'Traumatized' residents of wealthy San Francisco neighborhood resort to using ... trends now
Citizens in a residential area of San Francisco are bolstering their homes with chicken wire in a bid to keep out intruders.
Happening in the city's Richmond District, the safety measures come amid a recent jump in burglaries, robberies, and homicides in the affluent neighborhood.
Headline-grabbing incidents like thieves making off with a Bank of America ATM earlier this year have even longtime residents on edge - with some installing cameras and safety locks along with the unconventional farm equipment.
Several have attended community meetings and made posts on social media as the rampant crime wave persists.
In interviews with The San Francisco Chronicle, residents spoke about the current state of the neighborhood, offering insight to why these precautions are becoming commonplace.
Citizens in the Richmond District of San Francisco are bolstering their homes with chicken wire to keep out intruders. Pictured: A crime scene from this past June, where a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by cops after he allegedly killed his 76-year-old mother and her dog
The crime occurred in a home down the street from a citizen who spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, who said he and his family no longer feel safe in the once peaceful area
'My wife doesn't feel safe going out without me these days,' said 66-year-old Sam Hom, a captain with Richmond's neighborhood watch program who recently caught someone trying to pick the lock of his family's home.
A few months before, a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by cops down the street, after he allegedly killed his 76-year-old mother and her dog in their home.
David Heller, president of a local merchants associating, added that businesses are also bearing the brunt of the spate of crime, which appears to be spilling over from the city's long-embattled Downtown.
He brought up how business owners are frustrated not only by the constant stream of incidents, but a lack of policing.
He went on to bring up how when his own business, Beauty Network salon Geary Blvd, was burglarized last year, the police response was slow enough to give the thief ample time to steal bags full of products before returning for a second run.
'Who would want to stay here under these conditions?' Heller asked the paper, citing how several other small businesses have since closed due to similar break-ins.
Richmond District police Capt. Chris Canning responded by conceding to The Chronicle that his station 'has not been immune from the staffing crisis that has affected the SFPD and law enforcement agencies across the country'.
He claimed his department is 'short 522 officers from our recommended staffing levels' - something that is sure to be a talking point in the district's upcoming supervisor race come November.
The safety measures come amid a recent jump in burglaries, robberies, and homicides, which residents in interviews said have left them on edge
The nabe is bordered by Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach and the wooded groves of the Presidio, and is set a few miles west of the city's long-embattled downtown
There, in snap's taken in the heart of the city's famed shopping district in January, tourists are seen wander down a gutted street once bustling with businesses
Instead of being graced with an array of shops, cafés, bars, and restaurants, the party is seen encountering countless shuttered storefronts. Residents and business owners now say crime spilling over from these problem er
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Canning went on to add how with fewer officers than previous years, the station has used a 'data-driven approach when deploying resources' - an approach he said is already showing promise
'We will not tolerate criminals victimizing our residents, visitors, and businesses,' Canning said, with San Francisco Police Department data supporting residents assertions.
The number of robberies in the district rose 52 percent last year - to 132 from 87 - the most seen in at least six years.
The area also saw four murders in 2023, including the August slaying of a 60-year-old store clerk, beaten to death by a 21-year-old man with a baseball bat after he allegedly attempted to steal two cans of beer.
The suspect, Santos De La Rosa, was arrested three months later, as citizens were left reeling by the sudden death of Yohannes 'John' Tewolde.
That same month,
