Police say they've been told to roust homeless

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 10/11/6 | Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

[SmithL]

Nobody at the top is copping to it, but San Francisco police patrolling around Westfield's new megamall say they've been told to make sure the bums don't bother the paying customers.

Since the downtown mall opened two weeks ago, foot traffic on the surrounding blocks is way up -- and so, apparently, are the number of street people and street crimes. The cops tell us there's even been a surge of purse snatchings, assaults and other offenses in the BART and Muni Metro stations at Powell Street, adjacent to the mall.

Mayor Gavin "Care Not Cash'' Newsom voiced his concern about the street scene during a meeting with Police Chief Heather Fong.

The mayor's press secretary, Peter Ragone, denied his boss had called for any type of crackdown. He said Newsom had simply pointed out to the chief just before the mall's debut that 5,000 to 10,000 extra shoppers were expected for opening day, and that the cops needed to be sure "we have the personnel to deal with that size crowd."

"There was not an order or an edict or anything" about getting tough on street people, Ragone said.

That's not what the cops in the neighborhood are hearing, though. They've been told Newsom complained about the attitude of the police in dealing with the homeless people outside the mall and that the mayor wanted a firmer stance.

[SmithL]

Boo Hoo

[SmithL]

Police actually doing their jobs?

[zeaal]

This report must be false. This would not happen in a city ran primarily by liberals. No way! It has to be made-up.

[dfwgator]

That's not very "liberal" of them.

[Disambiguator]

The homeless have been told to leave until a Democrat is in the White House, at which time they will magically cease to exist.

[dead]

But if the cops chase the homeless away, who's going to piss all over the sidewalks?

[wideawake]

San Francisco's tourism revenue would increase significantly if they just did something about all those street bums.

And I don't only blame the city government but also a subset of tourists who encourage this behavior.

[SmithL]

They'll bring in illegals to do the pissing that Americans won't.

[Cicero]

Two of the clearest signs of the return of law and order in New York after Dinkins was replaced by Giuliani was the disappearance of homeless people from public places like railway stations and the disappearance of windshield cleaner people from busy corners, where you paid to have a rag passed over your windshield or your car would be scratched.

In the Dinkins years, they coped with the homeless by, for instance, removing all the seating from the Grand Central Station waiting room, so those waiting for trains were obliged to stand.

After Bloomberg was elected mayor, the homeless promptly returned to their old sleeping places.

[ECM]

You're right. I honestly can't stand visiting that city anymore for precisely that reason.

[Triggerhippie]

But if the cops chase the homeless away, who's going to piss all over the sidewalks?

The illegals, of course...

[steve-b]

At first glance, the headline looked like "Police say they've been told to roast homeless", which would certainly be a Swift solution to the problem.

[wideawake]

Last time I was there a bum made a comment to my wife and had he not backed down and run away when I threatened to beat his ass, I would have had to go ahead and beat his ass.

Then I would probably have been arrested - not a pleasant way to spend vacation time.

[TracyTucson]

I try not to use the term "homeless", it focuses on what they don't have and if we're going to focus on what they don't have then we're more accurate in calling them "work-ethic less". I heard Las Vegas is cracking down on them also, all they do is cause crime and spread TB, keeping them out of the public view is a good thing.

[Ueriah]

Bum-o-matic 7000! Mmmm, that's great bum!

[Old Professer]

How come we never hear about the homeless people in Fairbanks?

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Nooooooooooooooo! Not in the land of tolerance.

[x_plus_one]

Three years ago the tourism website for San Francisco touted their homeless population as a tourist attraction. We didn't have the heart to email and state that watching homeless poop in the streets wasn't a real draw for us.

[texan75010]

Calling them "bums" is not very politically correct. After all, we are all just one paycheck away from being just like them......isn't that the liberal mantra....we must take care of them because one day we will all be them?

And how can there be homeless in this liberal mecca? I thought under liberal leadership there would be no homeless? So if there are no homeless, there there is no problem? There is also never police force used on anyone in liberal meccas. So it is imaginary people doing imaginary things to imaginary people.

Actually, they are moving them out of sight so as to not make the liberal folks feel guilty for their lack of compassion towards their fellow man.

[Lancey Howard]

That's not what the cops in the neighborhood are hearing, though. They've been told Newsom complained about the attitude of the police in dealing with the homeless people outside the mall and that the mayor wanted a firmer stance.

LOL!! The urine-stenched Streets of San Fransicko.....