watts_bar on Nostr: I was just there in December, I visit several weeks a year for work and lived there ...

I was just there in December, I visit several weeks a year for work and lived there 30 years. There have been and always will be a lot of homeless because of the weather. I can only remember one hard freeze in 30 years. Combine the weather with Californias excessive welfare programs and you get a lot of intentional homeless. Why not, it’s a tempting proposition. Party every day at the beach and get free food, cell phone and healthcare.

Of course, the more affluent areas quietly deal with the issues by selective enforcement.

Stay away from, Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach and Downtown. Basically anything south of highway 8. Do visit the central coast starting at the north end of Pacific Beach north of Grand Avenue, La Jolla and north through Carlsbad. It gets bad again in Oceanside.

The problem is mainly just unsightly. You’ll have someone who’s lost control of their bodily functions because of drug abuse lying in a soiled heap in a doorway right next to a very crowded five star restaurant if you go downtown. The crowds just ignore the problem.

Sometimes the homeless get aggressive, you just keep walking. Fentanyl addicts don’t have a lot of stamina. Don’t engage, don’t make eye contact and keep moving. They will drop off within a block and select a new target.