Why San Francisco bites ass
I don't come to this subject lightly, as I was born in The City. I have never lived there in my memory, nor can I say I am favorably impressed with what I see when business or social events require my presence in The City. It's most certainly not The City I remember visiting in the late sixties and early seventies. But still, it's where I was born.
I go there so seldom (despite living but an hour's drive away) that it's not often on my mind.
What brings it to mind now is a story a friend of mine related. She works in The City and commutes to and from on mass transit every day. To say that the city and county of San Francisco don't really pay much attention to keeping their mass transit clean and safe would be something of an understatement.
Our story begins with said friend (a small lady in point of fact) waiting for her train while reading a book and (shudder of un-PC disbelief) smoking a cigarette (which is actually legal, who knew?). For a lot of really poor reasons, San Francisco does not actively discourage their troll population from habitating the various mass transit shelters and stations.
One such low life approached my lady friend from behind and grabbed a hand full of her (very long) hair.
Big.
Mistake.
Said lady friend does not take kindly to such, and has been training in Hapkido.
I did mention big mistake?
Well, the book went one way, the cigarette the other, as my lady friend pivoted towards her assailant. She then executed one of the techniques she has learned, stopping just short of the point at which joints dislocate and bones break. At which point she instructed her assailant that when she let him go, he was going to back off at least twenty feet and come no closer to her thereafter, ever. The off balance and severely discomforted assailant agreed, and did indeed beat a hasty and shambling retreat.
But wait, there's more...
Seems those defenders of public transit, the Transit Police, became aware of the situation right about the time said bum was beating his hasty and disheveled retreat.
In a just and sane world, said transit cop would have accosted the vagrant, had some words with said vagrant, and moved him along. Especially given the fact that San Francisco is one of those cities which believes its citizens have no need, and thus no right to possess or carry, arms.
Not in San Francisco.
No, our defender of the public had a bone to pick with my lady friend for having the temerity to defend herself vice calling for help or otherwise screaming at her assailant.
That is why San Francisco bites ass.
I go there so seldom (despite living but an hour's drive away) that it's not often on my mind.
What brings it to mind now is a story a friend of mine related. She works in The City and commutes to and from on mass transit every day. To say that the city and county of San Francisco don't really pay much attention to keeping their mass transit clean and safe would be something of an understatement.
Our story begins with said friend (a small lady in point of fact) waiting for her train while reading a book and (shudder of un-PC disbelief) smoking a cigarette (which is actually legal, who knew?). For a lot of really poor reasons, San Francisco does not actively discourage their troll population from habitating the various mass transit shelters and stations.
One such low life approached my lady friend from behind and grabbed a hand full of her (very long) hair.
Big.
Mistake.
Said lady friend does not take kindly to such, and has been training in Hapkido.
I did mention big mistake?
Well, the book went one way, the cigarette the other, as my lady friend pivoted towards her assailant. She then executed one of the techniques she has learned, stopping just short of the point at which joints dislocate and bones break. At which point she instructed her assailant that when she let him go, he was going to back off at least twenty feet and come no closer to her thereafter, ever. The off balance and severely discomforted assailant agreed, and did indeed beat a hasty and shambling retreat.
But wait, there's more...
Seems those defenders of public transit, the Transit Police, became aware of the situation right about the time said bum was beating his hasty and disheveled retreat.
In a just and sane world, said transit cop would have accosted the vagrant, had some words with said vagrant, and moved him along. Especially given the fact that San Francisco is one of those cities which believes its citizens have no need, and thus no right to possess or carry, arms.
Not in San Francisco.
No, our defender of the public had a bone to pick with my lady friend for having the temerity to defend herself vice calling for help or otherwise screaming at her assailant.
That is why San Francisco bites ass.