Federal agency tells SF workers to work from home due to unsafe conditions

https://sfist.com/2023/08/14/federal-agency-tells-sf-workers-to-work-from-home-due-to-unsafe-conditions/

by freedude • 3 years ago

107 91 3 years ago

sfist.com

freedude3• 3 years ago

Federal Agency Tells SF Workers to Work From Home Due to Unsafe Conditions Outside Federal Building

mbg721• 3 years ago

Well, of course; inside the Federal Building it's perfectly safe and cozy.

freedude3• 3 years ago

The article states the above as the title. Unfortunately, this is too long for HN so I truncated the unnecessary words and made a post with the actual title per the style guides. That said, your point is well taken in that I would hope inside the building would be safer.

lost_tourist• 3 years ago

Feral Buildings?

local_issues• 3 years ago

So far, 1 comment and it's apologia.

Step 1 to fixing your problems is to admitting they exist, and that they're your fault.

mickdeek86• 3 years ago

He merely completed the article's published title...

bluepod42• 3 years ago

How embarrassing.

Step 1 to fixing your problems is to admitting they exist, and that they're your fault.

The (situational) irony.

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS• 3 years ago

How embarrassing.

Or was it brilliant?

housemusicfan• 3 years ago

Waiting for someone to inevitably proclaim "I walk through the Tenderloin every day and have never felt unsafe," eh?

hn8305823• 3 years ago

I've walked through the downtown of most major cities in the US, day and night, and the only one I've ever genuinely felt unsafe in is SF.

Being "street smart" and constantly aware of your surroundings/situation will get you through most cities just fine but there is something utterly unpredictable about the street scene in SF that makes this strategy unworkable. It's basically one step above total Mad Max Anarchy.

lockhouse• 3 years ago

No, don’t be ridiculous. The obvious solution is to move to another state and continue to vote for the same policies that made you leave in the first place.

CoastalCoder3• 3 years ago

I have some strong, contentious views on this that I'd like to subject to a good debate. I.e., "tell me why I'm wrong..."

But I know HN isn't a great forum for emotional topics like that.

Any suggestions for where I can have that kind of discussion online?

stemlord• 3 years ago

lesswrong.com maybe

Hn is a great forum for it though, all things considered.

spencerflem2• 3 years ago

I wish it wasn't though. I come here for tech news, if I want politics I talk with my friends.

This place has some pretty frustrating opinions.

tekla• 3 years ago

HN is a tech worker bubble. It's a terrible forum for these kinds of topics

emmelaich• 3 years ago

As you say, not HN. Also not reddit, for different reasons.

Maybe write something up in substack and push it on twitter. @mention Shellenberger and others?

mistermann2• 3 years ago

I'd try https://www.themotte.org, it's like /r/slatestarcodex with the training wheels removed.

SilasX• 3 years ago

And inability to opt out of the reddit redesign...

threeseed4• 3 years ago

Twitter is unfortunately still the best place.

But instead follow people who are involved in policy decisions, social workers, psychologists, housing advocates etc. As you will get a more nuanced look at some of the issues.

Drug use and homelessness are two of the most complex problems in society to solve and usually require multi-faceted approaches across a wide array of disciplines to solve.

simple-thoughts2• 3 years ago

Or, just enforce laws and follow the proven “broken windows theory” of policing. Which worked in cities such as NYC.

jseliger• 3 years ago

Drug use and homelessness are two of the most complex problems in society to solve

Homelessness is not a complex problem to substantially ameliorate: https://seliger.com/2022/06/29/homelessness-is-a-housing-pro.... Northern California has tried absolutely everything to reduce homelessness except building more housing: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-will-do-anything-to-en....

whats_a_quasar• 3 years ago

You could try https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/. Not sure what the quality is like now but it had some interesting discussions in the 2010s

cscurmudgeon4• 3 years ago

Any forum which is against diverse but calmly-presented views backed with data is not a good forum.

cscurmudgeon4• 3 years ago

Hilarious that this is downvoted.

lampshades• 3 years ago

I disagree. I've always found HN to be a great place to discuss things like this. In fact, HN sometimes feels like one of the only places I can discuss things like this without being downvoted to hell and back.

Speak your mind.

CoastalCoder3• 3 years ago

I appreciate the suggestion, but unfortunately my experience on HN has been the opposite.

Heck, even my question, above is currently rated (at most) -2, for reasons I can't fathom.

Jevon23• 3 years ago

themotte.org

72f988bf• 3 years ago

Back in 2021, Seattle's courthouse introduced armed escorts for the same reason.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/king-county-courtho...

Not sure if it's still going on today.

whalesalad• 3 years ago

I used to live on the same block. Absolute disaster zone down at street level.

brvsft2• 3 years ago

Had to double check where this was. I saw a man kick a pigeon to death right in front of the Federal building. Definitely one of the more depraved things I've seen in my years.

Good luck to everyone who still lives in SF.

threeseed4• 3 years ago

Would add that many cities around the world are struggling with an increase in homelessness and drug use.

So whilst SF has its own issues it is far from unique.

The rise in global inflation, decreasing home affordability and stagnant wages has resulted in more people struggling.

hollywood_court• 3 years ago

I believe the situation in SF is rather unique relative to anywhere else in North America. Even PDX isn’t that bad.

cscurmudgeon4• 3 years ago

Do cities in Western Europe and Nordic countries also have this issue? I frequently hear they have excellent social support that prevents this. But, I haven't seen data either way.

threeseed4• 3 years ago

I don't know the full extent of the issue in San Francisco.

But there is an increase across not just Western Europe but Australia, Canada etc. And not just homelessness and drug use but upstream factors like inequality, poverty, cost of living etc.

So many people have been living on the poverty line that it doesn't take much to push people over.

simple-thoughts2• 3 years ago

Advanced Asian cities which combine rapid zero tolerance policing with the resulting social conformity don’t have these issues. There has been a rise in drug abuse but it tends to stay out of the public view, again due to policing.

I remember visiting nyc and seeing people shooting up in the street while the police were watching. Obviously the problem is lack of enforcement- and if petty crimes aren’t enforced even with just small punishments, then more serious crimes accelerate.

ErneX• 3 years ago

Apparently is was awful in the 80s due to the heroin.

Nowadays there are state run drug consumption rooms:

https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/topics/pods/drug-consumption-ro... https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2018/nov/21/...

vuln• 3 years ago

$687 a month to be homeless, near perfect weather, and all the drugs you can consume right outside your side sidewalk tent.

drewda• 3 years ago

Instead of joining in on the argument here, I'll just add the the SF Federal Building itself is somewhat architecturally interesting and contentious.

Here's an initial review: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/new-federal-building-...

And a reappraisal: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/10-years-later-f...

I believe this building is one of many commissionned under the GSA's design excellence program, which has produced a really adventurous range of buildings by American architects across the country: https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/desi...

Finally, the building was designed by the lead architect named Thom Mayne. Of his other work, Id also recommend the Caltrans district headquarters in LA: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrans_District_7_Headquar... Love it or hate it, I think all can agree that this is stimulating architecture compared to most office buildings.

nicolashahn10• 3 years ago

A few months ago the Supreme Court forced CA counties to begin issuing concealed carry weapon permits: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/legal-alert-oag-2022-0.... Previously it was up to the discretion of the county's sheriff to issue them, which meant only well-connected people had them.

More armed citizens isn't the ultimate solution (people need mental and financial help) but it's better than the current situation.

Rebelgecko2• 3 years ago

I think even with a CCW it's a big no-no to carry in a federal building, so it wouldn't help these folks

xwdv• 3 years ago

Yes it would, you can valet your gun before entering.

arcticbull2• 3 years ago

There is no reason whatsoever to think that's a better situation than the current one. Different, sure.

[edit] A better situation would be if they cleaned this disaster zone up.

nicolashahn10• 3 years ago

The city has consistently shown they're unwilling to do this.

Getting a CCW is something you as a citizen can do now. Personally, I'm in favor of having an option other than being a victim.

nedwin• 3 years ago

And every county is slow walking the actual issuance. I would be surprised if there has been any material increase in CCW issuance in the last 180 days.

nicolashahn10• 3 years ago

I know that several average (non-connected) people have received their CCW issued by San Francisco, which would be absolutely unheard of before Bruen.

rwmj3• 3 years ago

Do I understand this correctly: Crime is out of control and your solution is adding guns?

alphanullmeric2• 3 years ago

Because people should have the right to defend themselves and their things. Stealing and assault are not the basic human rights you want them to be.

pdonis3• 3 years ago

Allowing law-abiding citizens to have guns to defend themselves against crimes that the government refuses to prevent, yes.

If the governments would do their basic job, the vast majority of law-abiding citizens would not need guns for self-defense. But our current governments are sadly unwilling to do their basic job.

nicolashahn10• 3 years ago

Should we take them away from the cops as well, so only criminals can have them? Or should we allow law abiding citizens to defend themselves, so you have an option other than becoming a victim?

CameronNemo2• 3 years ago

Worked for Haiti, right??

Simulacra• 3 years ago

Perhaps SF could review a housing first policy to get people off the street ?

laichzeit0• 3 years ago

Is it something specific to SF and the policies made there? Clearly this doesn’t happen in all states, so what are they doing right that doesn’t lead to this type of degeneracy?

nicolashahn10• 3 years ago

Other cities aren't paying drug addicts to shoot up on the streets, and actually take action against drug dealers, which SF refuses to do.

proc0• 3 years ago

They're not enforcing the laws. I lived there for many years before the pandemic and it became clear the police and the city were prioritizing the drug addicts and criminals on the streets over tax paying citizens. My theory is that those in power acquired a certain perspective of human nature that says that people are inherently good and only commit violent crime because of the economic system that we have (plus other grievances). As a result it becomes unjust and cruel to punish anyone and put them in prison or removing them from society, even if they committed acts of violence repeatedly.

Federal agency tells SF workers to work from home due to unsafe conditions

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