San Francisco hits family with $1,402 fee after they built free library for neighbors: report
The retired San Francisco couple wanted to 'share free books' with neighbors but were told they were in violation of city 'encroachment' rules
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The city of San Francisco issued a letter and threatened to fine a local retired couple after they built a free library and bench for neighbors, according to a recent report.
"Remove unpermitted encroachments from public right of way," the city demanded of San Francisco retirees Susan and Joe Meyers. Their only recourse, the couple told The Wall Street Journal, was to apply within 30 days for a $1,402 "Minor Sidewalk Encroachment Permit" to protect the library and bench they built for their neighbors.
"Many of this city’s streets are clogged with homeless tents, drug addicts and illegal vendors. City inspectors recently went after a Little Free Library," Wall Street Journal reporter Jim Carlton wrote in summary of the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Francisco has attracted increasing numbers of homeless people in recent years. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) ((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
The couple, a retired psychologist and attorney in their late 70s, said they were shocked to be targeted by the local government, especially because it was based on a single anonymous complaint.
"It was upsetting to know one person could have so much power," Dr. Susan Meyers said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dr. Meyers added that she wanted to share books and knowledge with her neighbors, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"I thought it was absolutely wonderful to be able to share free books with people," she said, adding that she "grew up loving books."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The couple explained that they had "never received a single complaint about their tiny library" and "got the idea" after seeing other "book boxes on her walks around the city."
Before they were reported for violating the city's "encroachment" rules, the couple only had one problem: some drug users used the bench they built for passersby to "shoot up," according to report.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin responded to the abuse of the encroachment reporting system in a tweet from March.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Meanwhile, we'll ensure that departments create a pathway to bring unpermitted awnings into compliance in a way that is easy to understand + sensitive to the needs of the small business community, especially immigrant-owned small businesses which have disproportionally targeted."
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors is also drawing national attention for its unanimous vote to consider up to $5 million in reparations payments to all eligible Black residents in the city.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other benefits discussed included a guaranteed annual income of $97,000 for 250 years and a home "for just $1 a family," according to the Associated Press.
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors is also drawing national attention for its unanimous vote to consider up to $5 million in reparations payments to all eligible Black residents in the city. (Getty Images)
It is a proposal that some critics have called "unserious."
"This conversation we're having in San Francisco is completely unserious," chair of the San Francisco Republican Party, John Dennis, told the AP News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They just threw a number up, there's no analysis."
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The San Francisco Board of Supervisors did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.