Tech CEO calls San Francisco's homeless "trash"

ONE tech entrepreneur has taken to Facebook with a hateful rant on the homeless of San Francisco. He calls them "trash" and "hyenas". Why do people agree with him?

Tech entrepreneur Greg Gopman is in hot water after posting a rant against the homeless in San Francisco. But some people agr...

A San Francisco tech entrepreneur has slammed the his city's homeless population on Facebook, calling them "trash" and "hyenas" then ranting they should hide themselves from "civilised" society. And some of Facebook agree.

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We thought San Francisco was all about sandal-wearing laid-back vibes, good coffee and hippy jazz cafes but it's actually dubbed the homeless capital of America and its residents don't like it. One in particular. In an article by website Valleywag it claims Greg Gopman, founder of AngelHack which runs "hackathon" competitions in cities around the world, returned to his home of San Francisco and decided to unleash on Facebook his feelings towards the "grotesque" situation. He didn't hold back.

The post read:

"Just got back to SF. I've travelled around the world and I gotta say there is nothing more grotesque than walking down market st in San Francisco. Why the heart of our city has to be overrun by crazy, homeless, drug dealers, dropouts, and trash I have no clue. Each time I pass it my love affair with SF dies a little."

"The difference is in other cosmopolitan cities, the lower part of society keep to themselves. They sell small trinkets, beg coyly, stay quiet, and generally stay out of your way. They realise it's a privilege to be in the civilised part of town and view themselves as guests. And that's okay."

"In downtown SF the degenerates gather like hyenas, spit, urinate, taunt you, sell drugs, get rowdy, they act like they own the centre of the city. Like it's their place of leisure... In actuality it's the business district for one of the wealthiest cities in the USA. It's a disgrace. I don't even feel safe walking down the sidewalk without planning out my walking path."

"You can preach compassion, equality, and be the biggest lover in the world, but there is an area of town for degenerates and an area of town for the working class. There is nothing positive gained from having them so close to us. It's a burden and a liability having them so close to us. Believe me, if they added the smallest iota of value I'd consider thinking different, but the crazy toothless lady who kicks everyone that gets too close to her cardboard box hasn't made anyone's life better in a while."

There are an estimated 10,000 homeless people in San Francisco and this cutting vitriol against that population would have most up-in-arms or at least raising an eyebrow. They could be seen as well-worn cliches, stereotypes and counterproductive slurs. Gopman swiftly pulled the post down and apologised.

I'm sorry. https://t.co/pz4508GI6J

— Gregory Gopman (@Gopmania) December 11, 2013

"Last night, I made inappropriate comments about San Francisco and its less fortunate citizens on Market St. I'm really sorry for my comments. I trivialised the plight of those struggling to get by and I shouldn't have."

However, a whole heap of people jumped to his support and agreed with his original comments.

"It isn't like you said anything many others in the start-up community aren't saying," said one Facebook user, which received dozens of likes. While others said he shouldn't say "sorry to anyone".

Whether people agree with Gopman or not, this highlights the simmering tension on the San Francisco streets bubbling away as a result of the rise in its homeless population.