Car camping in Outer Sunset presents many problems but few solutions

I don't mind. I wouldn't let them use my bathroom but I'm glad they have a place to sleep.

ok, now that I've read the article... maybe this is a problem: “The problem isn’t the guys themselves who live in the RV’s. But there are no hookups for campers down here. So these guys tend to use the woods for the bathroom,” Zwolinski said. “Also, garbage gets typically thrown out, right on the road. There is a lot of drug use, and people end up coming and going for drug sales.”

But, “The reality is that we have poverty in our country, and we need to address it in a more serious way. We can’t run away from it, or make it run away from us,” Offer-Westort said."

Legalize drugs and sell that shit in storefronts. We have to decriminalize what these people do WRT drugs, as it only adds to their problems.

people have been parking and sleeping on that street since '69... doubt they will be going away any time soon...
now, I dislike smelly, dirty, homeless types as much as the next hardworking American (they are all criminals and losers, right?), but this is the third(?) largest urban center in the US, and according to wikipedia:
"The city of San Francisco, California, due to its mild climate and its social programs that have provided cash payments for homeless individuals, is often considered the homelessness capital of the United States.[86] The city's homeless population has been estimated at 7,000-10,000 people, of which approximately 3,000-5,000 refuse shelter. The city spends $200 million a year on homelessness related programs."

$200mil... can that be right? either way, homelessness in SF... not a minor issue... doubtful we will see change any time soon.

piss, how exactly would selling drugs in storefronts help the homeless?... they dont have any money for rent, but everything will be better cuz they can just go to the store to spend all that money they dont have on drugs? And... assuming the drugstores will probably take credit cards, after smelly loser sees where u hide your key and steals your wallet, he wont have to run around charging things he can sell quick for cash, he'll just go straight to meth-mart!

So putting them into the (in)justice system and shuffling them along in orange jumpsuits is any better? Legalize, invest in treatment and education.

legalize meth and heroin?

Why not? Availability is never an issue in SF.

invest in treatment education seems a better approach, but truth is homelessness is a HUGE issue with no easy fixes... from my perspective (stepping over homeless on a daily basis), the $200mil annually invested in treatment and education isnt doing anything but wasting my property taxes. Ive pondered many many times how we might help them, but many dont want real help or are mentally unable to cope with the daily pressures of making rent.
There are like 800,000 residents in SF (with homes)... so if only 1% of us each took just one homeless person in, befriended them, bathed them, gave them some cash and helped them find a job, the whole problem would just evaporate. Volunteers?

right, lets just attract every meth head and heroin addict nation wide to our legal drug stores. dumbass

Hey I didn't call you a dumbass! :D
But what I will do, is ask you to simply see how readily available drugs are, and based on that, determine the difference between buying them in a store and on a corner. Mechanically. Not legally. What are the differences in the mechanics of the transaction? I would purport that there is very little to no difference given the level of enforcement.

Well if we had clean needle exchange centers that would help clean up the discarded needles from puddling. I've had times walking through the iceberg plants from the lesser highway only to see that I just missed a dirty needle walking barefoot. I mean if I'm going to get AIDS or hepatitis, I'd rather get it the fun way, not by some random needle stick.

To address Cbrody's point of attracting every user in the nation, that just means more tax dollars in our state. If it's legalized and regulated it's easier on our law enforcement to maintain civil obedience than to lock away users, and cheaper.

Speaking to this specific issue, it is a problem. Last summer I was parked on lower and saw a fireball go up while I was in the water. Some moron living in his camper lit something and ignited a kerosene can in his truck. SFFD showed up and put it out pretty fast. The car behind him had thousands of dollars worth of damage. My lesbaru was parked in front of him and somehow didn't have a bit of damage.

lesbaru... good one! (glad it was not damaged)

the post was about the homeless sleeping at the beach... not about legalizing hard drugs... piss, imo u r a dumbass for condoning that with any seriousness
A. it'll never happen
B. pot is available all over town "legally" and I still get mine from a dealer
C. most people on hard drugs are involved in crimes of some sort to support their spiraling habits, especially the homeless ones with NO JOBS... more drug users in my town mean more criminals preying on my friends and family.
D. Tax dollars from drug money is bad karma... besides we will just end up giving it away (back to the homeless to buy more drugs... remember, $200mil annually, just here in SF)
E. Just because its available doesnt mean we should condone it and make it MORE available. Teens can get booze everywhere... would it also be a good idea to open little liquor stores just for kids...? Dad: where did u get that bottle of Goldschlagger? 13yearold: KidsBoozeRUs Dad: B sure not to drive after you pound that with your little friends, and, hey, Ive seen how you look at Sally, b sure to slap a jimmy on it!
F. u go tell the children of all the addicts how cool it was when they legalized the crack that made them addicts at birth.
G. http://stokereport.com/rant/cause-released-andy-irons-death

HIJKLM i could come up with many more

Im not saying we need to lock anyone up for using drugs, quite the contrary having known many victims of addiction over the years, I agree with the education and treatment approach... but dont see how that goes along with buying H at 7-11.

just curious, how many posters here are addicted to something other than pot or alcohol? Am i underestimating the number of functioning and contributing H-addicts and meth-heads... crackheads?

nver seen needles at the beach, but the thought has crossed my mind... tiptoe thru the tulips

ok, criticism taken but my "point" albeit subliminal, was that it's a multifaceted issue, really, with a holistic solution necessary. And it's my position that drugs are at the very core. Anyway, going around with a pushbroom from NIMBY corp ain't gonna solve nuttin, so let's get at the core and go from there. Solve the alky/drug/employment/mental health issues and you'll get less dudes camping in vans down by the river.
Armchair socialworker signing out.

But if we got rid of the homeless problem, how will the old dirty alley blog get updated?

edit: sorry to beat the whole legalization dead horse issue, but crimes that are related to drug use are not because use itself, it's the black market that surrounds it. I wish people could distinguish that more than just what their DARE officer taught them. You'd be surprised how many functional heroin users there are, remember there are other forms of heroin (Oxy if you are rich and white).

piss, first I love that I can call u piss, and second, that's a much more intelligent statement, not dumbass at all... I agree with it all

and obviously solving the drug problem isnt going to be as easy as selling more drugs

@rightousedewd? Did you just come out on this website. Maybe I started a trend when I came out with the mother thread. Who else is out there on this site?

ahh, no comment at this time.

Now I have a comment. "I would like to have a motor home. I think it would be great." End of comment.

@cali...sorry to disappoint. I am just a plain vanilla straight guy. Me and my car both have a history with ladies who get hit on by other ladies.