Former Mayor Willie Brown Criticizes Progressive Policies for San Francisco’s Decline

Brown explained, “I have always been keenly aware of the need for proper conduct among people, a belief I maintain to this day. I emphasize the importance of mutual respect and adherence to laws and societal rules.” His approach, he suggests, was a necessary stance to maintain order and safety in the city.

In contrast, Brown criticized the city’s recent shift towards progressive policies, such as providing an additional $100 weekly to welfare recipients struggling with drug addiction, implying that such measures contribute to the city’s ongoing issues. According to Brown, these softer approaches adopted by the left fall short in effectively addressing the city’s problems.

Instead, he said, the city embarked on progressive policies such as giving an extra $100 a week to drug-addicted welfare recipients.

And the left’s softness just don’t work, Brown implied.

“The collection of people from social workers world, mean well, but don’t understand the mentality of some individuals,” he added.

“There were people who really, I think, meant well, but they did not understand.”

He said he’s still being criticized by the far left ”every day” and maintains his belief that crime and other anti-social conduct must be delt with by strong enforcement.

Brown has been a frequent critic of the the progressive left’s approach to cleaning up the city.

He told the New York Times in 2022 the city “is plagued with idealism” and pointed the finger at NGOs who hand out free tents to the homeless, which only make conditions on the street worse.

Ever the politician, Brown repeatedly refuses to call who he believes is responsible for the city’s decline, though O’Reilly pointed to Gov. Gavin Newsom and former mayor London Breed.

Brown claims it’s “not worth wasting time” on and won’t help fix the city’s situation.

He only pointed the finger at “newcomers” when Reilly described the decline of the city and the seeming lack of solutions.

“Well, you got to know that over the years, almost every location in America goes through some revolutionary process,” Brown said.

”And the newcomers sometimes bring their existing conduct and culture with them.”

Other interviewees in O’Reilly’s special were more blunt on who was to blame.

Respected journalist Michael Shellenberger, author of “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities,” said Newsom promised an entire program in his 2020 State of State but didn’t follow through.

“What we see in Gavin Newsom is somebody who needed to pursue a new approach, but he didn’t have the courage to follow through on it,” Shellenberger said.