I would be very interested to hear some long term SF native's opinions on how are things currently in SF. Talking to people I either get that it has become dystopia or it is pursuing policies which will lead to nirvana.
There are also long term changes playing out. The Baby Boom flooded SF with weird energy. Today young people are less numerous and not as freaked out. The Crack Boom was in some ways similar to the Fentanyl, opioid, and meth craziness but back then the users tended to flame out violently instead of stumbling around like zombies. No es bueno.
As the HIV epidemic has played out at this point much of a generation of gay people have been killed off or disabled. In the past the need to mingle to meet others drove an intense urban subculture. Nowadays Internet dating serves similar needs but works differently and rarely if ever fills public spaces.
25 years ago you didn’t go to Dolores Park because it was a dump. Now Valley was working class, Glen Park was awful.
Now those places are havens for the young and rich.
There is no reason why those times can’t return.
Whereas the complaints that come from outsiders are vague culture war talking points that transparently originate from fear/outrage media. Vague and generic driveby comments about how it's wholly unsafe and going to hell.
The cities I've lived in or visited frequently, the locals who aren't looking for trouble feel safe and don't find it difficult or burdensome to avoid unsafe areas/behaviors.
We sent a police report into the void knowing from several other anecdotes that nothing will be done.
We have no interest in going back, and wouldn’t recommend it to others.
How is that healthy for a city?
The rumors of San Francisco death are exaggerated. They are also self-fulfilling because they discourage people from investing in the community.
My advice to techies: move West. Take a pottery class and eat a dumpling. Make friends with artists. It’s a richly cultural city once you get out of the bubble.
SoMa was definitely the epicenter of "woah" but the "woah" was by no means isolated to that area.
This was all pre-covid - I didn't stick around to see if it would get worse.
I've got hundreds more stories of people getting into fights on my morning train (the J), or just doing strange things to everyone around them while everybody keeps their heads down praying it will end soon so they can just get to work.
SF is undeniably fun and pretty, and honestly an amazing place - I even saw Tim Schafer on my morning train once but didn't want to bother him. However, between the intensity of daily life and the intensity of cost of living I can't recommend it to anyone who isn't a young millionaire, or literally 2 years from that outcome. My favorite parts were the west side like you recommend though.
>We moved to Noe Valley and then a random dude broke into our house by smashing glass and opening the door.
This happened 2 months into COVID, and then I moved away soon after
Car breakins, violent street encounters, general lawlessness has definitely increased in the outlying areas.
It’s not horrible mind you, just more prevalent than say 5 years ago.
The rationalization of the current status cannot overcome reality; people and businesses simply leave [2]
It is really is very simple, just visit the city to see what has become of it.
Walk around and have a "lived experience" is really the best education.
Visit our wonderful Main Library but before they open, come greet the morning with our welcoming citizens on 7th Street and Market. You may have to stoop a bit as some folks on oversees synthetics have a bad hangover. [3]
Money is not going to solve it AND where in the hell is it going to anyway? [4]
Blaming does not solve anything, but regret, shame and utter disgust is my first step out of denial of this sh*t show.
And to those who have their head in the sand viewing our beautiful utopia out in sunny Noe Valley or Outer Sunset, just you wait until the delusion is shattered...
[1] The minority group being referred to here are natives or residents who actually live and care about the city and see what it has become over years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto
[2] Businesses: https://youtu.be/kvsGqG1pMN8 People: https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/population-change-pandemic
[3] Where in the world can you get good cheap chemistry? https://youtu.be/z6iW1poC-0c
[4] $100K per serviced client = ($848.4 million - admin costs) /~8k = https://sfgov.org/scorecards/safety-net/homeless-population https://sf.gov/data/our-city-our-home-fund-6-month-report-fi...