Tent City in Oregon
We will always have the poor among us - even the Great Master has spoken to us and told us, " Blessed are the poor - for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "
What does it mean to be poor - do the privileged have some responsibility to help the poor?
There was a time in San Francisco - when we did not have camp cities all over San Francisco.
Around 1980 we saw the beginning of the poor - being treated with disdain in San Francisco - when it came to getting access to public housing and so-called affordable housing.
When Ronald Reagan ordered the mentally challenged to be released - many came to San Francisco.
The moderate climate suited their needs - it does not snow in San Francisco - as it does in many cities in the United States.
As the poor showed up in droves, the Non-Profits stepped up their social services - Saint Anthony's, Martin de Pores, Glide Memorial, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Catholic Charities - the many churches.
We had ample Public Housing - Potrero Hill, Hunters Point, Oakdale, Sunnydale, Western Addition, Alemany - most of it built by the Department of Defense.
When the Navy and Army chose to go away - the City and County took over the Public Housing - from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and created the SF Housing Authority.
The SF Housing Authority - with intent - used deferred maintenance that adversely impacted Public Housing - and forced many to move away.
Once the tenants moved away - Bank of America and other financial institutions - allowed Nibbi, Cahill, and other dubious contractors - to upgrade the former Public Housing - that was rented for more money.
Mercy Housing owes the City and County millions - yet is loaned more money - by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development.
The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) - a remnant of the former SF Redevelopment Agency, then named the Successor of the SF Redevelopment Agency - is now named OCII.
This agency has failed San Francisco, and any standard audit - will prove that what I have been saying for the longest time - is correct.
The bottom line is that these few primes and property managers - are making millions - all developers - who do not have the best interest of the poor, affordable housing - upward mobility.
The corruption is carried on in a convoluted manner - today, the City and County of San Francisco - is the most corrupt in the nation.
Most moved to District 6 - the Tenderloin - and those in the know - why?
The Single Occupancy Residency (SROs) - were always unkempt - one kitchen serving 20 to 30 people - the same with a toilet or two.
The Patels who fled from East Africa - bought the SROs - and milked the poor. These filthy dens - were used by drug addicts - there was rampant prostitution - the City and County allowed the SF Health Department- to occupy over 800 rooms - sending patients to live in these filthy conditions.
This article from 2015 paints a good picture of tent cities - and gives the reader a better perspective - before - leading to today:
https://placesjournal.org/article/tent-city-america/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyYKUBhDJARIsAMj9lkEA_jMpUcziLcHj2NwuGAPDrm9iiwzAWJ2GVnKR5sf189l8GGRGPMsaAg0KEALw_wcB&cn-reloaded=1
The skyline of today's San Francisco
One of many tent cities in San Francisco
Mayor London Breed has no clue how to handle the homeless situation - she has failed us all - and given the opportunity to talk - London continues to bark up the wrong tree.
To carry on nefarious operations, mayor London Breed works with those in her inner circle - to create Committees, and use Urban Alchemy, contractors, and other modes - adversely impacting thousands.
Our City, our Home - Oversight Committee - all handpicked by Mayor London Breed - ramble a lot - but do not have a blueprint - funded well - to address homelessness.
There are other City Departments, each doing their own thing - there has been no audit. Each of these entities - bragging they are helping the poor - nothing much happening.
The most vulnerable, the mentally and physically challenged, the Elders, many live in the filthy condition in Single Residency Occupancy (SROs).
Where - where is the empathy - our City is named after Saint Francis Assissi.
Tent City between the SF Main Libary - and the Asian Museum - the tents do not follow CDC guidelines - and all sorts of drug deals going on - hoodwink the public at large in broad daylight.
Each City department does its own thing - the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
Millions of dollars - linked to the Stimulus Bill - were misused - there is a current audit and investigation underway - conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Time will tell.
The same committee - Our City, Our Home - Oversight Committee - has no control over violence, safety, abject mentally challenged on our streets, jobs, childcare, mental health, sound food security, warp around services, and wellbeing of the indigent.
Fails to address the poor living in a home - as opposed to the tents that can be rented - and sordid navigation centers - treat women and children with disdain.
Cartels operate all over SF Districts 2,3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and beyond.
Daily, these thugs take BART, our subway - come to San Francisco - land mainly in District 6 and carry on their daily trade - feeding the addicts with meth, heroin, fentanyl, weed, anything the poor souls need to not go cold turkey.
Check this site - full of misinformation - who indeed formed Urban Alchemy - who call themselves - practitioners:
https://urban-alchemy.us/
Urban Alchemy was founded in 2017 in Ohio. Did some work in Los Angeles and now in San Francisco.
In the mid-market area, carded private security entities have to undergo training - pass a test - get a card to carry weapons - and perform security duties.
Urban Alchemy falls under a category - a non-profit - a loophole that allows security guards - that can be legally employed - guards - who are not certified and have NO card.
One Urban Alchemy employee was shot - others hurt - from certain entities attacking Urban Alchemy employees - also called practitioners.
These practitioners are formerly incarcerated individuals - who are told to maintain the peace - peace keepers - who cannot handle brute violence, shootings, and maiming, adding fuel to the fire.
Only in San Francisco - with the City and County of San Francisco - doling out - over $43 million.
What is our SF Board of Supervisors doing? Nothing at all.
Where is the Controller's office and Ben Rosenfield on this? No one knows!
Today - it has decided to solve the homeless situation in San Francisco - given millions of dollars - our taxpayer's money.
Here is one recent article from the SF Examiner :
https://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/opinion-urban-alchemy-leadership-cries-racism-when-it-should-be-filing-its-nonprofit-paperwork/
This experiment for a short duration - the problem has not changed the homeless situation at all - more in the middle of a surging - SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Remember Communities of Opportunities
We know the charlatans when we see them.
We want to know who founded Urban Alchemy?
Who was behind approving this contract without a bid?
Who is condoning all the illegal activities that have been reported by the Examiner and other investigative reporters?
We did have a public meeting - and most of those living in Tenderloin - did not want a congregation of so many homeless dense shelters - adversely impacting the residents and compromising Quality of Life issues.
Some Non-Profits love getting money and spending it for ulterior motives - please do not use the poor and the unfortunate - as fodder.
We have Adult Probation - other proven non-profits - that have not been funded enough. Now here come Urban Alchemy - who claims it started in San Francisco - and the CEO claiming she is the founder.
Every Non-Profit must have complete transparency - there is nothing much available on Urban Alchemy - some information available - states the CEO makes $220,000 - and there is more to this debacle.
Just surfing the website - it has no sound mission objective that makes sense.
It has no oversight committee.
The contract did not go out to bid - sole sourcing with an entity having over one thousand employees - is something we must monitor - more, with a shooting and other casualties - on the worksite - documented.
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