Marissa Castelli's skates and costumes were stolen (and returned)

[AxelAnnie]

I feel for Marisa - her costumes are stunning on her, and she could probably have a part-time design business.

Yes, we in California have Ronald Reagan to thank for dumping mentally ill people into communities without enough services and homes. The Bay Area (including San Jose, where I live and work) is a tough place to do homeless ministry. Housing costs are so sky-high that finding a SRO room is really expensive. Many of the hardcore homeless folks have multiple diagnoses and need lots of services. In the congregation I serve, our part-time janitor was homeless for a few months until the church loaned her money for a camper, and one member of our communities spends his days and nights outside the church on a corner right across from city hall with mental issues. Neither steal or attack folks.

True about RR
And not a single person since him has bothered to build facilities and round em up

And remember this is CA
.....we would not want to infringe on someone's right to not get treatment and to refuse to be in a shelter

 

[VGThuy]

This thread is getting icky.

 

[skatfan]

True about RR
And not a single person since him has bothered to build facilities and round em up

Very true. Once something is broken, it takes a lot to put it back together. Budgets being what they are, it isn't a priority anywhere that I can tell. That tells us a lot about how much we really care.

And remember this is CA.....we would not want to infringe on someone's right to not get treatment and to refuse to be in a shelter

I'd actually say there is way more discrimination against homeless people and criminalization of homelessness. Here in San Jose, they are trying to prevent churches from feeding the existing homeless folks in public parks. Now, they won't arrest church people because that's a bad look, but here in the heart of Silicon Valley and billionaires galore, nobody is putting up the $ to fund needed temporary housing and shelters. Cities are making it illegal to park on public roads in campers, to camp in the hills, etc, when there is no available affordable housing to be had.

Do I think it would help to be able to force treatment on mentally ill folks - a qualified yes. Having had an aunt die after treatment in a State Hospital for mentally ill (before RR), you can imagine I have mixed feelings about this.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Very true. Once something is broken, it takes a lot to put it back together. Budgets being what they are, it isn't a priority anywhere that I can tell. That tells us a lot about how much we really care.


I'd actually say there is way more discrimination against homeless people and criminalization of homelessness. Here in San Jose, they are trying to prevent churches from feeding the existing homeless folks in public parks. Now, they won't arrest church people because that's a bad look, but here in the heart of Silicon Valley and billionaires galore, nobody is putting up the $ to fund needed temporary housing and shelters. Cities are making it illegal to park on public roads in campers, to camp in the hills, etc, when there is no available affordable housing to be had.

Do I think it would help to be able to force treatment on mentally ill folks - a qualified yes. Having had an aunt die after treatment in a State Hospital for mentally ill (before RR), you can imagine I have mixed feelings about this.

Sorry about your Aunt. That must have been a horror.

I will say it is a "shonda" (which is the Hebrew word for shame) that so much wealth and such liberal platitudes reside in the San Jose area, and there is not adequate facilities. And there is tons and tons of land out there.

Did you know that one of the SoCal fires was started by a cooking fire in a homeless encampment? The mentally ill need to have treatment. The homeless need to have a safe place to be, and resources available to help them get back up on their feet. And goodness, how much money do we spend cleaning buildings, sidewalks, and damage each year. This great country is able to handle all of this......but we are doing other things.

 

[skatfan]

Did you know that one of the SoCal fires was started by a cooking fire in a homeless encampment?

Yes. I lived in Marin County (north of SF) where more than one fire happened because of camps in the hills. But had the county found a site to put up a winter shelter for the homeless - nah. Churches were doing a rotating shelter for five years so the county could come up with a plan. The rotating shelter finishes at the end of this rainy season, and the county still hasn't named a site.

The mentally ill need to have treatment. The homeless need to have a safe place to be, and resources available to help them get back up on their feet. And goodness, how much money do we spend cleaning buildings, sidewalks, and damage each year. This great country is able to handle all of this......but we are doing other things.

Exactly.

 

[AxelAnnie]

And, of course Marin is one of the richest counties in the country. They CERTAINLY could not afford to fix the problem.

 

[Willin]

Poor girl......

Folks this is lesson one of traveling. DO NOT leave valuables where they can be seen. If the rental car agency tries to "upgrade" you to an SUV or minivan just say NO! (I have had very few SUVs where they bothered to include the "cover" for luggage and I can't tell you how many coworkers I know who have had bags stolen from rental SUVs using this same "smash and grab"!)

Seriously - there was just an article today about how there is one car burglary every 17 minutes in SF. These target tourists in particular. Right now they're trying to implement a law so that rental cars are not distinguishable in any way from private vehicles, as most thieves can easily identify them and target them. Golden Gate National Recreation Area has cops dedicated to patrolling parking lots and educating tourists on car break-ins. Tourist hot-spots like Lombard Street and Alamo Square have signs telling tourists to leave nothing in their cars. Even my classmate who lives in San Francisco has had her car broken into TWICE in one year because she left a bag in it.

A lot of liberals in San Francisco have been blaming a short-sighted law that changed car burglary from a felony to a misdemeanor is most cases - taking it off the list of priorities for cops.

Mervyn lost two ukuleles as part of this theft, one had been given to him as a gift from my son Sean.

San Francisco has a high rate of auto "smash and grab", more than most US cities. Unfortunate.

Any connection to the high rate of homeless in the City?

Nope. Most homeless people in SF are non-violent individuals who don't tend to commit crimes. Those that are violent are generally taken to Psychiatric hospitals for evaluation or are even brought to jail. Some in particular are known to flash people and scream threats, but won't actually attack anyone. The individuals I see committing crimes (outside of drug-related offenses and things related to a mental illness) are generally the same people you'd see doing it in any city: members of street gangs/career criminals. In this case gang members both from San Francisco itself and its suburbs. When you look at who the cops have been arresting for these crimes, it's mostly individuals who have long rap sheets or are associated with individuals with long rap sheets with a couple homeless individuals thrown in there - but usually those are "homeless" more along the lines of drifters as opposed to the kind that you see in Downtown.

And, as other users have pointed out, it's not just in the city. It's everywhere. Living in a ritzy suburb of Chicago, and a slightly less ritzy suburb in Michigan, we got burglarized multiple times. Here in California - in a very upscale suburb with gated houses/communities galore - people regularly get stuff stolen out of their cars routinely because they leave expensive stuff in there overnight. Heck, I leave virtually nothing in my car, so in their disappointment they took the only things of any value in there: my $5 AUX cable and a very old/useless garage remote.

Except in San Francisco, far too many people think that homelessness is a valid choice that one should respect. The last time I was there, I witnessed a large demonstration advocating for the rights of homeless people to “choose” to live on the streets.

The Bay Area is so far left that it crosses over to the right — how anyone can not acknowledge homelessness as a social problem is beyond me. I think crzesk8dad’s comments are completely justified given the insane attitudes many San Franciscans hold about homelessness. I’m with AxelAnnie — once a great city, now a massively overpriced dump.

Pretty much no one thinks that - well, except those that applaud the millennial tech workers for saving money/paying off loans by living in their cars. And, of course, the good 'ol delegation of modern hippie stereotypes living on/near Haight Street.

Insane attitudes? Not seeing it as a problem? I guarantee you everyone here sees it as a problem and is trying to come up with solutions. The problem is that the solution is harder than you think. Not all homeless people are alike: some are the stereotypical mentally ill people. Some are down on their luck. Some are employed members of society who cannot afford the high cost of living here, some have a drug problem, a good number are LGBT youth who were kicked out of their homes,

As @AxelAnnie said, a lot of the mentally ill homeless individuals need treatment for their mental conditions - but there simply isn't the money/facilities/staff/resources for mental healthcare for the amount of homeless individuals anywhere in the US. When it was discovered that Nevada was shipping some of its mentally ill population to San Francisco (and Nevada's not the only place doing this), the city actually sued the state of Nevada to try to get Nevada to pay for the cost to care for them.

There's plenty of homeless outreach health centers, services, trucks, charities, dining halls, etc. but without stable housing (hard to come by even for the employed in San Francisco) and stable work (which, if you have, might disqualify you from the services you need) nothing will change.
Currently there's competing charitable efforts from competing rich benefactors, churches, healthcare systems, academics from universities, and tech companies all working to find the best solution. This includes tiny houses, navigation centers, more centrally located free clinics, needle exchanges, free veterinary care, free mobile showers/bathrooms, discouraging panhandling (to encourage use of legitimate homeless services), including social workers with all medical care, creating shelters with extra services, job training, job retraining, providing interview clothes, free community college, mental health/drug treatment centers, giving homeless individuals jobs/employment, mentorship programs, attempts to connect homeless people with their family, etc etc. It's getting to be a contest to see who can cure homelessness, and despite all of this there is no clear answer.
In fact, some argue that homeless people go to San Francisco specifically because it has so many services that other cities do not offer. I don't know if I subscribe to that (recent data showed that something like 70% of the homeless population in SF lived/worked here before becoming homeless), but it obviously happens to some.

All of this source: having classmates who did homeless outreach both before and during school; working with SF's homeless in a healthcare setting; having social worker friends; keeping up with local forums/news/normal SF-citizen complaining

 

[Japanfan]

Except in San Francisco, far too many people think that homelessness is a valid choice that one should respect. The last time I was there, I witnessed a large demonstration advocating for the rights of homeless people to “choose” to live on the streets. [

Given the choice between being homeless, out in the cold/heat/rain/, without easy access to hygiene, food and other comforts/resources - and having a home, keeping clean, having easy access to the things we need - how many would choose to be homeless?

Maybe a few people with mental illnesses, but most would prefer to have a home.

There's plenty of homeless outreach health centers, services, trucks, charities, dining halls, etc. but without stable housing (hard to come by even for the employed in San Francisco) and stable work (which, if you have, might disqualify you from the services you need) nothing will change.

Stable housing is a prerequisite for stable work.

Homelessness is a huge problem in my city, Vancouver, BC, as well. Not on the scale of San Fran, but bad enough. I have to drive through the area where the homeless congregate from time to time, and I hate it because it is a picture of misery, destitution and despair.

Some years ago a very large mental institution was shut down, and many of its patients were just turfed onto the street. The situation has not since improved.

And I believe the city could do much to counter it. The homeless cost a huge amount of money in terms of police, ambulance and outreach services. Giving those with addictions incentives and opportunities for recovery and providing decent housing for all would allow a sizeable proportion the homeless to re-enter society and make a contribution.

IMO the reason more is not being done is because no one really cares to do any more.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I feel for Marisa - her costumes are stunning on her, and she could probably have a part-time design business.

Yes, we in California have Ronald Reagan to thank for dumping mentally ill people into communities without enough services and homes..

Did a tiny bit of research. KQED has a very nice article about the Emptying of Mental Facilities.

1967 Reagan signs the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act and ends the practice of institutionalizing patients against their will, or for indefinite amounts of time. This law is regarded by some as a “patient’s bill of rights”. Sadly, the care outside state hospitals was inadequate. The year after the law goes into effect, a study shows the number of mentally ill people entering San Mateo’s criminal justice system doubles.

1969 Reagan reverses earlier budget cuts. He increases spending on the Department of Mental Hygiene by a record $28 million.

 

[Willin]

Stable housing is a prerequisite for stable work.

Homelessness is a huge problem in my city, Vancouver, BC, as well. Not on the scale of San Fran, but bad enough. I have to drive through the area where the homeless congregate from time to time, and I hate it because it is is a picture of misery and despair.

Some years ago a very large mental institution was shut down, and many of its patients were just turfed onto the street. The situation has not since improved.

And I believe the city could do much to counter it. The homeless cost a huge amount of money in terms of police, ambulance and outreach services. Giving those with addictions incentives and opportunities for recovery and providing decent housing for all would allow a sizeable proportion the homeless to re-enter society and make a contribution.

IMO the reason more is not being done is because no one really cares to do any more.

Unfortunately this is the crux of the problem. Cities like Salt Lake City have been able to house most of the homeless and give them work with great results, but in cities like San Francisco and Vancouver that don't even have enough housing for those with stable jobs it's impossible. Right now, one of the San Francisco city funded work programs hires the homeless and finds them housing and social workers when they are hired (ie. gives them priority for low-income SROs). However, without a lot of funding and housing, the program has a very limited number of spots and many applicants.
And even then, it doesn't solve the problem of those that are too mentally ill to work or remain in normal housing. Especially when a lot of the "mental healthcare" inpatient services are crowded, abusive for-profit institutions with no intent to treat the patients, just collect insurance. Those legitimate psychiatric facilities are so understaffed, underfunded, and undersized that they cannot possibly help everyone that needs it and may need to shuffle people through faster than necessary. Fortunately there's outpatient clinics, mental health crisis centers, and street outreach teams, but even then there's not enough.

 

[Tinami Amori]

I wasn’t excusing this crime in any way. My post was quoting, and in reply to it being shameful that there is such a homeless problem in the USA.

It is shameful that so many people are living on the streets with untreated mental illness in such a wealthy country. This in no way excused the crime.

I am sorry to have offended you. My comments about the "concept", not you personally. if i have little time later, i'll say few words about homelessness issue.

 

[Lanie]

Poor Marissa! That's awful.

 

[insideedgeua]

I am sorry to have offended you. My comments about the "concept", not you personally. if i have little time later, i'll say few words about homelessness issue.

Not offended, all good!

The thread has been a little derailed in to something that is a significant social issue, that sadly won’t be solved here though.


I really feel for Marissa, it’s an awful feeling when someone just takes your stuff, let alone when it is something like a dress with sentimental value.

For anyone reading from the San Fran area. I was lucky enough to visit your city earlier this year. I enjoyed my time there immensely. Yes, I saw homeless people and perhaps some places could have been cleaned up, but it was a lovely, vibrant city with lovely people. While things were expensive, we found a great taxi driver who took us on a tour for over an hour for $50. He suggested places we hadn’t thought of and took us to places for great photos. We had no trouble finding somewhere to eat at 10pm on a Sunday evening ( I like that in a city) and all up, we had a great time.

 

[Clutz]

And, of course Marin is one of the richest counties in the country. They CERTAINLY could not afford to fix the problem.

California has bankrupted itself with all of its social welfare bulls$&t. Cali has some great places and great people...it's called NOT LA or San Francisco. It's too bad about Marisa and Mervins stolen property. Maybe if California pushed to create more jobs than liberal democratic social welfare slavery, they would not be in this mess.

 

[Tinami Amori]

For anyone reading from the San Fran area. I was lucky enough to visit your city earlier this year. I enjoyed my time there immensely. Yes, I saw homeless people and perhaps some places could have been cleaned up, but it was a lovely, vibrant city with lovely people

In a nut-shell, very generally...

Specifically to SF, people remain homeless for various reasons. Some as a result of circumstances beyond their control, some by choice, and some due to their own bad choices and negligent behavior. I am quite sure it is true in most places, but i only had personal interactions in Bay Area/SF.

There are those who lost jobs due to company shot-down, those who have a pet and can't find a place to live, veterans, house burned down/flood, room-mate fight, etc.. When you offer these people, for example, to pay their 2-3 months rent and food, or to live in your in-law apartment and maintain garden and property as exchange so they don't feel "at your mercy" while they look for a job, they usually agree, and sometime later find a job and a better situation. Those deserve help and use help to return to normal life in a society.

Then there are those who live on the streets by choice, they prefer anarchy, don't want a normal life with job and responsibilities. Some (not all) had families, friends, where offered help, but they are happy to receive their small government pension (homeless in SF and other places do receive a pension from government) and be free. Yes, that's exactly what they say "hey man.... i am happy.. oh no, i ain't working for the big man, heck i am no fool, look at the sky, look at the park.... it's beautiful man....". It's even worst in Hawaii, from what i observed. It's warm there, they get a pension, and those who just want to float come to live there on the beaches, in the parks, etc.... Please do me a favor, take time, to listen to this 5 minute interview with a young man... he lives on government help, does nothing, surfs all day, and brags about the fact the we (me and others) working earth crawling idiots working out butts off so he can surf-board on our tax money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__cahZprhFE

And then there are those who can't afford a place to live because they made a self-indulgent choices or handled critical matters irresponsibly, regardless of having opportunities to do differently.

I know a few pseudo-artists, white upper-middle class kids, who had their college paid for by parents, and yet instead of choosing a career wisely, they wanted to live a bohemian lifestyle, not go to work on daily basis, they had no talent in what they chose, never sold their painting/song/poetry/dance.... but continued to insist on living like bohemians, till mid 50's..

They wanted to "have fun in life and do what they wanted" while laughing at us "earth crawlers who sold themselves for 9 to 5 jobs". When they reached 30's they did not sold any of their "art".... but did not find it necessary to get a skill in "earthy rotten jobs in the office or factory" because they are just so above it all... So while, we, the earth-crawlers went to the office, ran our business from 8 am to 9 pm, had not time to go to the parks or free weekends, these jerks sat in the parks and "created"..... shit is what they created! because nobody wanted to pay for it..... So why should we "earth-crawlers" have our tax money used to support them? I don't care if those effing "bohemians" live in the bushes, they deserved it!

I know a girl for 43 years, she is now 54, her parents are both doctors. She dropped out of college because she fell in love, never went back. ALL she did is made her self "pretty" and "desirable for men", and said outright, that she wants to marry a rich man, to take care of her, she said "beauty costs and i am selling it"... I am pretty too, love a good affair, but not at an expense of education/work/business..... She is now homeless, because her husband kicked her out for all sorts of selfish things she did... and then her friends got tired of her giving her a place to stay so she can get on her feet.... She kept leaching off people. I hope she lives under the bridge for the rest of her life.

There are many examples of "irresponsible"...

So you see, it sounds so liberal and humane to say "USA is a rich country, how come there are homeless"... But it is not so simple..

 

[AxelAnnie]

Great video. Thanks

 

[icie]

Genevieve, I'm not saying it WAS done by a homeless person. What I am saying is that San Francisco is extremely tolerant to the homeless, even embracing them. Yet, crimes such as these, along with stolen bicycles are high in the City.

If I was your son, I'd be very embarrassed by your posts.

 

[Willin]

@crzesk8dad Yes, we're tolerant of the homeless because we care about them. We don't want them to be homeless. We don't want them to struggle with their mental illness.

BUT, and this is important to this thread, we also know that very few of them actually commit crimes, and those that do generally commit crimes that don't harm anyone but themselves or other homeless individuals. They are not the reason for the car burglary problem. I would be Marissa's skates and dresses were probably brought to someone's apartment or a dumpster by their apartment to be sorted through before the thief sells what they can. Or perhaps the thief will turn them in anonymously knowing they will be tied to the crime if they try to sell it because the skates/dresses are so distinctive and hard to sell. Generally these thieves are looking for laptops, tablets, and other expensive electronics that will net a very good resale price on eBay or Craigslist or have parts that can be recycled for a profit. Recently, though, some thieves were lucky enough to make off with $1000s in jewelry in two incidents when people left them in cars.

@Tinami Amori Homeless individuals do not get a pension from the city unless they are homeless veterans who get a military pension. This is actually one of the problems the social workers face - many live far from resources they need, and so they need money to get to the resources in the first place.

I do agree that some people choose to be homeless - based on social media I'm convinced I have at least one high school classmate (a grad of a top 10 US university no less) who has decided to do just that. I'm convinced many of the people on Haight St. or at the East End of Golden Gate Park are that way as well. But they are definitely a tiny minority of homeless individuals, and they do not get money outside of services (if they even choose to use services - most I hear talking on the bus actively avoid services).

But they're also not people doing the smash and grabs from cars. Most of the time I see them they're doing drugs, waxing philosophical on drugs, caring for their dogs (which they don't allow the volunteer vets to spay/neuter/vaccinate - so they need care), trying to sell tourists and locals drugs, trying to buy drugs, discussing drugs, and fighting with each other over drugs or dogs.

 

[Japanfan]

Unfortunately this is the crux of the problem. Cities like Salt Lake City have been able to house most of the homeless and give them work with great results, but in cities like San Francisco and Vancouver that don't even have enough housing for those with stable jobs it's impossible.

And those with low paying, stable jobs may not be able to afford housing. If a person works a 35 hour week for $12 an hour, it works out to about $1680. per month. You can't find a one bedroom apartment for less than $1000 in this city. Possibly you can get a room for $500 - maybe $400 in the single occupancy hotels that charge rent based on welfare amounts, but they are horrible, filthy and dangerous places to live.

I saw a show about the homeless in San Francisco, and a few were featured who were actually working while homeless. They had to choose between food and shelter.

Last I heard, welfare in this province is about $600. per month. Disability is better because it might also qualify a person for subsidized housing, but SFAIK the province favors single mothers when it comes to disability pensions. Even then, I think it's only about $1000. a month, which wouldn't accord a single person a quality of life that is anywhere close to reasonable.

We have been blessed with a very sweet rental deal for the last 25 years - we have the upper level of a house (two bedrooms), a back yard, front yard, and garage. What we pay is - something that doesn't exist anymore - the deal is that Mr. Japanfan does most of the maintenance. We leave the landlord alone and he does the same to us. If we want to paint a certain color, we need no permission. It's really been fantastic but we know that should we want/need to move, we'll be leaving the city.

There are people living in RVs parked on the street in various parts of the city, families piled into one bedroom apartments, groups of students sharing small apartments. Plenty of people with kids working two low-paying jobs just to pay their rent. The situation is really dire (unless you're a homeowner, in which case you can sell and likely make a nice fat profit).

I'll add that there is a homeless man in our neighborhood, Alan, who is a textbook example of how the homeless can live as well as possible. I saw this man begging for years before I actually talked to him and gave him some money. He was/is always bright-eyed and friendly.

Alan's story is that he "fell off the horse" due to a workplace accident. He lives in a camp set up in the vacant lot behind a big box store. He has several 'stations' where he begs for money, including Superstore, where he offers to help people unload their groceries and return their carts. He says he can take in $60.00 on a good day.

Aside from being patient and letting people get to know him a bit, another reason that he's been successful insofar as a homeless person can be successful is that there are few highly visible homeless people living in the neighborhood (some camping out in a grassy area near the train tracks, but I rarely see them). I've seen people drive by him when he's walking down the street and pull over just so they can give him some cash.

Point is, homeless people all have their stories, and they too can be enterprising.

 

[tylersf]

That would have to be one tiny drag queen.

They ARE tiny...

 

[Lovemyvike]

Except in San Francisco, far too many people think that homelessness is a valid choice that one should respect. The last time I was there, I witnessed a large demonstration advocating for the rights of homeless people to “choose” to live on the streets.

The Bay Area is so far left that it crosses over to the right — how anyone can not acknowledge homelessness as a social problem is beyond me. I think crzesk8dad’s comments are completely justified given the insane attitudes many San Franciscans hold about homelessness. I’m with AxelAnnie — once a great city, now a massively overpriced dump.

Ugh.

This thread is getting icky.

Yes, very icky. I hope they are able to recover Marissa's possessions.

 

[pvkirby]

I had all my acupuncture equipment stolen from a vw bug in 1982. I have never left a single article on my car since then. Some people thought I was a little crazy. Also when you park at any california beach along the coast or on parking lots at state parks, cars will be broken into if there is something in sight.

 

[Sylvia]

Marissa's follow-up tweet: https://twitter.com/MarissaCastelli/status/950856650675687425

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who reached out to me. I am so humbled by all the support to find my skates and my costumes. [heart emoji]

Local TV news with interview: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/01/09/figure-skater-thief-steals-skates-costumes/
Article: https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Olympic-figure-skater-Marisa-Castelli-sf-stolen-12485484.php

Castelli said most of the stolen items can be replaced, but she is devastated that two ice skating dresses, custom-made and worth more than $1,000 apiece, were taken. One is dark blue, the other is sparkly and light peach. She said there’s no way they can be used by anybody else, because everybody in the know would spot them immediately as hers.
“I was devastated,” she said Tuesday. “I know it happens, but it’s just so personal when you lose something like your skating dresses, because there’s only one in the world. They’re made exactly for me.”
Castelli, whose skates were also stolen, said she called 911 immediately. Such calls are now diverted to 311 if the break-in is over and no suspect is nearby. She filed an online police report and said anybody who knows anything about the theft should contact her on Twitter

 

[Skittl1321]

I had all my acupuncture equipment stolen from a vw bug in 1982. I have never left a single article on my car since then. Some people thought I was a little crazy. Also when you park at any california beach along the coast or on parking lots at state parks, cars will be broken into if there is something in sight.

When I was in Bonaire, it was recommended to not only not leave anything in your rental car, but to also leave it unlocked. If you left a car locked, the window would be smashed.

 

[Anita18]

My sister has lived in SF for almost 10 years and reminds me often that if I park on the street, to leave NOTHING visible in the car. Absolutely nothing. No bags, not jackets, especially not change visible in the center console.

Smash and grab is a very common occurrence in SF. Probably a combination of mental illness, homelessness, desperation, and geography. (Some parts of SF are not as crowded as others.) My sister’s friend lost a cello that way, but eventually found it in a local pawn shop. Let’s hope they have a similar outcome, if they can stay in the city for a few more days!

 

[Prancer]

California has bankrupted itself with all of its social welfare bulls$&t. Cali has some great places and great people...it's called NOT LA or San Francisco. It's too bad about Marisa and Mervins stolen property. Maybe if California pushed to create more jobs than liberal democratic social welfare slavery, they would not be in this mess.

We have a forum called PI for discussion like this. You might like it there...unless of course you're just trolling and trying to get some kind of rise out of people, which seems to be rather obviously the case to me. Not sure why people are snapping at your bait, but I suggest you (and everyone else) cool it on this forum.

Unless and until some homeless person is arrested for stealing Marissa's things, this really isn't relevant and PI was established in the first place because a lot of posters here don't want political arguments in their skating discussion. If you want to argue about homeless people, take it to PI.

 

[barbk]

Meanwhile, I hope she sets up a Go Fund Me to help with the replacement costs. Good week to do it.

 

[sap5]

Oh no! Marisa's costumes are legendary, in that I always see them passed around. Not only is this a loss for her, but a loss for all the other skaters who would have borrowed them!

 

[Anita18]

One thing I'd like to note. It has taken many decades for SF's homeless situation to get to this point, and it will likely take many more years until we can solve it.

There are lots of extenuating circumstances that make SF a particularly tricky place to build housing in. For one thing, it's already extremely dense and there's nowhere else to build aside from places where a lot of people don't want to live. (The new "Shipyard" complex is an example - it used to be exactly what you think it is.) Or if you make other people homeless by tearing down existing residences and building a bigger complex in its place. Getting anything built is extremely difficult in SF particularly, and construction is already a slow process just by nature.

There are people hard at work to turn this around, but it isn't something that will be solved in the next 5 years. It doesn't mean we don't care, or that nobody's trying to work on it.

(Just a message from someone working on the affordable housing program in San Francisco. )

 

[Willin]

@Anita18 Doing God's work there! Unfortunately I agree that it's incredibly difficult - especially given geography, earthquake standards, and the limited square mileage in the city. It seems all that's getting built is luxury stuff, as those are the only things worth building $$$-wise when not helped along by the government... (Good luck to me finding an apartment if I get a job in the city hahaha)