San Francisco tech worker: 'I don't want to see homeless riff-raff'

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

San Francisco tech worker: 'I don't want to see homeless riff-raff'

In an open letter to the city’s mayor Ed Lee, entrepreneur Justin Keller said he is
‘outraged’ that wealthy workers have to see people in pain and despair

Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco
Wednesday 17 February 2016 22.27 GMT

In only the latest cultural altercation between San Francisco’s tech workers and the city’s impoverished population, one tech worker has declared the homeless are “riff raff” whose “pain, struggle and despair” shouldn’t have to be endured by “wealthy” people commuting to work.

It’s a familiar story. A male entrepreneur (some might even call him a “tech bro”) – flush with the sense of self-worth and self-satisfaction that comes from living and working in a city and industry that treats him and his friends as the most important and intelligent human beings ever to grace a metropolitan area with their presence – takes a moment to think about homelessness. Not content to wrinkle his nose and move on with his day, he types those thoughts out. He publishes them on the internet.

And, there, with the click of a button, he enters the pantheon of infamous San Francisco tech bros.

Justin Keller, an entrepreneur, developer and the founder of startup Commando.io, joined those exalted ranks on 15 February when he published an open letter to San Francisco mayor Ed Lee and police chief Greg Suhr:

I am writing today, to voice my concern and outrage over the increasing homeless and drug problem that the city is faced with. I’ve been living in SF for over three years, and without a doubt it is the worst it has ever been. Every day, on my way to, and from work, I see people sprawled across the sidewalk, tent cities, human feces, and the faces of addiction. The city is becoming a shanty town … Worst of all, it is unsafe.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/17/san-francisco-tech-open-letter-i-dont-want-to-see-homeless-riff-raff

[PatrickforO]

1. Gosh, maybe instead of a forever war, subsidies to big oil and other

large industries that DON'T need them, a futile war on drugs that costs billions and other corporate strategies to siphon off our tax monies, maybe we should spend them to actually help other Americans.

Novel idea, eh Justin?

[Rex]

2. Well rich fuckface can always move...or heaven forbid...try and help the homeless.

No doubt he would spit on Jesus and tell him to get a job.

[HooptieWagon]

3. Raise his taxes to build a shelter and provide mental health/addiction treatment.

[gratuitous]

23. That very solution occurred to me as well

I think it's totally doable.

[randys1]

4. Tick tick tick...fucking INFURIATING

[LiberalArkie]

5. I wonder how he proposes to fix the problem? Maybe raise the local taxes to pay for housing for the

homeless or maybe just take them out and shoot all of them. I would bet he would not like any tax increases.

[Brother Buzz]

11. Used to be, the tried and true method was to stick 'um on a bus

A couple of decades ago, the surrounding cites simply bused their headaches to SF. Not in my backyard.

[Angry Dragon]

6. what an asshole

[tk2kewl]

7. my guess... he's not a Bernie Bro

[HuckleB]

8. These guys make old men screaming "Get Off My Lawn" look enlightened.

WTF is wrong with these bozos?

Sheesh. I know I should do more for the homeless, and for the whole community, but, come on. We chose our kid's pre-school because it had a good rep with friends and coworkers, but also because it was downtown, and they took the kids out, and I knew he would be exposed to homeless people. He would see that they are just people, and not to be feared.

I know that is really a very small gesture, aimed selfishly at my kid learning about the world more than anything else, but I beat the crap out of myself for not doing enough, and this bozo with far more money than I could imagine does this?

F-that!

[closeupready]

26. We all do what we can - is it enough? Maybe not, but it's more than this guy,

doubtless. Good on you for at least trying to instill empathy and compassion in your child.

[hifiguy]

9. May his shit come to life

and kiss him.

[DebbieCDC]

10. Tech bro and pharma bro

The faces of young privilege

[MineralMan]

12. He's got his. Screw everyone else.

Libertarianism writ large.

[0rganism]

14. this "liberal" techie thanks you for not lumping all of us together

your ability to discern technocratic elitist assholes from the greater population of people who work for tech companies is admirable and noted.

[tk2kewl]

17. yeah... that was not cool

software developer against broad brushes here

[BuddhaGirl]

22. You don't know much about techies, do you?

Lots of humanitarians among them, I know quite a few.

But broad-brushing is so much fun

[Odin2005]

31. Sorry, I overgeneralized on anger.

I deleted my stupid comment.

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. Well, Justin, y'know who likes seeing "homeless riff-raff" even less than you?

The homeless riff-raff, that's who. You think these people want to live like that? /smh

[Depaysement]

16. While reading this I started to think . . .

. . . maybe gun control isn't such a great idea after all.

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. What a horrible person!

[muntrv]

19. These whiners better not be getting government subsidies for their

Businesses.

[Oneironaut]

20. Well then. Let's give them a home. Preferably yours.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

21. Youth and wealth-- so seldom a good combination for some reason.

Or maybe older people with wealth just seem to have better sense about keeping their traps shut.

Parenthetical comments are mine...

"The residents (meaning, the worthwhile residents) of this amazing city no longer feel safe. I know people are frustrated about gentrification happening in the city, but the reality is, we live in a free market society (meaning, the game's fixed and we fixed it). The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it (and/or stumbled ass backward into it-- but whatever). I shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted (you've probably never had to worry about much of anything, pencildick). I shouldn’t have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people (Honestly, this line was so over the top you make me wonder if this whole thing is satire. And if not, I hope you one day nearly drown in your own puke because it will probably take that close a swipe with death to bring you back in line with humanity) to and from my way to work every day. I want my parents when they come visit to have a great experience, and enjoy this special place."

[Raster]

29. sociopathic, entitled little prick...

"I shouldn’t have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day."

[Paula Sims]

24. Karma is comin' baby. . .

What's the line -- "but for the grace of God, so go I". . .

[closeupready]

25. Bet you a million dollars he doesn't volunteer in soup kitchens?

He probably doesn't volunteer AT ALL. Typical.

[merrily]

27. And, of course, he doesn't want to be taxed for job or housing programs.

[steve2470]

28. this guy needs to go work with the homeless for a while and get some fucking humility and compassion

jerk

[Raster]

30. No, guys like him are immune to humility and compassion...

...their lives are the universe's gift to the rest of us. When he takes a dump, it smells of roses, he pisses Chardonnay. Every breath he takes is a rare privilege for the oxygen he consumes.

[steve2470]

32. SFGate story here with comments

http://www.sfgate.com/news/articleComments/S-F-tech-worker-Homeless-riff-raff-ruining-6837917.php

eta: I was naive, this comment section is just like all others, lots of right-wingers.

[arcane1]

33. He is clearly an asshole, but he's also partially right: things have grown much worse under Ed Lee

I don't expect this prick to do any more to fix it than Lee will.