Or: what we can see but do not want to see—when will it be our turn?
California, once the destination for everyone who had made it to the USA.
I, too, spent a lot of time there when I accepted my first job as one of the first employees in Germany for QAD from Carpinteria, California.
My beachfront apartment, my convertible, and a free domestic flight during my four-week on-site training.
For me, it was a dream come true, because my first flight took me straight to San Francisco.
At the time, I had just turned 25 and had managed to beat many competitors for my job as an ERP Presales Consultant.
My key advantage: As a child, I lived in the USA for 3 1/2 years between the ages of 10 and 13, and therefore spoke perfect English. (Even if with a “southern drawl” due to my time in Jackson, Mississippi)
As a book author, freelance journalist, and critical digitalization consultant, I keep coming across interesting digital information (see the post on geoengineering with a world map, supported by the Green Heinrich Böll Foundation.)
Somehow, I kept coming across reports from California—especially San Francisco—and thought that this information, now available digitally, was worth a blog post. Because in this format it is not widely known, and it can be quite shocking.
In the end, the question arises “When will it be our turn?” and whether, in line with the motto “follow the money”, there is even an objective behind it.
Let us see whether this blog post opens some eyes here and you start asking questions and looking for answers.
It will be, as hopefully always, very exciting! Let the nightmare begin.
Car break-ins. Move along, there is nothing to see here.
Statistics on car break-ins in the city
At first glance, the numbers will knock you off your feet. Just let them sink in. Do some more detailed research and then decide whether San Francisco is worth a trip.
Clearly: if you go, do not leave anything—absolutely anything—in the car, and take out rental car insurance with ZERO excess, including break-in coverage. With these numbers, one could even argue that one person should always stay in the car while the other goes “shopping”.
Crime map – What? So it is not dangerous after all! Who is lying?
Anyone who relies on just one digital source or media outlet is abandoned. Not by the media, but by “the good spirits”.
Because this crime map raises questions: Is something not being reported here? Is information being suppressed? Or is nothing actually happening and we are all safe?
The latter is hardly the case if you look at the official map of car break-ins from the previous link.
Something is wrong here. But why? Laziness or calculation?
As always: Do your own further research and form your own opinion. Then you might have an epiphany. Or a ready-made excuse based on cognitive dissonance.
Crime Map – Everything “safe”, or is nobody saying anything here?
(Change zoom mode for viewing)
LIVE and in full color – the day-by-day CRIME map from San Francisco
The digital world opens up many new sources of information. Worldwide. Sometimes at a level of detail you would rather not see yourself.
But it “pays” to take a closer look once again and let the unvarnished information “sink in”.
What does not yet exist in this form in Germany has been around in the USA for much longer: digital maps and statistics of all kinds of criminal acts
Let us take the example of car break-ins. Anyone planning a vacation in California should be aware that things can be a bit like the “Wild West” here. As Germans, we tended to be wrapped in cotton wool and always felt “safe”. Unfortunately, that is changing in our country as well.
So it is worth taking a look at the dream destination San Francisco and reviewing interesting “travel information” in advance.
Shoplifting as a “national sport” in California.
USD 112 billion in losses in 2022! (Nationwide)
Speaking of “shopping”
California is great! Why? Because these days you no longer need cash or a credit card to go “shopping” there.
Just do it like so many local residents. Simply bring a bag, fill it up (please check the current “shoplifting $ limit” beforehand), and off you go.
At present, you can take goods worth up to USD 950.00 “with you” without having to fear repercussions.
This has been practiced so openly for years. And because the prisons are more than overcrowded, nobody is sent there anymore for such a “trifle”.
Even the security guard at the exit is not allowed to stop you. Otherwise, they could be held liable. Yes, welcome to America—especially California.
The days of “shoot first and ask questions later” are long gone. Burglars and thieves no longer live dangerously—those who are robbed and stolen from do.
“Shop until you drop” therefore probably no longer refers to eventually being shot as a thief, but, as originally intended, to shopping until you simply cannot carry any more. And all of it completely free of charge. Paradise conditions!
So if you want to pick up some nice “souvenirs”, you can simply help yourself and then just tell customs that you “picked it up” free of charge and duty-free in California. Welcome back from a very different paradise.
Not so bad after all, is it?
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Since 2021 – shoplifting effectively legal
A “shitty situation”
It is quite unpleasant when you step into a “social faux pas” or, as in this case, into shit (sorry, but that had to be said).
To protect yourself as best as possible, San Francisco has what is known as the “Poop Map”.
It shows digitally where human feces have already been spotted. Not only from dogs or other pets, but also from people. Yes, you read that correctly. In the land of unlimited possibilities, the Poop Map promises a discrimination-free display of collected disgustingness from humans and animals. In other words, “in abundance”.
Ideally, integrate it directly into your walking tour so you can experience these “sights” first-hand—rather, first-foot. Please do not forget cleaning wipes, and if you spot something new, report it digitally immediately!
Warning: One wrong step can be dangerous!
Beware of criminal sex offenders
What seems impossible elsewhere is possible almost everywhere in the USA. If you are afraid of potential criminal offenders, you can also inform yourself digitally here.
On the website of the “State of California Department of Justice”, you can simply enter your address and search for convicted offenders.
So if you are worried about your next vacation in California with your children, you can get detailed information here and “protect yourself”.
As we all know, caution is the “mother of the porcelain cabinet”
How to assess this and what impact it may have is something everyone should decide for themselves. The question is whether this would also be a “good idea” for Germany—or not. Decide for yourself. Who, exactly, would you be exposing in public?
(Disclaimer: This website has only been posted to inform travelers from Germany about potential dangerous, former criminals in the area they stay in. They should be able to research for themselves and make their own decisions on where to stay, especially in respect of taking their children along to a trip.)
The justice system informs you: Former offenders in your area!
Oh yes—back to the cars
Anyone renting a car in San Francisco should have good connections with the rental company. Because a “vehicle swap” may be necessary.
The only catch: you do not even have to return the previous one, because it is simply no longer there.
Let us see what the rental company says then—and how high the price will be afterwards. As you can see, you can have a lot of “fun” driving in California.
15,000 stolen cars in 2023 in San Francisco and Oakland ALONE
And it does not look any different in other regions, either.
Anyone who wants to go shopping in Beverly Hills will have a hard time finding anything to buy there today.
The city is shut down! The stores are bankrupt.
The point of no return has already been crossed, and the hole is deep. “Woke” culture, especially in California, has done its work.
And anyone who becomes unemployed and homeless ends up—if they can still afford it—in an RV or even in a tent on the street.
Despite billions being spent every year to change this, it gets worse year after year.
It really makes you wonder what is actually happening to all that money—and when it will be our turn.
“Modern” housing options as a model for Germany.
Coming soon near you!
Conclusion:
The land where “milk and honey” flow has become the land where “blood and tears” flow.
And it is all documented—sometimes better, sometimes worse. Everything is available digitally. Sometimes, however, you should take a second look and use additional sources to confirm whether it really is the way it seems.
We should learn from this that “nothing is as it seems”. Anyone who wants to learn the painful truth sometimes has to make a bit of an effort. But the digital age makes it possible to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil.
If you are willing to look under the stones and not simply believe what you are being served.
And perhaps in this blog post we are seeing our own future. Enjoy!
California: still worth a trip, or will the “digitally beautiful information” soon be available in this country as well?
Image and link sources: Hoovver Institution, LA Times, San Francisco Standard, SF Civic Hub, OpenTheBooks, SF Chronicle, NBC
