Rainbow Grocery Calls For Solutions To Division Street Homeless Problem
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The homeless encampment that continues to grow along Division Street in San Francisco has patrons and workers at a left-leaning a grocery store in the neighborhood looking to city officials for answers.
The encampment popped up on a stretch of Division where South of Market meets the Mission District months ago, but it grew when El Niño rains got heavier in December.
In addition to the more than 300 tents, there is at least one cabin being built. A homeless man who goes by the name Tennessee put together the structure with some comforts not associated with homelessness.
"I've got a 32-inch flat screen TV. If you're going to be homeless you might as well be homeless in style," said Tennessee. "I've got an Xbox 360. Without my 32-inch flat screen I can't play my Xbox."
This city within a city is directly across from Rainbow Grocery. The worker-owned cooperative was founded 40 years ago during the city's hippie days. It hasn't changed its philosophy much.
But even Rainbow Grocery has had enough.
"Yes. It's time for action," said Rainbow CFO Dennis Wagner. "It's the result of programs that are not working. Not to anyone's satisfaction."
Rainbow is suggesting shoppers pressure city officials to do something now to alleviate the growing emergency. Rainbow is calling for the city to bring in more public toilets, so the homeless don't have to use the stores.
The store also called for more needle cleanup and more garbage cans.
So far, Wagner says the city has failed.
In the long term, he feels there also needs to be a more viable housing plan.
SF Supervisor Scott Wiener is fed up too.
"The city right now has a deer in the headlights kind of response," said Wiener.
But he wants tougher action.
"They don't have the option of pitching a tent on a public sidewalk," explained Wiener.
Shelter is available, according to Wiener. The homeless should either move in or get out.
That's not Rainbow's thinking. And a showdown is certainly on the horizon in this area that has become the home of the homeless.
