Few cities in Amerika have the stigma attached to them that San Francisco does. People come from all over the country to see for themselves just what�s really going on in this hip, progressive metropolis, and a lot of those people find a new home that they've long yearned for. Others find that the big city life is a bit more than they are cut out for, and move on. One thing is for certain, though, and that is if there is a sub, cross, or counterculture you�re looking for, you can find it here.

There is a downside to this Amerikan microcosm, and as surely as it contains all of the enjoyable elements of Amerika all in one city, it contains all of the flaws. Drugs, racism, corporate greed, political corruption; it's all here. One thing stands out beyond all others- classism and the infinite disregard for the homeless. In a typical day in San Francisco a homeless man or woman will run a virtual gauntlet of insults, harassment, and disregard for even the most basic of their human needs, along with a barrage of insults concerning everything from the way they smell to the clothes they wear, and most of the time those that accost them will never give them or the interaction they had a second thought. Why would they? Who cares what that old bum goes off to do after he finishes begging for change, and it�s doubtful those young, drunk, squatter kids even remember the guy that walked by and insulted them an hour after it happened.

Or do they?

The reality of most of the homeless in San Francisco is that they are the ones that society forgot. With no family to fall back on, these people fall through the cracks, and find themselves trapped at the bottom, with no means of support, and hence, no means of escape - all the while enjoying the boot of police oppression grinding them into the ground, and the constant depradations of every other faction of society. Often times after a few months of living as the ultimate scapegoat/whipping boy of an entire city, they forget what it�s like to be part of "normal" society, and couldn�t pull themselves back up if they wanted to. Tired, emotionally broken, and stripped of all human dignity, all but the strongest turn to self medicating to ease the hurt that they feel, and so the trap is sprung.

One cold night last December, as they prepared to sleep in a hidden spot next to a rarely used building, two young homeless men talked about their day. Both struggle with depressive disorders, and being only a few short days until Christmas, both feel the emotional sting of another holiday season away from family. Luckily they have each other, which is fortunate for them, because if they had anything less in life they probably wouldn�t be living much longer. As everybody knows, the holiday seasons are the most depressing of all, testament to this is the rising suicide rate as winter progresses. Good friends can be the only saving grace in times like this, when you consider that in this same spot a week ago, one of these kids intentionally took a lethal overdose of heroin, only to have his one and only friend stumble upon him and admister mouth-to-mouth to recessitate his dying body.

The average cost of housing in San Francisco is astronomical, a fact we are all quite familiar with. With the income of most GA recipients set at around three hundred and fifty dollars a month, and the cost of a bare-bones single room occupancy hotel in the Tenderloin at about $500 a week, housing is a luxury that few can even begin to dream about. The alternative is the shelters, an option to consider only to those that have never been to one in San Francisco. Surly staff, thieves, and inhabitants with every problem from tourettes to schizophrenia make them hardly an option to someone with a job to be at come 7 a.m. and a choice that few people with children would even consider. An overwhelming percentage of even the working homeless choose to spend their nights on the streets of this city, and, barring the police harassment which necessitates getting up and moving sometimes twice in a night, this is often times the better choice for those with jobs to be at in the morning. Those without jobs that cannot or choose not to work, have more time to work out the nuances of street life and the need for shelter, and seem to fare quite a bit better than those who struggle to hold jobs and elevate themselves while surrounded by these complications.

The criminalization of homelessness amd increasingly difficult laws have both contributed to bring the anti transient sentiment to an unprecedented extreme. The massive number of homeless people in San Francisco jails is testament to the ugly reality of police discrimination and societal classism, as well as the lack of appropriate and functional drug and alcohol treatment in the city. These are realities which are only getting worse, and with Gavin Newsom and his views on �caring� for the homeless, as well as a new D.A. rumored to be even tougher on drug, alcohol and quality of life crimes, the situation could quickly become catastrophic.

Recent elections have only served to increase the difficulties faced by the homeless, as some of their worst fears have been confirmed. Although Newsom�s highly publicized Proposition N was overturned by San Francisco courts, a revised version of the same thing is now being implemented for those unable to produce rental receipts. With the only legit source of income for a huge percentage of transients taken away, It is inevitable that the crime rate in SF will rise accordingly, resulting only in more incarcerations, a heightened crime rate, and further class division in an already tense relationship between prince and pauper.

The tactics of the newly empowered anti-homeless regime are precise and calculative, and portray an obvious picture of the ties between government and media. A blitzkrieg of billboards, newspaper, television and even mass transit advertisements have painted a picture of the homeless as drug addicts propagating contagious disease, wasting taxpayer money by selling food stamps, and using G.A. funds to support vile chemical habits. Local newspapers print convincing stories containing interviews with the most hardcore of drug users, casting a lasting impression that overshadows those panhandling and changes the concept of transients from people trying to get by to shells of humans seeking only their next fix. Billboards paid for by local upscale businesses with obvious biases have gone as far as directly implying that money begged for is smoked in the form of crack, and the results of this social programming is felt as empty pockets and cold stares for those in need.

San Francisco has long been a mecca for travelers, and the issues currently faced will only be overcome by a cooperative effort from all factions of the city, including the homeless. The greatest risk we in the city now face is the divisive tactics of Gavin Newsom Inc., including his recent attempts to smokescreen his true political agendas with legislation nobody in this city could deny support. With his recent advocation for Gay and Lesbian rights it may seem that he is working to better the lives of those in this city, but anyone familiar with Amerikan Politricks can read between the lines and fight the behinds the scenes legislations he is attempting to sneak by the citizens of San Francisco. The greatest example can currently be seen in the G.A. and food stamp cuts, issues the mainstream media wouldn�t touch. What other changes are being made that the public aren�t being informed of? Ten years from now San Francisco will either be the expensive elitist city that Newsom and the rest of the upper class dreams of, or the city of artists and liberalism that so many of us have searched and fought for. Knowledge and political involvement will be the tools, we will be the creators. If you love this city, then make it yours.