Absolutely tragic. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing someone to such a needless cruelty.
I live in SF, and the violent crime situation has definitely been getting worse. Unfortunately, it's far more nuanced and difficult to solve than the media will lead you to believe.
SF has one of the lowest violent crime rates of any major city, but the violent crime we do have seems to be far more erratic and less organized than in other cities. So we don't have easy "targets" for law enforcement to crack down on, like serious gang and cartel activity. Instead, we have a hodge-podge of issues--mentally unstable homeless, fentanyl and carfentenil, sex trafficking, and some smaller gangs.
There's the added issue that calling the police is largely useless. Just a couple weeks ago, I had a group of men harassing me on public transit, and threatening to rape me when I ignored their advances. While this was occurring, one of them was rolling a joint (and spilling pot onto the floor), while another one was repeatedly spitting onto the floor.
So you have a group of men threatening a woman, doing drugs, and spitting on public transit. And everyone around me basically just ignores the situation. Because we all know the police won't do anything if they're called, because their hands are tied until a serious crime is actually committed.
I was left to scramble off at the nearest stop and run into the nearest occupied building, praying they didn't follow me. It was such a frustrating, helpless feeling.
Reading about victims like Bob Lee makes me realize how incredibly lucky I was that I wasn't followed. Law enforcement in this city is there to clean up messes, not to prevent crime, and all the criminals know it.
As someone who lives in the neighborhood the man in this article has been prowling, this quote absolutely hits home: "So far, the city’s criminal justice system seems to be sending Ann and the other women a clear message: You’re on your own. Buy pepper spray, hustle along and hope for the best."
The social contract in this city has been shattered. I can only hope people are willing to take steps to mend it.
