In Noe Valley, a San Francisco district known for its family-friendly atmosphere, children reportedly brandishing baseball bats have been assaulting and robbing local mothers and nannies, according to The Telegraph.
The neighborhood, affectionately termed “stroller alley” for its prevalence of young families, was recently shocked by 11 reported phone thefts believed to be connected to this youth gang.
The assaults also extend to women picking up their children from school, with two instances reported last week.
Last week, a minor was arrested in connection to the phone thefts, with the police investigation ongoing.
Fox News Digital reached out to the San Francisco Police Department for comment, emphasizing the urgency of the issue and the need for additional community safety measures.
Rafael Mandelman, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, pointed to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the city’s youth as a potential contributing factor to this crime surge.
“I think, what happened with kids not being in school, I think there may be something going on with that, that we’re going to be experiencing for a while,” he stated.
Mandelman further highlighted the long-term societal implications of the pandemic disruption.
“Those couple of years [when] school was erratic or nonexistent, where everyone was under stress, parents and caregivers were under stress. That was probably impacting vulnerable communities more anyway,” he said, underscoring the potential for an extended societal aftermath.
The city’s crime statistics reveal a mixed bag, with violent crimes like rape and assault remaining stable over the past four years, according to recent data, while a slight increase in murders has been observed.
However, property crimes have surged significantly since 2019.
Charles “Cully” Stimson, Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow and former San Francisco prosecutor, suggested to Fox News Digital earlier this year that the reality of crime in San Francisco might be worse than it appears in the data.
Stimson cited concerns about underreporting of crime due to a perceived lack of law enforcement.
“People do not report these crimes because when you have a DA who’s pro criminal and not going to enforce the law, the cops aren’t going to go out and arrest somebody when they know the case is going to be no papered,” Stimson said.
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