Paul,

This tremendous article just confirmed what I have suspected most of my adult life--PEOPLE IN SAN FRANCISCO ARE COMPLETE MORONS!!! I can't think of one other situation where 50 people can be saved every year by erecting something that may detract from the appearance of a structure. Are you kidding me? Life is not as important as beauty.. These people must be under some sort of trance--that is the only way to explain it. Counting down deaths on the radio??? I think SF offers a lot of positives to our Country by not complying to the so called norms of society, but this is absurd. We spend millions every year to save a couple hundred from Lou Gehrig's, but they won't build a barrier to prevent people that desperately need help. You'd think that after the guy tossed his three year old off before jumping himself would have changed matters!! She had no choice. They have to end this NOW!!! Man am i pissed off...

I live less than a quarter of a mile from the South end of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's part of the reason I still go running. The view from Crissy Field of the bridge and the bay is amazing. I guess I can understand the allure of the bridge for people who are suicidal - for someone who thinks they may have all these problems, the beauty of the view from the bridge could provide some sort of rush for someone with an obvious mental imbalance and cause them to do something stupid (like jumping).

On the other hand, there is a part of me that firmly believes in social darwinism. Has it gotten to the point that we need a warning label on a toaster telling people not to use it in the bathtub? The biggest fundamental problem in this country is that people are not held accountable for their own actions. "It's not my fault, it's someone else's". I'm all for preventing people from jumping, but you can only do so much. Sorry if it sounds cold, but at some point I think you have to say, "Fuck it - you wanna jump? Jump". Too often we as a country try to bend over backwards to help people who are so extreme in the disavowment of their personal responsibility.

TT,
You make some very valid points yet fail to mention the allure that seems so pervasive among the Golden Gate Jumpers. THEY GET PUBLICITY!! The only way to stop this sick phenomenon is to build a barrier, because ending the publicity is an exercise in futility. The duty of all public servants is to protect their constituency, not preserve the beauty of a piece of a metal that spans two points. Think about it... SF is going to be beautiful no matter what. From the people to the ballfield to the Bay.. If people want to kill themselves let them do it where nobody cares, because it seems as though the whole city cares when they jump....

Jeff,

I think you make some valid points as well. I can tell you, that as a resident for the last ten years, there has been a huge drop in the publicity of bridge jumpers. So much so I was shocked to read about the number of jumbers in Paul's article. It's something you never hear about anymore. I think the last time I saw a mention of a jumper in the paper, it was about a year ago and it was buried in the back of one of the Sunday supplemental sections.

I'm less inclined to feel sympathetic for some moron who jumps for publicity. These people are idiots, and I can't put them in the same group as those who suffer from a psychological disorder that would make them suicidal.

A HUGE reason California has a homeless problem can be traced back to when Reagan was governor and cut a lot of funding for state-run mental hospitals. These people were just turned out onto the streets and expected to fend for themselves.

TT,

Very interesting...I think i probably wouldn't have cared about it but the story of the guy throwing his daughter off really hit home for me. I guess the article did what it was supposed to do--convince the non-residents that SF has a major problem. Chalk one up for sensationalism. I took the bait. I still believe there is probably a simple solution to the problem that will appease both sides.

Also, what is the percentage of jumpers that are homeless--is there a correlation. If so please elaborate or point me to some article to clear my conscience. The imagery in my mind points to the teenager, the realtor, and the aforementioned case. The numbers are still mind-boggling. One every two weeks on average is too many.

By the way, does that DJ still have his job...I sure hope not..

Jeff

The 39th and Sixth link is histerical, why even bother with the Manhattan theme. Plus I thought the whole point was that these girls were not models- a quick glance shows a Laker girl, Bud girl, and a handful of models... Sure, just your average chicks from the block. lame.

I was one of the crew who had to pick up that young girl and her father. It won't make any difference to built barriers, people will always find a way. FYI Jeffcaw, most of the people who jumped weren't from San Francisco. Once again, like most people, your focus is on the wrong issue. There should be more effort commited to help prevent people from getting to the point of suicide, not on trying to blame it on the bridge or the area. When I worked at that job I found that just saying a friendly hello to a complete stranger can make the difference. In fact it's everyone focus on our differences and focus outside of ourselves that causes so much turmoil. No, most of the people that jump are not and were not homeless. They were people just like you. Some with everything material one could ever want, some with lifeending diseases, some very young, some very old, all walks of life. The people who jump are not in some sort of trance. In fact they are calling out for help until the final second. Most cases of those who jump are on East side (facing the city), in the midspan of the bridge, on a very clear day, around noon. All of the people that we worked with explained it to be their last call for help. People want to be understood. Educate yourself fully before coming up with an opinion about a subject. I did that job for a decade. I've picked up more than you will ever know. TTman's attitude of "fuck it, let them jump" is why we are having this discussion. This country shouldn't bend over backwards to help those who want to commit suicide. This country should bend over backwards to prevent people from ever getting to that point. It seems easy for you all to say who cares if they jump. I, for one, am someone who cares. People who jumped off affected my life tremendously. Try doing what I did for 10 years then you can state how you feel. Building an anti suicide bridge is such bullshit. That will attract even more attention. It's just like pretending there is such thing as preventative medicine. There would be a lot less need to help people with thier health if we were taught from early on more about our bodies. If the healthcare industry really cared they would help banish 90% of the food we eat. Again, all of this further proves that we live in a reactive society. Leave the bridge alone. If all of you would put this much energy into helping people not getting to a point of such great despair then things would start to change. People could go to see the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and think about how much they appreciate being alive.