Some of the most deserted enclaves in the United States are far-left cities like Portland and San Francisco, which have seen the level of activity in their downtowns plummet by 50 percent over the past several years.
Cleveland is another Democrat-run city that is scaring away workers and tourists alike with rampant, unaddressed crime, among other post-plandemic problems.
New research by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley found that San Francisco's central business district is currently operating at just 31 percent of what it was prior to the plandemic – Cleveland and Portland, meanwhile, are operating at just 36 percent and 41 percent, respectively.
Conversely, Salt Lake City, which is also left-wing, is seeing a resurgence in activity. Downtown vibrancy is up 110 percent compared to 2019 – and a similar positive growth situation is taking place in Bakersfield, Calif., as well.
Using data from smartphones that track users' movements, Berkeley researchers discovered that formerly bustling American cities are now in shambles due to business closures, "smash-and-grab" incidents, and other factors that are deterring visitors.
According to reports, Portland currently ranks as the third-lowest city in downtown activity as it is plagued by homelessness – some of it violent in nature – and chaos, especially with what happened there following the George Floyd incident.
FBI Unified Crime Report data ranks San Francisco as having the highest overall crime rate among America's top-20 largest cities. In 2019 – and things have arguably gotten much worse since that time – there were 6,917 crimes committed per 100,000 people in San Francisco.
"That was more than double the crime rates in New York and Los Angeles, and well above the rates in the next largest US cities: Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix," one news report explains.
We don't want a police state, but we also don't want a criminal free-for-all
San Francisco is also among the far-left enclaves that called for defunding the police following the Floyd false flag, which only invited in more crime. Mayor London Breed led the charge, promising to trim $120 million from the budgets of the police and sheriff's departments.
San Francisco is, on the other hand, doing one thing right by closing the open-air drug market it launched to allow homeless people to "safely" use their substances in broad daylight without any attempt at keeping a lid on the problem.
That plan went so badly, resulting in a spate of homeless encampments popping up all across the city, that San Francisco leaders have decided to hit the pause button. The city's Board of Supervisors is also asking for more money so police can try to stop rampant drug dealing, car break-ins, thefts and violence.
Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was ousted from his position back in June following accusations that he was not doing enough to keep area residents, tourists and business owners safe against all this escalating crime.
Replacing him is Brooke Jenkins, who has already fired more than 15 members of Boudin's team as part of a massive restructuring and cleanup process.
"Crime remains stubbornly high in the Golden Gate City, with overall crime up 7.4 percent as of August 14 compared to the same time last year," reports explain.
"Assaults are up nearly 12 percent, and robberies are up 2.4 percent. Thefts have spiked by 17.5 percent compared to last year, and rapes have also increased by 9.5 percent."
Under Boudin, San Francisco's smash-and-grab problem not only got worse; it became commonplace and something that people came to expect. Under the new leadership, that is expected to change as the city cleans itself up, slowly but surely.
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