East Asian Linguistics

To the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, 

The sun glowed a fiery red today, as I watched it disappear into the horizon. It was quite a beautiful sight from my view at the I-280 Crystal Springs Rest Stop in San Francisco. As my eyes lowered to follow the pathway of the sunset, however, I couldn’t help but notice the groups of unhoused individuals, begging people up ahead for any kind of support. I feel confident that you have created this organization for a beneficial cause, to address the houseless individuals within our city. But upon observing the many individuals before me, pleading for just enough money to afford a night’s meal, I hope that you would be willing to hear about my urge to improve this ongoing crisis. 

San Francisco is merely a stop around three hundred miles before my final destination. I think I should stay a while longer than I planned, however, to ensure improvements for your city. You may ask, “Why are you so eager to help out a city that does not even belong to you?” You are right. While I am not affiliated with an association or group of any sort, it wouldn’t be ethical of me to overlook this situation in good conscience. I believe that as I was presented with the issue, it has become my obligation to settle it.

I will not turn a blind eye to the need to help the displaced here in San Francisco. The People’s Place in Berkeley was once a park instated to care for the homeless, but then removed in 2024. One may wonder, “What was once established for a just cause is now gone, and for what reason?” They claimed to have fenced off the People’s Place to “improve” the city, replacing the park with housing for students, and aiming to reduce the number of crime rates. Of course, it is necessary to keep our citizens safe from any potential incidents of harm and crime, but we must also see the need to examine the root cause of all the crimes. Plainly removing the houseless cannot provide a long-lasting comfort, rather it would further enrage those individuals. 

Let me further entertain this idea. I have no doubt that you have been receiving complaints and concerns regarding the increase in drug use and mental illnesses among the unhoused. Before you decide to sweep them away, thinking that it will resolve everything, I beg you to consider exactly why these crimes are escalating in the first place. Following the surge in rent prices, many that were originally housed could not afford to keep up, especially when earning a fixed income. Due to this major inconvenience, many have become displaced, their worries then turning into addictions and illnesses. So it is the fact that homelessness itself fuels their “harmful” nature and conditions. It is the fact that society failed them first, long before they failed society. Criminalizing homelessness does not change anything. Instead, it should be acknowledged that we seek long-term solutions, not temporary measures.

I have heard that San Francisco has long been regarded as the city of progress, social change, and forward thinking. Yet the people who are in need of care the most are met with removal. You cannot claim progress while allowing suffering to persist in plain sight, nor can you turn away the need for change. True innovation is revealed by one’s actions, rather than their reputation. 

Beyond the moral weight of this issue, homelessness is not something that solely affects those without shelter. It shapes the entirety of your city; its health, safety, and stability. Even with one group missing the support they need, the consequences spread far beyond them, impacting  communities, public spaces, and the basic trust from citizens that is crucial for each city to thrive.

Now the question is, “San Francisco is already overpopulated, with slow construction and housing scarcities, so how can we provide even more housing and support under such constraints?” Indeed, there is a great deal of difficulty in completing this task. But that should not be used as an excuse to avoid confrontation. You should see this as a challenge, a challenge that requires commitment and dedication. Time does not stand still for people living on the streets. Delaying the necessary action will only bring a cost far greater than inconvenience, as you have already begun to see.

I ask that this crisis no longer be viewed as irrelevant or distant. As I have brought to light a problem that you have been experiencing for decades already, it is imperative that this moment be met with responsibility and resolve. Silence will always be a choice. But under your leadership, I am optimistic that your willingness to confront these difficult truths will make a difference.

Before you complain I am taking up too much of your valuable time, my letter is just about finished. I wish you will be able to imagine yourselves in my situation; witnessing all the pleading faces on the streets would move anyone, especially you, to take action. I would hope that if I ever pass by San Francisco again in the future, all I see is the beautiful sunset of your city, no longer shadowed by the suffering of those left without shelter.

Yours for the shelter, security, and belonging of all, 

KARI FU