Hundreds of unsheltered people living in tent encampments in the blocks surrounding the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco have been forced to leave by city outreach workers and police as part of an attempted “clean up the house” ahead of this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s annual free trade conference.
The action, which housing advocates allege violated a court injunction, was celebrated by right-wing figures and the tech crowd, who have long been convinced that the city is in terminal decline because of an increase in encampments in the downtown area.
The X account End Wokness wrote that the displacement was proof the “government can easily fix our cities overnight. It just doesn’t want to” (the post received 77,000 likes). “Queer Eye but it’s just Xi visiting troubled US cities then they get a makeover,” joked Packy McCormick, the founder of Not Boring Capital and advisor to Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto VC team. The New York Post celebrated the action, saying that residents had “miraculously disappeared.”
Wait, you don’t think people opt into homelessness because they just really want to live in the big city? LOL
I volunteer with a local shelter so I’m pretty up to date on the latest research. I can say from a position of minor authority that this dude is nuts. It’s particularly funny for me because I was homeless for a few years in my twenties, there’s no way I’d do it again voluntarily.
Regardless, if they’re so desperate to be “right” that they game completely pointless numbers, I suspect they’re not going to engage in any sort of reasoned discussion.
many of the folks i work with are functionally homeless and i wish i could do more. i’m glad you made it out alright!