San Fran residents can 'barely protect' homes, businesses amid crime surge: Small business owner
Lifelong San Francisco resident Tom Wong explains how rising crime and thefts forced the business owner to leave the city.
A lifelong San Francisco resident said on "Fox & Friends First" Friday that crime is spiking and homelessness is rampant in the city, with "no clear end" in sight to the problems.
"My business was robbed. It was broken into and my equipment was robbed. My vehicle was constantly being broken into," said Tom Wong, a private security firm owner who recently moved to the suburbs as crime has risen by 8.5% in the city since 2021.
"There's open drug use. One of my client's sites is right next to a safe injection site and the street is literally filled with drug dealers. There are probably about 15-20 drug dealers around the clock on the same block. And the residents are scared. My client, he could barely protect his home. And it's just really, really bad right now."
SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESSES THREATEN TAX STRIKE IF HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE NOT REMOVED
A shocking new survey revealed that almost half of San Francisco residents have been robbed in the last five years. The poll, conducted by a California NPR affiliate called KQED, revealed that nearly half of San Franciscans have been robbed in the past five years, while the city has not yet addressed the crime issue.
San Francisco officials tallied nearly 8,000 homeless people in February — the second highest number since 2005, according to a city count that happens every three years.
Furthermore, The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that a homeless encampment run by San Francisco cost the city $60,000 per year per tent.
Wong said it breaks his heart to see what has happened to the city where he grew up.
"It was a home that I knew and loved. We got here because of the district attorney, we're loose on crime, we have open drug use, we're a sanctuary city, it just doesn't work. Their policies don't work. It's a feel-good, it's a slogan, but it doesn't work. And we need to change that," he told Carley Shimkus.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a bill signing ceremony. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Businesses in one of San Francisco’s trendiest neighborhoods are threatening to withhold tax payments unless the woke politicians remove homeless people from the area and implement a stronger police presence.
The Castro Merchants Association, which represents 125 businesses, sent a letter to city officials earlier this month outlining three demands: 35 shelter beds for "mentally ill and substance-abusing individuals who have taken up residence in the Castro," monthly metrics on services offered to the homeless in the Castro and a devised plan following a homeless person’s refusal for services.
Fox News' Rachel Paik contributed to this report.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.