For those passing through quickly, the scrawls on the sidewalks of San Francisco are just more noise in the city’s clutter.
But for the people living here, they are messages — warnings, memorials, jokes, confessions — written into the concrete itself.
Even if they’re painted or power-washed away, the words don’t stay gone. By night, they return — names of the dead, insults, prayers, dope jokes.
The phrase “dead inside,” sprayed in blue or black, marks corners and curbs like a recurring chorus.
Chalk tributes fill the cracks of the sidewalk: “RIP Chris. We love you.” The streets of the Tenderloin are dotted with these small memorials.
Chalk doesn’t last long against footsteps, hoses, or rain. But, for a few days, they stand as proof that someone was loved, that someone mattered. They are grief carried out in public, where everyone can see.
Other messages are more intimate. “Wish we could talk. Come home tonight,” says one note, surrounded by stars.
Alongside the words are objects that feel like accidental testimony. A discarded copy of “Dracula” rests in a trash bag on the sidewalk, as if staged. A torn-open box of fentanyl test strips lies just outside a liquor store.
A cardboard sign tucked into an alley sums up the exhaustion: “You have to be hungry to stand up here. It’s degrading and embarrassing.” The handwriting is wobbly and the paper waterlogged.
Not all markings are tragic. Some are petty or even playful. One sidewalk square announces: “Carlos is a hoe. A dirty hoe!” in bright blue chalk.
Another corner boasts graffiti referencing “Fetty Kruger” and “fentanyl slanga,” a pun mixing pop culture and street slang.
Together, these fragments create an unofficial public record.
Sf is a public graveyard
The death camp continues.
Lawlessness is lawlessness
It is beyond comprehension why SF cannot yet get the drug sales, distribution , sharing, possession and usage stopped .
Zero drug tolerance .
Treatment is rarely successful.
The penalties need to be increased .
Otherwise , all will continue to use.
Very few accept treatment and fewer actually stop using.
The dealers are killing people .
The addicts will not stop until they are involuntarily removed .
The smell of rotting flesh and death is really tragic
Sf needs to really get serious and crack down on this asap,
Harm continues .
Stop the enabling and babysitting.
There should be a 311 call in and immediate response from the city to come assess arrest and intervene for every report of a drug dealer and addict.
The solution you suggest is not going to help at all. Mass incarceration only causes irrefutable damage that won’t be visible until 2030. What I think just might get a slight grip on the disaster is open the safe injection sites again. Give the stoners a safe place to gather and get medical attention, take showers , do laundry, get a meal. See these basic functions bring the inhumane back from no return. Give shelter and employment to those who seek it. Not this Guetanamo Bay song and dance 5 kids (keys) is running they should be sued. Instead of ostracizing our sick brothers and sisters let’s assist.
There are alternatives to mass incarceration. Your proposal of endless enablement is just as broken- and is causing ‘irrefutable damage’ right now. The responsible answer is: 0 tolerance to drug dealing, including arrests, prosecution and deportation to foreign nationals who are convicted. Mental health facilities for both day and night care, with involuntary conservation for those who are harming others or themselves. Long term, supervised care only where abstinence based programs repeatedly fail. Funding for this must come from City, State, and Federal sources based on the population’s origins and need. This model has been successfully implemented in places like the Netherlands, and is an evidence based, rational approach.