Tech executive Bob Lee walked up an empty San Francisco street in the early hours of Tuesday gripping his side with one hand and his cellphone in the other, leaving a trail of blood behind him.”… (more)
Film noir is a popular and entertaining genre that has a cult following. We watch these films in the safety of our homes behind locked doors because as thrilling as the shadowy streets may seem, no one wants to live on a street where death is around every corner.
Much as the empty streets invited coyotes, wild pigs, and turkeys to roam around our neighborhoods during the COVID lockdown, the empty streets are inviting a lot of crime and anti-social behavior among the humans now. Perhaps it is time to re-populate the streets by opening them up to traffic and parking, at least after dark.
People may be more liable to venture out of their homes if driving and parking are available. That could even help some of the dying businesses. We could request a pilot project in the SOMA neighborhood Bob was stabbed in to start. Having more eyes on the road may curb some of the violence and street crime. Maybe we can extend it to the Mission, Castro and Geary Streets. All those neighborhoods with the closed storefronts may find themselves coming back to life.
Let’s face it, people feel safer in their cars. They are more liable to call for help or record evidence than if they are walking by. Protecting each other may come back into vogue while we are waiting for the new batch of police recruits to hit the streets.
At the very least, let’s stop killing the existing businesses by putting a halt to the closures, barricades and parking removal projects such as this one on Geary, where a few businesses are hanging on to survive and providing one of the few bright spots in our economy right now.