San Francisco, the erstwhile crown jewel of the Golden State, is now reeling under an epidemic of vandalism and crime. A shocking survey revealed that a staggering 97% of restaurants in the city had been vandalized within the past month. The city’s descent into lawlessness is so severe that it has spent a whopping $1 million on grants for vandalism relief alone since 2021.

The survey, conducted by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, paints a grim picture of a city under siege. Out of 74 restaurants surveyed, only two escaped the wrath of vandals. Meanwhile, the city’s 311 call center has been inundated with 10,000 reports of graffiti on commercial buildings and sidewalks in the last six months. The San Francisco Police Department has been forced to assign an officer full-time to investigate these cases of graffiti.

But it’s not just graffiti. Property crimes have become the order of the day. A pizza shop owner in the Mission District reported an acid attack on his property, costing him $300 to replace a single glass square. Others have simply given up, unable to keep up with the relentless onslaught of daily graffiti.

And it’s not just the restaurants. Retailers are bearing the brunt of a shoplifting crisis. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers have resorted to unprecedented security measures to combat rampant theft. Supermarket chain Safeway installed exit gates that require customers to scan their receipts. A Walgreens locked its freezers with chains to deter shoplifters who reportedly hit the store up to 20 times a day.

The city’s ‘catch-and-release’ approach towards petty crimes, thanks to Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved law, isn’t helping either. The law made the theft of merchandise under $950 in value a misdemeanor that is often not investigated, encouraging thieves to steal without fear of repercussions.

While overall crime rates in the city may have dipped slightly, violent crimes are on the rise. Murders, robberies, and car thefts have all seen an uptick, according to police data.

But the problems don’t end there. The city is also grappling with a rampant drug crisis, homelessness, and businesses fleeing the downtown area due to dwindling foot traffic. Major retailers like Westfield, AT&T, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and two hotels have closed their San Francisco locations recently.

The city’s drug crisis hit a record high last month with 84 accidental drug overdose deaths in August alone. Meanwhile, homelessness has surged by 35% since 2019, with about 38,000 people homeless in the Bay Area on any given night.

San Francisco, once a beacon of progress and prosperity, now stands as a stark reminder of what happens when lawlessness is allowed to run rampant. It’s time for the city to reclaim its streets and restore order.