Well we finally figured out the train situation and got to
downtown! Such a big, crazy city (kinda a mix of New York, Portland and
Seattle). Anyways, we were warned by one of makennas friends, as well as
multiple people on the train) to not travel into an area of san fran called
“tenderloin” so naturally I was intrigued.
While Makenna was working on a visa
application of some sort I ventured out to find this infamous place. At one
point I grew frustrated because I couldn’t seem to find it (it helps if you can
read maps! Haha) But then I stumbled across a sweet old man, Connie, propped up
against a mailbox with a 49er's hat barely sittin on top of his head “whatcha
lookin for sweetheart?” “Tenderloin!” I said, he laughed “honey, you’re here!”
I will admit it, it was a bit rougher than the other parts of town (It was the middle
of the day and I could see how when the sun goes down it might not be the
safest place to be, especially alone). But I walked the streets and got real
sad. What makes people fear this place? A few mentally ill people? A few run
down buidlings? Is it just a coincidence that 99% of tenderloin seems to be black? Of the thousands of tourists that walk around San Fran everyday, I only
noticed a handful of out-of-towners lookin around. It’s as if there was an
invisible sign strung around each block…”do not enter”, “not safe” or “unclean.” Literally 2 blocks from housing clinics and welfare offices are designer
boutiques and jaguars. How does this even happen?!? I’m afraid I don’t have an
answer…maybe there’s not one but this kinda stuff makes me gut twist and turn.
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