San Francisco: Federal workers told to work from home due to rampant crime
Federal government workers in San Francisco this month were advised to start working from home due to uncontrolled crime in the city.
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials issued a memo on August 4th to employees in the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on Seventh Street suggesting they begin working from home. The 18-story building is situated in an open-air illicit drug market where narcotics are openly sold, purchased and used.
“In light of the conditions at the [Federal Building] we recommend employees . . . maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl R. Campbell wrote in the memo, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“This recommendation should be extended to all Region IX employees, including those not currently utilizing telework flexibilities,” Campbell added, referring to an area that encompasses several time zones and shares a border with Mexico.
There have been 35 murders in San Francisco so far this year, a 20% jump from 2022. There have been 1,611 robberies, a 14% increase. Car thefts have surged 13% to 4,119. Many residents are accustomed to leaving their car windows down when they park so the windows will not be smashed by thieves looking for valuables.
Shoplifting is also one of San Francisco’s popular crimes. Grocery store chain Safeway recently installed electronic exits which require customers to scan their receipts before leaving the store. A Walgreens branch has locked its freezers with chains in response to 15–20 daily robberies. When an ABC7 crew visited the branch, they witnessed multiple shoplifts within the first hour. They asked one of the thieves why he was shoplifting, and he answered, "It's San Francisco, bro."
Walgreens has already closed five stores due to open retail theft, and at least one Safeway branch has changed its operating hours from 24-hours to 6 AM–9 PM due to theft.
One tech store started paying $30,000 per month for security after organized robberies left employees wounded and merchandise stolen.
In May, an Afghani immigrant compared San Francisco to Afghanistan after his tobacco shop on 17th Avenue and Geary was robbed. Five thieves made off with over $80,000 in merchandise and $20,000 in cash. Zaid, the shop’s Afghani owner, said he brought his concerns to city hall but “no one in the city listens.”
“At least in Afghanistan the Taliban will cut your hand off and people are afraid to commit such a crime,” said Zaid. “We might have to shut it down,” he added. “Our safety is more important than making a living in this city.”
Zaid’s sentiments are shared by major retailers who are abandoning the city in droves due to rampant crime, drug use and homelessness.
Over 150 families have pitched in to hire private security to patrol the streets of San Francisco due to unchecked home burglaries and car break-ins.
Billionaire Elon Musk called on San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to take “stronger actions” on repeat offenders after tech mogul Bob Lee, founder of CashApp, was stabbed to death on the street in early April.
“Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately,” tweeted Musk, whose X headquarters are in San Francisco.
According to Zaid, justice is not forthcoming.
“They know the police won't do anything,” he said. “We have a drugs issue, we have a homeless issue, and on top of this these idiots come in here and take whatever they want.”
Many blame San Francisco Mayor London Breed — who has called for defunding the police — for the increase in crime rates. But the skyrocketing crime could not have happened without Chesa Boudin, the city’s former district attorney.
When Boudin was elected with the help of billionaire George Soros in 2019, he ended cash bail, refused to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, began to aggressively prosecute police misconduct, eased up on prosecuting drug offenses, and instituted other policies that allowed crime to spike.
At least one-third of DA attorneys left their jobs since Boudin took office, citing his unwillingness to prosecute crime.
In December 2021 the father of a slain 6-year-old accused Boudin of making “the justice system a complete joke” when it was revealed that the murderer would spend less time in jail than the child was alive.
Boudin was recalled in an historic vote in June 2022, though DA Jenkins is being criticized for having a similar charging rate.
“What the f*** happened to this place?” comedian Dave Chapelle asked during a recent performance in San Francisco.
