A federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday found David DePape guilty in the October 2022 hammer attack on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/paul-pelosi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Pelosi</a>, the husband of former House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nancy-pelosi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nancy Pelosi</a> (D-CA).
With the verdict following a four-day trial, DePape, 43, faces up to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-indicted-connection-attempted-kidnapping-and-assault-pelosi-residence#:~:text=DePape%20is%20charged%20with%20one,the%20performance%20of%20official%20duties." target="_blank" rel="noopener">50 years in prison</a> upon the conviction on one count of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official. Sentencing is expected to follow some time in the future.
&#8220;The Pelosi family is very proud of their Pop, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago,&#8221; read a <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1725234016108900573" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from a spokesperson for Rep. Pelosi. &#8220;Thankfully, Mr. Pelosi continues to make progress in his recovery.&#8221;
Prosecutors said DePape broke into the Pelosis&#8217; home in San Francisco with a &#8220;violent plan to kidnap Nancy Pelosi,&#8221; who was not at the abode at the time, and &#8220;to hold her hostage,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/politics/depape-verdict-guilty/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>. Paul Pelosi, who is now 83, managed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paul-pelosis-frantic-911-call-from-bathroom-saved-him-from-maniac-accused-child-molester-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">call police</a> and when officers arrived at the house, body camera footage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-footage-of-attack-on-paul-pelosi-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> DePape attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer before law enforcement took DePape into custody.
Paul Pelosi received treatment for a skull fracture, as well as other injuries, and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paul-pelosi-released-from-hospital-after-violent-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> from the hospital in early November 2022. He spoke during the trial, sharing details about the harrowing experience and stating, &#8220;I’ve made the best effort I possibly can to not relive this.&#8221;
DePape&#8217;s defense attorneys did not dispute the attack had taken place, but focused rather on the intent, as it was central to the federal case, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-16/david-depape-paul-pelosi-nancy-pelosi-attack-federal-court-verdict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per the Los Angeles Times</a>.
They argued their client was driven by conspiracy theories, which the defendant himself repeated in testimony, and that he should not be convicted of charges tied to Rep. Pelosi&#8217;s official duties, as his alleged goal was more broadly to &#8220;root out&#8221; corruption and expose wrongdoing by the &#8220;ruling class.&#8221;
But, according to prosecutors, DePape &#8220;targeted&#8221; Pelosi because of her high-level position and opted to inflict &#8220;the punishment he meant for Nancy Pelosi&#8221; on her husband when he realized that the congresswoman was not at home — which amounted to &#8220;retaliation.&#8221;
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The 12-member jury reached a unanimous verdict on both counts DePape faced after several hours of deliberations over multiple days.
U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey told reporters that the guilty verdict on Thursday sends a &#8220;clear message that regardless of what your beliefs are, what you cannot do is physically attack a member of Congress or their immediate family for their performance in their job,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/verdict-reached-paul-pelosi-hammer-attack-case-rcna125350" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News reported</a>.
In addition to the federal case, DePape faces <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/david-depape-paul-pelosi-not-guilty-plea-san-francisco-nancy-pelosi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">state</a> charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, and threats to a public official and their family. He has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/david-depape-paul-pelosi-not-guilty-plea-san-francisco-nancy-pelosi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pleaded not guilty</a>. The state case is scheduled to head to trial later this month.

David DePape

Paul Pelosi Attacker Found Guilty In Federal Case

California

Crime

Nancy Pelosi

Paul Pelosi

San Francisco

U.S.

American business titans who paid thousands to be in the room with Chinese President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xi-jinping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xi Jinping</a> gave the communist country&#8217;s leader a standing ovation after his remarks in San Francisco this week.
On Wednesday evening, Xi dined with more than 300 American business executives and delivered remarks promoting investment in China, a country many Americans <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/27/americans-name-china-as-the-country-posing-the-greatest-threat-to-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consider</a> the greatest threat to the U.S., at a gala in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in downtown San Francisco.
“The number one question for us is: are we adversaries or partners?” Xi <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/business/economy/china-us-business-xi-jinping-ceos.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during his remarks. “China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States.”
Among the American executives gathered to listen to Xi were Apple CEO Tim Cook, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stanley Deal, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Mastercard&#8217;s independent board chairwoman Merit Janow.
Apple&#8217;s chief was <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/xi-dinner-with-us-ceos-tim-cook-elon-musk-steve-schwarzman-spotted.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seated</a> next to Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, place cards reportedly showed.
Also in attendance were executives from Amway, Honeywell, Broadcom, Las Vegas Sands, Gilead Sciences, investment firm KKR, and Fulgent Genetics, a genetic testing lab in Los Angeles.
Attendees rose and applauded when Xi concluded his half hour of remarks, a video from the event shows.
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My view of the standing ovation for Chinese President Xi Jinping tonight in San Francisco from a ballroom full of some of the most powerful American CEOs and Chinese officials. I’ll have more Thursday morning on ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/SquawkCNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SquawkCNBC</a>⁩ on ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/CNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNBC</a>⁩. <a href="https://t.co/WP6MVeBLfZ">pic.twitter.com/WP6MVeBLfZ</a>
&mdash; Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) <a href="https://twitter.com/EamonJavers/status/1725037760149631248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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BREAKING: List of elite American executives dining with genocidal communist “Guest of Honor” Xi Jinping last night for $40,000 in San Francisco. 
&#8211; Tim Cook <a href="https://twitter.com/Apple?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Apple</a> &#8211; Stephen Schwarzman <a href="https://twitter.com/blackstone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blackstone</a> &#8211; Larry Fink <a href="https://twitter.com/BlackRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlackRock</a> &#8211; Stanley Deal <a href="https://twitter.com/Boeing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Boeing</a> &#8211; Merit Janow <a href="https://twitter.com/Mastercard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mastercard</a> -… <a href="https://t.co/QnRItp7Kpo">pic.twitter.com/QnRItp7Kpo</a>
&mdash; Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (@committeeonccp) <a href="https://twitter.com/committeeonccp/status/1725125452447068249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Tesla CEO Elon <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/xi-dinner-with-us-ceos-tim-cook-elon-musk-steve-schwarzman-spotted.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Musk</a> attended the VIP reception, but did not stay for the dinner, according to event organizers.
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Several members of the Biden administration attended the dinner, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, and top White House China advisor Kurt Campbell.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed was seated at the head table. California State Treasurer Fiona Ma attended the dinner as well.
Tickets for the event <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/15/apec-xi-jinping-san-francisco-dinner-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost</a> $2,000 each. However, companies could pay $40,000 for eight seats at a table plus one seat at Xi’s table.
The dinner was organized by the U.S.-China Business Council and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Outside, protesters gathered to demonstrate against the Chinese president&#8217;s visit. One woman strapped herself to a pole 25 feet in the air in the rain, yelling “Free Tibet!”
Americans with Tibetan, Hong Kong, and Uyghur heritage expressed frustration that Xi was being given a friendly reception.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Chinese president met with President Biden just south of San Francisco at the Filoli estate, where they spoke for several hours.
Republicans quickly slammed Xi&#8217;s visit as &#8220;fruitless.&#8221;
&#8220;Having these senior level meetings without getting anything in return and without having any desired outcomes sets a horrible precedent and makes the United States look incredibly weak,&#8221; House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) <a class="Link" href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/mccaul-on-president-bidens-disappointing-meeting-with-chairman-xi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday.
Xi last visited the U.S. in 2017 during the Trump administration.
Last year, China did <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly</a> $760 billion worth of trade with the U.S., and the trade deficit with China was $367.4 billion in 2022.

US-APEC-SUMMIT

WATCH: American Executives Give Chinese President Standing Ovation In San Francisco

American Executives Give Chinese President Standing Ovation In San Francisco

Biden Administration

Chinese Communist Party

Communist China

Xi Jinping

A news crew from the Czech Republic was reportedly robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco on Sunday as the team reported on the Asia-Pacific Economic Partnership (APEC) summit taking place in the city. 
Bohumil Vostal, a Czech TV journalist, was filming at San Francisco’s popular City Lights bookstore when masked criminals approached him and his team with guns pointed at them, The San Francisco Chronicle <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/apec-news-crew-czech-robbery-city-lights-18488613.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The armed assailants allegedly stole $18,000 worth of equipment that included the news crew’s entire footage from the day. 
“They were heading at my camera man, aiming a gun at his stomach, and one at my head,” Vostal said. 
“I’m one of those many people who used to read Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ and I was so much looking forward to visit your city,” he added. 
The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that it is investigating an armed robbery that targeted a production team just before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, according to <a href="https://www.ktvu.com/news/foreign-tv-crew-robbed-while-covering-apec-summit-in-san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTVU</a>. Officers said three armed men got out of a vehicle that stopped on the street and approached a production crew, demanding their equipment. After robbing the production team, the assailants got back in the vehicle and fled the scene, the officers added. 
San Francisco Mayor London Breed&#8217;s office said the mayor met with the Czech news crew on Monday and assured them that the city would replace their stolen equipment, the Chronicle reported. Breed&#8217;s spokesman, Jeff Cretan, added that authorities are cracking down on crimes such as robberies that have plagued the city under Democrats&#8217; leadership.
Hundreds of foreign journalists have flocked to the Bay Area to cover the Asia-Pacific Economic Partnership summit as diplomats gather to discuss the future of the economy and trade in the region. Before the summit, San Francisco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-clears-homeless-camps-ahead-of-international-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cleared</a> areas that had been occupied by homeless encampments and public drug markets, and city workers power-washed sidewalks and mass transit stations. 
Some sections of the sidewalk were blocked off with barricades as the city prepared for the arrival of Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom admitted last week that the city clean-up was because world leaders were coming to town. 
“I know folks are saying, ‘Oh, they’re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town,&#8217;” Newsom said. “That’s true because it’s true — but it’s also true for months and months and months before APEC, we’ve been having conversations.”
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President Joe Biden and Xi are set to meet at the APEC summit to discuss strengthening communication and managing competition, the White House <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-chinas-xi-will-discuss-communication-competition-apec-summit-2023-11-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday. Biden will also meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López with the ongoing border crisis on the agenda for their discussion. 
“President Biden and President López Obrador will also discuss how we can continue to work together as partners to manage migration at our shared border and mobilize a hemispheric-wide response to this challenge,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/13/statement-from-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-on-the-bilateral-meeting-between-president-joe-biden-and-president-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-of-mexico/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.

APEC Leaders’ Meeting 2023 – Previews

Foreign News Crew Robbed At Gunpoint While Covering APEC Summit In San Francisco

Journalism

London Breed

Police

Robbery

Recent comments from California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom surfaced online showing him defending San Francisco for clearing out areas of the city occupied by homeless camps and public drug markets before world leaders — including China&#8217;s President Xi Jinping — arrived for an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-clears-homeless-camps-ahead-of-international-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">international economic summit</a> this week.
&#8220;Anytime you put on an event — by definition — you know you have people over at your house, you&#8217;re gonna clean up the house,&#8221; Newsom <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1724139320930402321" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters during the &#8216;Clean California&#8217; event in San Francisco on November 9.
APEC, known as the &#8220;Super Bowl of World Economies,&#8221; is holding its 2023 leaders meeting in San Francisco between November 11 and 17 this year. The summit includes leaders of 21 countries and regions, including President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and top CEOS amid tens of thousands of other attendees.
&#8220;21 world leaders &#8230; you got tens of thousands of people coming from all around the globe,&#8221; he added. &#8220;What an opportunity to showcase the world&#8217;s most extraordinary place — San Francisco.&#8221;
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Gavin Newsom again doubled down on his clean up of San Francisco for Xi:
“If you have people over at your house, you are gonna clean up the house.” <a href="https://t.co/8kkaBkga7w">pic.twitter.com/8kkaBkga7w</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1724139320930402321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness and drug crisis that has come with rampant crime for years now while the city consistently struggles to make a dent in the humanitarian crisis unfolding daily on the streets.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night — that&#8217;s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself, and the city&#8217;s crime rate and open-air drug use have caused businesses to flee San Francisco&#8217;s downtown.
Although overall crime slightly dropped this year, certain types of violent crime like murder, robberies, and car theft have increased, according to police data <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-hires-new-tourism-boss-who-says-hell-change-ongoing-narrative-as-city-battles-drug-use-homelessness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by The Daily Wire in September.
According to a Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans — 48% —now view San Francisco as unsafe, up from just 30% in 2006.
But despite those figures, San Francisco became the host city for APEC 2023, which the city&#8217;s <a href="https://sf.gov/apec-2023#:~:text=Asia%2DPacific%20Economic%20Cooperation%20(APEC)%20is%20the%20leading%20economic,United%20States%20is%20chairing%20APEC." target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> described as &#8220;the most significant event with world leaders in San Francisco in recent history.&#8221;
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the city&#8217;s effort to clear the encampments is an attempt to avoid a repeat of 2016, when it hosted Superbowl 50 at Levi&#8217;s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from airing the game, the outlet noted that TV broadcasts had focused on the city&#8217;s homeless crisis along Division Street, which presented &#8220;a major civic black eye&#8221; for the Bay Area.
Internal emails obtained by The Chronicle show city officials were &#8220;concerned about historical encampments that are close to priority areas&#8221; and needed to format a plan to &#8220;stay on top of the growing encampments.&#8221;
Several videos circulating on social media appear to show various sidewalks cleared of homeless encampments and individuals, with some portions blocked off with barricades or covered with brand-new planters where tents had once stood.
According to local media, a federal injunction requires the city to provide adequate shelter for homeless individuals after removing their tents from public areas. Although the city did not set up new shelters specifically for individuals impacted by the international summit, it opened a 30-spot overnight winter shelter and has been working on adding 300 beds to some of the existing shelters.
Newsom also said last week that &#8220;it&#8217;s true&#8221; that city officials removed homeless encampments from sidewalks because of the international summit.
&#8220;I know folks are saying, &#8216;Oh, they&#8217;re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town,'&#8221; California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, as reported by Fox News. &#8220;That&#8217;s true because it&#8217;s true — but it&#8217;s also true for months and months and months before APEC, we&#8217;ve been having conversations.&#8221;
 Mairead Elordi contributed to this report.

Governor Gavin Newsom visits San Francisco for Clean California event

Newsom Defends San Francisco Homeless Sweep Before International Summit

Newsom Doubles Down On San Francisco Homeless Sweep Before International Summit

Democratic Party

Gavin Newsom

Joe Biden

Justin Trudeau

When he was the mayor of San Francisco in 2008, Gavin Newsom announced a ten-year plan to &#8220;end chronic homelessness&#8221; in the city. This was a big challenge, Newsom said, and that&#8217;s why it would take a decade — longer than it took us to land the first men on the moon after Kennedy promised to do so. But after ten years, Newsom insisted, the residents of San Francisco would finally be able to enjoy their city without hordes of junkies and prostitutes and mentally ill vagrants wandering around downtown and defecating on everything. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="2008 State of the City Poverty Webisode" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CCe4P062F4Q?start=51&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In case you missed the logic there, here it is one more time: &#8220;Food solves hunger. Shelter solves sleep. And housing solves homelessness.” These are deep insights. I’m surprised he didn’t also point out that dry land solves drowning, breathing solves suffocation, and not having cancer solves cancer. At the time, people living in San Francisco thought that this platform made sense. They didn&#8217;t think it was a bunch of meaningless platitudes. They also didn&#8217;t ask what it means for shelters to &#8220;solve sleep.” Does he think that people with houses don’t sleep? What does that mean exactly? Anyway, they just went with it. Give the guy ten years, they said. &#8220;Let him cook,” as the kids say. Pretty soon everyone will have homes and nobody will be sleeping, or something.
But predictably enough, Gavin Newsom&#8217;s ten-year plan turned out a lot like Greta Thunberg&#8217;s <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/15/greta-thunberg-reportedly-deletes-grim-2018-tweet-about-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promise</a> that the world would end by 2023. It never materialized, and everyone involved knew it would never materialize. Not that Newsom stuck around for ten years to find out — he became lieutenant governor of California just three years after announcing his big ten-year-plan. And then he moved up to governor in 2019. And through it all, in the hands of Newsom and his deputies, the problem of homelessness in San Francisco — and in California at large — only became progressively worse. And year after year, the residents of San Francisco have heard excuse after excuse for this failure. The excuses kept changing, but one thing remained constant, which is that it was never the politicians&#8217; fault. It&#8217;s always someone else&#8217;s.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1261-the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
Lately, politicians in the city have settled on a new excuse. They&#8217;re blaming federal courts for the homelessness crisis. Here&#8217;s San Francisco Mayor London Breed, for example, just a couple of months ago:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Hundreds rally for judges to remove injunction blocking SF from clearing homeless encampments" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-_dCuIZ3mQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
So London Breed blames a federal judge for the homelessness problem in the city. And people apparently agree with her, as you saw. More than a decade after Newsom promised to end homelessness, people are cheering for a mayor who&#8217;s coming up with excuses for why her party completely failed to do that. The problem, Breed says, is a judge who issued some injunction within the past year. That&#8217;s why the plan to end homelessness didn&#8217;t work over the past 15 years. By the way, government is the only place where it works this way. It’s the only place where you can go to your boss with an excuse for why you utterly failed to do what you were paid to do, and then get a standing ovation.
To be fair to London Breed, though, a judge did recently issue an injunction against the city, preventing them from removing homeless encampments unless they had shelter beds to house everyone. And yes, that was a dumb ruling. The Ninth Circuit later clarified that the city can remove homeless encampments, as long as the homeless people <a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11962388/san-francisco-will-enforce-sit-lie-laws-when-people-refuse-shelter#:~:text=Last%20month%2C%20the%20Ninth%20Circuit,in%20parks%2C%20in%20those%20cases." target="_blank" rel="noopener">decline</a> an offer of housing. So that&#8217;s something.
But all this legal wrangling is just the latest excuse that people in San Francisco have heard, when they ask why homelessness is still completely out of control. Every year, there&#8217;s a new explanation. Last year, for example, Newsom <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-california-los-angeles-gavin-newsom-homelessness-f971c42abf024e8c84ab2d89bc4a8910" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blamed</a> the economy and COVID for why his plan to end homelessness wasn&#8217;t actually ending homelessness: “We’re dealing with unprecedented economic contraction, the worst in our lifetimes, induced by a pandemic,” Newsom said. A few years before that, in 2012, Newsom <a href="https://youtu.be/B4hQyR4dwFI?si=hi9ACvUo7E6E8-VQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attacked people</a> who pointed out that homelessness was getting worse, saying they were just being cynical and playing politics. Then, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Newsom <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gavin-newsom-homelessness-san-francisco-20181023-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> his 10-year-plan, saying that Michelangelo taught him that it&#8217;s better to set a high bar and fail, than to set a low bar and meet it. Of course Michelangelo was talking about artistic pursuits, where that rule may apply. But with politicians, you’d much rather they set out to do simple things and then actually do those things, rather than claim that they are going to do a big thing and instead do nothing at all.
What do we take from this? If you live in California, the message is pretty clear: homelessness is just something you have to deal with. No ten-year-plan, no matter how well funded it is, can possibly solve homelessness. It&#8217;s a fact of life. The best you can hope for is helping a few thousand homeless people, as hordes more homeless people arrive. That&#8217;s the reality of life in a big city. And if you disagree, Gavin Newsom will tell you that you&#8217;re the problem.
That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s been so interesting to watch what&#8217;s been happening in San Francisco over the past few days. This week, San Francisco is hosting the APEC Summit, which will attract business leaders, tourists, and nearly two dozen heads of state, including Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In response, for the first time in a generation, virtually overnight, the city of San Francisco has cleaned the streets. Homeless encampments have been forcibly moved out of sight. 
The place looks presentable again — even livable, if you can believe it. Residents are completely stunned. They had no idea anything like this was possible. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="San Francisco cleans up streets ahead of APEC conference" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DXVtTNMrj6w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The last question from that guy in the clip is a good one. Why exactly doesn&#8217;t the city of San Francisco do this all of the time? Later in that news report, the news station makes it clear that the city isn&#8217;t spending any extra money on this clean-up. All the funds are coming out of existing budgets. They could easily be doing this all the time. So why aren&#8217;t they? 
Another local resident in the SoMa neighborhood had the same question. He <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/10/news/san-francisco-clears-drug-addicts-and-homeless-out-of-downtown-ahead-of-biden-and-xi-jinping-summit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post, “They’ve cleared out the tents … on Howard Street, which tells me the city had the capability to do this all along — instead they just do the bare minimum.&#8221;
Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, <a href="https://twitter.com/Benioff/status/1702373402173120975" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoed</a> that sentiment: &#8220;San Francisco has been incredibly clean, beautiful, and safe for the last 3 days &#8230; and it is great that the city is able to put its best foot forward for this major event that brings in 40K people from around the world, and $80M to the economy. It is important to ask why the city cannot be this clean and safe every single day?&#8221; 
Benioff has an especially good reason to ask that question, since he <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Benioff-uses-personal-and-corporate-power-to-get-13349594.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poured</a> roughly $8 million into Prop C in California, which taxed individuals and businesses to promote &#8220;homelessness services,&#8221; including a lot of nonprofits. What did he get in return for that money? Apparently not much. And that&#8217;s not surprising. When you hand Left-wing nonprofits money to fix any social issue — whether it&#8217;s homelessness or something more important like microaggressions in the workplace — you don&#8217;t actually give them incentives to fix the problem. Instead, you give them incentives to prolong it, so they can bilk more billionaires like Marc Benioff.
What&#8217;s the solution then? Well, it turns out that it&#8217;s pretty simple. Instead of dumping money into &#8220;homelessness services&#8221; and nonprofits, all that was needed this whole time was a little willpower. 
The San Francisco Chronicle <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/10/news/san-francisco-clears-drug-addicts-and-homeless-out-of-downtown-ahead-of-biden-and-xi-jinping-summit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained emails</a> from city officials that demonstrate how easy this has been to accomplish, all along. Christopher McDaniels, the city&#8217;s superintendent of Street Environmental Services, wrote an email back in September explaining every street that needs to be completely cleared. He wrote, &#8220;With APEC coming, I am concerned about historical encampments that are close to priority areas.&#8221; McDaniels&#8217; boss added, &#8220;we need to stay on top of the growing encampments; do we have a plan?” Within days, according to the Post, &#8220;certain areas — including the notorious intersections of Van Ness Avenue and California Street, Hyde and Eddy streets, Taylor and Ellis streets — were cleared of homeless tents.&#8221;
Reading all of this, it&#8217;s hard not to laugh a little bit when you think about the fact that San Francisco&#8217;s bureaucrats managed to make the city look presentable for the leader of communist China. It’s like if your wife makes a point of doing her hair and putting on make-up whenever the pool boy comes to clean the pool. It shows you where her affections lie. San Francisco has revealed itself in the same way. It also kind of makes you wonder how San Francisco might look if Xi Jinping ran it. Does anyone seriously doubt that it would look a lot better than it does under London Breed and Gavin Newsom?
But the most important point is that this proves what I&#8217;ve been saying for a long time, which is that these are simple problems to fix and the government can easily fix them. It just takes a couple of emails from some mid-level bureaucrats, and it gets done. Of course, these bureaucrats have not &#8220;solved chronic homelessness.&#8221; They have not prevented people from losing their homes, or doing drugs, or developing mental illness. But they have moved those people out of sight, and they&#8217;ve used force to do it. They have cleaned up the city, at least parts of it. It can be done.
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For now at least, San Francisco is doing what is necessary. This is a very good indication that, as it turns out, our cities do not have to be crime-infested cesspools. They do not have to be third world wastelands with zombified drug addicts walking around and taking dumps in the street. If San Francisco can make at least parts of itself look clean and livable in order to impress China, it can make the whole of itself clean and livable for the sake of its citizens — if it cared to. 
But the vast majority of the time, San Francisco doesn&#8217;t care to do that. The Left likes to say that &#8220;poverty is a policy choice.&#8221; That&#8217;s not true. Poverty is a fact of life, an inevitability in human civilization. Social decay, on the other hand, is a choice. That does not have to happen. It only happens if it is allowed to happen. Or perhaps in our case, made to happen. Who would have thought that, after years of giving drug addicts taxpayer-funded needles, devaluing the currency and outsourcing manufacturing to China, we&#8217;d end up with even more homeless people? Who would have thought that suspending the enforcement of pretty much every misdemeanor would lead to more public urination, more public drug use, more public robberies, and more public sex acts?
For more than a decade, Democrats&#8217; solution to this rapidly growing crisis has been to throw more money at the problem, and give themselves more power in the process. Certainly, this approach has worked out well for Gavin Newsom. But it hasn&#8217;t worked out for people living in San Francisco. It tells you a lot that the city&#8217;s leaders — like so many political figures all over the country — felt no incentive at any point to make their community better, more prosperous, and more beautiful, just for the sake of their own people. The welfare of their own people simply doesn&#8217;t motivate them at all. But when Xi Jinping and an army of CEOs are in town, then our leaders will spring into action. Now those are some people that politicians really want to impress.
What&#8217;s happening in San Francisco right now is the end of plausible deniability for all of these bureaucrats and elected officials. It&#8217;s now beyond any doubt that they are the reason for the managed decline we are witnessing in major cities. This managed decline is deliberate. But by the same token, it&#8217;s also reversible. And it can be reversed very quickly. El Salvador fixed its violent crime problem in a matter of weeks. Now we learn that San Francisco has always had the ability to end its homelessness epidemic in a matter of days. And when APEC is over, and the floodgates reopen in SoMa and the homeless druggies pour back in, that will be obvious to everyone — even people who have the misfortune of living in San Francisco.

Our Cities Don’t Have To Be Crime-Infested Wastelands. The Solution Is Simple.

Homelessness

Matt Walsh

Readers Pass

San Francisco officials reportedly cleared out areas of the city occupied by homeless camps and public drug markets before top world leaders and CEOS, and tens of thousands of other attendees, arrived in the Bay Area for the <a href="https://sf.gov/apec-2023#:~:text=Asia%2DPacific%20Economic%20Cooperation%20(APEC)%20is%20the%20leading%20economic,United%20States%20is%20chairing%20APEC." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit</a> (APEC).
APEC, known as the &#8220;Super Bowl of World Economies,&#8221; is holding its 2023 leaders meeting in San Francisco this year between November 11 to 17. The summit includes leaders of 21 countries and regions, including President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
&#8220;I know folks are saying, &#8216;Oh, they&#8217;re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town,'&#8221; California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-city-removes-homeless-beautification-bidens-summit-chinese-president-xi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Fox News. &#8220;That&#8217;s true because it&#8217;s true — but it&#8217;s also true for months and months and months before APEC, we&#8217;ve been having conversations.&#8221;
As homeless encampments, open-air drug markets, and crime continue to sweep some areas of the city, internal emails <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sf-apec-homeless-encampments-clear-hotspots-18478050.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained</a> by the San Francisco Chronicle showed city officials were &#8220;concerned about historical encampments that are close to priority areas&#8221; and needed to format a plan to &#8220;stay on top of the growing encampments.&#8221;
Several videos circulating on social media appear to show various sidewalks cleared of homeless encampments and individuals, with some portions blocked off with barricades or covered with brand-new planters where tents had once stood.
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San Francisco’s homeless population was entirely cleared out for Xi Jinping. 
The government can easily fix our cities overnight. It just doesn’t want to.<a href="https://t.co/tBGmWCbwtX">pic.twitter.com/tBGmWCbwtX</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1723508911792148756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
For Xi visit San Francisco cleared our homeless and put about 100 new planters.
It’s amazing what can happen if government wants to actually fix things. <a href="https://t.co/Ea47CJtI8g">pic.twitter.com/Ea47CJtI8g</a>
&mdash; I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImMeme0/status/1723533094706176232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A local Fox affiliate said areas of the city look noticeably cleaner, with far fewer homeless encampments.
City employee Marc Savino told the outlet, &#8220;You just naturally start to wonder about houseless folks being displaced.&#8221;
According to local media, a federal injunction requires the city to provide adequate shelter for homeless individuals after removing their tents from public areas. Although the city did not set up new shelters specifically for individuals impacted by the international summit, it opened a 30-spot overnight winter shelter and has been working on adding 300 beds to some of the existing shelters
&#8220;The daily allotment will vary throughout the conference,&#8221; Cohen told the Chronicle in an email. &#8220;But we are making every effort to maximize shelter capacity across our portfolio for the community to access during APEC and ongoing.&#8221;
The Chronicle reported that the city&#8217;s effort to clear the encampments is an attempt to avoid a repeat of 2016, when it hosted Superbowl 50 at Levi&#8217;s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from airing the game, the outlet noted that TV broadcasts had focused on the city&#8217;s homeless crisis along Division Street, which presented &#8220;a major civic black eye&#8221; for the Bay Area.
San Francisco community activist Ricci Lee Wynne <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/10/news/san-francisco-clears-drug-addicts-and-homeless-out-of-downtown-ahead-of-biden-and-xi-jinping-summit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Post that city officials cleared out encampments near the Moscone Center on Howard Street, which she said signaled &#8220;the city had the capability to do this all along — instead, they just do the bare minimum.&#8221;
&#8220;Once APEC is gone, police presence will start to simmer down again, the tents will return, and it will slowly flare up again,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;What we need is a permanent solution.&#8221;
A significant event during this year&#8217;s summit is a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-chinese-president-will-see-a-feeble-and-compromised-politician-in-biden-at-upcoming-meeting?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwnewstwitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sideline meeting</a> between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which marks the first time the two have met since November 2022.
&#8220;Chinese officials will want to project to their domestic audience that Xi is received by Biden with dignity and respect,&#8221; director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institute Ryan Hass told the AP.
CBS News reported in late October that potential topics of discussion between Biden and Xi Jinping include increased Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and Xi Jinping&#8217;s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, all topics that U.S. officials have expressed concern about in recent weeks.
San Francisco becomes the latest U.S. city to clean up its appearance before a scheduled visit from President Biden.
Earlier this year, illegal immigrants in El Paso, Texas, were arrested, their camps taken down, and some even sent back to Mexico in the week leading up to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dont-want-to-show-him-the-reality-of-things-illegal-immigrant-camps-in-el-paso-cleaned-up-before-biden-visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden&#8217;s first visit to the border</a> during his term.
Ben Whitehead contributed to this report.

Preparations Ahead Of The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit

San Francisco Clears Homeless Camps Ahead Of International Summit

Democrat

A Republican senator is calling for the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco to be shut down over the open-air drug market and dangerous conditions that plague the area just outside.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) sent a letter Tuesday to the General Services Administration, which manages the building, suggesting it &#8220;shuttered for the foreseeable future.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m calling to shut down the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building,&#8221; Ernst said in a statement. &#8220;After all, they’ve already been forced to abandon it, so why should taxpayers keep the lights on in Nancy Pelosi’s haunted house?&#8221;
In August, hundreds of employees who work at the Nancy Pelosi building were told to work from home indefinitely due to public safety concerns right outside.
Outside, one of San Francisco’s worst open-air drug markets rages, with dealers and addicts doing business in broad daylight daily. Addicts often hang out and use drugs on the federal building’s concrete benches, the San Francisco Chronicle <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/drugs-crime-nancy-pelosi-federal-building-18292237.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The block around the federal building had 525 drug-related incidents over the past year, city data <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/08/nancy-pelosi-federal-building-security-increased-drug-dealing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a>.
In recent months, federal employees had knives pulled on them three times, and one person was chased with a hammer, the San Francisco Standard <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/08/nancy-pelosi-federal-building-security-increased-drug-dealing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Recently, a fence was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/08/nancy-pelosi-federal-building-security-increased-drug-dealing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put up</a> along part of the building to block people from sitting on a concrete ledge where drug dealers were frequently spotted.
In June, two men were charged with attempting to deal drugs in full view of the federal building’s surveillance cameras, the U.S. Attorney <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/san-francisco-residents-charged-allegedly-committing-crimes-front-surveillance-cameras" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a press release. One of the men was in possession of a gun when he was arrested and may have fired a gun at someone near the building months earlier, the release said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Protective Service has <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/25/news/sen-ernst-pushes-to-close-the-nancy-pelosi-federal-building/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> its activity in the area, and some employees have asked to be escorted in and out of the building.
Ernst said the building is now a dangerous place to work thanks to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) herself as well as &#8220;the other liberal politicians that have allowed criminal chaos to overtake the streets of San Francisco.&#8221;
&#8220;Ironically, the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is a symbol of the way government doesn’t work, &#8230; if it’s not safe for federal employees to work here, it certainly can’t be safe for businesses to operate and families to live here,&#8221; Ernst said.
The 18-story federal building includes Pelosi’s local office as well as the offices of several federal agencies, including HHS, the Labor Department, and the Transportation Department.
Ernst said the San Francisco area has at least five other federal buildings where federal employees could work, allowing taxpayers to interact with government agencies face-to-face &#8220;without fearing for their lives.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-VOTE-MIDTERMS-DNC

GOP Senator Calls To ‘Shut Down’ Nancy Pelosi Federal Building In San Francisco Over Drugs, Crime Outside

GOP Senator Calls To 'Shut Down' Nancy Pelosi Federal Building In San Francisco Over Drugs, Crime Outside

Democrats

Drugs

Fentanyl

Republicans

Senate

The off-duty <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/off-duty-pilot-accused-of-attempting-to-shut-down-plane-engines-mid-flight-charged-with-83-counts-of-attempted-murder-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaskan Airlines pilot arrested</a> on Sunday for allegedly trying to shut down the engines of a fully occupied passenger flight in midair has been charged in federal court.
Joseph Emerson of Pleasant Hill, California, was charged with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, according to a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/duty-commercial-airline-pilot-charged-federal-court-interfering-flight-crew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the District of Oregon Department of Justice.
Emerson, 44, was riding in the cockpit jump seat as a passenger on Horizon Air flight 2059 — an affiliate of Alaska Airlines — when he attempted to shut down the plane&#8217;s engines during a flight that departed from Seattle Paine Field International Airport and was scheduled to land at San Francisco International Airport.
Emerson was sitting in the jump seat located in the cockpit just behind the captain and first officer flying the jet. Pilots commonly ride in the jump seat to hitch a free ride when traveling personally or professionally.
Airline officials said in a news release following the incident that the pilots were forced to divert the aircraft to Portland International Airport in Oregon for an emergency landing because of &#8220;a credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat.&#8221;
“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,” the airline said in a portion of the news release <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-charged-attempted-murder-trying-shut-alaska-airlines-engines-fligh-rcna121681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by NBC. “The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.”
Federal authorities said the incident began halfway between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland.
&#8220;Emerson attempted to grab and pull two red fire handles that would have activated the plane&#8217;s emergency fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines. After a brief physical struggle with the pilots, Emerson exited the cockpit,&#8221; authorities said.
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During the flight&#8217;s descent into Portland, authorities said a flight attendant had to stop Emerson from attempting to grab another emergency exit handle after other attendants had already placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft.
Alaska Airlines released a follow-up statement on Monday night identifying Emerson, saying he tried to shut the engines down by engaging the Engine Fire Handle, also known as the fire suppression system.
&#8220;The fire suppression system consists of a T-handle for each engine,&#8221; the statement read in part. &#8220;If the T-handle is fully deployed, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. In this case, the quick reaction of our crew to reset the T-handles ensured engine power was not lost.&#8221;
Audio recorded by LiveATC.net revealed that Seattle-area air traffic controllers were alerted about the attempt to turn off the plane&#8217;s engines.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn&#8217;t sound like he&#8217;s causing any issues in the back right now,&#8221; the pilot told Seattle-area air traffic controllers in audio recorded by LiveATC.net. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and are parked.&#8221;
Upon arrival, the Port of Portland Police Department arrested Emerson for trying to seize control of the flight filled with 80 passengers on board, including lap infants, two pilots, and two flight attendants in the passenger cabin, according to local media.
Emerson was charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to Multnomah County Sheriff&#8217;s Office booking records.
Emerson remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold pending his first appearance in federal court on a later date.
According to court documents <a href="https://abc7ny.com/pilot-joseph-emerson-alaska-airlines-pleasant-hill-david/13960619/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by ABC, Emerson told police he has been struggling with depression for six months and hadn&#8217;t slept in almost two days. He said he told the flight attendants to restrain him and said to authorities he was having a &#8220;nervous breakdown.&#8221;
Emerson also claimed to have used psychedelic mushrooms and wanted to wake up from what he thought was a dream.
Aubrey Gavello, a passenger on the plane, told ABC that a flight attendant alerted the other passengers that Emerson had suffered a mental breakdown.
&#8220;After we did land and the gentleman was escorted off, the flight attendant got back on the speaker and said, plain and simple, &#8216;He had a mental breakdown,'&#8221; Gavello said. &#8220;We needed to get him off the plane immediately.&#8221;
Alaska Airlines said in a statement <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12666655/pilot-joseph-david-emerson-trial-attempted-murder.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by the Daily Mail that the crew responded without hesitation to the &#8220;difficult and highly unusual situation.&#8221;
&#8220;All passengers on board were able to complete their journey with a new crew and aircraft,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We are grateful for the patience of our guests throughout this event and are reaching out to each of them individually to discuss their experience and check-in on their well-being.&#8221;
According to the airline, Emerson joined Alaska Air Group as a Horizon First Officer in August 2001. He left the company in June 2002 to join Virgin America as a pilot. After Alaska acquired Virgin America in 2016, Emerson became an Alaska Airlines First Officer.
He later became an Alaska Airlines Captain in 2019.
&#8220;Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked,&#8221; the statement said.

US-AIRPLANE-ACCIDENT

Off-Duty Pilot Accused Of Attempting To Shut Down Plane Engines Mid-Flight Hit With Federal Charge

Off-Duty Pilot Accused Of Attempting To Shut Off Plane Engines Mid-Flight Hit With Federal Charge

Airlines

Mental Illness

Plane Crash

Portland

Seattle

A convicted child molester who set up a sign advertising &#8220;free fentanyl&#8221; across from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/homeless">San Francisco</a> school was arrested last week.
Joseph Adam Moore was <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/man-san-francisco-encampment-arrested/3348263/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken</a> into custody just after noon on Friday after police gave him an order to move and he failed to do so.
Moore was arrested on 9th Avenue, just across the street from Stella Maris Academy, a Catholic school that serves children as young as preschool.
He <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/10/18/san-francisco-homeless-fentanyl-drugs-school-pedophile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is on</a> California&#8217;s sex offender registry for &#8220;lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.&#8221; However, it appears he is not considered a &#8220;high-risk&#8221; offender, so he does not have the obligation to stay 2,000 feet away from any school.
&#8220;I was told that he is in compliance with all the components of what his sex registration are,&#8221; San Francisco Police Captain Chris Canning <a href="https://abc7.com/free-fentanyl-sign-san-francisco-california-stella-maris-academy/13944269/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Moore had been camping across from the school <a href="https://abc7.com/free-fentanyl-sign-san-francisco-california-stella-maris-academy/13944269/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for more than</a> two years and <a href="https://abc7.com/free-fentanyl-sign-san-francisco-california-stella-maris-academy/13944269/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC7 last week that he has been homeless in San Francisco for &#8220;basically 26 years.&#8221;
Recently, he put up a sign reading, &#8220;Free fentanyl for new users,&#8221; which caught the eye of law enforcement.
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One of the craziest headlines — SF Standard reporting that convicted child molester set up camp across from grade school offering “free fentanyl for new users”. I had to check it out and it’s true. I just left the location as authorities are trying to get him to move. Story at 6. <a href="https://t.co/FCtHy9Qog0">pic.twitter.com/FCtHy9Qog0</a>
&mdash; Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) <a href="https://twitter.com/dannoyes/status/1715084352944779597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Were you giving away fentanyl? Was that just a joke?&#8221; a reporter from station KGO <a href="https://abc7.com/free-fentanyl-sign-san-francisco-california-stella-maris-academy/13944269/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Moore.
&#8220;No, it&#8217;s not a joke,&#8221; Moore responded, adding that people give him fentanyl in exchange for supplies.
&#8220;So they bring me trash that they&#8217;ve scavenged, things that they think are valuable, or they give me some of the drugs that they have, which I don&#8217;t do,&#8221; Moore told the outlet.
&#8220;You&#8217;re exposing grade school kids to this? This is not right. You know that?&#8221; the KGO reporter asked.
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&#8220;No, no, it&#8217;s shallow,&#8221; Moore responded.
The reporter pointed out that, &#8220;the kids come out of the school and they see this.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah, I only live by two rules: be kind to others and make it look easy for children,&#8221; Moore said.
At one point, Moore and a parent from the school had a physical altercation. Moore got a misdemeanor battery ticket for that interaction, and he filed an assault complaint against that father.
A neighbor also expressed concerns, <a href="https://abc7.com/free-fentanyl-sign-san-francisco-california-stella-maris-academy/13944269/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> his wife walks around the neighborhood with their baby by herself and he now feels the need for &#8220;extra vigilance.&#8221;
After Moore was arrested, police and city workers worked to clear out the encampment across from the school.
Moore was also on probation for violating a stay away order filed against him by the San Francisco Fire Department on behalf of a particular fire station.

New York CIty sweep of homeless encampment

Convicted Child Molester Who Set Up ‘Free Fentanyl’ Sign Across From California School Arrested

Convicted Child Molester Who Set Up 'Free Fentanyl' Sign Across From California School Arrested

Homeless

An off-duty Alaskan Airlines pilot riding as a passenger in the cockpit of a fully occupied flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco was reportedly arrested on Sunday after allegedly attempting to shut down the plane&#8217;s engines in midair.
Horizon Air flight 2059 departed Seattle Paine Field International Airport to the Bay Area of California on October 22 when the pilots were forced to divert the aircraft to Portland International Airport in Oregon because of &#8220;a credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat,&#8221; Airline officials said in a news release <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/23/alaska-airlines-pilot-diverts-flight-after-security-threat-in-cockpit.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by CNBC.
&#8220;The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,&#8221; the airline said in a portion of the news release <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-charged-attempted-murder-trying-shut-alaska-airlines-engines-fligh-rcna121681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by NBC. &#8220;The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.&#8221;
Pilots commonly hitch a free ride when traveling personally or professionally to another airport in a jump seat located in the cockpit just behind the captain and first officer flying the jet.
Airline officials reportedly said the crew followed Federal Aviation Administration procedures and guidance from air traffic control for the flight to safely divert to Portland International Airport and is being investigated by law enforcement authorities.
Audio <a href="https://archive.liveatc.net/kpdx/KPDX-ZSE-Oct-23-2023-0100Z.mp3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recorded</a> by LiveATC.net revealed that Seattle-area air traffic controllers were alerted about the attempt to turn off the plane&#8217;s engines.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn&#8217;t sound like he&#8217;s causing any issues in the back right now,&#8221; the pilot told Seattle-area air traffic controllers in audio recorded by LiveATC.net. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and are parked.&#8221;
Upon arrival, the Port of Portland Police Department arrested Joseph Emerson, an off-duty pilot accused of trying to seize control of the Alaska Airlines flight filled with 80 passengers on board, including lap infants, two pilots, and two flight attendants in the passenger cabin, according to <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/alaska-air-off-duty-pilot-tries-to-shut-off-engines-on-flight-from-everett/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a>.
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Emerson, 44, was charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to Multnomah County Sheriff&#8217;s Office <a href="https://www.mcso.us/PAID/Home/Booking/1573087" target="_blank" rel="noopener">booking records</a>.
It was not immediately clear why Emerson attempted to disrupt the flight. However, Alaska Airlines officials said the crew secured the aircraft without incident.
&#8220;We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests&#8217; calm and patience throughout this event,&#8221; Alaska Airlines said.

Los Angeles Exteriors And Landmarks – 2021

Off-Duty Pilot Accused Of Attempting To Shut Down Plane Engines Mid-Flight Charged With 83 Counts Of Attempted Murder: Reports

Vandalism is becoming almost unavoidable for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco&#8217;s</a> restaurants, a new survey shows.
Only 3% out of 74 restaurants surveyed said they had not experienced graffiti or property crime in the last month, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/sf-graffiti-vandalism-crime-18387993.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a new survey from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
The city has spent $1 million on grants for vandalism relief since 2021, and nearly 800 businesses have received $1,000 or $2,000 grants for graffiti, broken windows, or other vandalism, the San Francisco Chronicle <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/sf-graffiti-vandalism-crime-18387993.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
San Francisco&#8217;s 311 call center has received 10,000 reports of graffiti on commercial buildings and sidewalks in the last six months, the outlet reported.
Now, the San Francisco Police Department has even <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/sf-graffiti-vandalism-crime-18387993.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assigned</a> an officer to investigate graffiti full-time.
Meanwhile, businesses are suffering, and repairing the damage is expensive.
A pizza shop in San Francisco&#8217;s Mission District was recently hit with acid, the owner <a href="https://abc7news.com/graffiti-in-san-francisco-tagging-vandalism-street/13801629/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC7.
&#8220;This is acid so you can&#8217;t just remove it. They have to replace the glass,&#8221; Supreme Pizza owner Leandro Jayme told the outlet. He said replacing even one small glass square costs him $300.
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Some restaurants said they gave up, including Shuggie’s, also in the Mission district, which received a grant, but gave up trying to clean up the almost daily graffiti.
Shoplifting is another major problem for the crime-ridden city.
In the past, San Francisco&#8217;s stores have geared up with unprecedented security measures to try to deter shoplifters.
Grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers have installed extreme security devices and paid for private security guards to combat rampant theft.
Supermarket chain Safeway installed exit gates that require customers to scan their receipts in some of its Bay Area grocery stores. A Walgreens locked its freezers with chains in response to shoplifters hitting the store 15 to 20 times a day, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-stores-are-taking-extreme-security-measures-to-fight-petty-theft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to an employee.
In 2021, businesses in San Francisco’ Union Square hired private security to combat the “smash and grab” robberies that plagued the area.
Part of the reason for the shoplifting increase is Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved law that made the theft of merchandise under $950 in value a misdemeanor that is often not investigated.
Most Californians <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-stores-are-taking-extreme-security-measures-to-fight-petty-theft">support</a> changing Prop 47 to reinstate penalties for certain thefts, according to a 2022 poll.
Overall crime in San Francisco is slightly down this year, but certain types of violent crime are up, <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data.
Murder is up 3% to 40 murders so far. Robberies are up 16% to 2,039 robberies so far. Car thefts are up 11% to 5,038 thefts.
Crime, open-air drug use, and homelessness have caused businesses to flee San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned.
A string of major retailers have recently fled their downtown San Francisco locations. Mall company Westfield, AT&amp;T, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and two hotels have all <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/att-closing-flagship-store-in-downtown-san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shuttered</a> locations in the city recently.
The city&#8217;s drug crisis hit a grim milestone last month with a record 84 accidental drug overdose deaths in August, <a href="https://sf.gov/data/preliminary-unintentional-drug-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to preliminary city data. So far this year, a total of 563 people have <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/18/san-francisco-ties-record-for-most-overdose-deaths-in-a-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> from a drug overdose in San Francisco.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019.

Pedestrians walk past a graffiti covered storefront on Mission Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014 after the Giants beat the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. The celebration turned ugly when crowds became unruly and vandalize

Only 3% of San Francisco Restaurants Have Not Been Vandalized In Past Month: Survey

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-francisco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco&#8217;s</a> drug crisis hit a grim milestone last month, beating the city&#8217;s previous record for the most fatal drug overdoses in one month.
The city saw 84 accidental drug overdose deaths in August, or about five deaths every two days, <a href="https://sf.gov/data/preliminary-unintentional-drug-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to preliminary city data.
August <a href="https://sf.gov/data/preliminary-unintentional-drug-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surpassed</a> January&#8217;s 83 drug deaths for the deadliest month since San Francisco started tracking monthly overdose deaths in early 2020.
Fentanyl was <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/fr/san-francisco-sees-deadliest-drug-overdose-month-on-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involved</a> in 66 of last month&#8217;s drug deaths.
So far this year, a total of 563 people have <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/18/san-francisco-ties-record-for-most-overdose-deaths-in-a-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> from a drug overdose in San Francisco, although the causes of over 100 of those deaths are still under examination.
San Francisco is now on track to see 845 overdose deaths this year, which would beat the record 725 deaths the city saw in 2020, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-fentanyl-crisis-overdose-deaths-drug-users-18374673.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to city data. Last year, fatal overdoses dropped to 647 deaths, but they have spiked again this year. Back in 2017, a much lower number, 222 people, died from overdoses in the city.
The city has poured <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions</a> of dollars into addressing addiction and overdoses, including a &#8220;safe consumption&#8221; site in the Tenderloin neighborhood that ran for about 11 months last year. However, the site was closed amid concerns over how much it was costing taxpayers, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/tenderloin-drug-arrests-18327055.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaints</a> from nearby residents about the neighborhood deteriorating, and its failure to connect many addicts with drug treatment programs.
So far, however, none of the city&#8217;s interventions have stemmed the crisis.
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Even drug users themselves lament the situation.
“It’s crazy, so sad out here, it’s like a zombie apocalypse,” Georgia Taylor, 32, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-fentanyl-crisis-overdose-deaths-drug-users-18374673.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the San Francisco Chronicle. Taylor said she started using fentanyl “because I lost my two kids to child protective services and had a broken heart.”
“You can’t help people who don’t want help,” Taylor told the outlet. “You can find 100 people out here who have 100 different reasons for using, and we all have to be ready to quit before it will work. I’ve been clean before, and I so, so want to get clean again before I overdose and die. But it’s so hard.”
Besides the ongoing scourge of fentanyl flooding San Francisco&#8217;s streets, a new drug is flooding the illegal drug market and causing headaches for the city.
Xylazine, or &#8220;tranq&#8221; as it is known on the streets, is a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer mass-manufactured in China that has recently proliferated on the streets of San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York. The “zombie drug” causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since xylazine is not an opioid.
San Francisco&#8217;s drug crisis has also come with rampant homelessness and crime for years.
Homelessness has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night, up 35% since 2019.
Overall crime in San Francisco is slightly down this year, but certain types of violent crime are up, <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data.
Murder is up 11% to 40 murders so far. Robberies are up 17% to 1,989 robberies so far. Car thefts are up 11% to 4,898 thefts.

Syringes found at the base of the Pioneer monument on Fulton St. between the SF Main library and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday,  February 3, 2016.  During the month of last September almost 4829 used syringes were found i

San Francisco Sees Record Drug Overdose Deaths In August: ‘Like A Zombie Apocalypse’

San Francisco Sees Record Drug Overdose Deaths In August: 'Like A Zombie Apocalypse'

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