San Francisco’s crime and homelessness problems have once again come under scrutiny after a temporary citywide cleanup ahead of the APEC summit.
Local business owner Tom Wong, a lifelong resident, criticized Mayor London Breed for downplaying these issues.
Wong’s frustration was evident as he described the rapid return of crime, drug use, and homelessness to the streets less than a day after the cleanup.
He said, “It’s horrible. I just drove through the Tenderloin, and it is just a lot of drug heads, drug dealers, and they’re all out, they’re all out in the neighborhood.”
Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that the city had been spruced up for the APEC summit. “I know folks are saying, ‘Oh they’re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.’ That’s true because it’s true,” Newsom said.
Despite the cleanup efforts, critics argue that San Francisco’s problems persist.
Mayor Breed defended her administration, claiming improvements in crime numbers.
She said, “When you look at the data of what is happening with our crime numbers over the past five years, they are showing a decline, especially with car break-ins, burglaries, and other challenges that people are talking about.”
However, official statistics tell a different story.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, robbery has increased by 12.5%, car theft is up by 7.5%, and homicides have risen by 2.1% compared to the previous year.
Wong didn’t mince words in his criticism of the mayor.
“She has to own up to her failure,” he said. “The Democratic policies really don’t work. 80% of San Franciscans really don’t like what’s going on, and they really want a change, and she’s not listening. I don’t know what she’s getting her stats from, but she’s lying to the people. It’s not true. We are suffering here. We’re continuing to suffer.”
Wong emphasized the need for city officials to acknowledge their policy failures. He said, “It’s just a shell game. Hide the homeless. The dignitaries are here, and when the cameras are on, hide it, pan all to the left, so you don’t see all the deplorable state that the city’s in, and when they’re gone… it’s still here.”
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