Mayor London Breed claps back at SF residents, angry about proposed homeless Navigation Center

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ByKate Larsen KGO logo
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Dueling fundraisers in San Francisco for proposed homeless Navigation Center
A meeting at the Delancey Street Foundation about a now very controversial proposed Navigation Center got heated as mayor speaks.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A meeting Wednesday night at the Delancey Street Foundation addressed a controversial proposed Navigation Center.

From neighbors to tech leaders, people are fired up about what's best for those with and without homes in the San Francisco neighborhoods.

RELATED: SF Mayor willing to 'compromise' on Navigation Center in Rincon Hill

Mayor London Breed proposed that a new Navigation Center be built on a parking lot along the Embarcadero at Bryant Street, in the shadow of the Bay Bridge.

"Do you want me to talk or do you want me to yell," exclaimed Mayor London Breed, clapping back a crowd critical of her proposed homeless Nav Center. "What I am trying to do is to address what we know is the biggest challenge we have in this city. So on the one hand, you can't be upset about homelessness and then when I propose a real solution that's gonna make a difference, then you're upset about it!"

The Nav Center would offer between 175 and 225 beds and other resources to help homeless people.

Two weeks ago, a group of homeowners in the Rincon Hill and South Beach areas banded together and started donating to a GoFundMe site named, Safe Embarcadero for All.

As of Monday afternoon, 295 people had donated more than $90,000 to hire an attorney to fight the City on the proposed Nav Center.

A week later, a dueling GoFundMe site, created by community activist, William Fitzgerald, popped up to raise money in support of the Nav Center and homeless services. Fitzgerald's site is called, SAFER Embarcadero for ALL.

So far, more than 1,600 people have donated more than $160,000 -- including tens of thousands of dollars from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff and Twilio founder, Jeff Lawson.

The Mayor, SFPD and leaders in homeless services, spoke to a crowd of several hundred Monday night, where they shared a very complete-looking presentation.

Chris, who would not share his last name, called out Mayor Breed and city leaders for not allowing public comment at the meeting. He lives a block from the proposed site and like many residents is worried about safety.

"I have a 22-month-old daughter, I have a wife, they cannot defend themselves if they were ever outside and anything were to happen."

Shelley Carroll lives in the same building as Chris and thinks a Nav center would actually make the neighborhood safer.

"We already have the homeless on the streets, we have people on the streets using drugs and if there is going to be a safe area around, then they won't be using right outside."

On April 23rd at 2:30 pm, there is a Port Commission meeting at the Ferry Building with unlimited public comment. If the Port approves the City's lease, the Nav Center could open summer of 2019.