#Steeven.™ Posted April 12, 2023 Posted April 12, 2023 Bob Lee was part of Silicon Valley's tech elite. He was the former CTO of Square (a mobile payment system platform) and founder of the Cash App payment app, valued at over US$40 billion. Last week he was stabbed to death in what is considered a "safe" area of San Francisco. His death has left the rest of Silicon Valley speechless. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey called that murder heartbreaking. His friend and teammate Joshua Goldbard tweeted: "Bob was like a brother to me... Bob's energy was contagious. Everywhere he went he made friends." Elon Musk also expressed his shock at the murder. "Very sad to hear that. Many people I know have been seriously assaulted. The violence in San Francisco is appalling." A violent escalation? San Francisco has struggled with homelessness and drug deaths in recent years. In a city dependent on the technology sector, the pandemic affected its center more than any other in the United States. It just hasn't been able to recover. I often hear people describe the city center as "dead" or "silent." And in some neighbourhoods, the city can feel unsafe, something the mayor herself, London Breed, has acknowledged. The areas around the Tenderloin (in the heart of the city) and SoMa (by South of Market) can feel dystopian, especially at night. According to police statistics, San Francisco's murder rate is fairly stable: 56 murders last year. 56 the year before. This year, something similar is being seen. The overwhelming majority of murder victims are black and Latino men, according to police data. So far in 2023 there have been 12 murders in the city. In the first three months of last year there were 10. The number of assaults is also similar. And when compared to other cities, San Francisco comes off relatively well. This is not Gotham City. Perception of insecurity But the view expressed by Elon Musk that violent crime is on the rise is all too common. San Francisco is a relatively small city. Its po[CENSORED]tion is around 800,000 people. And unlike cities like Chicago, many of the neighborhoods that are considered "troublesome" here are intertwined with the entire central business district. Twitter's global headquarters, for example, is on Market Street, a few blocks from the Tenderloin. Block mobile payment company is also nearby. San Francisco's troubles are out in the open, right in the heart of the city. For local politicians -- desperate to get tech companies back in town -- murders like Lee's are devastating. If influential tech companies decide to stay away and people start leaving, it could create a so-called "negative spiral." One of the most influential local newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle, recently warned that the city could be in a "vicious cycle" and could "die." If companies move away, tax collection falls. People use public transportation less until they become insolvent, making it even more difficult for low- and middle-income workers to get to work. Labor costs rise further, and the city has less funding to address challenges like crime and anti-social behavior. The city's mayor's response was: "It's easy to make gloomy predictions about the death of downtown. But that's not our reality and it won't happen." The opinion of a local San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You have Silicon Valley at your fingertips. It is located in an excellent point to be able to take advantage of the new technological boom of artificial intelligence. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is based in San Francisco, along with a host of other AI technology start-ups. The city has incredible talent. In many respects, it has a lot going for it. But many people are still leaving. Last year, the American Housing Survey found that about 18% of San Franciscans plan to move in 2023. Nearly half of them said they intended to move to another city. And unless San Francisco can stem that tide, it's in trouble. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-65216927 1
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