Roughly 76 percent of San Francisco residents in a recent poll said they want more policing in high-crime neighborhoods, according to a new report.
The “City Beat Poll” commissioned by the city’s chamber of commerce and conducted in late May also found that 70 percent of respondents believe the quality of life in the city has declined amid a rise in crime and homelessness, according to SFGate.com.
Roughly 80 percent of the 250 registered voters who were polled said addressing homelessness is a top priority.
The poll comes amid a 753 percent spike in car break-ins at the police department’s central station compared to May 2020, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Thefts are up 75 percent compared to 2019, as well.
Meanwhile, in September, the city’s supervisors approved Mayor London Breed’s proposal, as part of the 2021 budget, to cut $120 million from the city’s law enforcement agencies over two years. The funds will be redirected to support the city’s black community.
Roughly $80 million will be stripped from the San Francisco Police Department budget over two years, reducing its nearly $700 million annual budget by almost 6 percent. Another $40 million in cuts will be imposed on the Sheriff’s Department.
However, the cuts did not stop the hundreds of demonstrators who attended a protest organized by the activist group Defund SFPD in front of San Francisco’s Mission High School in April. Some protesters held signs that read “abolish the police.”
Source: National Review
