Street crime in District 6
An open letter to Sonja Trauss, a YIMBY housing activist who in 2017 was running for the District 6 seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. District 6 covers downtown SF including SoMa, the Tenderloin, and parts of Mid-Market — the same neighborhoods where Alyssa worked at her then-employer, the AI startup Apprente.
Dear Sonja: I’d like to thank you for running for Supervisor, you’ve already done a great job fighting for affordable housing in SF, and I know that it’s hard work to start a political campaign and put yourself out there. Until a few months ago, I worked in District 6, so I’m pretty familiar with the neighborhood, both the good things and the challenges it faces.
I want to ask you about an issue that’s not on your website, but that’s a very serious concern to me and many people I know: namely, the very high levels of street crime in District 6. Unfortunately, many confuse this issue with “homelessness”, or simply assume that the criminals they see must be homeless (when in fact many aren’t). But we must distinguish homelessness, which is not and should not be a crime, from the serious and rampant crime in District 6 that poses a major threat to public safety. Crimes I’ve personally seen happen include vandalism, theft, drug dealing, assault, battery, harassment, robbery, threats of violence, pickpocketing, stalking, indecent exposure, interfering with public infrastructure, and more. I’ve been a target of these criminals myself, and some criminals have also shouted abuse at me because of my gender, or because of how I “look gay”. When I worked in District 6, I spent the entire work week living in fear, constantly terrified to even take a walk or get a snack from the deli, because (after repeated encounters) I knew how likely it was that I’d be targeted by a thug, stalker, or robber every time I went outside.
As reported by the New York Times, San Francisco now has the most property crime of any major city in the United States, and District 6 is at the center of it. This is true even though San Francisco has the largest per-capita budget of any American city, except Washington, DC (which, as a federal district, does double-duty as both state and city). Clearly, current strategies are not working, and the city’s money is not being spent effectively.
If elected as Supervisor of District 6, what would you do to address the problem of street crime in this part of San Francisco? Specifically: People I know have reported very slow police response times in District 6. I’ve been told stories of dialing 911 and getting a busy signal, or of reporting a serious crime and the police just never showing up, even hours later. What efforts would you make to increase police responsiveness in this neighborhood?
Car burglaries, or “smash-and-grabs”, have become very common in San Francisco and especially in District 6. If I remember correctly, these crimes are virtually never solved, with 98% being dropped without resolution by San Francisco police. What would you do to reduce the rate of these crimes, and to ensure that more of the perpetrators are caught?
Harassment, stalking, and threats of violence is a problem that many people, but especially women, frequently face on the streets of District 6. Some have said that these crimes are “not serious”, or are mere “quality of life” issues that should not be prioritized. Obviously, as someone who had to face these threats every time I went to work, I disagree. What would you do to raise awareness of these issues, and make it safer for women to live in, work in, and visit the neighborhoods of District 6?
As research shows, a large percentage of crime is committed by “repeat offenders” or “career criminals” — those who break laws not just once, but over and over and over, often for years or decades. One bike thief, for example, can steal thousands of bikes in a single year; it only takes a small number of criminals to victimize an entire neighborhood. I have personally seen this, when I encounter the same criminal for a second time, frequently in the same building or street. How should San Francisco address the problem of “career criminals” who live in the city?
Most politicians in San Francisco talk about how programs are underfunded, or about how additional taxes need to be raised for some new effort. However, as noted above, San Francisco already has the second-largest per capita budget of any United States city. Despite this, San Francisco has not been able to control street crime, which has continued to get even worse in recent years. It is clear, therefore, that past efforts to address this problem have not worked, and that they are not spending tax money effectively. Which existing city programs or efforts to reduce crime do you believe are ineffective, and how will you reform or eliminate these programs?
Although District 6 Supervisor is inherently a local position, I think the election here will have national consequences. I have already seen Fox News, and other conservative groups, point to San Francisco’s crime epidemic as “proof” of how the Democrats and liberalism have failed. San Francisco is painting a big red target on itself for Republicans, conservatives, and Trump supporters. All across the country, in every local and state and Congressional election, they can point right to downtown San Francisco. Do you want to be robbed, they’ll ask? Do you want women to be sexually harassed, or car windows to be smashed, or your eight-year-old children to step over heroin needles on their way to school? Well, they’ll argue, you have to vote Republican, because San Francisco shows how dangerous a city is when Democrats are in charge. People will believe it. And maybe we’ll get another four years of Trump because of it, Lord have mercy.
Thank you for your time, and I would be proud to vote for you, if District 6 ever becomes safe enough that I can move back there.