Smokers' Alley

Smoking cigarettes is a disgusting act.  And smokers are, by definition, disgusting people.  I say this not only because I find it hard to believe that anyone in this day and age would actually smoke, given the uncontroverted health risks – to everyone, associated with smoking but because of what I see smokers doing with their used cigarettes and packaging everyday. 

Near my office there is a street that runs approximately eight blocks and is mostly  blocked-off to motorized traffic.  If it were not for the restaurants located on the street, it would be best described as an alley.  Most of the buildings that line the street face out onto another traffic laden street.  As a result, the smokers employed in those buildings come to the rear of their building to smoke.  This creates a alleyway of obnoxious and, quite literally, deadly fumes.  If you walk along the street at virtually any time during the weekday, there is haze of cigarette smoke that lingers until the breeze takes it away. 

What is amazing about this alley is early in the morning on my way to work the street is nearly clean.  After work, when I walk back up the street it is literally covered with cigarettes butts ground into the sidewalk and the street.  You can’t place your foot anywhere on the sidewalks on either side of the street or nearly all of the paved area of the street without stepping on a cigarette butt.  All the benches and flower pots that line the street are filled with cigarette butts and discarded cigarette packages.  Everywhere is littered with empty cigarettes packages or Cellophane wrappers all discarded by these delightful, ignorant and disgusting people. 

I often wonder what these fools think?  They, apparently, do not think this is disgusting behavior.  I can only assume they demonstrate this despicable behavior elsewhere.  They litter the streets, sidewalks, stores, parks, or whatever, where ever they live or travel.   And why is this tolerated?  If I and my friends routinely dumped our coffee cups out on the street everyday after we had our fix of coffee, we would, rightly, be given a ticket for littering or, better yet, arrested.  Yet, here in San Francisco and no doubt everywhere else in this country, these inconsiderate slobs are allowed to deface public property and destroy the beauty of everyday places that the rest of use might want to enjoy. 

When the City ultimately bands smoking on any city street, as has been lately discussed, I will be the first the sing their praises.