San Francisco, CA
‘GMA’ warns reporter to avoid ‘dangerous’ downtown San Francisco during segment on closing Westfield mall
An ABC reporter admitted his bosses advised him not to appear live from downtown San Francisco Wednesday because the area is “simply too dangerous.”
Chief national correspondent Matt Gutman told viewers that his crew was instructed to film their 4 a.m. GMT “Good Morning America” segment in a separate part of the city while reporting on the shocking closure of the Westfield Mall.
Though the shopping center — the latest in a swath of Bay Area staples to shutter their doors — cited decreasing foot traffic for its shutdown, Gutman alluded that the city’s rising crime could be to blame.
“The mayor noting that several metrics of crime are actually flat or down. But it is worth mentioning that we are not at Union Square or the Westfield Mall this morning because we have been advised it is simply too dangerous to be there at this hour,” Gutman said.
Back in the studio, Michael Strahan said Gutman’s admission was “saying a lot there.”
San Francisco has seen a dramatic rise in violent crime and the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the last year.
Robberies, arsons, grand theft autos and homicides have all seen a rise of over 5% in 2023 compared to last year, according to police data.
The crime — which residents claim has transformed the city into a “zombie apocalypse” — has been largely to blame for the mass exodus of major corporations, including Old Navy and Nordstrom.
A viral video from earlier this month showed an entire stretch of the city’s commercial hub completely abandoned.
During the “GMA” segment, Gutman asked San Francisco Mayor London Breed whether the city should be considered “dangerous,” but the Democrat stated that the news team was focusing on the negatives.
“Well, here’s the thing, San Francisco is a major city and it has challenges. But let’s back up a little bit. You are talking about people leaving the city but not the people who are staying, expanding, coming to San Francisco,” Breed said.
That same day, Twitter CEO Elon Musk revealed that his employees “feel unsafe” visiting the social media headquarters.
“[They’ve] have had their car windows smashed. They also got such a null response from the police that they rarely even bother reporting crimes anymore, because nothing happens,” the billionaire tweeted.
The crime rates, however, could be much worse than statistics and reports indicate.
“Crime is worse than the data shows,” San Francisco prosecutor Charles Stimson told Fox News.
“People do not report these crimes because when you have a DA who’s pro-criminal and not going to enforce the law, the cops aren’t going to go out and arrest somebody when they know the case is going to be no papered.”
San Francisco, CA
Pregnant woman shot while in San Francisco Bret Harte area; suspect at-large
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while she was in the Bret Harte area.
The shooting happened around 2:13 p.m. on the 1100 block of Hollister Avenue.
Police said officers arrived at the scene and learned that the woman was shot in the stomach. San Francisco Fire said she was taken to the hospital but was conscious and able to walk.
Police said they searched the area for the shooter but have not found anyone.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 415-575-4444.
San Francisco, CA
‘Everyone is building’: Why foreign founders are crossing oceans for San Francisco
Saad advises companies from his home office, with its views of the San Francisco Bay and SoMa, itself a neighborhood in recovery.
He coaches entrepreneurs in Europe, Australia, and across the U.S. on how to adopt “Silicon Valley thinking” in scaling their businesses. That means encouraging clients to visit, if not move to, the Bay Area. “If you want to maximize your probabilities,” Saad regularly tells founders, “hang out where all the capital is, where all the builders are, where the future is.”
For some clients, Saad has become a Silicon Valley “Sherpa,” navigating their move across oceans, he said. “They know there is some magic here they need to tap into.”
Martes picked up on that energy as soon as he arrived last month from Colombia. “You come here and see autonomous cars driving around the city, and you think, ‘Am I thinking big enough?’” he said.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco psychologist advocates for ketamine therapy
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