#1 SF Issue is Homelessness, Next to Parking, of Course

A recent SF Gate article, "Homelessness soars to No. 1 concern in SF" showed that residents of the city have come to grips with an issue that has plagued San Francisco for decades.  Some city officials have been quick to react and try to find a way to quickly build six new Navigation Centers to help people in need.   City supervisor, David Campos,  identified 36 parcels, none near his neighborhood of Bernal Heights, which included some parking garages and surface lots.  Even the mere suggestion of parking removal sent some residents into a tailspin.

"West Portal neighborhood leaders are irate that Campos suggested a parking lot next to the beloved Ambassador Toys and another parking lot nearby on Claremont Boulevard as possible sites for new homeless centers." said the Chronicle.   One resident said a Navigation Center "wouldn’t fit" on a corridor with lots of children, and that removing a surface parking lot would make it tough on shoppers to find cheap parking. "When we said it was our #1 concern, we never thought we had to clarify our inalienable right to store private property on public land for pennies a day or less.  Oh and children safety something something..." said one resident.

"Large lots dedicated to not move vehicles for most of the day outweighs the benefits of serving the homeless community."
Right Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle

Homeless advocates like Jerry Mandrake see things differently.  He explains, "First of all, let's dispel this notion that homeless people are more likely perpetrators of violence.  There's plenty of evidence to suggest that homeless people commit less crime than people with homes.  These groups of people, sadly are more likely to be the recipients of violence.  We can't allow neighborhoods to spread these biases and untruths.   The supervisors of San Francisco should be educating their constituents instead of allowing them to propagate these ideas that harm our most vulnerable people living in our communities."

Although there's zero evidence to suggest that homeless people pose any hazard to children, city leaders like Norman Yee prefer their district's parking lots over homeless centers.

Jerry went on to say, "...and if neighborhoods really cared about children they wouldn't be putting them in or anywhere near motorized vehicles.  Parking increases air pollution, the chances of leaving your child in a car to get heatstroke, or getting backed over in a parking lot.  Do they have any idea that the rates of traffic-related injuries and death are highest for children from age 5–19 years?  But you never hear anyone advocating less car use?  Don't even get me started on how detrimental a sedentary life is for a child, or what we're doing to their future environment."

Oddly enough, vulnerable people without homes did not make the list of injuries or deaths among children.
image found here

In the recent Chronicle article, a resident was asked if cars should take a backseat to the well-being of vulnerable homeless people.  They exclaimed “It’s insane...It’s people pushing their own agendas for something that’s reckless and irresponsible.”  When asked about the inherent dangers of cars and parking in and around children she said, "oh yeah, that's cool. "

Agitated neighbors formed a new coalition, NIMPS, which stands for "Not in my Parking Space".  One of the NIMPS member explained, "San Francisco has serious challenges, and one of them is protecting our most vulnerable and often mistreated residents of our city, that's right, cars."

Homeless advocates still hold out hope that one day the mayor and all the supervisors of San Francisco will declare a homeless emergency and actually support it in their district by swapping car storage for people storage.  Jerry said, "we just hope that one day the city has as much respect and compassion for a human being as they do for a parking spot."

Division Street - where homeless people were forced to leave because they weren't unused combustible metal boxes.

Back To School: City Aims to Clear Conscience on Children's Street Safety

It's that time of year when parents send their children back to school and pray their kids can traverse the car dominated streets they've bestowed on them, unscathed.  Fortunately, the city has come up with some things to make themselves feel better, since speed limits, crosswalks, lights/signs and actually witnessing children on the streets just doesn't cut it.

And while motor vehicle crashes remains the leading cause of death among young children in the country, and driver distraction is at an all time high, the city will remain committed to safetyesque things while allowing unfettered street access to motorists.  The city police also threw out a bone, saying they will "be writing tickets to try and prevent disaster" a statement which is sure to comfort parents who have witnessed the driving habits of San Francisco motorists every day.

San Francisco "steps up" enforcement, because seeing vulnerable children on the street isn't enough to stop motorists from speeding, ignoring crosswalks and stop signs.
Image found here.

In addition to all the existing laws in place that have been around since the inception of the motorized vehicle, there will be at least 193 crossing guards staffing 187 corners at 95 schools citywide. Though there's little data on whether or not crossing guards do much to save the lives of our most vulnerable people on the streets, the tradition will continue.  One concerned resident said, "Whatever we can do to to make ourselves feel better that we're making a difference in the lives of children" and then sped off in her SUV while sending a "#SFsafetyfirst" tweet.

People with no actual power to enforce laws, stand by children with high-viz vest and stop signs in hopes of squeezing out some measure of humanity from motorists.
image found here.

Even Mayor Lee has gotten into pandering safety in the midst of car dominance, saying, "Drivers need to be more aware of traveling at safe and appropriate speeds, especially near schools where children learn and play,"  The Mayor plans on saying other nice fluffy things until statistics catch up and a life is lost, in which case he'll reiterate the same thing only in a much sadder tone.  In additional saying nice things, the city also plans on telling children how to maybe be safer by staying in "magical paint" and watching the light turn green and waiting 2-3 seconds for cars to pass, then weaving around cars in the crosswalks.

As cars zigzagged around one of the crossing guards, he said, "We're doing the best we can, and that's really all we can hope for.  I mean do you really expect people to drive reasonably knowing that our most precious resources are crossing the streets of San Francisco?  How ridiculous would that be?" as he chuckled to himself, with a visible tear in his right eye.

Signs like this will be all over SF to help people feel better about the city they created for their children.
image found here.