The Washington Post, October 1, 2019 : Residents Put Huge Rocks on Their Sidewalk to Keep the Homeless Away — And Launched a Battle
Local news outlets began to piece the story together last week: Weary of alleged drug dealing among homeless people camping out on their block, neighbors on the street of Clinton Park had pooled several thousand dollars to physically bar the way. To some, it was a creative tactic from desperate residents. For others, it was a declaration of hostility to the homeless — a Band-Aid measure in a city where their plight has drawn national scrutiny and where shelters still can’t meet demand. The homeless count in San Francisco jumped 17% from 2017 to this year as rents and real estate prices continue to skyrocket and as the Trump Administration considers an intervention in California.
Opponents rolled the rocks into the street overnight; city workers put them back; people rolled them out again. Protesters gathered Sunday, while residents called a meeting and said they faced harassment.
By last weekend, the boulders were exposing just how high tensions are running amid a city homelessness crisis that years of policy proposals have done little to dent.
