I work in downtown, I get off at 12:am in the morning five days a week. On 10/15/22/ time 1:15am I was struck on my right forearm while riding home on my bicycle by a homeless person that was most likely mental and on meth. As I maintained my grip and kept riding I noticed another person waiting in the bushes, I feel that I was struck so I can fall off my bike. I continued on my way . Two days later my bike was stolen as it was secured with lock in a bike rack at my place of work . Two Days after while walking now, I see the back half of my bike sticking out of a tent. I secure my knife and secure my pepper spray and semi ran up to three male occupants in the tent .I yanked my bike out , kicked over their BBQ grill and ripped a blue tarp from an adjacent shelter after I drilled one right on the mouth knocking him down and out. Now I know what I did was stupid and high risk , but I'm a fourth generation san diego native and in the streets you can't ask for your stuff back , you have to take it and I did because I worked for my bike .I'm convinced that downtown and across the street from Roosevelt Jr high-where I attended) consists of all stolen bikes because none of the homeless work. All this in the same area as this video. BILL WALTON FOR MAYOR !

Proud of Bill Walton. Use your voice and stature to enlighten the people and expose the Political hacks everywhere.

You go Bill! I so love San Diego. At least I used to. Praying you guys restore this formerly incredible city. Let me know when it’s safe to come back.

"Safe, secure, clean environments to live, work and play in." Isn't that something everyone wants and needs? I understand the frustration. I grew up in Sacramento, I spent a lot of time along the American River - swimming, rafting, fishing... I never saw anyone living outside. Now it is everywhere, parks, sidewalks, parking lots, under the overpasses, in the medians, everywhere along the river. And then...it happened to me. I live outside. Winter is coming, nights are already cold. The bulldozers will be here on Monday. I am packing up my things and trying to find somewhere else to hide. Hoping that I won't be made to move again until spring. I have to make a shelter that is both water and windproof. I am 57 with multiple sclerosis. I am sometimes scared that I won't make it through another winter. How come there are so many people living outside? Not everyone is drug addicted or alcoholic. It takes 3 times the minimum wage working full time to make enough to qualify for a crappy rental!!! If you are not fortunate to have family and friends to fall back on, you're done. I know the longer you live outside society, the less likely you will ever make it back.

This is paradise compared to what we deal with in L.A. County.

As a neighbor of Walton's I can vouch for what he is saying. It is an absolute disgrace what Gloria has allowed to happen. I have filled out countless "Get it Done' reports for these encampments. The police respond that they have been directed to not enforce the anti-encampment laws that are on the books. It is outrageous!

Calling them addicts yet ? Let us see. The first step in solving a problem is to first honestly recognize the problem.

What's the solution? I think we'd all love to hear it. Thanks Bill.

I met Bill maybe 10 years ago and I often say he’s my favorite human. This backs that up

I was just in downtown SD. On one street nothing but bodies lying on the concrete sleeping. Then on another street people in tents. It has gotten really bad to the point that Im afraid to go downtown. My heart goes out to the homeless. We need more resources that are expedited so that people can get help and not have to wait so long for housing, food ect. Homelessness is like cancer, it dosent care who you are, rich, poor, working or not. When it takes hold it will spread and for some they may never get out of, especially when you need to make 3 to 4 times the rent to move in.

Bill was my neighbor in Hillcrest. We have since fled to the mountains of western North Carolina due to everything he said in this story. Listen to bill he makes absolute sense

Lived in San Diego from 2012-2018 in Pacific beach and the crime and violence and homelessness downtown by Horton plaza and the Padre stadium is frightening

Bill, I get it and I agree completely. So what is the solution that you are proposing?

I used to live for many years across the street from Balboa Park where I ran daily, played tennis, badminton in the federal building and had a zoo membership that I enjoyed greatly. It became very dangerous to run in the park with so many people sleeping there. It's so sad to see how it's become such a mess. Keep up the fight Bill.

I use to live downtown near Petco. Couldn't take it anymore and sold my place. Haven't been back since. I use to take my dog all around where Bill is showing in the video. So sad to see what's happening to SD.

I'm so sorry to hear this Bill. We all deserve better.....

WE ALL SUPPORT YOUR VISION BILL, THE PARK SHOULD BE CLEANED UP NO CAMP[NG EVER !!!!!!!

Years ago myself and two buddies snuck into a party at his house. We were 14. He confronted us and he said no alcohol or drugs other than that we could stay. What a stud Bill is. Ill never forget that night.

It's a fact that San Diego's homeless situation has escalated beyond what the City and County is willing to make an effort to fix. To many times we blame the homeless as if one day the homeless will solve its own problem.

Bill Walton is a true San Diegan, and a legend. I know where he gets his sense of civic duty from I believe as well. His mother (RIP) was on the board of " Friends of the Library" at the old Central Library location off of E street downtown when my mom worked there. The Walton's have always cared about our city and its inhabitants.

Thank you Bill! I remember you from the Trailblazer Championship in which you brought us to victory in Portland. You were great then and you are now. We are experiencing the same here in Portland Oregon, though the homeless appears much worse up here. One can't go to a park without hearing and seeing mentally ill and homeless people

Bill Walton for Mayor.

Didn't look bad at all compared to the other places I've seen

Thank you Bill...I grew up in North Park and graduated from St. Augustine High School..

The problem is nationwide and it is happening across Europe too. Look beyond your own neighbourhoods at the world's economic system and ask if it because there is a general decades long problem with tax breaks and subsidies for big corporates and the rich plus the flight of capital, technology and jobs to the cheapest sources of production in the world.

"Parks are a critical element of a functioning society". Well said Bill! Now more than ever we need parks. The larger and safer the better!

I went to San Diego in 2011 and it was so precious and special. Its shocking to see and hear this

We have the same problem where I live in Spokane WA. Bill Walton is addressing an an issue that is frustrating cities across the country. I would like to hear more details on the solution and how to implement? Best wishes and If SD solves this you will once again be "America's Finest City"!

Love Bill Walton !!!!! He is well thought out and not afraid to speak up. He Cares !!!!

Great video Bill! So many videos are out now like this! Young and Old people.reporting on this! Except not the news...sometimes, but rarely!

I love Bill and agree with everything he said, but the huge question that he and everyone avoids is, what are you going to do with those homeless people?

Another once beautiful area being trashed and ruined.

Way to go bill! Much respect! 👍

Walton feels he can’t ride his bike, and clearly wants to endeavor in politics. He keeps saying, he has a vision BUT he absolutely has No Plan.

This is what makes Bill Walton a WORLD CHAMPION!🌏 Respectfully, JimmyUSAF 🇺🇸✈️😇💜🙏✝️👍⭐️🇮🇹🎄

Thank you Mr Walton, you're right about Gloria and what is happening to Balboa Park. I remember when the 163 was called Cabrillo Highway going through Balboa Park, back then it was beautifully landscaped and it was safe.

I remember walking from Albatross St and West Grape , by myself as a 3rd-4th grader, to Balboa Park and the Zoo. Never had an issue. Under 16 was free at the Zoo. Very sad how my former city is going these days.

I don't live but I work in San Diego and bill is correct it sad to see this beautiful city falling apart somebody needs to do something before it resembles los angeles

Bill San Diego needs to do what other cities and states do,I'm sure San Diego County has plenty of land in Santee that will not be used for residential or commercial make a big tent city with a curfew showers and portable toilets it works everywhere else but not near residential or businesses🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

A lot of these homeless people are dangerous!! I’ve been threatened multiple times downtown. One guy pulled out a machete on me and my wife after a concert. We were scared for our lives. Not all of them are bad, but a lot of them are.

Agreed. But do you have a solution for where the Homeless will go? Bill Walton will never suffer homelessness. I agree with his vision but have an answer for relocation of the homeless as well please. As a former homeless person the homeless are looked at as just drug addicted crazy people. We’ll all are not. Some of us just lost our home due to unfortunate circumstances and are trying to just live day to day. 🙂

Bill is an awesome human being! Since he was a high schooler in San Diego he has been a positive force for the area. Such an amazing guy and he deserves a frickin statue downtown! (Though he is so humble it would probably embarrass him.)

From a San Diego Native, I lov(ed) SD, saw the writing on the wall, left 27yrs ago, sad to go, only a neutron bomb going off in SD would allow me to come back to the most beautiful, innocent, American way of life I once knew and LOVED!!! Now only the most slimey, disgusting HELL on earth existence can be had in this place. All I have are beautiful memories, riding horses through Balboa Park with my father and brothers, soo many GOOD times, never again will be, not there.......ever again...sad, sad 😢

I've been to San Diego Comic Con a few times and the number of homeless people shocked me. There were places with feces on sidewalks in certain places. It really made me sad to see. Keep up the fight Bill.

More folks need to stand up and tell the city leaders that this is unacceptable.

Many years ago (2010ish I believe) I was approached by some tourists from a different contry. I was hanging out by the Court house in downton. They asked me "why are there so many homeless people here. It's so beautifull." I shook my head, and didn't know what to tell em. The problem is still here today.

Bill Walton is a San Diego Legend Helix High School Mr. UCLA❤️Bill Walton is a Great Guy I’m 35 years old I was Born at Balboa Naval Hospital in the 80’s I Grew up in The South East Section of San Diego SkyLine Spring Valley section of San Diego. I remember as a Young Kid growing up in the City going to Bills Basketball🏀Camps he use to Host at Serra High School in Terrasanta. Great guy with a lot of Wisdom✅

He's gotta be the biggest most famous greatful dead fan ever. I like Bill Walton. Ucla and the 1977 blazers. What an icon

love Bill Walton, I have raised the same concerns with countless e-mails to Todd worthless Gloria. of course no response from his office. I attended Roosevelt Jr. and San Diego High, the same stretch tour Bull took us on was once fabulous, clean parks, no bums, no tents, no trash, no drugs. This is the result of 40 yrs of democratic control of our city, but not just our city, look at our state of California!! full of homeless people, bums everywhere. what is the saying...if you give a stray cat a saucer of milk, that cat will come back every day for milk, this is what Gavin Gruesome is doing with the bums, giving them 300.00 EBT cards, and an extra 100.00 if they take in a dog. This is not a solution it's a problem!! If bill needs help spreading the truth about our good for nothing Mayor Todd, he can count on me!!!!!!

A true warrior and human being! I admire your Basketball game now I respected your resolve

Bill, left LA for same reason. Homeless decided to set up tents and spew trash right in middle of our commercial area in Mar Vista adjacent to Venice. Some judge in Ca. ruled they could not be removed without housing them. But what about the public space that belongs to all of us?

As in NYC where billionaires step over the homeless living on billionaire row....

This issue is not only in San Diego but across the country. It seems to me that this Government has taking all the wealth and benefits for themselves and leaving this mess for us to look at. What do we do as a country?

It’s everywhere. Not just SD. Something has to change.

I always hear people complaining about the homeless problem. I hear you Bill Walton. What’s the solution?

You get what you vote for.

What a shame that San Diego has fallen into this kind of condition because in the 1960's when I used to go to the beautiful zoo and have a great brunch on a Sunday morning on the ocean, it was just a beautiful place to be. I can imagine how sad and depressed folks that have called it home, must be, at what is being allowed to take place. I just don't understand why city officials have not taken steps to clean things up and stop the threats that its citizens are facing each day. It seems like no one really cares anymore and that is really puzzling, especilly when people pay taxes just to address public safetyy and waste clean-up issues. Frustrating is not even an adequate way to express how residents must feel about this situation.

I don't know where Bill lives now, but back in the 80s I played tennis at his house next to Balboa Park.

I made a few trips to San Diego back in the late 90s…really nice back then. Homeless were around but scattered and few.

This is a great video. I live in Ventura county and homeless are a issue here as well. What I never see talked about is WHERE to put the homeless. We need a safe facility for the "down on your luck" types, jail for the criminals, and a mental facility for the crazies and addicts. Until we make room for them the ones taken off the streets are just moved around.

Where will the homeless go?...To somebody else's neighborhood?...Why are there so many unhoused in the richest nation ever?...EVER...If only Bill could help address the problem of why they are unhoused, especially many, many, many veterans...I never heard a peep from Bill about homeless issues until it affected his backyard...He went from being a so-called hippie to a NIMBY warrior...

I have a different view of Bill Walton than many of his admirers. I lived in San Diego for a couple of years (2001-2003) . This of course was before the homeless problem there became what it is today. I worked at the airport as a baggage service agent (claims for lost luggage). On the arrival of one flight a surf board and golf clubs come out on the oversized belt. I saw 2 skycaps check the nametags and walk away. I check the tags and see they belong to Bill Walton. I thought I would get a nice tip. I load the items on a cart (saving Walton $2.00) when he arrives I take them out to the curb for him. After doing this, all I get from that cheap a$$ Walton is a thank you. That's what Walton will always be to me, a cheap a$$ SOB.

Great analysis that there's a Wicked problem. Now, what's your solution? Gripping is easy, fixing is hard.

Bill Walton should run as mayor

I've meet Bill great man

I live downtown. I see the problem get worse every day. I’m as liberal as they come but it’s time to protect taxpayers and homeowners.

So so sad. I recently went to Balboa park and it was tragic seeing all the homeless. Democrats are not compassionate. Leaving people in their addiction and mental illness is not compassionate, it's actually cruel. All they care about is power, and they'll climb over anyone to get it.

16th and J St. is where the worst of the worst is. The downtown police have a "Homeless Task Force" unit that moves them away from that corner and they all end up at the 12th St. MTS station. Task force shows up again, you see their tent town strewn across areas close to Hillcrest.

The entire state is like this.... I live in Ventura county and it's ridiculous. I lived in N San Diego (San Marcos) and seeing the homelessness is ridiculous. When I travel from Ventura county to Mexico (Ventura county, LA County, Orange County and finally San Diego County), it's sickening how this state has become and the lack of action the state politicians have done anything to resolve it is infuriating.

Similar situation in my neighborhood in Seattle, but a new moderate Democratic mayor and of all things a Republican city attorney have already made a great difference. Woodlawn Park in my neighborhood and many others as well as Pike Place Market and its environs have been dramitically cleaned up. People are once again being given a reason to hope and act for the better. There is a long way to go but in my opinion at least the curve has been bent for the better.

This has happened everywhere. Our parks have been taken over by people who don't pat taxes.

Bill Walton is speaking up for San diegans ignored by the mayor and city council. Sandiego is no longer America's finest city. San diegans must elect better leaders. Thank you Bill for bringing the truth.

Remember, the great Bill Walton once told his college basketball coach that he wanted to have facial hair the coming basketball season. HIs coach, John Wooden, wished Bill good luck in his future wherever he chose to attend. Bill remained at UCLA, without a mustache.

RIP Greg Lee

Bill has been like that since he was at UCLA a very thoughtful and educated man who wasn't just a athlete and actually was out there using his platform to help bring attention to really bad problems going on in the world today.

Also, I stood next to you once in Orlando (magic game) and feel only a maniac would chase you... You're a BIG dude with capital B.

Heyyy buddy!!! Homelessness is not only in San Diego!!!

I worked downtown San Diego from 1998 - 2000! The homeless situation was bad then and out of control now! I could write a book on what I saw in those 2 years!!

Maybe the beginnings of a grassroots campaign against the awful Newsom regime

We miss Bill Walton at the indoor heated swim pool in Mission Valley , We all hope to see Bill Again ASAP.

Good job Bill!! Thank You!!! Loved Gloria-Vill

His mother , Gloria had a great social conscience and he got it from her

Great informative video! I grew in San Diego in the 50's - 60's. I loved my childhood and visited Balboa often. Sad that today's leaders are so deranged.

I can somewhat relate to what you are talking about Bill, we have a big drain problem in our neighborhood. Our city can pass one cent sales tax to rebuild down town, they can pass a one cent sales tax to build a new library. When it comes to helping the neighborhoods out, I get an ear full of sorry we can not help you, you live on private property we can not help you. If you lived on public property we could help you. When these one cent sales tax get passed, where do you think the money comes from? It comes from people who live in the local neighborhood's. Why in the world can't local small business large local business come together and create some type of local grant money we can apply for.

Thank you Mr. Walton.

I get sick and tired of them asking you got a cigarette or a lighter that's all they ask and I have had couple flip out mad attacking when I refuse to answer I'm buying a self defense gadjet.

Yeah, I think locals knew all of those things. Does he give one solution? Many of the past solutions turned into ACLU lawsuits. The ACLU won. We get a tour and a breakdown of the problems, but how many solutions does he give?

I visited SD about 10 years ago and stayed at the Hilton at the Convention Center. Heard it overran by homeless people now. SD is so sad.

For the children .

Nowadays street homeless and are fentanyl addicts, and not capable of doing anything no matter how simple it is. Street encampments are open air drugs markets brewing all sorts of crime. Majority of them will die from fentanyl overdose, or drugs related violence. Second hand fentanyl smoke can easily kill you in no time. Street homeless gradually destroy everything around themselves. We will never reduce street homelessness without reducing the amount of fentanyl drug available on our streets. If they can afford, they smoke fentanyl up to 100 times a day. That's how all these fires are started. Homeless advocates are mentally stuck in Pathological Altruism, and all they do is enabling fentanyl addicts remain as close as possible to their fentanyl dealer.

In 1968 if you were on a corner in downtown San Diego waiting for the light to turn green-if you stepped off the curb while the light was red a police car would stop and write you a ticket for jaywalking!!!

Love Bill Walton! I love visiting San Diego and would like to see cleaner SD

Not to be rude, but I didn't hear one solution to this criss offered up by Mr. Walton. It's relatively easy to drive around and point at the problem. What we need are answers, not more criticism.

With illegals streaming over the border about 16 miles away. One would have to create a secure border to start with as a first step.

Keep up the good work

In 2020 my dog got stolen from us by homeless people and 4 months later we seen her and got her back in the same area that she got stolen in.

Maybe Walton should stop complaining, roll up the sleeves in his shirt and run for office to see if he can do any better. His rant about the homeless crisis belongs in The Hall of Shame. And keep in mind, this is not to defend Todd Gloria, far from it. But to be ranting about the less fortunate doesn't cut the mustard. These are people facing challenges obviously not consider by Walton. Many of these people are veterans of war affected by PTSD, they are the mentally challenged, the physically disabled, even those affected by substance abuse and many others who through no fault of their own ended up living on the streets. It is very easy to drive around Balboa Park and other parts of the city sitting very comfortably inside of aTesla pointing out the problems but yet he offers no solutions. Homeless people don't attack and/or assult anyone. Maybe Walton is leaving part of the story out of his encounter with them. Obviously harassing someone has consequences.

This is a problem decades in the making an now he expects one major to take care of it? People with money cannot buy an affordable housing all over Cali. People are active getting evicted. This is the mayor’s fault? Most drastic plans are met with protests and lawsuits. The people protesting won’t provide their homes, but they will protest. Bill should not visit LA, Portland or SF… He would drive his Tesla off a cliff. Even if they were to build a shelter, no one wants it near them. I get the frustration, but spread the blame evenly.

Bill your always welcome in Union Missouri 👍🇺🇲

He has always struck me as a really good guy. Keep speaking on it, Bill. 👍🏻👍🏻 Also, Balboa Park is a superb golf course. Lotsa fun.