① Streets Taken Over by the Homeless
San Francisco, California, is a representative travel destination in the western U.S. It is a city that attracts tourists from all over the world and has beautiful scenery. San Francisco is grappling with a severe homeless crisis that has taken over its streets.
Over the past decade, San Francisco has been declining into a city of drugs and crime. People experiencing homelessness occupy the streets, and the smell of marijuana is in the air. People scatter syringes everywhere after discarding them post-drug use. You can see homeless encampments in the infamous ‘Tenderloin’ district of San Francisco.
San Francisco’s daily newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, conducted a survey last year asking residents about the ‘most urgent problem to be solved.’ Homelessness topped the list at about 40%. Safety and crime, which came in second, was only 23%, less than half of that of homelessness. By the end of last year, they estimated that 7,700 homeless people were in downtown San Francisco. San Francisco is a city with a population of 800,000.
The homeless issue in San Francisco is also causing economic damage. Commercial facilities are closing, and tourists are avoiding the city. According to U.S. CNN, 40 stores in the city center have closed since 2020. Notably, the famous U.S. department store Nordstrom closed its ‘San Francisco Landmark Union Square branch after 35 years. Westfield, which has operated the department store building, also gave up its operating rights.
While tourists are flocking to the U.S., San Francisco has not yet recovered to the level of 2019. Tech companies, the backbone of San Francisco’s economy, are also leaving the city. The office vacancy rate in San Francisco in the first quarter of this year was 24.8%, more than five times higher than before the pandemic.
A staff member from an investment company in San Francisco said, “The problem with San Francisco is that the homeless have taken over the city center,” adding, “Homeless attacks have also victimized our employees.”
② The War Against Marijuana and Drugs
San Francisco has allowed the sale of recreational marijuana since 2018. This makes it the sixth area where marijuana is legal, following Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Nevada. With the legalization of marijuana sales, there were concerns raised in some quarters. These concerns included an increase in crime rates due to indiscriminate smoking and the problem of youth derailment.
Five years after the legalization of marijuana sales, these concerns have become a reality. Walking the streets of San Francisco, you can see teenagers smoking marijuana with the homeless or dealing drugs.
Homeless people are sitting on the streets, injecting themselves with needles.
According to official records, the number of people who have died from drugs in San Francisco has reached 406 this year. In San Francisco, homeless people on the streets are high on the opioid painkiller fentanyl. Plenty of people walk around with unfocused eyes, staggering or swaying.
San Francisco is rapidly declining due to increasing homelessness and problems caused by marijuana and drugs. These issues are also leading to an increase in violent crimes. The crime rate per square mile in San Francisco is 938, 11 times higher than the average in California. You can see cars being stolen in broad daylight and people falling, bleeding from gunshot wounds.
San Francisco is in such a severe situation called ‘Gotham City.’ According to the San Francisco Chronicle, drug dealers earn approximately $370,000 in revenue.
③ Homeless People on the Streets Cannot Be Evicted
The San Francisco city government cannot arbitrarily evict the homeless. Last December, a U.S. federal court halted attempts to evict people experiencing homelessness forcibly. The reason is that evicting them without adequate shelter infringes on their human rights.
The U.S. federal court sided with the ‘Homeless Union’ group’s constitutional complaint. It decriminalized being punished just for possessing drugs. Residents of San Francisco are expressing dissatisfaction with policies that only pursue equality.
In the 1980s, San Francisco amended its laws to prevent buildings over three stories from being built. As a result, high rents continue due to a shortage of housing supply. There are also suggestions that this is one of the reasons for the increase in homelessness. Recently, San Francisco announced a new homeless policy. To receive welfare services from the city government, people without housing must undergo drug testing and treatment.
By. Han Mia (miumia___12@mememedia.co.kr)
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