patrick.net

My own view, having only recently retired after working for years in The Tenderloin.

Although there is a police precinct in the Tenderloin there is virtually no police presence there and police response ranges from slow to never. The city seems to operate the Tenderloin as a safe place for thugs that would otherwise operate in “nice” parts of town. The real victims of this policy are the Latino families and Vietnamese business people who live and work there.

That is my perception as well. I see violence, open air drug dealing in broad daylight. I see the same crowd of fellas hanging out day after day on the same corners, throwing trash around, creating tension, blasting crime music, posturing aggressively to passers-by. I feel sad for tourists who stray beyond 5th Street on Market and run into this unsettling scene.

Hopefully, the spurt of new housing development brings a more balanced approach to that neighborhood, but I'm not holding my breath. This is District 6, currently Jane Kim's district, and the approach so far seems to have been one of coddling the felons. There is a child running to replace Kim, Sonja Trauss, who will be even worse. When speaking to her recently in person, she doesn't think that violence, out-of-control drug use, or other quality of life crimes are an important factor to constituents of the 6th. She does not think San Francisco needs more police protection, and went on to suggest that we should have a heart for the felons and respect their fear of policing.

This, my friends, is how you become South Chicago, or Baltimore, or Detroit.

tovarichpeter says

Although there is a police precinct in the Tenderloin there is virtually no police presence there and police response ranges from slow to never. The city seems to operate the Tenderloin as a safe place for thugs that would otherwise operate in “nice” parts of town

You just described most of Baltimore city!