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San Francisco Mayor Says GMA’s Crime Concerns Are Overblown

Mayor London Breed reacted on Friday to the “Good Morning America” segment, which called the city’s downtown too dangerous to film in.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed reacted on Friday to the Good Morning America segment from Wednesday, which called the city’s downtown too dangerous to film in. Breed’s office said that GMA’s claim “ultimately hurts all San Franciscans” and “hampered” the city’s efforts to bounce back after COVID, according to SFGATE. Many have criticized San Francisco’s crime and safety in recent years, citing it as a reason for businesses to leave the city. The mayor’s office says those critics aren’t telling the whole story, though. “Sadly, some of the news coverage conflate the reasons or do not provide the full picture of why big retailers and other businesses in San Francisco are deciding to leave or transfer ownership of their operations,” Breed’s office said in a statement to SFGATE. “Lacking foot traffic in our downtown areas as a result of work-from-home habits, as well as challenges stemming from shifting shopping trends that have persisted for years, were exacerbated by the pandemic.”