A San Francisco courtroom has become ground zero in the fight over repeat offenders, as 91-time felon Troy McAlister seeks to dodge decades in prison by entering a state-sponsored rehab program. His request — under California’s controversial Penal Code §1001.36 — has reignited public anger over the city’s lenient justice policies that critics say protect criminals over communities.
McAlister’s attorney asked the court Friday to consider “mental-health and substance-abuse diversion,” which would let the career criminal receive treatment instead of prison time. But furious residents protested outside the Hall of Justice, demanding accountability for the man accused of killing two innocent pedestrians during a 2020 New Year’s Eve “methamphetamine-fueled rampage.”
“91 felonies, 2 deaths, No more chances,” read signs outside the courthouse. Scotty Jacobs, director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, captured the outrage: “Troy McAlister has demonstrated that despite being given that opportunity multiple times, he has continued to pose a threat to San Franciscans, and we believe he needs to be in jail.”
McAlister’s case — emblematic of soft-on-crime policies once championed by ousted DA Chesa Boudin — has revived debate over restorative justice in California’s deep-blue cities. After the fatal crash, Boudin admitted his office had missed warning signs, saying, “Every single law enforcement agency that has had contact with Mr. McAlister wishes they had done something different that might have prevented this tragedy.”
Under DA Brooke Jenkins, prosecutors are pushing back, arguing that justice must outweigh leniency. For many residents, McAlister’s case proves what they’ve long believed: San Francisco repeat offenders have turned compassion into chaos — and the public is paying the price.
