San Francisco's new Real Time Investigation Center, crucial for police surveillance, is largely funded by billionaire Chris Larsen and Michael Mortiz. Larsen emphasized the city's role in pioneering coordinated public safety through advanced technology. Critics express apprehension over the privatization of policing, fearing reliance on wealthy donations instead of tax funding and democratic processes. Additionally, there are movements advocating against regressive revenue measures like sales taxes that disproportionately burden the working class while benefiting large businesses.
"San Francisco should be the shining example of how to leverage state-of-the-art, coordinated public safety technology and with the right pragmatic safeguards in place," said Chris Larsen.
The high-tech unit of SFPD is funded almost entirely by two tech billionaires, and the surveillance systems it operates will be housed in one of those billionaires' offices.
This is another big step in the privatization of San Francisco policing and the overall move by Lurie to rely on voluntary gifts from the very rich instead of taxes and democratic budgeting by elected officials.
A sales tax is unfair and regressive, and lets the big businesses that benefit from having an effective transit system off the hook.
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