A frustrated San Francisco shop owner has gained a lot of sympathy on social media after complaining about being punched in the face by a man urinating on his trash can.
Peterson Harter, the co-owner of a New Orleans-style sandwich shop called Sandy's in the neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury, published a video on Instagram on Wednesday where he explained he had been assaulted while closing the security gates of his business.
"I just got punched in the face by a guy that was pissing on the street...I can't believe I live in a city where people can just piss in the street and punch you in the f****** face and get away with it," Harter, with a black eye, said in the video. He added that he was "fed up" with the city.
San Francisco has recently been in the spotlight for the many crises it's currently facing, including rampant homelessness, a fentanyl epidemic, several business closures downtown and an increase of certain crimes.
Harter said he was yelling at the man to stop peeing in the shop's trash can on the street when the man "came over and sucker-punched me in the face." He added: "This s*** needs to end."
Harter told the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday that he chased the man and called the police, who advised him to not follow the attacker.
"I've grown to love the area because I know a lot of my neighbors, I love being on Haight Street. I don't think it's the neighborhood. I think it's just a general crime in the city. The frustrating thing is once again, you just feel helpless, that it's going to happen to you at some point or another," Harter told the Chronicle.
His video has been watched by over 10,000 people on Instagram, and the 39-year-old shop owner told news media that it resonated with many residents and business owners who are frustrated with the state of the city.
"It's not just me. It's a lot of people going through this on a daily basis. This is nothing," he told ABC7.
The city has seen an increase in certain crimes this year, with a 11.5 percent increase in homicide between January 1 and July 16 compared to the same period in 2022, while robberies have risen by 12.5 percent, according to the San Francisco Police Department's crime dashboard. However, other crimes, like rape and assault, have significantly dropped in the same period—decreases of 23.4 and 5 percent, respectively.
Harter later shared a picture of the man who attacked him on Instagram, but told ABC7 that he doesn't want to see the man in jail, he just "would like to see him be held accountable for his actions." He would rather see the man doing 100 hours of community service on Haight Street rather than do jail time.
In a statement to ABC7, the San Francisco Police Department said: "Officers processed the scene for evidence and authored an incident report. No arrests have been made. This is an open and active investigation."
The SFPD told Newsweek in a statement that "no arrest has been made. This is an open and active investigation." Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the SFPD 24-hour-tip line at 1-415-575-4444, or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
Newsweek has contacted Harter for comment by email on Friday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
