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It's time for the San Francisco crime mid-year report card, and we're not doing so great -- homicide rates are up 20% from last year.
The SFPD reports that drug-related homicides are up (15 for the year so far, compared to only 13 all year in 2006), spontaneous violence is up, and fatal stabbings are up (10 for the year so far, as opposed to 8 all last year). On the bright side, gang-related homicides are down, which the SFPD credits to the expansion of their gang task force. As of yesterday for 2007, we're at 54 murders (45 at this point last year).
This report didn't say anything about non-fatal violence, though anecdotally (i.e., what we read in the CBS 5 and ABC 7 Bay City News briefs), it seems like a lot more people are getting hurt, but the good folks at SF General are doing a heroic job saving them. Does anyone know if serious injuries are actually up, or is it just that we've started looking at this lately?
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That fact has to be that there's something going on in the Bay Area's gang community. Oakland's been a nightmare, so has East Palo Alto, and San Francisco's violent crime/murder is clearly problematic. But we wouldn't know, because nobody's talking.
I live between a couple of sometimes-rough public housing developments in the Western Addition, and only once have I seen policemen on a foot patrol. Given, I haven't read studies about whether or not foot patrols are cost-effective in terms of public dollars vis-a-vis crime prevented - but it sure as hell made me feel better having them there.
Not only that, but having a constant, reassuring authoritative presence in these tough neighborhoods might have a positive impact upon the amount of information the police have to work with in solving these crimes (because not only are there a ton of murders, but the SFPD's notoriously bad at solving them). Get out and talk to people in these neighborhoods. Develop relationships and a little bit of trust. As it stands, cops, you're the enemy to most of the people living in gangland. You gotta make some friends. I mean, come on fellas, watch the Wire and learn something.
Gunshot injuries at SF General are way up in recent years. The Chron had a chilling story about it in April. link:
In 2003, 110 gunshot victims were admitted to the hospital. Last year, that figure spiked to 228. The dramatic rise isn't mirrored in the city's homicide rate because fewer gunshot victims are dying thanks to advancements in medicine . . . . While African Americans make up 6.5 percent of the city's residents, they comprise at least 70 percent of gunshot victims.But don't worry, the geniuses at the SFPD are all over it. Did anyone see this insane Chorn article yesterday?
Authorities say officers can't learn those critical details because of a long-running clash between the Police Department and the city's Juvenile Probation Department over youths' criminal records and who, if anyone, should enter them into city tracking systems for law enforcement officers.
Anyone see that the new cameras on MUNI are only to ticket drivers double parked in bus zones?
The board of supervisors were even quoted saying that if the cameras accidentally recorded a crime in progress, that the footage would be barred from use in investigation or prosecution?
Huh? That would suck if you were the one being stabbed, knew it was all on film, and couldn’t access it.
There is nothing wrong with letting people know they are being watched -- it puts them on good behavoir.
"I'll tell you what," Newsom said, "...begin the campaign to recall me. And you know what? I may be right there as a co-signer of that effort."
Maybe we need more "Castro On Patrol" neighborhood patrols. www.SFSafe.org
Does anyone know anything about the shooting last night on Divis @ grove or fulton. Sketchy reports I've heard are that it came out of the same barbershop as last week.
Gavin's a duck.
I'm sure he won't be bragging about how safe the city will be this election year. He's so re-callable [on his own terms] as of right now, it's not even funny.
But of course, we have no other candidate, and I could go on and list the array of problems San Francisco is facing right now, but I won't.
S.F's weak stance on crime is finally catching up with it. We have a board of sups and DA that turn a blind eye and a mayor that is ineffective.
S.F. better wake up or this city is going to be no different than other large violent cities.
"haplito" is right on. There is definitely a gang connection. In Lower Haight, most of the murderers this year are from outside of the 'hood (from oakland or BVHP) - and sometimes the victims were as well. The gangs from the civic center/downtown area are now getting pushed into our 'hood and are fighting over territory.
We need more foot patrols. We also need to recall lame supervisors like Michela Alioto-Pier who don't support them and, instead, advocate for more violence (not in her 'hood) by promoting the change of rules around MCDs to allow convicted violent felons to open up these parlors (which are often protected by thugs with semi-automatic weapons).