Unhoused impact: Does SF lack support for people in serious mental health crises?
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco has struggled to get a handle on its homeless crisis for years. Simply housing people isn't enough when you are dealing with a population that struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
Few of us will understand what goes on in the minds of someone with a mental illness.
But most of us would agree that living on San Francisco streets, in these conditions, should be categorized as inhumane.
And so we call attention to 39-year-old, William Eaton. We've never met him.
"He's just an aggressive person. He would camp out in people's front yard," explained Rob Cox, who lives in San Francisco's Castro District.
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Eaton goes by the name Sapphire.
"And Sapphire is an unhoused individual, spends a lot of time in the Castro, a lot of time in Duboce Triangle, in Dolores Heights," outlined David Burke, the SFPD Public Safety Liaison for District 8.
Eaton claims to be a Shaman. He has been in court several times for burglary, destruction of property and setting things on fire.
"He just runs through and destroys tons of plants, a lot of vandalism for years and years," added Burke.
Most of those charges have been misdemeanors.
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Eaton's is not unlike other unhoused people in San Francisco living on the street with severe mental issues.
Except that, things began to escalate with neighbors.
"What happened with me was I was out one morning and he tried to get into my house, now luckily the door was locked and my wife called me, 'What do I do?' Call 9-11. By the time I got back here police had him in handcuff and I said well that's it, that was it for me, for me that was it. I'm going to take action and I'm going to start the restraining order process," said Cox who told us Eaton is not allowed within 100 yards of his property in the Castro.
Another neighbor who lives in nearby Dolores Heights also took out a second restraining order against Eaton.
Cox told us Eaton has violated the restraining order at least four times.
Police say, Eaton is one of many people with mental health and drug issues caught in the courts revolving door.
Last May, after he violated the restraining order the judge told him he had to attend anger management classes and comply with a treatment plan. That never happened.
"His most recent arrest is at the Randall Museum on an arson charge," clarified Burke.
That was October 23 and Eaton now faces felony charges.
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The District Attorney's Office asked the judge to keep him in custody.
The judge, Kenneth Wine agreed but one week later, Eaton was released on his own recognizance and ordered to report to Assertive Case Management five days a week to start treatment.
Here's what the District Attorney told us.
"We objected to the release because of the public safety risk the defendant poses."
The intention of the legal system is not to punish those like Eaton but to offer help, expect that the city is not set up to address this complicated problem.
No one knows that better than the executive director of the Department of Emergency Management, whose job it is to coordinate operations to address encampments and offer people services.
"We don't have an ability to just force people into treatment. I wish that we had stronger laws to help people to get to a better place. We don't have the beds, enough of those lock beds to take them to and we don't have state resources for that either," said Mary Ellen Carroll of the Department of Emergency Management.
Eaton was arrested again and back in court on November 12 for violating his restraining order.
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This time another judge, Brian Stretch agreed to keep him in custody, but Eaton was accidentally released from jail due to an error by the court.
When we asked what happened, the spokesperson for the Superior Court told us "no comment."
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Now back out on the streets, Eaton was expected to report to court on Monday. We waited to see if he would appear, he didn't.
"I feel bad for SFPD. I'm very close to the beat cops in the neighborhood and they do their job. I just think the courts aren't doing their job but I think it's hard for them to do their job because there is nowhere to put these people. So, where do you put them and that's the big question." said Cox.
