Been to SF once

Was robbed in almost the same way

I mean you're going to get the same answer anywhere. Travelers are disproportionately robbed almost anywhere they would go. They're considered prime targets both in terms of the likely haul and their vulnerability.

Even cops disproportionately target trourists because they expect them not to fight tickets.

Remember not to wear flowers in your hair

Glass breakers work instantly. Check out some of Mark Rober's videos to see how fast it can be. I'm not surprised at all.

Check out what cracked bits of ceramic spark plugs do to car windows.

Straight ninja rocks

Walk by with one of those spring-loaded window breakers, hit the window, reach in, get in getaway car.

These are professional thieves that do it all day every day for their living. Theyre extremely fast

A center point punch breaks glass instantly.

I’m ready to fireboard a terry.

TSA misses most security checks anyway. It's all for show

I've said that for a long time, how when I was very small people could walk up, pay cash for a one way ticket to somewhere, not show any ID, and no questions were asked. (Assuming they didn't look completely off the wall or whatever.)

Friend of mine left her wallet in her hotel room in Vegas. Didn’t realize until she was already dropped off at the airport 15 mins before her flight. Got through no problem.

Just more security theater at work.

She's a reporter who likely travels internationally often enough, and likely on short enough notice, that it's always with her bags. So she lost her passport (big deal obviously) and ID (presumably in her wallet) leaving her with no ID.

“By the way, there’ll be an additional charge for the photography. If you’d like any digital &/or printed copies of the photos, just let our Groupon staff know how many & we’ll provide a quote!”

Cocaine in the alley.

That's more "executive protection" than "security guard", though.

At that point you're basically hiring one or a very small number of mercenaries, not someone who is there to be seen so as to deter crime, and to call the police if a crime happens.

There was a guy (that was clearly former military) that disarmed a protestor that had pulled a gun out of a cop car during that same time. It definitely can vary but some of those guys are very serious

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In SF they’d probably be the only ones in danger of getting arrested if they physically intervened.

Private security a lot of times is a bunch of guys who tried to be cops but even the cops didn't want them. They tend to be very very super-macho type guys who are high on what little power they have. They will crack your skull in a heart beat just to make themselves feel like they have real power. I'd mess w/a cop before I messed with any armed private security.

You people are delusional if you think California law requires you to let someone smash the window on a car.

10 years later:

"We met with sodium hydride to see where he is now."

Money don't grow on trees, he continued.

Gonzo was named after the journalism style because of his wild personality.

My friend lives in the bay area and said someone broke into his car for some pillows once

Highest crime and murder rate of the 1900s, but go off

the per-capita murder rate in San Francisco was twice as high in 1995 as it was in 2022

I don't keep up on bay area news, since I don't live in or around California. Thank you for your very sincere concern

That's why the War on Drugs was such a success! Just make life as shitty as possible for people who have a small amount of drugs and poof! Its all better now.

There’s a huge diminishing return on that as well and most criminals also do not expect to get caught. We have the largest prison population on the planet and an insanely high recidivism rate. There should be consequences but we also don’t give people the tools to actually build a life and become “productive members of society” once they’re released

Sounds like a good recipe to just have a revolving door. We don’t do anything to reform criminals or address any of the systemic issues. People committing crimes like theft I’m guessing largely are not financially secure and are looking to make money. Having a record makes finding gainful employment more difficult in a big way - how do you expect someone to build a new life after going through our justice system?

Crime is absolutely going up in San Francisco because their is no punishment. The simplest explanation is that a person can't commit a crime if they're in jail

Yeah I really don't understand the better life argument because anyone whose from SF Bay Area and has seen this shit happening and sees the type of people who commit these kinda crimes. They're not homeless, they're not "struggling", they're people who see easy opportunities to commit a crime that has very little risk to them. 90% of the videos of smash and grabs, or snatch and grabs, or armed robberies...these dudes are decked out in new Jordans, BAPE, designed jeans, etc in high end getaway cars. You can make the case everything I listed is stolen, but man what the fuck are the odds that every single thing was stolen for everyone single one of them? Even if they were stolen, look at where the priorities are. It's not a homeless guy stealing food, stealing groceries, stealing essential home goods.

I get that there are people struggling due to displacement and rising cost of living, but these people are not that and the spike in petty crime is a clear lack of deterrence.

"It may work for the type of crime that makes up 95% of all crime, but it wont work for the super rare crime and therefore it isn't worth trying."

Or white collar fraud like the Elizabeth Holmeses and SBFs of the world.

Which is why those major crimes are still tried as normal.

Or government corruption supporting monopolies