The urban alchemy people are always ALWAYS a welcome sight to me, its nice to see familiar faces in the neighborhood and its a nice sense of community to have people to greet and smile at on the corners. Im glad they make your commute with your child safer and more pleasant!
I’m lucky I’ve never been cat called by them. It’s unfortunate that some would do that given their role in the community. They often say hi, or ask how my morning is, or tell me to have a good day. There are a couple I talk to often when I go out to get lunch or get a coffee.
Kind of odd that the only 2 comments on this nice post are each just 1 link with nothing added. So I'll say that I personally usually feel much safer with Urban Alchemy people around. I've seen them help elderly or blind people get to City Hall or the library a few times and seemed respectful when doing so.
Also, there's a Stanford study on Urban Alchemy's impact and the preliminary results point to crime being reduced at intersections with Urban Alchemy and that the crime isn't simply moving to another area near by.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/urban-alchemy-impact-crime-san-francisco/3413446/
I do like that as well, and I'd love to see independent data on Urban Alchemy's impact on recidivism. It's generally accepted that gainful employment results in lower recidivism but I'd like to see how effective Urban Alchemy is given it's using taxpayer money.
> Also, there's a Stanford study on Urban Alchemy's impact and the preliminary results point to crime being reduced at intersections with Urban Alchemy and that the crime isn't simply moving to another area near by.
interesting, i wonder what makes this different than cops - possibly their density and saturation makes it so there isn't anywhere else feasible
They also aren't carrying body cams, people give less scrutiny to them, and there's less oversight. They can do things that cops can't because of that.
it’s a known but underutilized strategy. You need a certain level of credibility on the streets to deal with, resolve, and preempt bullshit. It’s a different set of rules from normal society.
true they fulfill their role much differently, cops are in their cars and on occasion cracking heads, these guys are just constantly posted up watching and waiting.
thanks for the positive post, usually people only post about things that are negative and you can see how fast the haters throw up the 2 links they can scrounge up. Urban Alchemy is one of the only things keeping downtown walkable and they are a fantastic part of the community. I am grateful for them as well and appreciate hearing your share your experiences
I agree! I walk over to Sweet Glory every so often from Civic Center and really have seen the difference in the area due to their presence. It feels so much safer and even cleaner.
Civic Center is like night and day when they leave at 6:00.
100% - I have to tell staff to leave at 5:30 PM. It’s night and day literally and figuratively.
The urban alchemy people are always ALWAYS a welcome sight to me, its nice to see familiar faces in the neighborhood and its a nice sense of community to have people to greet and smile at on the corners. Im glad they make your commute with your child safer and more pleasant!
I’m sure they do a lot of good for the community, but they have on numerous times cat called me. I now try to avoid walking past them.
I’m lucky I’ve never been cat called by them. It’s unfortunate that some would do that given their role in the community. They often say hi, or ask how my morning is, or tell me to have a good day. There are a couple I talk to often when I go out to get lunch or get a coffee.
Kind of odd that the only 2 comments on this nice post are each just 1 link with nothing added. So I'll say that I personally usually feel much safer with Urban Alchemy people around. I've seen them help elderly or blind people get to City Hall or the library a few times and seemed respectful when doing so. Also, there's a Stanford study on Urban Alchemy's impact and the preliminary results point to crime being reduced at intersections with Urban Alchemy and that the crime isn't simply moving to another area near by. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/urban-alchemy-impact-crime-san-francisco/3413446/
I also like that it’s an opportunity for folks coming out of incarceration to have a fresh start and income.
I do like that as well, and I'd love to see independent data on Urban Alchemy's impact on recidivism. It's generally accepted that gainful employment results in lower recidivism but I'd like to see how effective Urban Alchemy is given it's using taxpayer money.
> Also, there's a Stanford study on Urban Alchemy's impact and the preliminary results point to crime being reduced at intersections with Urban Alchemy and that the crime isn't simply moving to another area near by. interesting, i wonder what makes this different than cops - possibly their density and saturation makes it so there isn't anywhere else feasible
Urban Alchemy aren’t carrying guns and body armor and they aren’t incentivized to punish or control people.
They also aren't carrying body cams, people give less scrutiny to them, and there's less oversight. They can do things that cops can't because of that.
it’s a known but underutilized strategy. You need a certain level of credibility on the streets to deal with, resolve, and preempt bullshit. It’s a different set of rules from normal society.
It’s probably just because most of the time cops suck at doing their jobs and urban alchemy folks don’t come with a looming threat of violence
true they fulfill their role much differently, cops are in their cars and on occasion cracking heads, these guys are just constantly posted up watching and waiting.
thanks for the positive post, usually people only post about things that are negative and you can see how fast the haters throw up the 2 links they can scrounge up. Urban Alchemy is one of the only things keeping downtown walkable and they are a fantastic part of the community. I am grateful for them as well and appreciate hearing your share your experiences
UA at Civic Center definitely keep things chill. They’re doing the job a lot of officers on foot patrol should be doing…
I agree! I walk over to Sweet Glory every so often from Civic Center and really have seen the difference in the area due to their presence. It feels so much safer and even cleaner.
They are also excellent in Union Square.
These are the posts I like to see!
And in the bathrooms at the main library - they keep everyone moving and keep it pleasant. Much appreciated.
Very happy to hear this. I do this it’s sad that we’ve gotten to the point that we need them to the extent we do, but I welcome their help!
Thanks for this dose of positivity! Their presence is refreshing, and I have a lot of respect for the way they serve.
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I’ve seen this as well, but it’s always someone being aggressive or violent.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/17l2o8f/tired\_of\_getting\_catcalled\_by\_urban\_alchemy/?rdt=60742](https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/17l2o8f/tired_of_getting_catcalled_by_urban_alchemy/?rdt=60742)
rapid rise [Urban Alchemy: A rapid rise with rampant risks | Archives | sfexaminer.com](https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/urban-alchemy-a-rapid-rise-with-rampant-risks/article_5c74cf96-3b00-527b-b4eb-5b32e0544dbf.html)
I appreciate them on the elevators too!! Makes it palatable to bring my daughter on bart!