San Francisco has a high concentration of homeless. Our tour guide said that they gravitate toward the part of the city called "the tenderloin" (because in the time of speakeasies it was rumored that officers who worked this area were paid off well enough to eat tenderloin every night.) He also claimed that San Fran is a hot spot for homeless since the weather is very mild in winter.
Something we saw today that relates to this issue is the Glide Memorial Church homeless shelter. Glide Memorial might look familiar as it is where Will Smith gets in a verbal argument in the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" [sic]. This is an example of a private institution stepping in to solve the homeless problem. Glide provides a needed service to these individuals and helps to make them more productive members of society because it allows homeless to focus on more important things than worrying where they will sleep at night. It would be interesting to see how city planners are trying to rectify the poverty in such a wealthy city.
Another interesting figure we were told about on the tour is Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. He served 11 months as a city supervisor and was responsible for passing gay rights ordinances for San Francisco, and was assassinated in 1978 along with Mayor Moscone by Dan White. He is revered as a martyr in the LGBT community. He is an important figure when discussing social justice in San Francisco as he led the way to ensuring equal rights from all members of society no matter their sexual orientation. Below is a mural in San Fran remembering Milk and the change he brought to the city.
Something we saw today that relates to this issue is the Glide Memorial Church homeless shelter. Glide Memorial might look familiar as it is where Will Smith gets in a verbal argument in the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" [sic]. This is an example of a private institution stepping in to solve the homeless problem. Glide provides a needed service to these individuals and helps to make them more productive members of society because it allows homeless to focus on more important things than worrying where they will sleep at night. It would be interesting to see how city planners are trying to rectify the poverty in such a wealthy city.
Another interesting figure we were told about on the tour is Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. He served 11 months as a city supervisor and was responsible for passing gay rights ordinances for San Francisco, and was assassinated in 1978 along with Mayor Moscone by Dan White. He is revered as a martyr in the LGBT community. He is an important figure when discussing social justice in San Francisco as he led the way to ensuring equal rights from all members of society no matter their sexual orientation. Below is a mural in San Fran remembering Milk and the change he brought to the city.