Despite San Francisco Mayor London Breed calling the city safe, workers at a Downtown San Francisco Whole Foods were routinely threatened with weapons before the store announced it was shuttering after being open for only 13 months.
According to the New York Times, records showed that there were 568 emergency calls to the Market Street store over 13 months that showed chaotic incidents, including vagrants throwing food, yelling, engaging in fights, and attempting to defecate on the floor. Of those 568 calls, there were only 14 people arrested, which included serious charges of grand theft and battery, according to the outlet.
Police noted that criminals were seen emerging from the store with large quantities of alcohol, and that more than 250 baskets were stolen before the store stocked another 50 that also went missing.
Amid a San Francisco police shortage, “The mayor and the police chief have vowed to hire hundreds of additional officers, which would expand the force by more than one-fourth, a difficult proposition when law enforcement agencies nationwide are facing shortages,” reported The Times.