COALITION STATEMENT ON CRIME

The prevention of crime is of great concern to NOMPC. We define crime as activity which infringes on the rights of others. We exclude from our definition homelessness and other victimless crimes which do not lead directly to violence or commission of a felony.

We believe poverty is the chief cause of crime, and there is a strong link between crime and the lack of economic opportunity. A second factor causing crime is the insufficiency of social services and mental health facilities in the neighborhood.

We are concerned that the Tenderloin has become a magnet for criminal activities, for example, the excessive concentration of G.A. hotels and the mentally disabled in the neighborhood attracts people who prey on this vulnerable population. We support educational measures, neighborhood and changes (e.g., reduction of alcohol sales), improvements in the standard of living and quality of life of low-income all of residents, which help to reduce the incidence of crime victims and victimizers in our community.

Our fundamental goal is the achievement of an increased sense of safety and physical well-being for Tenderloin residents and business people. The Tenderloin cannot remain a magnet for persons in the entire Bay Area seeking to commit either violent or property crime. It is not our intention to remove low and no income persons from the neighborhood; on the contrary, we believe that the poor, elderly and disabled have the same right to live without threat or fear as do all persons.

We are directing our efforts toward the reduction of violent crime and crimes against property. To this end we will work closely with all segments of the Tenderloin community and with all segments of law enforcement who support our goals. We realize that it is ultimately up to the community to make the Tenderloin a safer place in which to work and live.