San Francisco

Frustrated Castro, Noe Valley Residents Voice Safety Concerns at San Francisco Meeting

Dozens of residents from San Francisco's Castro District and Noe Valley spoke out about safety concerns at a community meeting late Thursday.

More than 100 people attended the meeting, which aimed to address the area's recent crime activity. San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener organized the meeting before he was recently robbed in the Mission District.

"This city can't be successful unless it's safe," Wiener said.

Mayor Ed Lee told the frustrated crowd he is prepared to allocate funds to improve safety. San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said while violent crime is down, property crimes are up.

A district police captain said officer need help preventing the rash of broken car windows.

"Don't leave anything in your car," Capt. John Stanford said. "We mean anything, even your smartphone charger. We know they will break in cars to look for a phone."

Residents said Thursday's meeting was the beginning of what needs to be a partnership to prevent crime.

"We feel our concerns were given credence," said Chris Faust, a Noe Valley resident.

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