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Gallery owner who casually hosed down homeless woman camped outside his upmarket San Francisco business defends himself, saying she had been violent and neighborhood had tried to help her for ten days
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Collier Gwin, who runs Foster Gwin Gallery, came under fire for his actions

  • In footage shared on social media he said that the woman was being violent

  • He appeared to claim that he was part of the community's efforts to support homeless people
The reporter filming the video said: 'I've listened to her talk to the people and saying, "No, this is the way I want to live. My idea of cleanliness is not your idea of cleanliness."'

After admitting to being the man in the hosepipe video, Gwin also tried to defend his actions yesterday, claiming the woman had become psychotic and was turning over garbage cans.

'I said you have to move, I cannot clean the street, move down,' Gwin told The San Francisco Chronicle.

'She starts screaming bellingent things, spitting, yelling at me... at that point she was so out of control... I spray her with the hose and say, "Move, move. I will help you."'

He also noted that he has been a 'champion' of trying to help her previously.

The video comes amid a growing in the city. The number of homeless people in San Francisco was tallied in February at almost 8,000, the second highest figure of any year since 2005, according to the official government count which takes place every three years.

Business owners in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood have threatened to stop paying taxes if politicians don't start cleaning up streets of litter and stopping people from openly taking drugs.

In a letter to city officials in August, The Castro Merchants Association said some of the homeless people in the streets outside their stores had been harassing customers and needed help.

'They need shelter and/or services and they need them immediately,' the Merchants Association said.

'Our community is struggling to recover from lost business revenue, from burglaries and never-ending vandalism/graffiti (often committed by unhoused persons) and we implore you to take action.'
Posted by: Skidmark 2023-01-11
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=655251