Written by William Hale
The decaying quality of life evident in America’s urban centers is simply devastating. When exactly the beginning of the end was for various liberal paradises is debatable, but the erosion of America’s unique west coast cities of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles has unquestionably accelerated within the past decade. Now, all these flawed yet formerly functioning cities are falling down the same ugly path.
Tents of the drug addicted and homeless congregate in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, but despite the completely out-of-hand levels of drug dealing, drug overdoses, and violence occurring in the notoriously seedy neighborhood, easy-on-crime district attorney Chesa Boudin has only exacerbated the problem. Boudin has made it clear that he isn’t interested in keeping criminal drug dealers off the streets; the DA confirmed this in a press release by ensuring that “Pretrial detention shall be the last option.”
People in San Francisco have no choice but to deal with criminals repeatedly coming back from jail only to return to the Tenderloin, reinforcing the resemblance of America’s downtowns to the 3rd world. Boudin rationalizes his hands-off strategy when it comes to crime by insisting that “I need the police officers to bring me kilos, not crumbs.” Well, I think most San Franciscans would prefer both the kilos and crumbs off the streets, especially when a crumb of Fentanyl — a drug that can kill with miniscule doses — has taken over the San Francisco drug market.
Democrat Mayor London Breed says she wants to clean up the Tenderloin, but the liberal governance dominating our unique west coast cities is the reason why swarms of people are leaving urban California with each passing day. Walkable sidewalks and safe neighborhoods must be a priority for politicians, but unfortunately Democratic control up and down the west coast paints a bleak future.
Photo Cred: Nick Otto/San Francisco Chronicle
