What does it take to get arrested in San Francisco? There almost seems to be no limit to what some people can get away with. Joseph Adam Moore has been living in a tent across the street from a Catholic school for nearly two years. The fact that he was a convicted pedophile who’d spent several years in prison wasn’t enough to remove him. Moore really got attention this week when he placed a sign in front of his tent that read “Free Fentanyl 4 New Users.” Another sign read, “Meth For Stolen Items!”

California’s Megan’s Law website lists Moore as a San Francisco transient convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age in 1997 and released in 2002. San Francisco Superior Court documents show Moore has been arrested five times in the city since 2007 for allegedly failing to re-register his address as a sex offender every 30 days.

A Santa Cruz Sentinel article from 1997 reports Moore was convicted of molesting a 12-year-old girl in Santa Clara County before being released from custody and then having sex with a 15-year-old in Santa Cruz behind a set of bathrooms on Seabright Beach.

Moore’s most recent arrest on May 11 also accused him of committing a felony while on bail; The Standard was unable to obtain court records revealing what the felony was or what happened with the case.

Moore claims his child sex offense conviction was due to a bad deal with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office…

“Everything’s lies, and there’s no bigger lie than the justice system,” said Moore, who also displayed a sign that said police are corrupt.

How could a convicted pedophile remain on the street across from a school? Apparently he wasn’t considered a high risk.

Moore is apparently not considered a “high risk” offender, so he does not have to follow the rule to stay 2,000 feet away from any school.

SFPD Captain Chris Canning explains, “I was told that he is in compliance with all the components of what his sex registration are.”

Moore isn’t shy about the fact that he is trading drugs for stolen goods. He says those signs are sincere but also admits to enjoying the reaction he gets from the city:

“I’m like Bugs Bunny, when Elmer Fudd shows up to shoot him in the face with a shotgun,” Moore said with a smirk…

The advertisements for free fentanyl and meth marked an escalation. Residents snapped photos and posted them on social media, accusing Moore of bringing downtown street
conditions to a quieter part of the city.

According to Moore, that was the point.

“It’s happening, right? Why can’t I do it?” he asked, referring to the narcotics trade. “Is this sacred ground?”

but when police tried to catch him they found he had no drugs on him at that moment. But today, police finally decided to enforce rules about camping on the sidewalk. Moore was given an ultimatum to move it within one hour.

San Francisco police officers told Joseph Adam Moore to leave Ninth Avenue and Geary Boulevard by 12:15 p.m. Friday. Moore, 46, had already taken down his free fentanyl sign but refused to move. He has lived opposite the Stella Maris Academy K-8 Catholic school for the best part of two years.

“Go f*ck yourself,” Moore told police after 11 a.m. “You’re a corrupt piece of sh*t.”…

Minutes before the Department of Public Works was set to swoop in and remove Moore’s belongings, he moved them a few feet away and evaded city efforts to get him away from the school.

Moore was later arrested for violating probation related to another case of camping near a firehouse. So he’s finally off the street, however briefly. He also was involved in an altercation with a parent. He is claiming he was assaulted and the parent is claiming battery by Moore. Here’s an ABC 7 News story about the situation. Bottom line: It’s nearly impossible to get someone off the streets in San Francisco if they don’t want to go. Moore is right about one thing. If people can buy and sell drugs with impunity downtown, it can happen anywhere.