San Francisco’s tech community has expressed concerns about safety in the city after prominent investor and Y Combinator founder, Paul Graham, voiced his worries about raising children in San Francisco. Graham recounted an incident where shots were fired near his dinner outing in the city’s Cow Hollow neighborhood. Although he did not witness the incident firsthand, Graham highlighted the lack of police response and commented on the prevalence of driverless cars, showcasing two contrasting visions of San Francisco’s future.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has also criticized the city’s crime, homelessness, and drug issues, describing it as a derelict zombie apocalypse. Data from the City and County of San Francisco has shown fluctuations in violent crime rates since 2017, but there has been a significant increase in property crime. A survey released earlier this year revealed that residents feel less safe than they have in the past 20 years, partly due to the public and brazen nature of crimes.
The concerns about safety have had an impact on businesses, with several retailers, including Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Amazon Go, and Old Navy, closing stores in the city citing safety concerns. Even Whole Foods’ flagship store shut down after just a year of operation due to numerous crimes and incidents such as theft, arrests, and threats to security guards.
Overall, these incidents and viewpoints from members of the tech community highlight the complex nature of safety in San Francisco. While violent crime rates have fluctuated, property crime has surged, leading to a growing sense of unease among residents and businesses.
