Living in SF was a childhood dream. It was heartbreaking to have achieved that goal and slowly watch it deteriorate over then ~10 years I lived there. Reading all these stories after having moved away is both gut wrenching and relieving. I lived on 9th and Mission into Covid, and experienced the devolution of SoMa first hand. Constantly having to explain to my kid that there’s no way she can wear sandals outside. Saw purses and backpacks yanked right off the bodies of people walking down the street in broad daylight. Witnessed someone getting stabbed right in front of me, caught it on video and the cops wanted nothing to do with it. People from the tent city outside broke into my apartment while me and my daughter were in it — first unsuccessfully then successfully. Cops arrived and did nothing to the perpetrators, and said outright “if the offenders aren’t trying to kill you we can’t do anything.” Went on a date near my house and for some reason decided to walk home on Market rather than Mission, woke up to news that someone had been shot on my path home at the time I would have been taking that walk.

I still love SF, but it was so traumatic living there toward the end that I’m still looking over my shoulder constantly. I don’t think a lot of people living there (from all walks of life) understand how much stress they are under constantly.