Increased Crime on Sixth Street Sees Businesses Struggle

San Francisco’s Sixth Street is seeing an increase in crime levels, and as a result new businesses that have opened in the area are struggling to hold on to their customers.

A doctor who had closed his optometrist’s office on Sixth Street for the day was unlucky to experience the full impact of a beer bottle aimed at his head while walking to his car. His attacker whom he didn’t notice, didn’t even rob him, but simply just wanted to undertake random violence on the first person he saw.

Unfortunately, this also seems to be just another normal day along Sixth Street.

Even though the city has spent a large amount of money, time and effort into turning Sixth around, with 20 new businesses opening up along the street that display attractive banners, it doesn’t seem to have done much good.

While press releases may be displaying Sixth as the place to be, many new businesses are slowly realizing that they are simply a part of the famous bait and switch. Encouraged to move into the area by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, they were promised they would be part of the area’s rebirth; however after the businesses opened, they feel they’ve been left behind to deal with the problems the street is still experiencing.

A month ago the businesses were full, now many people are simply too afraid to come back. In one instance a nun was grabbed by a man, while a woman threw a cup of coffee into a man’s face.

Many of the business owners believe that matters have taken a swift turn for the worst over the last couple of months, but no one seems capable of explaining what made these changes come about.

However, while the Redevelopment is paying to have a police substation built in the center; this won’t be done until 2011. A long way off when help is needed right now.

One solution that the public and business owners may want to consider is the employment of pepper spray. This after all this may be the answer to many people’s problems if they’re on Sixth Street on a daily basis. Furthermore, while the substation continues to be built, the self defense spray can prove extremely important when it comes to a person’s protection in an area that is seeing an increase in crime.