Safe Streets, Day or Night

By Anita Grier

I want anyone feel safe walking down any street in San Francisco and I want to see thriving businesses in every neighborhood--and the two go hand-in-hand.

A small number of people can cause so many problems. The neighbors know who they are, the schools know who they are, the police know who they are, and the courts know who they are; they are usually the same people doing the same crimes over and over again. Repeat offender arrest rates are 2/3rds nationwide. I know that a little "tough love" makes a lot of difference because so many have come back to thank me years later, for standing strong and being resolute.

I have a strong bias toward education because I've seen it make such a big difference in the lives of so many. I applaud Sheriff Hennessey's Five Keys Charter School as a step in the right direction. SFUSD has to do its part and I recommend that we restore John O'Connell to the kind of vocational training school that it used to be. It was once one of the best in the west. City College is doing its part, and I have plans to expand on "Second Chance" program. I'd like to see City College going into jails and prisons with programs and classes that will prepare parolees for the real world with a skill. Too many are let out in a hopeless condition, and we can do so much more.