Tenderloin Street, downtown San Francisco, California, at 10 a.m. on the 11th when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting opened.<\/p>\n
A residential street that was normally so crowded with homeless people that it was difficult to pass by was empty. When I got out of the car, I didn’t notice the stale smell or the sour smell of marijuana that made my head tingle. There wasn’t much trash on the streets, and the garbage truck was spraying water to clean up. Although homeless tents were visible here and there, they were not difficult to pass by.<\/p>\n
A store owner in the area said, \u201cThe number of homeless people has decreased a lot recently. I don\u2019t know where they have gone, but it seems like the city has removed a lot of tents.\u201d This is why the city began to be renovated in response to a large-scale international diplomatic event attended by the heads of state of 21 countries.<\/p>\n
The Tenderloin is only 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Moscone Centre, the APEC conference venue. San Francisco is a representative tourist destination in the western part of the United States, famous for the ‘Golden Gate’.\u00a0It is also well-known as a vibrant city where young entrepreneurs gather, as it is adjacent to Silicon Valley, the cradle of cutting-edge technology around the world.<\/p>\n
However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that it is losing its reputation as a representative tourist destination as the streets are overflowing with homeless people and drug addicts and crimes such as looting occur frequently.<\/p>\n
In addition, as telecommuting increased in the aftermath of COVID-19, big tech offices were emptying out and the image of wealthy villages was fading. San Francisco is trying to transform itself by using this APEC meeting as an opportunity to regain its former reputation.<\/p>\n
The US daily New York Times (NYT) reported the previous day that San Francisco, which had suffered a large exodus of tech companies in the aftermath of the coronavirus, was seeking to transform using the APEC meeting as an opportunity. There are expectations that this APEC meeting will be an important moment for San Francisco, which is struggling to revive the local economy after the pandemic.<\/p>\n
This conference is the largest international event held here since the United Nations International Organization Conference was held in 1945.<\/p>\n
\u201cAPEC will be a significant moment in San Francisco\u2019s rich history,\u201d said Mayor London Breed.<\/p>\n
The city has established a homeless shelter not far from the Moscone Centre and is encouraging the homeless to move there. Garbage used for drug use and thrown on the street was removed, and uneven sidewalk blocks here and there were repaired.<\/p>\n
A wall filled with new murals also caught my eye. However, there were also alleys where homeless people were still present.<\/p>\n
A Chinese couple who lived here pointed with their hand and said, \u201cIf you go over there, there are still homeless people.\u201d\u00a0As I walked up the block, a sour smell immediately hit me. I quickly saw a tent with close to 10 homeless people in one block.\u00a0One man stood motionless with his head down, as if he had been administered something.<\/p>\n
The store was open, but it was covered with an iron door to prevent accidents, and people walking alone on the street were hard to see. City authorities are busy ensuring that there are no disruptions in welcoming special guests from around the world ahead of the summit on the 15th to 17th, which is the highlight of this conference.<\/p>\n
Traffic was controlled around the Moscone Centre, where heads of state gathered, to prepare for possible accidents. As it was the first day of the meeting, full control was not in place, but barriers were set up in various places and police officers were controlling the meeting.<\/p>\n
Local police reported that the area will be completely closed from the 15th, when all the heads of state will gather. A 3m high iron fence was installed surrounding the conference hall.\u00a0This is to prepare for an emergency.<\/p>\n
Tensions are also being felt, with local police paying close attention to protests expected during the APEC summit. Local media reported that in addition to climate change groups and international workers’ rights groups that gathered in front of the venue at every other APEC meeting, Palestinian liberation activists are also expected to protest this time in relation to the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed political group Hamas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"