September 10, 2010-The City of San Francisco governing infrastructure and most of it's citizenry are well known for their liberal & progressive views. Questions usually arises when the problem and solution just do not seems to work out as planned or stated. One of the City biggest problem is the large number of homeless in the City streets and parks. Why does the City have so many homeless---because of the numerous assistance and service available to the homeless and the lenient "General Assistance" payment requirement. Our current Mayor Gavin Newsom initiated his "Care Not Cash Program." which moved the homeless to city assisted care and less dependant on the City dole. Helping the homeless is the humane way a civilize society should act, but any services or payment program require the basic funds to sustain its existence. Who pay---the taxpayers! Homeless advocates always cite that the Federal Government should do more to help the homeless. Sadly the taxpayers ends up paying for that too! Now with the down economy the City must decide whether more money should be allocate for the services to homeless or for the services to the taxpaying residences.
San Francisco and other large urban cities in America are usually struck with a large homeless population. Why...because rural and small America cities have stricter police enforcement that tends to coerce the homeless toward the big cities...since they can afford it and better equipped to handle the problem. The old "pass the buck" ideology! San Francisco District Attorney have a revolving door policy for homeless infractions, since they are treated as misdemeanor---arrested---cited---back on the street---maybe at least two days later---arrested again---cited---back on the street. Now if you happen to get caught shooting an innocent bystander...don't worry---you get a "Free pass-Get of Jail" due to lack of evidence!
There are three basic types of homeless: unfortunate, harden and mental. The "unfortunate homeless" are the ones that just lost a job, financial crisis, a divorce, family crisis or medical crisis. These are the ones or families that take the assistance hoping it would only be temporary and everything be back to normal as soon as possible. The "harden homeless" are the alcoholic or drug dependency ones...no matter how many rehabilitation programs he/she attends---it would never works if he/she do not have the self esteem to change for the better---it would just be a entitlement of handouts forever. The "mental homeless" are the society outcasts---person with mental health issues. These are America Health Care poster child...there use to be ward or center for the mentally ill patients, but now health care providers and hospitals are profit-driven entity, therefore person with mental health symptoms requiring long term residency---it's better to kick him/her out on the street to free the space for cosmetic surgery patient. The "unfortunate" hoping for betterment, the "harden" don't give a damn, and the "mental" sadly think sleeping out in the street as the best thing in his/her life.
Earlier this week the City homeless got nationwide TV and press coverage about the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood McDonald's franchise owner decided to drop the "Dollar Menu" in favor of the $1.50 menu. The local homeless were outraged about the 50 cents increase, since it meant longer panhandling to get a meal now and corporate America way of punishing the homeless. Two months ago I got my garbage bill from the City mandatory residential garbage can rule with a price increase because of a cost of living adjustment. The cost of living increase is not for me but the company's workers I presume, but I didn't see no press outrage...I forgot, food is a basic necessities, while waste is just the by-product. This week the price of coffee beans reached a 12-year high on the Futures Exchange, therefore massive pickets should occur in all Starbucks in the coming months when the price of a cup of coffee increase ten cents!
The problems of the homeless doesn't hit home until it affect a person personally. In my North Beach neighborhood street we get an occasionally homeless sleeping along the sidewalk or nearby doorway. The corner laundromat attract the homeless crowd during the cold weather and on warm days the homeless crowd would just congregate along the sidewalk...smoking, drinking and carousing. The problems occur when they decided to leave the area---litters, vomiting, urinating and defecating. I go out and clean up the mess, but some of my neighbors are hoping the City would take care of it. I am not a big fan of the species called coprophagous.
For the last 12 months during my morning walk around the neighborhood, I was able to witness how the businesses on the 1800 block of Powell Street cope with homeless sleeping in front of their doorway. Any neighborhood with plenty of social amenities would have a good share of homeless clientele---thus North Beach is one such neighborhood. This block of Powell Street is located next to Washington Square Park with open space, park benches and public restroom; St. Peter & Paul Church with free sandwiches for the homeless; Joe DiMaggio North Beach Playground with open space and public restroom; North Beach Library with comfy chairs and reading materials...at night the Library exterior ledge becomes a homeless sleeping encampment; several liquor stores; several stores that offer fast & cheap eateries; Northpoint Shopping Centre with Safeway supermarket, Walgreens drug store and public restroom; and finally Fisherman's Wharf...panhandling paradise.
The businesses on the 1800 block of Powell Street first step to prevent homeless from sleeping in front of their doorway was to post the green "
NO TRESPASSING" "REQUEST FOR ENFORCEMENT OF MUNICIPAL POLICE CODE SECTION 25" signs:
First, how many homeless bother to read posted signs? Secondly the sign clearly stated the following:
A violation of Section 25 is an infraction. A second violation within 24 hours (Section 26) is a misdemeanor.
I hereby request that the San Francisco Police department enforce the above Municipal Police Code Sections on my behalf and in my absence.
Thirdly, these posting expired in 6 months. Finally the question of enforcement...I have noticed during the early morning hours of police officers in squad cars stopping by business with homeless sleeping in the doorway not citing the person but just having them move along. The police officers knows with the nice District Attorney office that it's better to use good judgement than arresting the violator and within a few hours after all the wasted time & paper works he/she be set free back on the street. In order words, these green signs have no teeth!
"Beauty House Of May,"at 1811 Powell Street, a beauty salon have the green signs posted in the door and front window.
My next question since police enforcement is just minimal, what happen to the local help...North Beach Citizens only accept homeless willing to achieve a better life not harden homeless. North Beach Chamber of Commerce is only concern about where to hold the next North Beach Festival. North Beach Merchants Association is concern about two things---no franchise chain store allowed here and listings of property owners not renting vacant storefronts. The businesses at 1800 Powell Street is basically on their own!
"Annabella's," at 1817 Powell Street, a ladies fashion boutique and one of longest business tenure on the block have short iron gate in the front.
The gate was not installed to deter homeless from sleeping in the doorway. The original owner over 6 years ago had flower plants within the center of each side of the gate, thereby when the gate sprung open each storefront window display would have a flowery decoration below. Unfortunately I noticed one morning a homeless sleeping inside the gated area, but usually it remain empty since the pointed arrow on top of the gate is a very good determent...homeless do not have the luxury of always having a flashlight handy at night.
The first business on this block to stop homeless from sleeping in the doorway was "Double Punch" at 1821 Powell Street, a Japanese toys store. This store either later last year or early this year first attempt was taping a large cardboard box in the center of the entrance with a note "Please Don't Sleep Here!" The attempt was not successful, therefore led to the following drastic innovation:
Large eye hooks inserted on all four corners of the entryway with a chain link crisscrossing the lower half to deter anybody from sleeping by the doorway.
The Wizard surmised it must a sole homeless, whom have a special attachment to this block or could it be the ambiance of the block. The homeless found sleeping arrangement at other business on the block, therefore this Summer "Jeffrey's Natural Pet Food Company," at 1841 Powell Street, a pet store installed the chain link innovation too:
During this time "Optometrist-Richard J. Chong, OD" at 1833 Powell Street installed the chain link innovation too, but I noticed they used it only one attempt. It could be the hassle of looping the chain in the evening and then in the following morning unlooping the chain to enter the premise. I noticed they tried the large cardboard box method one day and then the yellow "Caution" tape wrapped crisscrossing in place of the chain link. The result was on August 22, 2010:
The homeless return to the favorite sleeping post.
They returned back to using the chain link and on August 28, 2010:
The homeless slept outside by the sidewalk and used the doorway to store supplies.
On September 3, 2010, they devised a different innovation:
A plastic garbage can flush against the door held by a chain link. A speedier solution but more costly would be to iron gate the complete front entryway.
The problems of the homeless is very prevalent in my neighborhood---North Beach, Downtown, Tenderloin, Civic Center, Golden Gate Park & Embarcadero, because they are among us. Those that are living in nice quiet residential neighborhood have only one motto: The homeless is no problem, because they are not in my neighborhood!
