Union Square smash-&-grabs, auto break-ins, open air drug markets, street defecation… there’s evidence aplenty of lawlessness in San Francisco beyond the narrow confines of homicide.

I think the practical rule is if you don't want to get stabbed don't go to areas where stabbings happen. And generally, this tends to be true almost everywhere in the world. The fact that this happens in an area not particular high in crime belies that rule. Even on HN, when we talk about crime in San Francisco the defenders will normally point out it's just a few problem locations. But how do you respond when violent crime emerges outside of those locations?

Tech people grow up in more wealthy backgrounds than most Americans and as such they're much more sensitive to the perception of crime than others. Because of their backgrounds, they're also more likely to empathize with a rich person than a poor person in East Palo Alto who died from a stray bullet.

America is not safe at all compared to most other developed countries. The rich usually just segregate themselves out of the crime.

If you had just casually paid attention to San Francisco in the news you would not say this.

Have you seen the videos of elderly Asians in SF being assaulted and robbed in daylight?

The city was lawless enough that an elected DA was recalled which does not happen often. The decline of SF is real. Murder of Bob Lee, is further evidence how the steep the decline is.

It is much much worse than that.