Enough already.
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone"
Joni Mitchell
A counter-trend is in place. Residents of San Francisco want their city back.
San Francisco had a well-deserved reputation for being on the leading edge of progressive, unconventional, avant-garde behavior. That was part of San Francisco's charm. That special San Francisco Bay character made it a magnet for innovation in technology and the vanguard in progressive politics. That attitude increasingly included a philosophy of law enforcement as regards small crimes: Don't sweat the small stuff. The city got rougher, dirtier, and less livable.
The counter-trend of frustration with what San Francisco had lost got national attention. Last year voters recalled School Board members who appeared to be putting time and attention to renaming schools. Earlier this month voters recalled a District Attorney who wasn't prosecuting small crimes. Voters realized they could not have a liberal paradise without law and order.
My Guest Post author lived in San Francisco and witnessed the slow erosion of her city. She describes why she left. Jennifer is a retired attorney.
Guest Post by Jennifer A.
I left San Francisco after calling it home for sixteen years because my mother's health required me to move to the east coast. I had lived on the line between the Mission and the Castro from the start, and I knew there were plenty of things I'd miss: easy access to public transportation and restaurants; a walkable neighborhood with lots of history; a casual environment where no one cared what I wore or how I earned a living; good (though boring) weather, and almost unlimited opportunities to walk in nature, hear music and watch live sports. I wish I could say the living was easy. But over the years, the dark side of San Francisco had begun to gnaw at me. By the time I left, I was convinced that people (like me) trying to live day to day in relative peace and security were invisible and expendable to the city government. Meaning no one was expected to take so-called quality of life rules seriously. We had our newspaper delivered and it was stolen about half the time. We couldn't leave so much as a paper clip in our parked car for fear of having the window smashed. Forget about leaving a bag of groceries in the back while carting the first batch upstairs. People woke us at 3 a.m. calling our intercom, hoping we would buzz them into our building. The Little Free Library a few blocks away was vandalized so often that its owner took it down. Walking from my front door to the grocery store was an invitation to verbal abuse from mentally ill or drug-addled people. I might open my garage door to discover someone sleeping in front of it. Any public park or seating area was taken over by homeless people.
None of these were major crimes, and many were just annoyances, but I was sure they wouldn't be tolerated in most communities around the country - and certainly not where homes cost what they do in San Francisco. But San Francisco just wasn't good at setting limits. Reporting any vandalism or theft felt pointless. Perpetrators ignored court summonses for minor offenses with impunity. Those convicted usually didn't serve time. Even something like the theft of an expensive bicycle would be of no interest to the authorities. In fact, thieves brazenly displayed dozens of stolen bikes for sale on sidewalks. For property crimes, the standard advice was"call your insurance company." And openly complaining about it made you vulnerable to criticism. Compassion for drug addicts and the mentally ill - which we did have - was supposed to erase any feeling that our own rights were important.
The San Francisco annual budget is $13.1 billion this year, more than some states. The city pours money into homeless shelters, drug treatment, mental health care, street cleaning, social workers, nonprofits and community policing. Yet in the years since I left, things have deteriorated more, to the point where the city has become a symbol of failed "liberal" policies. New people are always arriving in San Francisco needing help, and many are successfully moved into housing, jobs and a drug free life. But big picture, daily life for the average citizen continues to be frustrating and sometimes infuriating.Walking away from San Francisco's problems was a relief, and I know other former residents feel the same. I love living where I can leave tools and porch furniture outside all night with no fear they'll be stolen. And if they were stolen, my neighbors would be sympathetic. In San Francisco, all would agree it was my own fault, because anything not nailed down is fair game. It's not like my new neighbors are all about law and order. They just have the expectation of a peaceful, secure life. And most importantly, that extends to the people who enforce the laws. Sure, there are car break-ins and thefts. But they're taken seriously, investigated and prosecuted.
Unfortunately, many of the symptoms you describe are present in our little communities of Ashland and Talent. Postings on Next Door report thefts of anything "that's not bolted down": bicycles, picnic tables, yard ornaments, tools, packages... I'm not sure that government actions can really change this growing attitude of entitlement and lack of respect, but it's increasingly difficult to live without fear.
Well written post. Thank you Jennifer