To be sure, you could point out that other cities with large black populations, including NYC, LA, Jacksonville FL and Dallas TX also have as much or higher percentage of blacks than San Francisco and are not really in that much worse shape than San Francisco. I do think with Detroit and Birmingham, there are other factors, off the charts corruption perhaps being another key factor.
Growing up in the bay area and having gone to SF frequently; moved to another State and then returning years later; I can say the liberal policies did ruin it. The city is a lot dirtier, homeless people demanding money from you, the smell of urine and feces, the price of everything is outrageous, etc., is proof of liberal policies failing.
The police dept. there hardly solves any murder cases.
Off the charts corruption normally comes with black run city governments but is not, of course, exclusive to them. City government corruption increases with the amount of liberal control also, of whatever color. When your options depend on approval by a government office rather than the marketplace then corruption sets in. Persons with the power to approve or deny attract and then require bribery of one sort or another. It may be as simple as mowing the commissioner’s lawn a couple of times or building a nice garage on his house for free or outright cash in an envelope but it must eventuate.
“To be sure, you could point out that other cities with large black populations, including NYC, LA, Jacksonville FL and Dallas TX also have as much or higher percentage of blacks than San Francisco and are not really in that much worse shape than San Francisco.”
NYC is purging its blacks; apparently they don’t fit in Commissar Bloomberg’s vision of the city’s future. I believe it is officially 25% black.