Facts

San Francisco’s newly elected district attorney Chesa Boudin stated during his campaign that he would no longer prosecute public urination and other quality of life crimes in the city.

Left

Democratic Presidential Candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated Boudin on his victory and cheered his stance on the issue of not prosecuting what he stated in a Tweet was a “criminalization of poverty.”

“We will not prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes. Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted. Many of these crimes are still being prosecuted. We have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness,”—Chesa Boudin in a response to an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) questionnaire.

Right

San Francisco is plagued by quality of life and sanitary issues that include urine and feces on the sidewalks and in the streets due to a surge in homelessness. In 2018, the city assigned six employees to “poop patrol” detail. Conservatives argue this will only worsen conditions in San Francisco.

“Boudin isn't helping anyone. If anything, his nonchalant attitude will only widen the enormous divide between San Francisco's ultra-wealthy, who live in separation from the muck—and the rest of the city. The 1% will continue to flood the tech industry, unbothered by high rates of crime, poverty, and low quality of life that won't personally affect them. And the middle class and lower class will continue to flee while the poor get poorer. This is how California has become one of the worst states in America for both wealth and income inequality.”—Kaylee McGhee, Washington Examiner