Plantagenet wrote:The entire premise of this thread has turned out to be wrong.
Rather than Suburbia dying, we are seeing urban areas dying in modern America.
In city after city, the downtown areas are being abandoned to the homeless, drug addicts and drug dealers, and criminals and thieves.
In city after city the downtown hotels and businesses are closing, and corporations are moving their staff out of the huge office buildings because it just too dangerous for their employees to get to work.
Downtown San Francisco is overrun by the homeless, drug addicts and drug dealers, and criminals and thieves
Rather then the death of Suburia, we are seeing the death of cities.
Cheers!
You can thank misguided polices from the left for that. People call for decriminalizing theft, decriminalizing drugs, defunding the police, and then act surprised when crime goes up and law and order goes down. After stores get stolen from time and time again, they eventually pack up their bags and leave town. Then they get accused of "abandoning the city." I would say the city abandoned them by leaving them at the mercy of thieves.
In recent years, San Francisco, once praised as a vibrant retail hub, has witnessed a steady stream of residents, retail stores and companies packing up and leaving the city. Experts say the reasons why should alarm all Californians as fatally-flawed policies that led to San Francisco’s decline are actually now being implemented in cities across the state. A recent study from The San Francisco Standard shows that from 2019 to May 2023, San Francisco witnessed a sharp decline in its retail landscape. In Union Square alone, the number of operating stores decreased from 207 to a mere 107 and now has a shocking 47% vacancy rate. In addition to the shocking data on retail closures, San Francisco is also grappling with an unprecedented office vacancy crisis.
“The overwhelming facts prove businesses and residents are fleeing San Francisco due to the crime wave and a spike in homelessness,” says Carl DeMaio, Chairman of Reform California. “And you can blame the liberal politicians in San Francisco for enacting fatally-flawed laws that enable crime and promote homelessness.” San Francisco’s crime and homeless rates are higher than most national and state averages, which DeMaio says is a result of these failed policies. According to the FBI Report of Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, in 2019, the city’s violent crime rate was 76.49% higher than the national average and the property crime rate was 160.94% the national average. As for homelessness, the Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that the Bay Area’ homeless population has increased 35% since 2019. "Moreover, San Francisco has always been expensive so you can’t say that is behind the recent exodus, but it certainly doesn’t help keep people in the city when they ask the common-sense question ‘why are we paying more to be victims of crime and be exposed to so much filth." “San Francisco’s high cost of operating and theft makes it harder to even reach break-even as stores are getting ransacked by criminals and burglars on a daily basis.”
The escalating levels of crime and drug use in San Francisco have forced various retail chains, including Target, Walgreens, and Nordstrom, to make the shocking decision to close many of their stores. The rampant criminal activity and pervasive drug issues have created an unsafe environment that not only endangers employees and customers but also hampers the profitability and sustainability of these businesses.
Retail Stores that Closed in San Francisco:
Saks off 5th
Old Navy
Anthropologie
Amazon Go
Whole Foods
Office Depot
Nordstrom
H&M
The RealReal
CB2
Banana Republic
Athleta
The Container Store
Crate & Barrel
Uniqlo
Gap
Companies Moving Out of San Francisco:
Meta
Twitter
Snap
PayPal
Airbnb
Slack
Salesforce
Block
Autodesk
Chime
“Instead of fixing the problems, politicians are waving goodbye to businesses and continuing failed policies.” It will continue to worsen, as politicians are not willing to prioritize the pressing issue at hand and implement effective comprehensive and long-term strategies for controlling and mitigating homelessness and crime in San Francisco. “We see many of the failed policies in San Francisco now being implemented in cities across the state as liberal politicians take control in more regions. We need to warn voters what will happen if they allow their city to embrace the same policies that led to San Francisco’s decline.”
Here’s a List of Companies Fleeing San Francisco — and WhyNeed toiletries or food? Just walk into any drug store in San Francisco and take it—no questions asked, and no arrest or prosecution, as long your total haul is under $950. Be sure to thank Chesa Boudin, the rogue prosecutor of the City by the Bay.
Or if your thing is possessing illegal drugs to distribute them, go to Boston, where it’s illegal, but you won’t get prosecuted. Thank Rachael Rollins, the former district attorney and current U.S. attorney under President Joe Biden. Rollins listed 15 crimes you can commit in Boston with impunity on her website, including receiving stolen property, or maliciously destroying property, or breaking and entering when you’re cold, or resisting arrest by the police.
Don’t want to post any bail after you have committed more crimes? No worries, as you have lots of cities to choose from, including Los Angeles (home to the King of Rogue Prosecutors, George Gascon), Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, and New York City (thanks to Alvin Bragg and the New York State Legislature, which eliminated bail for most crimes).
Deadly Consequences of Not Prosecuting MisdemeanorsThe oil barrel is half-full.
