Prior to Covid, San Francisco (SF) certainly had problems but it had a profitable tech sector, fueled by hundreds of thousands of hard working tech workers. Every weekday, morning through night, the city was buzzing with an energetic entrepreneurial energy. Now, almost a year later, what is it like to live in SF?
Independent journalist, Peter Santenello, has been documenting the current state of the city:
He has published some more videos recently which are worth watching:
- Restauranteur Richie Azzolino goes on a walkabout around North Beach (aka Little Italy), providing a very accurate description of the current state of SF and why the problems won’t be fixed until the thinking of the local and state governments dramatically changes.
- An interesting visitor named Kirby, shared some very insightful things about the current state of SF.
Looks better than downtown Victoria to be honest. Downtown Victoria is now owned by gangs of homeless scum.
That’s too bad. When I went to high school in Victoria we stayed out of Beacon Hill park at night (and Esquimalt but that was the hard knuckle Esuimalt cops who had us intimidated).
I want to show my kids the island but wonder about my memories of 1980s vs. now.
Feels like you’re about to get knifed everywhere downtown and that’s during the day. My neighbor is a cop and he says it’s getting worse and now the homeless scumbags are moving on from replica handguns to real ones.
The cops are being handcuffed and told to ignore the homeless vermin, by the Lezbo, dimwit mayor of Progressia. This has only led to downtown Victoria becoming a dangerous place more reminiscent of New York. Of course, the proggy mayor and council find a million and one reasons why THEY aren’t responsible, it’s always someone else’s fault.
Alec, don’t avoid bringing your kids to show them the Island. It is still a beautiful place, but, you don’t have to go downtown, it’s THE WORST place on the island.
Visit Long Beach, Rathtrevor, Little Qualicum Falls and Cathedral Grove for starters. Don’t let the idiot progressive politics hold ya back!
I’m old enough to remember when game shows were giving trips to San Francisco as prizes as well as Poo ehrto Reeko. Doubt we’ll see that again.
Reminds me of a W.C Fields joke: 1st prize…a one week trip to San Francisco
2nd prize… a two week trip to San Francisco.
Oh my I hope the rice-a-roni factory is still safe.
LOL…you know what I’m talkin’ about!
They citizens of SF vote for this though, right ?
Nazi Piglosi receives 75% of the vote from her constituents, so the vote is either corrupt or the voter is corrupt.
You wanna see real misery and suffering where not one politician gives a shit, look at Vancouver, Hastings St.
The human tragedy in Vancouver is a national disgrace, yet no one cares.
*
any city that has to implement a power-washing department
to clean up human feces from public venues is not a place i
want to live…
“Last year a private developer introduced “Snapcrap,” which
allows residents to upload a photo of an offending specimen
directly to the SF311 website.”
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Geez Sean ,thats not true,all the Welfare Vampires CARE..They care that they get huge salaries,travel and expense accounts.
They dine in the finest restaurants and gloat over how well they are “helping” the drug addled,helpless and hopeless into perpetual misery.
Funny how enabling destructive behaviour creates more destruction.
Who Knew?
But every one of the do-gooders feasting on the human waste and misery that is the Lower Eastside brags about the good they do.
Vampires are real.
Admire their lust for blood and money.
Remember it is their “Pure Intentions” that we must respect.
And if we criticize their foul actions..Well we just hate poor people and drug users.
You beat me to your comment John.
The Downtown Eastside has been a train wreck since the 60s, when Whistling Smith walked the beat, trying to keep things straight, but it’s been a losing strategy almost as long, with politicians and their corrupt backers making handsome livings off the wretched addicts.
I still remember Mayor Moonbeam’s promise to solve homelessness in his first term. It was laughable and dishonest at the same time.
Poverty Pimps Incorporated!
Speaking of Mayor Moonbeam… how does a former Mayor on a public servants salary and pension ( as rich as it is…) afford a Mansion In Shaugnesy and a Penthouse apt. in China ? For globalists shitstains like Mayor Moonbeam its easy, just work for the interests of the CCP and screw the people of Van city.
THis country sure has produced its share of political grifters and anti Canadian perverts.
The fact that bureaucrats and politcos make money from the human suffering on the Downtown East side is a national disgrace… insult to injury.
Evil prevails over the LIberal Party’s Canada.
Sean, don’t worry, Cocaine mitch and O’Stool will get on it Chop Chop Chop Sooeeee !
Santenello is a really stupid guy. No aware or even sane person would choose to live under those circumstances.
I have nothing but contempt, no sympathy, for those who choose to live there.
PS. I bet he has no children, and that he will have no one to care for him when he most needs it.
This post needs a “Good and Hard” tag
The problem is that these places turned to shit so long ago that those that grew up there know no different.
He has no clue what SF was like in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s.
He is just comparing a shithole to a worse shithole.
I visited SF some 30+ years ago. Stayed in a crappy but cheap hotel/motel downtown (not knowing any better – no online reviews to check out). Every other store was selling luggage (who knows why), electronics (boom boxes were popular then), tee-shirts (for tourists), and socks (never understood that need). Rode the trolley down to Fisherman’s Wharf – that was cool. But navigating back through all the beggars and homeless people was not. People sleeping in doorways (at 7pm), streams of pee trickling from them across the sidewalk to the gutter. Yuck! 2 days in downtown SF was more than enough for me. Never went back and never will.
Note I said “early 90’s”. Around mid-90’s was when the rot really started to set in.
I used to travel (from France) to SF/Bay area/Silicon valley quite often, starting in the early 80’s.
I mostly stayed in the downtown Hilton, which was new. It was also expensive, and I used to think that the price I paid to park my car, it should be getting a room of it’s own. But that Hilton was quite nice, especially in the “Towers” section, away from the conference attendees. It had gilt doors with uniformed doormen and a host of gofers that were always present wiping people’s fingerprints off the gilt doors. The foyer was huge, with huge chandeliers, comfortable chairs etc. There was a bar area, it looked out over the foyer, but was quiet, dark wood panels etc. A good place to relax in the evening.
The surrounding area had quite a few decent restaurants, Indian, Japanese, American …
I changed job, moved to America and didn’t have much reason to go to SF much – as I remember, just one visit to take visitors from England. We stayed at the Hilton.
Then, a long gap. Maybe 15 years. Work took me to visit a company on Market St., so I didn’t bother renting a car, easy walking distance from the Hilton. Went online to book a room, and was really surprised at the prices. They had gone down significantly.
Took a taxi from SFO to the hotel. As I got out of the taxi I couldn’t help noticing that the uniformed concierge was at the door, but the uniform wasn’t “crisp”. In fact, it was just short of looking shabby. Walked up to the doors and saw that most of the gilt was worn off, down to the underlying brass, which was looking pretty dull.
Walked in, and the foyer had changed. The chandeliers were gone, replaced by hanging flashing lights. The comfortable seating gone, replaced by a bar surrounded by small tables and chairs … and a hughe throng of very noisy and inebriated people.
The old bar was gone, replaced by a supermarket (supermarket in a hotel???).
Next morning I set off to walk down to Market St. The road was littered with homeless. Most of them with severe mental issues, shouting, crying or just staring vacantly into space. The morning commuters were blind to them. Even the one with his trousers and underpants around his ankles, just standing there looking lost.
In the evening it was similar walking back to the hotel. Later, I went out to find food. All the restaurants had gone. I ended up going back to hotel and ordering room service.
Two days later, I was SO HAPPY to call a taxi back to SFO, and promised myself that no way would I ever set foot in the SF downtown Hilton, or in the city itself if I had any say in the matter.
On the $900 limit for shoplifting … in my shop, everything would have $1,000 added to the labeled price.
Good customers would get discounts … say about $1k per item…
Modern problems require a modern solution! You’re a clever one Philip.
How convenient, now they don’t have to max out their credit cards. Reprobate reparations.
Until there’s nothing left, then they will find themselves on the receiving end of all hell breaking loose.
The lady with the Recall Newsom petition just explained it all. She’s a Dem, born and raised in SF, but she says the problem is ‘both parties’. No need to ask who she – or anyone else in that video – voted for, someone with a ‘D’ undoubtedly. They got what they voted for, good and hard. “We need to wake up”, she says. Too late, lady. Get a brain first. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
The anger is understandable, but it’s the lack of common sense that’s truly stunning. They blame everyone else but themselves. She’d look only slightly stupider if she was holding an ‘Orange Man Bad’ sign. “Some of the wealthiest people in the country, and also the poorest”. Guess which politicians the rich people are supporting? The stupid, it burns.
Robert: “the problems won’t be fixed until the thinking of the local and state governments dramatically changes”. And it won’t as long as the voters are idiots. SF is only going to get worse. But I guess pain is a good learning tool, so we’ll see when Newsom is recalled. Any bets that he, or another D, wins again?
JDN, my understanding is that the polls say Newsom will win in a recall contest. The place is long past crazy.
Do they use corrupted voting machines like they do for the federal election ?
Has voter fraud ever been thoroughly investigated in these corrupt States like California ?
The BIden/CCP coup to take over the WH was successful, but my feeling is that voter fraud is much worse and more prevalent at the State and local level. The blue print for election fraud is at the State level.
Its simply hard to believe that voter fraud is not a part of the system, not a glitch but a feature. Why would people continue to vote for these corrupt politicians that are destroying their States? It just doesn’t make sense.
Why do you still believe “ polls “, Zeppo?
Not how it works.
If he gets recalled he is out then there is a special election to choose a replacement.
He cannot run in the special election.
Why would anyone pay for anything from these stores? If you can just walk out with $950 or less why bother as there is no repercussions.
Looked a lot better than I expected. Visited SF so many times, loved the city. Sad. Note 235 died from Covid, 700 from drug overdose.
They have no one but their own idiot electorate to blame.
Yeah,vote between one rich guy and the next, plus all votes rigged by billionaires while everyone is duped by sports, media, social programming and poor education . Definitely the peoples fault.
Yes. It’s not the electorate’s fault that they keep re electing people like Nancy Pelosi for example, over and over again. A woman who has done sweet FA for that city. But hey, It’s not the electorate’s fault as it goes spiralling into a shit hole status.
Like the young lady said, people turn on the news and see nothing but degradation of ordinary people.
It’s the ruling class that are doing it to them.
The working stiff is not working, got no income, don’t see past tomorrow, its some kind of hopeless for those that are looking for a job.
On the other hand those of the ruling class work for the government of one or another level. Some are working from paycheck to paycheck, though they do have to some measure job guarantee.
Of course its against any economic concept that this is going to last. Probably sooner than later now, things are going to collapse much like domino set up.
Some of the rich do charity. Other rich rule the politicians and its downhill from there.
Its interesting how the oligarchs of the digital industries forgot how it was when they had no money.
Its also interesting that the politicians are completely bought by the rich.
They have bottom feeders writing speeches for them to snow the plebeians.
Yeah San Francisco was a beautiful city once, it may still appear that way when you’re passing through.
Many years ago walking down Market street at about breakfast time the homeless were waking up, some were bloodied, some were getting over the booze the night before.
Its a sad story as though for some places the time is up, not unlike ancient times when the people left whole cities and never returned.
Maybe that is how civilization dies.
Happened before many, many times, Persia, Sumer, Egypt, Eden, Coba, Tulum, Chichen Itza, yeah, happened before, will happen many times more before there will be no people left.
I don’t work in the retail business but what I do understand of it, the margins are extremely tight. I don’t know how any place, let alone a small retailer, could sustain such losses on a regular basis. It boggles the mind frankly. There will be no small retailers (or large retailers for that matter) left!
At what point does the small business (or large business) go full John Galt?
“Restauranteur Richie Azzolino goes on a walkabout around North Beach (aka Little Italy), providing a very accurate description of the current state of SF and why the problems won’t be fixed until the thinking of the local and state governments dramatically changes.”
Yes, a change of thinking is definitely the hardest part. Most of San Fran’s problems are solvable, but not using leftist “thinking”.
“Looks better than downtown Victoria to be honest. Downtown Victoria is now owned by gangs of homeless scum” James
You could take out Victoria and substitute other cities into that sentence with equal validity.
Why would leftist city governments want to turn their own cities into crap holes?
I don’t know about SF but one of the reasons they do it in Canada is because they are looking after their largest block of supporters; the poor and homeless require an army of social workers and government workers to ‘help’ and reliably re-elect civic politicians offering the most ‘help’. It becomes self sustaining.
BTW there are still some nice things to see in the SF area. The Golden Gate bridge and park, the 1886 tall ship, the Balclutha, part of the Maritime Museum etc.
San Francisco Criminals Now Targeting Residents Due to Lack of Tourists, Say City Officials
Posted by Mike LaChance Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 10:00am
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/02/city-official-says-san-francisco-criminals-now-targeting-residents-due-to-lack-of-tourists/
Just another reason Democrats “had to win” the election. Democrat run cities are broke and need bailing out,,, Biden will do this with most of the $1.9 Trillion.
THE PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM.
Every country, state, and municipality has to make a decision as to whether its primary beneficiaries are those who pay taxes or those who receive money from the government. Sadly, the USA, the state of California, and the city and county of San Francisco made the decision a long time ago that their primary beneficiaries were those who receive money from the government.
“Restauranteur Richie Azzolino goes on a walkabout around North Beach (aka Little Italy), providing a very accurate description of the current state of SF and why the problems won’t be fixed until the thinking of the local and state governments dramatically changes.”
Mirrors must have been outlawed or something. All the people in the local and state governments, were elected. That means, they think what you want them to think. They implement the policies that get them rewarded. You have been rewarding them. The problem is not the people in government; the problem is the voters who keep the same people there, failure and after failure.
United Conservative Party, Saskatchewan Party, Conservative Party of Canada; they are doing exactly what you reward them for doing.