San Francisco's homelessness is a humanitarian crisis
There are broadly two kinds of homeless:  those who lost their job and are discreetly trying to get back on track... and those who choose this lifestyle and shit all over the place, make enormous amounts of trash, smoke meth in bookstore bathrooms, steal from stores and assault people.<p>All day long I see the second group all over town destroying stuff and causing mayhem that ends up hurting innocent bystanders.<p>Yet when the media talks about homelessness they only speak as if all homeless are in the first group-- down on their luck and needing a helping hand and if you feel anything other than deep guilt you are less than human.<p>The ruse is up:  everyone has too many anecdotes of being assaulted, having to walk out into the street to go around heaps of garbage, watching people openly inject drugs on sidewalks in front of unwilling witnesses.<p>There are clearly two distinct things going on and they likely have two totally different solutions. If media and politicians keep communicating as if there is only one problem, despite what our ears and eyes tell us every single day, then this will continue to get worse and the outcome will likely be the same as the &#x27;defund the police&#x27; movement-- a voter referendum that says &#x27;enough of this nonsense&#x27;.