> SF residents are sympathetic to the renegade artistic expression argument.

SF residents are incredibly snobby when it comes to street art. The typical tagging, 2 minute stencil sprays, and so forth are not up to posh standards of SF residents. I don't think most SFers think those are "renegade artistic expression". Maybe some of folks in Berkeley would but not SF.

There's a huge disconnect from the city residents and a lot of what happens by the government. SFPD is a prime example of this. Almost none of the cops live in SF. A lot of the people committing crime also don't live in SF. It's a weird city.

" Almost none of the cops live in SF. A lot of the people committing crime also don't live in SF "

any more

"It's a weird city." I think you're just seeing the transition US cities made in the 2000s from the location of the have-nots to the haves.