San Francisco has rolled out a task force to clean up the city’s fecal matter-ridden sidewalks.
The city’s 311 service has received nearly 14,600 calls about poop, other types human waste, and dog feces since the start of 2018, KGO-TV reported. The news about San Francisco's feces problem has sparked a number of jokes and questions about how to handle its burgeoning homeless population.
“We’re trying to be proactive,” Public Works director Mohammed Nuru told the San Francisco Chronicle about the so-called “poop patrol.” “We’re actually out there looking for it.”
Starting in September, a six-man crew with two trucks will address the problem—largely attributed to San Francisco’s large homeless population. Photos of the workers showed them in HAZMAT-looking suits armed with power washers as they blasted the streets with water.
The project will cost the city about $750,000, according to KTVU. “So, what happens is we’re going to take one of those crews out and try to get out ahead of those calls and look for these locations so that hopefully we can get less number[s] of calls coming in,” Nuru told the station.
“We have the data that shows where most of the complaints are for poop cleanup,” new Mayor London Breed told KTVU. “So, the goal is to make sure we have a dedicated team and they are focusing on those particular areas where we know it’s most problematic.”
Breed said that she’s also had to personally deal with fecal matter being left on the sidewalk.
“I’ve had to deal with it myself in front of my home and it’s not a pleasant feeling,” she told KGO-TV. “I want to change San Francisco for the better. I want to clean up the city.”
According to the KGO-TV report, San Francisco will also expand hours at some of its 22 public toilets, which are dubbed pit stops.
Fox News reported that of the 7,499 homeless people who were recorded last year, 58 percent, or 4,353 people, were dubbed unsheltered.
Photos of the workers showed them in HAZMAT-looking suits armed with power washers. Fox News screenshot
Jokes Made
The city and its poop problem were both blasted by people on Twitter.
“San Francisco is both a city where you need a $350,000 income to afford a median priced home, and a city that just announced a ‘Poop Patrol’ to clean up the streets,” said one commenter, Scott Budman, on Twitter. “Instead of telling people to USE A BATHROOM!! San Francisco is going to send out a pooper scooper Patrol to pick it up,” added another person. “Lord help us all.”
“Oh good grief,” added another person. “The idea the poop patrol is necessary.”
“Will the poop patrol get hazardous duty pay?” asked one commenter. Another person wanted to know: “How much would you have to make to do this job?”
Breed said the problem has been getting worse.
“I will say there is more feces on the sidewalks than I’ve ever seen growing up here,” Breed told the Sacramento Bee. “That is a huge problem and we are not just talking about from dogs—we’re talking about from humans.”
