San Francisco Luxurious Condos Overlook Metropolis’s Worst Squalor; ‘I Don’t Need To Be Afraid To Dwell Right here’ – CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A one-way street in San Francisco has neighbors who live in constant fear for their safety. According to the latest city data, Willow Street between Van Ness and Polk currently has the highest density of tents in San Francisco.
“It’s pretty nerve-wracking throughout,” said local resident Amber Lutsko. “This just seems like a safe place for chop shops and drug trafficking.”
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Local residents say they are afraid to drive down Willow Street and most would not dare to walk through it day and night. They say the problem has exploded exponentially since COVID.
“The garbage is a major health problem, rats …” added Lutsko.
It’s all a few feet from The Artani, which is located at 818 Van Ness Avenue, where units have sold for more than $ 1 million.
When asked what the most egregious part of the street was:
“Probably the threats of violence, the threats of violence against us, other residents of the building,” said Lutsko.
“I’ve seen people fight physically and I was gone once and a man approached my car yelling profanity and threatening me, which was really scary,” said a resident named Shannon, who refused on privacy concerns. to give her last name.
“There was a guy who passed out in front of our door all day with a needle hanging from his arm. And our children had to walk past that, ”added Lutsko.
Artani residents say they encounter unwanted activity as soon as they leave the garage. You are forced to turn right on Willow Street.
They shared photos of a man they say urinates and throws feces regularly. The smell permeates the entire garage. Another photo shows a man trying to break into her garage using a bottle to keep it from closing. Others are caught damaging their property – even entering and stealing packages.
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“I can’t really agree with the fact that this criminal activity is allowed to happen, I’ve called the police myself several times,” said Shannon, who said SFPD didn’t show up when they called.
It wasn’t until October 5th that the city came and swept the street completely – seen in a photo of a local resident. But the next day the tents and the rubbish had returned.
“The police won’t come when we call 911 because we’re actively being threatened by someone brandishing a club or knife. They won’t come,” said Lutsko.
The San Francisco Police Department directed the KPIX request to the Healthy Streets Operations Center (HSOC), which coordinates the city’s response to quality of life issues.
KPIX made several inquiries to the Mayor’s Office and we were sent to the Emergency Management Department (DEM). It sent the following statement:
San Francisco continues to focus on providing services and resources to our unoccupied residents while ensuring that public roads are safe and healthy for all. The social workers, clinicians, medical professionals, police officers, field workers, and street cleaning teams who do this difficult job have helped many people struggling with crises on the street.
From June 2020 to October 2021, city teams met 5,621 people and successfully accommodated 2,535 in hotels, shelters and safe sleeping places. Currently, more than 2,000 people who are staying in hotels during the pandemic are on the way to permanent supportive housing.
For those who are not housed, including the 2,318 unwilling to accept services, the teams will continue to provide services and encourage placement in an alternative shelter. During the same period, we also reduced our large warehouses by 90%.
On Willow Street, city teams were pulling out stocks on 24 different days this year. Their efforts put 161 people in inpatient treatments, navigation centers, safe sleeping places, hospitals or shelters.
The teams also solved hazards, obstacles and debris on the road.
The resolution included the removal of 377 tents that were either empty, abandoned or their owners accepted to be placed in alternative accommodations. Willow Street warehouse resolutions have been put on hold for 10 days due to COVID response tests and vaccination efforts for people affected by homelessness in the area, which concluded Thursday.
People should call city officials whenever they see someone in a crisis or unsafe condition on the street. Call 3-1-1, visit 311sf.org, or use the SF 311 mobile app to report trash, debris, or human or animal waste. Call Emergency Services at (415) 553-0123 to report camps blocking the sidewalk or illegal activity not required for an emergency.
Finally, in the event of fire, medical emergencies, and when someone is in crisis and there is no imminent danger to themselves or others, people should call 9-1-1. Dispatchers can dispatch the San Francisco Street Crisis Response team if necessary.
Still, according to a local business owner, the crisis has driven customers away.
“We feel absolutely unsafe here because we have had really bad experiences with COVID,” said Barish Halifeoglu. “Whenever I work, I lock the doors because I want to protect the customers.”
Supervisor Matt Haney’s office held a town hall on October 18 with residents and members of SFPD and HSOC. He recently promised a deep twice-a-month clean on Willow Street. Haney said he was unavailable for an interview and failed to respond to KPIX requests for comment.
Local residents want more police patrols. Artani residents said they have now formed a task force that meets every two weeks to discuss ways to remedy this worsening situation.
They’re also discussing working with the city to fence off the garage, add cameras on Willow Street, and make it a one-way street.
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“This is a wonderful place and I don’t want to be afraid to live here,” said Shannon.
