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Comment by tlogan | Hacker News Reader

In separate news, sf chief economist is saying that everything is great [1].

Why is there such strong denial among city leadership and many individuals?

[1] https://sfist.com/2023/07/06/san-franciscos-chief-economist-...

There seems to have been a popular hatred of the SF area spreading around online for the last few months or so. At least that's when I noticed it. I went out there as a tourist early last month. I never managed to happen across the roving bands of homeless and wasteland of closed businesses I keep hearing about online. The wharf wasn't even overrun as I had seen claimed.

I can't speak to the economics of the area, and it is certainly expensive, but most of the jabber I've seen online seems overblown. I never felt any more at risk there than I do in any other large city.

> The wharf wasn't even overrun as

> I had seen claimed.

The comments like are part of the problem. So the fact that my neiborhood is going to shit does not matter: The wharf wasn't even overrun as I had seen claimed so be quiet. And please do not think I have anything aginst your opinion. It is 100% correct.

And my question is: why? Why people (leaders and ones who can live near marina) dismiss the problems parents and mortals like me experience? Is it because they think this is some republican's vs democrats issue? Just wondering. Maybe if I understand why we can work on platform to fix this.

Fisherman's Wharf is not San Francisco (half joke). And there are certainly perfectly civilized looking actual neighborhoods (say Cow Hollow, nearby). No homeless, no garbage, minimal poop on the sidewalks, minimal loud bike rides, no constant sirens, etc.

But the conference center, Moscone Center, is in one of the neighborhoods where the action is. And a lot of people live in or visit these areas also.

I recall a few years back a nationwide study found California's roads ranked worst of all the states. Sacramento's response was a press conference held by a CalDoT spokesperson who announced "California has good roads."

Which would seem to end the discussion.

this is a repeat of what happened to philly when it went from bustling economic center to a union stronghold that stifled productivity, the politicians today still pretend like nothings changed

This is an extremely basic and superficial take on multiple factors that hollowed out Philadelphia and surrounding area.

> this is a repeat of what happened to philly when it went from bustling economic center to a union stronghold that stifled productivity

Getting bombed by their own police probably didn't help either.

I'm not from the US and I just learned about the MOVE bombing a couple of years ago. It is one of the most fucked-up events in recent American history. I can't believe that they convinced themselves it was a good idea to drop bombs, some of which was FBI-supplied C4, on a civilian building. The number of people who had to be okay with that from several agencies is astounding.

And no real consequences?

> And no real consequences?

Well, if you criticize the police, then they stop prosecuting criminals, and then Fox News talks daily about how your city has become a crime-infested third world hell-hole.

In much of the SF Bay Area in general, and San Francisco city in particular, I get the impression that the current situation is very deliberate. There are loud minorities arguing about a few things but they are (just) loud minorities. The usual get elected (mostly) and merely pay lip service to these issues (that these other people are having). Otherwise, the plan is on track, things are well enough, and the voting majority merely regrets that we are not in the 90ies anymore. (Not the 80ies - too many freeways then.)

If he said anything otherwise the economic death spiral would become a cliff. He's just doing his job to not make national headlines basically telling people to run to the hills.

He's not right, but he's not in a political position that will economically benefit the people of the city by being candid.

But the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

You can admit a problem to yourself in private to get to work on it, you don't need to declare you're an active drug addict at every job interview.

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