Three high-profile figures were victimized (two of them murdered) in San Francisco this week in what has been the most attention-getting crime spree in ages. Granted, crime sprees are frequent in the Bay Area. But this one has thankfully genuinely piqued the public’s attention.
The victimizations started with tech mogul Bob Lee, who, as previously reported, was stabbed to death around 2:30 am last Tuesday during a visit to San Francisco.
He left his heart in San Francisco: Tech mogul murdered after coming back to San Fran for first time since moving to Miamihttps://t.co/gD3FeX1rwH
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) April 6, 2023
His death alone prompted massive outrage and concern, with one famous lifelong Democrat, music mogul David Foster’s daughter Sara Foster, blaming “liberal politicians” for “ruining cities” like San Francisco.
Yet his death was just one of two.
Later that same Tuesday, in fact, cycling champion Ethan Boyes reportedly died after a car struck him as he was riding his bike in the city’s Presidio national park.
It’s unclear thus far who’s to blame for his death.
“The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which advocates for safe biking in the city and described Boyes as a beloved local cyclist, cited eyewitnesses who said Boyes was traveling south when a car traveling the opposite direction struck him. The Park Police did not say who was at fault,” according to NBC News.
But critics say that, given Boyes’s cycling skills, it’s unlikely that he’d been at fault. Plus, some evidence does appear to point to the driver being the culprit:
I’m at the vigil for Ethan Boyes, there are tracks up the embankment at the crash site you can see how the driver must have been going a very high rate of speed to not correct for the turn and cross to the other side of the roadway. This type of driving is totally normalized. pic.twitter.com/qa0An4o9bQ
— Anthony Ryan @[email protected] (@printtemps) April 8, 2023
The next and final prominent victim is former city fire commissioner Don Carmignani, who was brutally attacked by three homeless men on Wednesday.
“Alioto Veronese said his friend Don Carmignani was leaving his mother’s house on Magnolia Street between Buchanan and Laguna streets in the Marina District when he was approached by three men Carmignani said were homeless and lived in the neighborhood,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“They hit him with a metal pole to the head. He is a big guy. They slashed his face with a knife and continued to hit him with a pole,” Veronese told the Chronicle, citing Carmignani’s account of what had happened.
As of Thursday, Carmignani remained in the hospital with 51 stitches, a fractured skull, and a broken jaw.
Veronese for his part believes the assault may have been “retribution.” Evidently, Carmignani had called the police two days earlier to complain about three homeless men loitering in front of his mother’s home.
Combined, these two killings and Carmignani’s attack have left even the city’s liberal residents reeling in shock and dismay. Take for instance “moderate liberal” local resident Michelle Tandler.
In a Twitter thread posted Friday, Tandler urged her fellow liberals to WAKE UP.
“A disturbing crime wave hit San Francisco this week. Tech leader Bob Lee was stabbed to death, cyclist Ethan Boyes was killed by a speeding car, and former fire commissioner Don Carmignani was brutally beaten by homeless addicts. If this isn’t a wake-up call, what will be?” she wrote.
In additional tweets, she talked about her own experiences with crime — namely about the time earlier this very week that she stumbled upon a couple smoking meth under a tree only blocks from away from her home.
Look:
We seem to have fully accepted chaos in our streets.
The other day I took a walk with my puppy, and then we came across this scene a few blocks from my apartment.
There was a couple smoking meth under the tree. I decided to stop and speak with them. pic.twitter.com/2ySa1ibDRX
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
They looked to be in their late 20s – both white – from Oaklahoma.
I asked if they needed medical help, an ambulance, or shelter.
“No, we’re good!” the man said.
Apparently, he had heard the shelters “weren’t very nice.”
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
“Have you considered entering into drug treatment?” I asked next. “We have open beds.”
“No – I don’t need it” was the man’s reply.
He then proceeded to explain to me that things were going pretty well. He liked his life in San Francisco.
Said something about “fresh air”.
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
At this point, I looked down at my dog, who was eating something from the ground.
As I bent down to try to get his mouth open the guy said “oh don’t worry about it – it’s just butter.”
My dog had put an entire stick of butter in his mouth.
It was beyond foul.
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
Before encountering this scene I had been in the highest of spirits. Practically singing.
I had just taken Ori for a walk through redwood trees and the beach. We were heading home for breakfast.
And then we came across these two people.
And I was filled with anger.
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
Why were these two punks from Oklahoma allowed to come to my hometown, to my neighborhood, to take over the sidewalk, cover it in their trash, smoke meth & fentanyl all day, and there is nothing we can do about it?
How is this fair to the residents of San Francisco?
— Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler) April 7, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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