A San Francisco father came under fire for sharing a video of his toddler maneuvering a scooter down a sidewalk known for drug activity. Critics lambasted the father, Andrés Wiken, for allegedly exposing his three-year-old daughter to such a dangerous environment in the Mission District of the city governed by Democrats.
Despite the backlash labeling Wiken as a neglectful parent, he argued that the harsh comments failed to acknowledge the harsh reality his family confronts daily amidst the drug users and homeless individuals in their neighborhood. The clip, posted online, drew attention to the complex social issues the family faces in their urban surroundings.
While many focused on criticizing Wiken’s parenting decisions, he emphasized that the video aimed to shed light on the broader societal challenges his family navigates regularly. The incident highlighted the wider discussion on urban problems like drug abuse and homelessness that extend beyond individual parenting choices.
Instead of paying any mind to ‘incredibly judgmental’ trolls online, he told the Daily Mail the real issue is that his ghastly neighborhood has turned into a ‘containment zone’ and ‘concentration camp.’
‘I don’t even want to post the video,’ he confessed, adding that he chose to do so to ‘protest’ the horrid reality he, his wife, 11-year-old daughter and toddler face day in and day out.
The California native grew up in Vallejo but has lived in San Francisco for the past 20 years. The family-of-four have lived in the Mission District – about a 10-minute drive from the Tenderloin District – for the past 11 years.
Wiken saved up for 10 years to put a down payment on their home, but just two years later their neighborhood was taken over by junkies who sell and consume fentanyl, heroin and meth all day, he told the Daily Mail.
Not only do drugs plague their kid-filled blocks, but those doing them wreak havoc on residents.
Many people turned against Andrés Wiken after he posted a now-viral video of his three-year-old daughter scootering down his drug-filled block, but the truth behind it is far more disheartening
Instead of paying any mind to ‘incredibly judgmental’ trolls online, he told the Daily Mail the real issue is that his ghastly neighborhood has turned into a ‘containment zone’ and ‘concentration camp’
Wilken often has to shoo away a person picking at their skin on his front doorstep and yell at others who go to the bathroom in the street or on people’s cars in front of his children.
‘We can’t go outside and walk down the street without passing that,’ he said, adding that a nearby bank and hotel are hotspots for addicts and drug dealers.
There is also a church nearby that a non-profit operates out of to help drug addicts and homeless people in the area, but for residents like Wiken, it’s putting them even more at risk. ‘We can’t escape it,’ he said.
Many have told him to just up and move to solve his problem, and even though he can, Wiken said that is the easy way out and something not everybody has the luxury of doing.
Wiken said a lot of people’s apartments are rent controlled so they fear speaking up about the ongoing issue over fears it would impact their livelihoods.
Meanwhile, others are worried to speak up over fears of possible deportation, he explained.
He would rather stay in the city that he loves and has always dreamed of living in then to see it be handed over to a dystopian community.
Wiken is so passionate about trying to clean up his city that he has personally spoken to Mayor Daniel Lurie twice while walking around the area to show him exactly what is taking place.
‘I don’t even want to post the video,’ he confessed, adding that he chose to do so to ‘protest’ the horrid reality he, his wife, 11-year-old daughter and toddler face day in and day out
Wiken is so passionate about trying to clean up his city that he has personally spoken to Mayor Daniel Lurie (pictured in February) twice, but he now refers to him as ‘wishy-washy’ because he hasn’t worked to solve the growing issue
In response to his concerns, Wiken said Lurie just told him it’s ‘unacceptable’ and that he ‘will work on it.’ He now refers to Lurie as ‘wishy-washy’ as he has not followed through with his promise.
When describing what it’s like to wake up every day and experience the hellish place he calls home, Wiken said it’s like having a ‘front row seat to a political sh** show.’
He once identified as a liberal like many others in the Golden State, but after enduring this nightmare Wiken said he’s now an independent.
‘I don’t even know what that [liberal] means anymore,’ he said.
Since moving to the area, he has seen a large spike in the drug user population – going from about 25 when he first got there to now around 60 after the government started to clean up the Tenderloin district, leaving the junkies to relocate right on Wiken’s doorstep.
‘We’re just normal people dude. We just want to walk down to the store and buy cheese and not pass 20 drug addicts,’ the passionate father and proud Californian said.
In a message to those who attacked him for having his daughter experience their reality in the now-viral clip, Wiken said they will never understand what it all means until they step foot on his street and see for themselves.
The clip showed Wiken’s little girl trying to make her way down the block while also turning the camera directly at vagrants – one of whom appeared to have drug paraphernalia in his hand.
‘Go baby,’ his wife was heard saying to the girl. Wilken then told his daughter: ‘Keep going, you’re good!’
Wiken called on the San Francisco Police Department, Lurie, and District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder to check out the clip, while also branding them ‘not serious people’ in reference to the nightmarish conditions he and his family continue to witness.
Since moving to the area, he has seen a large spike in the drug user population – going from about 25 when he first got there to now around 60 after the government started to clean up the Tenderloin district. (Pictured: A drug addict on his block with paraphernalia in his hand)
Wiken, who frequently posts about the conditions outside his home, is seen with his family
‘My 3 year old baby,’ Wiken said. ‘We just got back to SF after 2 weeks in Guadalajara, I did not want to return.
‘This is where we live! Where is @SFPD @SFPDChief @DanielLurie @JackieFielder_. Our politicians are not serious people. Lock these drug dealers up and mandate jail or rehab NOW,’ the father added.
Commenters quickly dashed to his post and questioned why he would put his child in that situation in the first place.
‘This is awful – but surely there are much better places in the area to take a toddler to ride her scooter,’ one user told Wiken.
He then defended himself, stating this is where his family lives and what ‘real life’ looks like in the Bay Area.
‘This is our front porch, our sidewalk, we can’t leave, we live here. Are [we] supposed to go where richer liberals live?
‘This is real life in SF and these drug addicts need to be arrested and forced into treatment or face jail time.
Another wrote: ‘And you just got her walking the streets, not holding her hand all so you can get a video. Worst parenting I’ve ever seen.’
In late March, Wiken posted a video of himself outside his home while a man lay on the ground, surrounded by paramedics
To that, Wiken responded: ‘We are horrible parents for walking our daughter to the nearby park and escorting her while riding a scooter? Sorry that showing our reality makes you hate us.’
‘Pick your kid up bro,’ another told him, but Wiken said ‘kids have a right to play outside.’
‘I tried but she cried cause she wanted to ride her scooter bro. This is our block, we live above this. Kids have the right to play outside!’
Despite many people judging the father for letting his daughter play on the same sidewalk as drug addicts, others sided with him and agreed more needs to be done to stop the growing trend in the city.
‘Anyone who lives in the homeless, drug and dealing rotation zip codes knows nothing is being done. It’s sad that some residents think things are getting better when they’re not,’ a user said.
Someone else wrote: ‘That is awful, I’m so sorry. Not sure what you do for a living, but I’d get out of there. Anywhere. It seems SF doesn’t have the will to change this.’
This is not the first time Wiken has taken to social media to document the terrifying scenes right outside his house, as he posted a video of several children hanging on the sidewalk earlier this month.
A drug user is seen on the side of the street in the Tenderloin District surrounded by trash
Young children sat along the sidewalk, and one was seen enjoying a popsicle as Wiken zoomed on a large group of drifters just feet away.
‘This is how we protest. Sorry for the poverty porn,’ he captioned the post.
Certain parts of the city, including the troubled Tenderloin district, have become known for their squalor and misery, getting so bad that local businesses unable to recruit staff and residents have up and left.
San Francisco’s drug problem was also exacerbated by a new product hitting the streets last summer.
A drug called ‘soap’ – a diluted version of fentanyl that is overpriced and poor quality – caused an uptick in robberies, according to The San Francisco Standard.
The crisis has heavily impacted San Francisco’s retail scene, with the once-bustling Union Square being forced to close several stores due to theft.
Homeless people are seen passing a cigarette around in the Tenderloin District in April 2020
Lurie became the new mayor in November after beating former Mayor London Breed.
A political outsider, he promised to put the ‘city back on the right track’ from crime, drug use, and homelessness, using skills gleaned from running the Tipping Point charity he created in 2005.
Over 100 days into his tenure, Lurie recently told the Los Angeles Times he’s noticed a change as he works to clean up the city.
‘The vibe shift is, I believe, real in our city,’ he said. ‘There’s a sense of hope and optimism that people haven’t seen for a long time.
‘I have a lot of people saying, “I’m proud to be a San Franciscan for the first time in a while”. Now, I’ve always been proud. That’s why I ran.’
