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Everything You Need To Know About The Shooting Of 49er Ricky Pearsall At Union Square

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Shootings are not unique to San Francisco. They’re an ever-present threat in every corner of this country. However, most shootings happen to regular people. Very rarely do star athletes get shot in broad daylight in major metropolitan shopping centers, but unfortunately for newly-recruited 49er,  Ricky Pearsall, that is exactly what happened. 

Pearsall was shopping at a luxury retailer Saturday afternoon in San Francisco when he was allegedly approached by a gunman demanding his Rolex watch, after a brief altercation, Pearsall was shot in the chest. The shooter attempted to flee, but was apprehended by police. Both Pearsall and the alleged shooter were taken to SF Zuckerberg General with gunshot wounds. 

Not long after the shooting, London Breed, accompanied by District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and the Chief of Police, held a press conference reiterating that San Francisco will not tolerate crime and that this type of incident is a rarity.

Pearsall was reported to be in serious, but stable condition. Not long after the shooting, Pearsall was released from the hospital and appears to be in good spirits.

While Fox News is going to undoubtedly have a field day with this, a shooting in Union Square is incredibly rare. It’s one of the most sterile and heavily policed parts of the city, and with the news of a 49er being shot in during the day, there will undoubtedly be a heavier than usual police presence. 

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The alleged shooter wasn’t a San Francisco or Bay Area resident, but commuted into SF from Tracy, a Central Valley town roughly 70 miles from San Francisco. All other information involving the shooter is scarce, as the suspect is a juvenile. 

While the media is going to sensationalize this story, San Francisco’s homicide and violent crime rates are significantly lower than most major cities in the United States, especially when directly compared to nearby cities like Oakland or Sacramento. 

Public safety in the United States is largely perception-based. A shooting in Union Square means you can be shot anywhere. Not just in San Francisco, but in the country, because Union Square is one of those places where the perception of safety is paramount.

Personal safety is incredibly important, and no matter where you are, you should always pay attention to your surroundings, but you should still go out to Union Square or anywhere else you were intending to go because, once again, as London Breed correctly said, “it is very rare for something like this to happen in Union Square.”

Enjoy your life, San Francisco. 

And maybe consider turning off the news for the next couple days. It’s just gonna be more ‘Doom Loop’ dipshits acting like this is America’s first shooting. I’m not London Breed’s biggest fan, but politicians don’t control the crime rates or individual incidents. People have been shot under every single administration in modern SF history. This shouldn’t decide who you vote for. It’s not her fault. It doesn’t matter what her opponents to the left or right of her say. 

Shit like this happens, and a police state won’t stop it from happening. 

Remember that. 

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Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff is an Oakland-based writer, editor and digital content creator known for Bay Area Memes, a local meme page that has amassed nearly 200k followers. His work has appeared in SFGATE, The Bold Italic and of course, BrokeAssStuart.com. His book of short stories, personal essays and poetry entitled Don't Drown on Dry Ground is available now!