A 29-year-old SRO resident is in custody on charges of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing employee Wednesday, and the employee is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
We often hear the phrase “homeless-industrial complex” as a derogatory slur directed at people who’ve devoted their careers to helping solve the vexing, decades-long problem of homelessness in San Francisco. But many of the lower- to mid-level social workers often put their necks on the line, without particularly good pay, in hopes of making the world a better place.
And we’ve got a stark reminder of the on-the-job risks some of these individuals face, as the Chronicle reports a social worker was stabbed four times Wednesday by an SRO resident at the Tenderloin’s Windsor Hotel.
The victim’s name has not been released, though reportedly that individual remains in the hospital as of Thursday with what are described as non-life threatening injuries. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old SRO suspect Oscar Chatman was quickly arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, vandalism and burglary, and remains in SF County Jail as of Thursday.
SFPD has not released a statement, nor detailed the incident on their Daily Crime Reports. But the Chronicle confirmed with an SFPD spokesperson that police responded to the stabbing at 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, and a union representative for city employees union, SEIU 1021 rep Cheryl Thornton, confirmed that the city employee of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (DHS) was stabbed on the job in the Tenderloin.
“It’s out of control,” Thornton says, of current city employee working conditions in the Tenderloin.
Image: Kevin Y. via Yelp
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