>> Tucker: SUDDENLY IN BIG
AMERICAN CITIES HOMELESS
SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE.
THAT'S NOT ANY IMAGINATION.
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT HALF A
MILLION PEOPLE SLEEP OUTSIDE
IN THIS COUNTRY.
ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FILL YANKEE
STADIUM 10 TIMES OVER.
MORE HOMELESS PEOPLE IN
AMERICA RIGHT NOW THAN
ACTIVE DUTY TROOPS IN THE
U.S. ARMY.
IN FACT, HAD THEIR OWN STATE
HAVE ALMOST AS MANY PEOPLE
AS WYOMING DOES.
EVEN AS THE ECONOMY HAS
GROWN THE HOMELESS
POPULATION HAS GROWN WITH
IT.
WHO ARE THESE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND HOW
DID THEY GET THERE AND WHY?
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
WHAT IS THIS ANYWAY?
THE WEST COAST IS THE
EPICENTER OF THE PROBLEM AND
WE SENT OUR PRODUCER COUGAR
SENT JOURNEY 8 CITIES IN
THREE STATES.
HEROIN ADDICTS LIVING ALONG
FREEWAYS IN SEATTLE.
COLLEGE TOWN TRYING TO CLEAR
SIDEWALKS SO PEOPLE WITH K.
WALK.
RV DWELLER LIVING NEXT TO
THE RICHEST PEOPLE.
HOUSING COSTS ARE ZERO.
ACROSS THE WEST WE FOUND
PLACES IN AMERICA THAT ARE
ALMOST THIRD WORLD IN THEIR
DECAY AND DISOORGS AND THE
CHAOS.
OFTEN WE FOUND HOMELESSNESS
AND RAMPANT DRUG USE IN
PLACES YOU WOULD NEVER
EXPECT TO SEE THEM.
THIS IS THE COMPLICATED
PROBLEM.
THERE IS NO OBVIOUS
SOLUTION.
AT LEAST NO OBVIOUS ONE
SOLUTION.
ONE EXPLANATION YOU HEAR IS
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM.
AND PEOPLE SAY THE
GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTED TO
THE CRISIS WHEN IT STARTED
DISCHARGING PATIENTS FROM
MENTAL HOSPITALS AND
SHUTTING THOSE HOSPITALS IN
THE 1960'S, THERE IS TRUTH
IN THAT, CLEARLY.
IT'S A FACTOR.
IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
EVERYTHING.
GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES THAT
JUST ABOUT 25% OF OUR
HOMELESS POPULATION IS
SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL AND
THAT SEEMED ABOUT RIGHT.
WE ARE STRUCK BY HOW MANY OF
THE HOMELESS WE TALKED TO
WERE NOT MENTALLY ILL.
MANY WERE TOTALLY COHERENT.
SOME OF THEM WERE WITTY
EVEN.
ANOTHER EXPLANATION IS THAT
SKY HIGH HOUSING PRICES IN
PLACES LIKE CALIFORNIA FORCE
FAMILIES OUT OF THEIR HOMES.
AND THAT CAN BE A FACTOR,
TOO.
BUT IT'S NOT THE OVERALL
ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
WHAT'S GOING ON.
BECAUSE WE FOUND
HOMELESSNESS IN PLACES WHERE
THE REAL ESTATE MARKET HAD
COLLAPSED.
PLACES WHERE APARTMENT
RENTALS GO FOR JUST A FEW
HUNDRED BUCKS A MONTH WHERE
WORKING CLASS PEOPLE CAN
AFFORD TO LIVE.
REALLY IT'S A QUESTION OF
DRUG ADDICTION, ALCOHOLISM,
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.
HEALTHCARE COSTS.
HOUSING COSTS.
AND FAMILY DISSOLUTION.
THEY ARE ALL PART OF THE
CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS.
IN FACT, IN EVERY STORY WE
LISTENED TO, AT LEAST SOME
OF THOSE FACTORS PLAYED A
ROLE.
IT'S STILL CONFUSING EXACTLY
WHAT'S GOING ON.
TO FIND OUT WE BEGAN IN SAN
FRANCISCO ONE EVER THE
RICHEST PLACES ON EARTH.
SAN FRANCISCO HAS NOR
BILLIONAIRES PER CAPITA THAN
ANY CITY IN THE WORLD.
THE REASON WELL NEARBY
SILICON VALLEY GENERATED
UNPRECEDENTED WEALTH THERE
WERE SEVERAL
MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR IPOs
THIS YEAR ALONE.
BENEATH THIS WEALTH IS
EXTREME INEQUALITY.
THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
HAS THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS
PEOPLE LIVING ON THE
SIDEWALKS.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE
RECENTLY YOU KNOW THAT'S
TRUE.
THE CITY HAS A FLOURISHING
DRUG SCENE.
SOME OF NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE
OPENED THEIR HEROIN MARKETS
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.
COPS DO NOTHING ABOUT THEM.
DESPITE ITS BLOOMING
ECONOMY, SAN FRANCISCO HAS
LOST ITS GRIP ON ITS
HOMELESS PROBLEM AND
STRUGGLING TO PROVIDE BASIC
SERVICES.
HERE WHAT HAPPENS WE FOUND
WHEN WE WENT THERE.
THIS WAS THE SCENE OUTSIDE
OUR HOTEL IN SAN FRANCISCO.
A HOMELESS MAN HUNGRY FOR
DINNER DIGGING THROUGH A
TRASH CAN FOR FOOD.
THE EPICENTER OF
HOMELESSNESS IN SAN
FRANCISCO IS THE TENDER LION
NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCKS FROM
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS LIKE
UNION SQUARE AND MAJOR
THOROUGHFARES LIKE MARKET
STREET.
IN THE TENDER LION WE SAW
JUNKIES SHOOTING UP IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT AND MAKESHIFT FLIFS
ONE THREATENED TO STAB OUR
CAMERA CREW BECAUSE WE WERE
FILMING THERE.
IN THIS PHOTO A MOTHER AND
DAUGHTER STANDING FROM A MAN
TOO INTOXICATED TO PUT ON
HIS OWN COAT.
THE CITY HAS 470 INTRAVENOUS
DRUG USERS PER SQUARE MILE.
ONE REASON SO MANY HOMELESS
CONGREGATE IN THE AREA IS A
PLACE CALLED GLIDE MEMORIAL
CHURCH LIKE THE CITY AROUND
IT.
GLIDE IS POLITICAL AND POST
CHRISTIAN.
BACK IN THE 1960s, IT
REMOVED ITS CROSSES TO BE
MORE WELCOMING.
THIS MAN WAS OUT COLD ON A
SIDEWALK JUST BLOCKS FROM
THE CHURCH.
NEXT TO HIM A PARTIALLY
EATEN BIRTHDAY CAKE.
SYRINGES THAT THE CITY
PASSES OUT AND WATER PACKET
TO HELP ADDICTS COOK HEROIN
ON THE STREET.
HOW DOES THE CITY THIS RICH
GET SO DIRTY?
ONE REASON SAN FRANCISCO NO
LONGER ENFORCES QUALITY OF
LIFE CITATION LIKE SLEEPING
ON THE SIDEWALK OR PUBLIC
URINATION.
THE CITY USED TO USE
CITATIONS AS LEVERAGE TO GET
PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS.
BUT, IN 2016, A LIBERAL
JUDGE CALLED CHRISTOPHER
HYATT FLUSHED ALL 64,000
OUTSTANDING WARRANTS FOR
QUALITY OF LIFE CRIMES.
EVERY ONE FROM 2011 TO 2015.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST QUALITY OF
LIFE CRIMES.
SAN FRANCISCO NOW FINDS IT
DIFFICULT TO ENFORCE ANY
LAW.
>> THERE YOU GO.
JUST BROKE IN.
>> SMASH AND GRAB CAR THEFTS
ARE EVERYWHERE.
A HUGE PROBLEM IN SAN
FRANCISCO.
COPS MAKE ARRESTS IN FEWER
THAN 2% OF THEM.
POLICE STATIONED IN THE
TENDER LION CLAIM IT'S
IMPOSSIBLE TO GET
CONVICTIONS AGAINST DRUG
DEALERS THEY DON'T TRY TO
ENFORCE THE LAW.
THE POLICE NOW ALLOW
CRIMINALS TO OPERATE EVEN
WHEN COPS KNOW WHO THEY'RE
AND WHAT THEY'RE UP TO.
ONE CONSEQUENCE OF NOT
ENFORCING THOSE LAWS RAMPANT
DRUG ABUSE WELL BEYOND THE
TENDER LION.
WE VIDEOTAPED THIS MAN
SHOOTING UP HEROIN RIGHT IN
FRONT OF CITY HALL IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT.
HERE'S A PICTURE TWO OF
PEOPLE SHOOTING UP AT
MISSION DELORES PARK.
ROW HOUSE NEXT TO THESE
JUNKIES CURRENTLY SELLS FOR
$6 MILLION.
CITY OFFICIALS ARE WELL
AWARE OF THE PROBLEM SAN
FRANCISCO RESIDENTS HAVE
REPORTED FECES AND SYRINGE
COMPLAINTS ON NEARLY EVERY
BLOCK OF THE CITY.
FORMER MAYOR MARK FARRELL
TOLD LOCAL MEDIA EVEN HE HAD
STEPPED ON A USE THE NEEDLE
AT THE CIVIC CENTER PLAZA
RIGHT NEAR DOWNTOWN BUT
NOTHING IS CHANGING.
DESPITE THE REPORTS AND THE
MONEY THAT SAN FRANCISCO
SPENDS ON CLEANING ITS
STREETS, WE FOUND SYRINGES
AND HUMAN FECES ALL OVER THE
CITY.
SAN FRANCISCO ISN'T THE ONLY
CITY THAT HAS LOST CONTROL.
NOT IN THE COUNTRY AND
CERTAINLY NOT IN CALIFORNIA.
TOMORROW WE WILL TAKE YOU TO
OTHER PARTS OF THAT STATE
AND WHAT YOU SEE WILL SHOCK
YOU.
