A video of an Indian YouTuber, Ishan Sharma, is going viral on social media. The video showed the ‘streets’ of San Francisco, which was once hailed as the tech capital of the world, now full of homeless people with drug addiction, what netizens said, looked like, ‘Zombies.’
Sharma, who has over 1.5 million subscribers, shared footage on X (formerly Twitter) during his visit to the city. The video shows people appearing disoriented and unresponsive on the streets, some struggling to walk or lying on the pavement. In his post, Sharma expressed shock and disappointment, stating, “This is San Francisco. The tech capital of America. Home to the world’s brightest minds and the biggest tech companies. Half of the streets are filled with: homeless, mentally unstable, high on drugs, or a combination of all.”
It breaks my heart watching this.💔
This is San Francisco.
The tech capital of America.
Home to the world's brightest minds.
AND the biggest tech companiesIs also the most unsafe place I've been to.
Half of the streets are filled with:– homeless
– mentally unstable
– high on… pic.twitter.com/Ngi78cimdW— Ishan Sharma (@Ishansharma7390) November 28, 2024
He further described the city as “the most unsafe place” he has ever visited, what he called a “utopia of tech capitalism gone wrong.”
It breaks my heart watching this.💔
This is San Francisco.
The tech capital of America.
Home to the world’s brightest minds.
AND the biggest tech companiesIs also the most unsafe place I’ve been to.
Half of the streets are filled with:– homeless
– mentally unstable
– high on… pic.twitter.com/Ngi78cimdW— Ishan Sharma (@Ishansharma7390) November 28, 2024
‘Zombie-like People’ As Elon Musk Pointed Out
The video has gone a lot of attention, one commenter wrote, noting that many tech companies have relocated to Austin, Texas, and that downtown property values have plummeted, saying, “It’s not the tech capital anymore.”
Others pointed to the role of synthetic drugs like fentanyl and xylazine (a horse tranquilizer) in causing what some describe as “zombie-like” behavior in the affected individuals. “For those curious, it’s fentanyl + horse tranquilizer that causes the zombie effect,” one user explained.
Critics questioned why more wasn’t being done to help those struggling on the streets. “Why aren’t they in rehab or receiving proper care?” one commenter asked. Others noted the broader societal challenges, with one user remarking, “Just because a place is a ‘tech capital’ doesn’t mean it’s free from social issues.”
The video raises the same concerns what billionaire Elon Musk recently referred to San Francisco’s homeless population as “violent, drug zombies” in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Musk described the streets as rife with needles, human waste, and individuals struggling with addiction.
San Francisco has been grappling with a homelessness and drug crisis for years, compounded by the rising cost of living and a lack of affordable housing. Efforts to address these issues have faced criticism for being inadequate or ineffective, and the visible deterioration of some neighborhoods has become a growing point of contention for residents and visitors alike.
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