Commentary
Living on the streets is a crime. A violation of law. To force citizens to react, or worse, not react to the plight of their fellow man, and pretend not to notice, ultimately may force everyone to leave. This includes those born and raised in San Francisco, and this author.
It’s not okay for people to live on the streets. Earlier generations of American homeless had some integrity. Hobos during the Great Depression had the courtesy to live on the outskirts of town. There’s the solution: the outskirts of town. Abandoned housing, abandoned factories, abandoned military bases.
Build new housing for the homeless? Completely wrong. In a market economy, housing is built for those willing to pay. Pre-pandemic, a small unit might have cost $140,000, but today that unit costs $420,000. Out of the question. Build 6,000 units in San Francisco, and immediately an additional 6,000 applicants will show up….