The prospect of a 225-bed homeless shelter on the Embarcadero, one of San Francisco's most scenic and economically vital areas, took residents by surprise.
Only eight days earlier, the proposal had been unveiled to turn what is now a parking lot-Seawall Lot 330-into the largest homeless shelter of its type in the city.
Placing an enormous homeless shelter in the center of it, in such close proximity to the prized Ferry Building, is bizarre.
More crucial is the attitude of city leaders and the media.
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an editorial headlined, "San Francisco Neighbors are Wrong to Fight A New Homeless Facility," dismissing the concerns of residents as "The magnetizing fear of a homeless influx," and implying that elitism fueled their protest.
At last count, approximately 7,500 people were living on the city's streets on any given night; shelters aren't making a dent because so many homeless people are "Service-resistant." No one is required to go or stay, and many don't.
"Something strange is going on. I used to be a lawyer and how this city works is confusing even to me. What I do know is that city officials don't care about our concerns. I've been coordinating people to show up at these meetings. We will challenge the legislation. I've made this my full-time job, I stay up until midnight. I heard from a lot of people who want to continue to fight and I'm encouraged."
https://www.city-journal.org/embarcadero-homeless-shelter
Only eight days earlier, the proposal had been unveiled to turn what is now a parking lot-Seawall Lot 330-into the largest homeless shelter of its type in the city.
Placing an enormous homeless shelter in the center of it, in such close proximity to the prized Ferry Building, is bizarre.
More crucial is the attitude of city leaders and the media.
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an editorial headlined, "San Francisco Neighbors are Wrong to Fight A New Homeless Facility," dismissing the concerns of residents as "The magnetizing fear of a homeless influx," and implying that elitism fueled their protest.
At last count, approximately 7,500 people were living on the city's streets on any given night; shelters aren't making a dent because so many homeless people are "Service-resistant." No one is required to go or stay, and many don't.
"Something strange is going on. I used to be a lawyer and how this city works is confusing even to me. What I do know is that city officials don't care about our concerns. I've been coordinating people to show up at these meetings. We will challenge the legislation. I've made this my full-time job, I stay up until midnight. I heard from a lot of people who want to continue to fight and I'm encouraged."
https://www.city-journal.org/embarcadero-homeless-shelter
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