The effects of the virus pandemic and socio-economic implosion that followed compounded with failed liberal leadership have transformed some parts of San Francisco into high-crime areas. A KPIX 5 reporter investigating a series of car break-ins around Twin Peaks was robbed at gunpoint for his camera, reported KPIX 5.
KPIX reporter Don Ford reported at Twin Peaks in San Francisco last Wednesday when a white luxury sedan with four men inside pulled up and put a Glock to his face, demanding his camera.
"The car came up here while we were about to do an interview, three guys jumped out," said Ford. "One had a gun and put in my face and said, 'We're taking the camera.'"
"My whole thought at the moment was be calm. Let's not get this guy excited. He's got the gun. I don't. So you take you the camera. It's yours Buddy," he said.
"I was worried that this is what's gonna happen, because as thieves get more and more brazen, they do more and more brazenly things. I'm not making that up. We just had that experience today," a neighbor who asked not to be identified.
Ford was preparing to interview a homeowner when the incident unfolded.
"I just looked and I said, 'I'm not going to get shot today,'" the homeowner said.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who serves the metro area's District 8, which includes Twin Peaks, tweeted the incident is "ridiculous & unacceptable but not entirely unexpected in San Francisco in 2021."
"We need to adequately resource public safety agencies, adopt better strategies to stop repeat offenders & make clear that San Francisco is not a place that you can commit crimes & put people's lives at risk with impunity," Mandelman said.
Violent crime has increased in the metro area since lawmakers defunded the San Francisco Police Department by $25 million from $692.9 million in 2020 to $667.9 million.
Citywide robberies and automobile vehicle thefts are surging; latest crime data shows burglaries jumped 59.4%, and motor vehicle thefts are up 20.8% so far this year.
San Francisco police could see upwards of 11% or 167 officers laid off due to budget cuts. The possible reduction could significantly impact patrols and result in more crime.
Besides surging vehicle thefts and other violent crimes, companies are closing up shops as shoplifting has become a significant problem.
On top of this all, there's an exodus of residents who are leaving San Francisco for rural communities, fed up with the city's socio-economic implosion. The ability to work-at-home has also accelerated outbound migration. San Fran could one day be a hallowed out town, like Baltimore and or Detroit, if these trends persist.
Here's the full report via KPIX 5 of the reporter who was robbed at gunpoint.
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