Fox News Flash top headlines for August 31
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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.
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.
"They need shelter and/or services and they need them immediately," the Merchants Association said. "Our community is struggling to recover from lost business revenue, from burglaries and never-ending vandalism/graffiti (often committed by unhoused persons) and we implore you to take action."
Dave Karraker, co-president of the association and co-owner of a gym in the Castro, told the San Francisco Chronicle that there have been "multiple" instances where people displaying "bizarre behavior" have walked into the gym and stolen weights and clothing, as well as smashed the business’s glass door.
The association is also demanding more action from the city, including an increased police presence.
"If the city can’t provide the basic services for them to become a successful business, then what are we paying for?" Karraker said.
WHAT PROSECUTORS MUST DO TO PROTECT THEIR COMMUNITIES
Karraker said qualify of life has noticeably slipped in the area in recent years. The association recorded nearly 100 incidents of crime and vandalism totaling over $170,000 in damages.
"Whatever they’re doing isn’t working," Karraker told SFGATE. "We’re just seeing constant vandalism, constant drug use in public, people passed out on the sidewalk, people having psychotic breakdowns, and it’s just not something a small-business owner should have to deal with."
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Terrance Alan, co-president of the association and owner of a Castro dispensary, told KTVU that his business’s windows have been smashed 11 times and that several homeless people have been living on the streets for more than a decade.
"Every day we wake up and have to help people on the street. We have to clean up feces on the street. We have to clear our people from doorways, so we can open our businesses. It's not fair," Alan said.
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