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Comment by baby | Hacker News Reader

It's really happening everywhere, the office district in SF is filled with crime. I really felt bad (pre-covid) for twitter employees, for example. It was the same with downtown Chicago (the loop) where I couldn't stay late at work because it would get dangerous to walk late at night there.

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It seems to be a very west cost thing (live in Vancouver and its the same) - I cannot speak for south of the border but other provinces send their homeless here & they seek out Vancouver not just for the social programs because it is the most mild winter in the country. the homeless problem here isn't so much "Vancouvers" as "Canadas"

The west coast has a very hospitable climate. No harsh winters and no hot, humid summers.

West coast states are also subject to a court ruling not allowing them to simply ban sleeping on sidewalks:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_v._Boise

It's worse on the West coast, for sure, but crime is way up in NYC and other East Coast cities too. It know it's somewhat gauche to point out the obvious, but cities and locations that have taken anti-police measures are tending to see the highest increases in crime.

Small blips. If you look at anything long term the stats clearly trend to less crime https://www.bbc.com/news/57581270.amp

Sure, if you compare it to some of the worst decades on record. But I don't think our standard of success for public safety should be, "Well, it could be worse".

At the same time it makes sense not to panic.

Not 'everywhere.' Everywhere with a certain flavor of progressive politics, especially if the climate is nice.

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