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Has there been an Olympics in the modern era (since WW2) where this didn't happen?
My thoughts exactly. Why wouldn’t they do that?
It's such a bad thing but indeed I think in every pre-Olympic they have this practice. And it's a pity.
Didn’t SF do this for some kind of summit of Asian politicians recently? I thought it was funny that a city known for claiming nothing can be done about encampments cleaned it all up overnight.
Yes. And also during the Super Bowl festivities in 2016. It oddly wasn't as sensational back then, but made some news.
What about their inalienable right to the patch of sidewalk directly amidst a major international event?
Blocking public infrastructure is a privilege of the rich.
Wow. I had no idea that the uncountable number of tents blocking my commute to work were in fact “the rich”! I wonder which one Bezos is in?
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Stunning lack of empathy (and a healthy dose of DRTFA) on display in the comments. The point isn't that undesirables get cleaned up during Olympics, it's that it's being done in a way that's not humane. There are support networks in place that people are being ripped out of and not being replaced.

> “They are hiding the misery under the rug,” he said. “If this really was a dignified solution to the problem, people would be fighting to get on the buses. They’re not. We are in the process of making life impossible for these people and those who support them.”

> Stunning lack of empathy

Which is very typical of HN and the tech community in general. Maybe the downturn will reset tech people's humility a bit.

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This happens for anything these days. dignitaries arriving. Even when the circus F1 is in town.