Global Courant 2023-04-13 06:15:47
San Francisco Mayor London Breed defended her city during a tense interview following criticism that the city has become too dangerous due to progressive policies after a tech executive was stabbed to death and a former fire commissioner was brutally assaulted last week.
Breed, a Democrat, spoke with Fox San Francisco when she said reports of Cash App founder Bob Lee’s death were “inaccurate”.
“I think a lot of times because of social media, because of cameras and how people are able to publish things that happen in the blink of an eye, it’s taken completely out of context by highlighting the whole city as unsafe,” she said. “That is not entirely true.”
CASH APP’S BOB LEE ON SAN FRANCISCO STREET BEGS FOR HELP MOMENTS AFTER FATAL STABBING: REPORT
San Francisco Mayor London Breed defended public safety in the city after a series of attacks that killed a technical director and brutally assaulted another man within days. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
After listing several popular events that were staged in the city that caused no incident, Breed was asked how residents could be concerned about the state of the city after Lee’s murder.
She said city leaders were in talks with state and federal authorities about getting support.
“How do you answer the critics who say the state of San Francisco turns to state and federal authorities because it is, in part, the work of its own politicians and city leaders,” asked KTVU anchor Gasia Mikaelian. “Essentially, they say that progressive policies brought us here. Now we turn to others for help.”
“You know, it’s sad because I think San Francisco has been a target for so long and used as an example because we’re innovative, creative, we’re coming up with out-of-the-box ideas and a bunch of other things to change that. advancing our communities,” replied Breed. “And I think unfortunately, you know, with the previous president it was a target.”
People sit in Alamo Square overlooking the city skyline in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Governor Newsom ordered on March 19 that all of the state’s 40 million residents go into home isolation, saying outdoor activities are allowed with appropriate social distancing. Several parks reported a surge in visitors over the weekend from people wanting to get out of their homes. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Some of our policies have been problematic and we will do what we can to reverse them. But in the meantime, we have to move on,” she added. “It will take some time to get to a better place where public safety reigns. But we are not giving up.”
San Francisco has come under fire from critics after Lee’s death. Days later, former San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani was attacked in his own front yard, slashed open with a knife and had his skull fractured by a pipe.
Elon Musk, who traded Silicon Valley for Texas, weighed in on San Francisco’s crime problems in a tweet last week.
“Many people I know have been severely assaulted. Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often immediately released,” Musk wrote.
Some critics have blamed the defund on the police movement.
According to city data, the San Francisco Police Department is understaffed by as many as 541 officers.
In fact, a check of state records found that police had hired dozens of unqualified or undocumented officers to deal with the growing shortage, according to a report released in March.
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And while some crime statistics in the city indicate that most major crimes have declined since last year, some violent crimes have moved in the other direction.
Murders are up 20% this year and robberies are up more than 13% this year, compared to last year, according to data from the San Francisco Police Department.
