SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Silicon Valley tech leaders are calling safety in San Francisco into question following the fatal stabbing of mobile payment service Cash App founder Bob Lee.
“Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted. Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders,” Elon Musk tweeted in reaction to Lee’s death.
This was a reply to UFC and MMA fighter Jake Shields’ tweet about Lee’s death.
“I just found out my good friend was killed last night while walking [home] in San Francisco. He was in the “good” part of the city and appeared to have been targeted in a random mugging/attack. F*** San Francisco,” Sheilds said.
Cryptocurrency MobileCoin–one of the companies Lee was involved in–founder Joshua Golbard remembered Lee in an emotional statement on Twitter where he also criticized the city for Lee’s death.
“As a lifelong Bay Area resident, I have more questions than answers tonight. I don’t know how to fix what’s wrong, but I know something isn’t working in our grey city,” Goldfarb said.
City Supervisor Matt Dorsey also released a statement on the stabbing saying he is committed to helping the San Francisco Police Department’s investigation of the incident.
“I’ve also heard from many constituents in the area — some of whom have already voiced concerns to me about public safety challenges — and I’m asking everyone to cooperate with police in their investigation, especially those with access to surveillance video that may help,” Dorsey said.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed told NewsNation affiliate KRON that the city is prioritizing public safety.
“San Francisco is prioritizing public safety, including recently passing our budget supplemental so we have the police staffing necessary to have more police officers in our neighborhoods and to investigate violent crimes when they do occur,” Breed told KRON. “I’m confident that when the Police make an arrest in cases like this, our District Attorney will do what’s necessary to hold any individuals accountable for their actions.”
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also took to Twitter saying, “We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco.”
“Protecting public safety and holding violent and repeat offenders accountable continues to be a top priority for my administration. We work closely with the San Francisco Police Department and bring forward charges when arrests are made and there is enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the defendant is guilty,” Jenkins told KRON. “We share our condolences with the family, friends, and loved ones who tragically lost Mr. Lee, and are committed to bringing justice for this senseless act of violence.”
San Francisco City Supervisor Joel Engardio appeared to place some of the blame on Jenkins’ predecessor, Chesa Boudin and other city officials.
“Our new district attorney is still rebuilding a prosecution officer dismantled by her predecessor,” Engardio tweeted. “The mayor struggles to find a majority of supervisors to back her initiatives. Our city attorney is appealing rulings by judges that prevent SF from clearing unsafe encampments.”
“We do not yet have a majority of politicians aligned on how to fix San Francisco,” he added in an extensive tweet thread.
Lee was a victim of an apparent stabbing near SoMa early Tuesday morning and died from his injuries. No arrests have been made. He was not only the founder of Cash App, but also had a hand in MobileCoin, Square and Android.
Police are investigating this incident as a homicide. If you have any information about this incident, you are asked to contact the SFPD 24-hour tip line at 415-575-4444. You can also text a tip to TIP411 to begin messaging with SFPD.