SAN FRANCISCO: Archdiocese Issues Apology, Will Stop Drenching Homeless

Via press release from the Archdiocese of San Francisco:

When the system was installed, after other ideas were tried and failed, the people who were regularly sleeping in those doorways were informed in advance that the sprinklers were being installed. The idea was not to remove those persons, but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the Cathedral, which are protected and safer. The purpose was to make the Cathedral grounds as well as the homeless people who happen to be on those grounds safer. We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method used was ill-­conceived. It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are very sorry. We have also now learned that the system in the first place required a permit and may violate San Francisco water-­use laws, and the work to remove this system has already started, and will be completed by the end of the day.

My first post on this story is here.