Transformed into Gotham, but missing a caped crusader operating outside the bounds of the law...
Posted on 11/20/2019 12:02:47 PM PST by karpov
It felt like deja vu for Dave Martin as he watched silent security footage of an individual breaking into his San Francisco bar in June.
Within the first 16 months after it opened, Pine Tar Grill, Martin’s San Francisco Giants-themed business on Folsom Street filled with sports memorabilia, was burglarized three times. The final incident was caught on camera, showing a person breaking the glass of the front door at around 4 a.m. to steal cash, sports-related bobblehead toys and computers, Martin said.
Repairs cost thousands of dollars and were a big factor in his decision to close the bar last month.
“To balance everything out when it comes to the costs, I would have had to charge like $85 for a cheeseburger,” said Martin.
Martin’s story isn’t unique in San Francisco. Running a restaurant carries high operating costs in the best of circumstances, but tack on expenses related to burglary and vandalism, and owners like Martin say survival seems all but impossible. Property crime rates have actually declined in the city over the last year, but reported incidents may tell only part of the story. Break-ins take an emotional toll, which small-business owners say is a deterrent to expanding in the city.
Concerns about restaurant property crime came to the fore as an Instagram post from San Francisco bubble-tea chain Boba Guys made the rounds recently. Co-owner Andrew Chau wrote last week about a break-in at the Boba Guys location in the Mission District, the third such incident this year.
San Francisco “is a shell of what it used to be — I’m a local, son of a retired Muni bus operator and Pacific Bell call center representative. I’ve seen this city transform into Gotham, and it makes me sad.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfchronicle.com ...
Transform into Gotham? I’ve never heard that expression before.
Property crimes in SF? No such thing.
SF used to be the culinary anchor for everything west of Chicago and New Orleans.
Now, it’s Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
But just from the excerpted article it's almost laughable that the chronicle would even present the story as a tragedy.
It's like some fool of a state legalizing marijuana and then bemoaning the fact that addiction to other drugs is also skyrocketing.
It's like some fool of a state releases thousands of convicts to lessen prison overcrowding and then bemoans a sudden surge in crime.
Sometimes, there is a price for stupid.
Add to that the harassment to police officers by restaurant employees.
Not even Gotham had sh!t in the streets.
Do you think the left is aware that this is a problem that has crossover effects? Think again.
There is no property in the socialist utopia of San Francisco! How can there be property crime?
Sad situation. What would it cost to have overnight security guards, as a visible deterrent? I don’t know the answer to that, but as noted, he can’t charge enough for cheeseburgers and other food to cover these costs .
You get what you vote for.
But … San Fran is Number One in the nation for Number Two on the sidewalk!
Yep. All those hipster foodies won’t have anywhere to go.
The break-ins and cost to repair, probably come with a increase in insurance rates as well. Now add in SF minimum wage requirements and suddenly it isn’t worth it for the very little money you make at the end of the week.
Stay open 24 hrs.
Transformed into Gotham, but missing a caped crusader operating outside the bounds of the law...
Sure - why report a crime when (1) you waste your time filling out paperwork that will never be read; (2) the theft will never be investigated; and (3) the social activists and the media will call you the bad guy? Naturally you'd need a police report to make an insurance claim, but what happens to your insurance rates if you do?
Sorry, bud, but you're middle class, you're bourgeoisie, you're the enemy, not the guy breaking into your business. Pay your increased taxes, shut up, and go quietly broke. The important thing is that the city politicians feel good about themselves.
A trendy neighborhood (Ballard) has now a facebook crime page so that belligerent and dangerous street people can be tracked by businesses. The cops are unable or incapable of doing anything so the businesses are talking things into their own hands.
It's a matter of time until they are called racists and non-humane of course.
The left is aware, but they are insane and will deny reality for that reason.
Just like an alcoholic will never concede there’s a problem.
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