Governor and presidential nominee Ron DeSantis (R-FL) shot a campaign video in the streets of San Francisco, California to highlight the shortcomings of the progressive city. However, his remarks are receiving a heavy amount of blowback from Democrats such as State Representative Angie Nixon (D-FL) for his word choice in the clip.
Desantis reporting from SF: “I’ve seen so much riff-raff just running around.” pic.twitter.com/lojidaoHoO
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 20, 2023
“Look around. The city is not vibrant anymore. It’s really collapsed because of leftist policies. And these policies have caused people to flee this area. They don’t prosecute criminals like they do in most parts of the country. And the wreckage has really, really been sad to see. And so, I’ve seen so many businesses boarded up. I’ve seen so much riffraff just running around and it just shows you these policies matter. Leadership matters. They are doing it wrong here,” stated DeSantis.
However, Rep. Nixon found the “riff raff” comment to be “disrespectful and wild.”
Is he calling folks that don’t have homes riff-raff? This is absolutely disrespectful and wild. This is elitist if I’ve ever witnessed it. https://t.co/erWfSRsFAb
— State Rep. Angie Nixon (@AngieNixon) June 21, 2023
“Is he calling folks that don’t have homes riff-raff? This is absolutely disrespectful and wild. This is elitist if I’ve ever witnessed it,” tweeted Rep. Nixon.
The City of San Francisco has increasingly added to its homeless population. According to reports by McKinsey and Company, on any given night, up to 38,000 people in the Bay Area are without a home. This is a 35% increase since 2019.
Under California law, shoplifting up to $950 is only considered a misdemeanor and has been “effectively decriminalized” due to a lack of motivation by law enforcement to investigate a petty crime thoroughly.
That being said, was DeSantis referring to the people of San Francisco as riffraff or the “public servants” that have allowed the city’s demise?
According to U.S. News, it is safer to live in Chicago and New York than it is to live in San Francisco.
Walgreens stores have left in droves and for good reason.
The argument could be made that DeSantis is not chastising the vast homeless population, but rather those whose policies have brought the Bay Area to its knees.
