Op-Ed: Quality of Life Problems in Downtown San Rafael

By Tim Hedrick

I moved to San Rafael 18 months ago for a great job opportunity at a company in downtown San Rafael. I chose to live in downtown San Rafael because the proximity to work and the quality of life. Living and working on Fourth Street has allowed me to experience the best San Rafael has to offer, but sadly, over the past year and a half, I have observed rapid decline in the character of a place I have grown to love.

In a few short months this year, I have been witness to several incidents in downtown San Rafael including domestic abuse, drug abuse, battery, theft, and I've been personally threatened multiple times. On multiple occasions I have had people vomit, urinate, and defecate literally at the front door to my work and home, many of which have been during weekday business hours. I had considered many of these episodes as isolated individuals and events, but it has steadily worsened over the last few months.

I am not trying to generalize "the people" who are responsible for this degradation of San Rafael's vital downtown. I understand that homelessness, drug addiction, metal illness, etc. are complex issues that all weave into the situation downtown. I do not have a solution. 

I am a 27-year-old man, and I get nervous walking down Fourth Street, imagine how a young family or single woman feels? I'm not accusing police of not doing their job—they have been responsive and swift when I have called. But how long are we going to tolerate these characters downtown before something really tragic happens?

On March 17, I saw a homeless man kick his dog, tie him to a tree, and abandoned him. Turns out the dog bit someone and he was washing his hands of the situation. This man has his dogs on the sidewalks of Fourth Street on a daily basis. What if the dog bite victim had been a kid walking on Fourth Street? This occurred on a Sunday morning in the middle of downtown. The same morning, I also found that someone had smashed the door to my building with a fire extinguisher. 

These are not isolated events, this is a trend of deplorable acts that have become commonplace in downtown San Rafael. 

San Rafael is an area rich in culture and diversity, but it is in danger of losing the vitality of downtown. Sadly, downtown is at a tipping point where the cons now outweigh the pros.

After attending a recent BID meeting with city officials, police, business owners, and homelessness program officials, I have a renewed sense of hope for the future of downtown. New lines of communication have been opened between police, business owners, and non-profits. This is not an easy problem with one resolution. Remedying the situation will take coordination with all members of the community. I am optimistic that San Rafael's best days are ahead of us, we just need to do our part to make San Rafael a better place. 

Tim Hedrick lives and works in San Rafael. He sent a version of this letter to Mayor Gary Phillips, the San Rafael Police department and the San Rafael Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) on March 17. Officials with the police and BID have responded to him.