Ritu Jha–
What does San Francisco’s future look like? This question haunts many SF residents in a city that is known today for its increasing number of homeless people, drugs, an empty downtown, and street crime. Seventeen-year-old Indian American Ishaan Bhattacharya is one of them. SF Mayor London Breed, Police Chief William Scott, and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins came together to talk about the big issues facing California’s prime city and the solutions they are working on at a town hall-like event on December 4.
‘Take Action San Francisco’ was attended by around 200 people, and was hosted by ABC7 News in collaboration with the San Francisco Press Club and the San Francisco Standard at Exploratorium.
Voicing the concerns of the ‘future generation’ of San Francisco was Bhattacharya, who’s been living in the city for the past 16 years. “What are we doing to ensure that the future generations are able to stay in the city that they love,” he asked the panel of city officials.
Breed said this is why she is “aggressive” about her housing agenda. “At a recent event,” Breed recalled, “I learned that many (SF residents) raised their kids in the city, but most of the children no longer stay here because they cannot afford it. We have to build the 82,000 units under the state Housing Element to make sure there is a housing pipeline and young people grow and develop in the city.”.
She added that the city has an ‘Opportunities for All’ program that provides paid internships to high school students. “We have to focus our time, resources, and policies for the younger generation. Not only should they be able to stay in San Francisco, but also become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Bhattacharya, a member of the ABC7 NextGen Youth Council, told indica that, “As a young person who has grown up in the city, I prioritized youth-centric inquiry and hoped to receive candid answers from our local leaders on how they will support the next generation and its ability to thrive in San Francisco. As a lifetime San Francisco resident, from when I was a year old to my senior year of high school, I have observed considerable changes around me,“ Bhattacharya said.
He said the proliferation of fentanyl has been “especially disturbing”, and that it has “exacerbated the homelessness crisis.”
He said, “Those addicted can be trapped by the drug, and are unable to recover. It is shocking that it is common for the drug to be a contaminant in recreational drugs, and I, unfortunately, know young people affected by fentanyl lacing.”
Bhattacharya feels that law and order in SF is better than what is portrayed in the national media. “I think certain partisan sources tend to vilify the city and its leadership to create a scapegoat for broader national issues.”
Official data suggests that San Francisco has one of the nation’s highest per capita concentrations of homeless people. High housing costs, drug abuse, and COVID are factors deepening the crisis. According to officials, from fentanyl to meth, “tranq” and more, narcotics supply is becoming increasingly prevalent in a city that is seeing its deadliest year yet amid the drug overdose crisis.
Viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies and rampant shoplifting have put a question mark on San Francisco’s safety standards. Shocking videos of crime after crime
have given San Francisco a reputation in recent years. And, may be as a result of all these factors San Francisco’s Financial District is now more vacant than ever.
About what the government can do to curb the rising drugs, homelessness, and crime issues, Bhattacharya said: “My family’s car was just broken into a few weeks ago. However, I am glad to see the work conducted by District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who I believe is making progress against crime by embodying a less lenient mindset.”
Bhattacharya said that the mayor spoke about how unhoused residents would not accept government housing aid. “I think governmental partnerships with non-profit organizations would provide more effective aid. I agree with our leaders that prosecution of dealers and trafficking organizations should be the priority.”
He said their responses reflected the fact that they are actively making efforts to address local issues. “Mayor Breed cited specific programs the municipality is implementing. District Attorney Jenkins took a firm stance on prosecution, and Police Chief Scott highlighted how changes in the city over the years have resulted in different law enforcement practices. I appreciated their willingness to have an open dialogue with community leaders, and I was inspired by their commitment to bettering the city,” Bhattacharya added.
Bhattacharya is a student at San Francisco University High School, and has recently set up Young Democrats to intervene in the education sector and modernize the school curriculum to address the needs of students from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
In his nine years at the San Francisco Unified School District, Bhattacharya said that he had made many friends from non-English-speaking backgrounds “who would tell me about teachers who were not able to support their language needs.”
“In 2021, only 38.2% of English-learning students in San Francisco were ready to enter college. Even though we presented an innovative curriculum to the superintendent, I was worried that the implementation would not be equally successful at all schools. So, this fall, I founded the Young Democrats for Educational Equity, which is an organization recently chartered by the San Francisco Democratic Party,” said Bhattacharya.
He said he is working with San Francisco Democratic Party officers to pass a resolution advocating for resources for English learners. “I have presented our goals and progress to the Board of Education and the Party’s Executive Committee, national legislators, and members of the public,” Bhattacharya said.
