Why San Francisco is in the grip of an apocalyptic DEATH LOOP: A boom in working from home has trashed the local economy, while drugs and homelessness spiral thanks to soft-touch policing. Will Britain pay heed to this disturbing warning?
TOM LEONARD: People complain that Americans are insincere with their friendly greetings, but the coffee barista who'd just served me a £4.50 latte sounded like he meant it when he thanked me for being a 'loyal customer'. After all, apart from him, his two under-employed colleagues, and a solitary couple poring over a laptop in a distant corner of one of San Francisco's largest and smartest coffee shops, we were entirely alone. At this hour, the establishment - Joe & The Juice on Market Street, the city's busiest pedestrian thoroughfare - would once have been heaving with thrusting young technology workers stocking up on pricey coffee and 'cold-pressed' fruit juice before heading off into their gleaming offices to spearhead the digital revolution. But on Wednesday morning last week it was almost empty and, even more astonishingly, there was barely anyone on the street outside. If you ever want to experience the real meaning of 'ghost town', head to the 'Downtown' financial district of San Francisco.
Had to be the Mail. They aren't making the connection between rising inequality and the inevitable outcome in SF. The city is extraordinarily expensive if you're not a tech employee, with many priced out.
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