ramen, I genuinely want to know: where does one get those free meals? Edit: namank and iamwill beat me to it.

I've had the thought a few times while going for broke on my startup. The food was totally fine, and the shelters generally safe, but, well, the clientele was not generally people you'd wish to associate with.

Food, even healthy food, can be cheap if you're willing to spend a bit of time preparing. I'd cook a pot of beans before hitting up soup kitchens.

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#116
post #81

For those that haven't been around long enough to remember this being posted here is an article by a guy who experimented with being homeless for a few days... http://www.nevblog.com/category/homeless-experiment/

A similar "homeless experiment" is documented in Adam Shepard's book "Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream." After graduating from college, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina with just $25 and a sleeping bag. He had the systemic advantages of being an educated, white male, but he created a back story about leaving a broken home and did not use any particular skills or contacts from his education.

He started in a homeless shelter and worked as a day laborer. After 10 months, he had an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and saved $5000. His story is just one anecdote, but it is an interesting one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_Beginnings

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#117
post #30

What's remarkable about this is how the poster finds these casual encounters with homelessness "unremarkable". No other western city that I have visited has the massive, in-your-face homelessness as SF. I don't know enough about the causes of this phenomenon in SF to suggest what can be done about it; I'm sure they are complex, multi-factorial and politically fraught, but the level of homelessness in SF and (almost)…

Local law enforcement has told us that, off the books, many East coast cities have actually paid to fly their homeless out of their areas into other parts of the country, California (namely San Francisco) because of their homeless-friendliness. People wonder what happened to all the crime and homeless in NYC? They were flown out west.

There was an episode of South Park based on this. They specifically send all the homeless to California (because it's "super cool to the homeless"), too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Homeless

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#118
post #23
post #3

I've been homeless. No one in SF is hungry. In a span of a few blocks a person could eat for free 5 or 6 times a day. Money is used for drugs or McDonald's. My advice: don't give anyone money or food. If you want to help, give your time.

Is it because the homeless shelters provide food? Where do you get food from?

Some shelters are associated with a parent (church etc.) that also provides food, but they're typically separate. Seriously, the only people who could possibly be hungry are invalids or children that can't get to the food banks. Any person that can walk around begging for change could easily walk a few blocks for a healthy hot meal. "Help, I'm hungry" is an outright lie---every time--plain and simple.

Re: An Unremarkable Event in the Tenderloin

#120
And that is why I am happy to be out of the twitterloin. It was generally deeply disturbing. I still do not know what to do. I desperately hope we can find something to do - there is so much money and innovation yet here, yet so many are in unbelievable shape.
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