DRUG SALES RAMPANT IN SAN FRANCISCO’S TENDERLOIN DISTRICT

Amid a nationwide crisis over drug addiction, a city known for its progressive, humanitarian self-image has become ground zero for open-air drug dealing. San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who sparked national admiration with her early and robust moves to contain COVID-19, is now confronting the drug overdose death rate in her long-challenged Tenderloin district. Drugs are sold out in the open in sidewalk alleyways and park areas, where the smell of urine permeates the air. Human waste, used needles, and bullet casings litter the sidewalks. The site is teeming with homeless people, many children, and armed dealers who hawk their wares at intersections.

A recent report by a forensic team found that fentanyl, an opioid so deadly it can cause an overdose within minutes or seconds of taking even a small amount, has played a role in every one of the city’s almost two overdose deaths a day this year. Most of those deaths have occurred in the Tenderloin and neighboring SoMa, which exploded in drug trafficking after COVID-19 emptied businesses and other spots where drugs are traditionally sold, leaving space that’s fertile territory for dealers.

The neighborhood is a magnet for migrants from Central America and Mexico, and drug deals are done in a gang-like atmosphere. Young boys on electric scooters act as lookouts, whistling to alert dealers if police are nearby. Several dealers told me that they were afraid if they were snitches or lost their supply of drugs or money, they or their family members would be killed. One dealer in his mid-30s said he was forced to give up his business and return to Honduras after a dispute with another dealer.

SFPD officials say they’re trying to crack down on drug dealers by increasing patrols and assigning officers to specific areas. But they acknowledge that the strategy won’t be effective until it’s backed by consistent enforcement of existing laws that are being ignored. The city has also stepped up its use of marijuana ordinances to punish people for illegally selling and possessing drugs in public places. But it’s unclear how much impact that will have. The rules make it possible to arrest for possessing small amounts of marijuana, but only if a police officer spots the person, and that’s rare.

A new group, Together SF Action, has been holding weekly meetings to discuss dealing with the drug problem in the Tenderloin. At the meeting on Wednesday, Kanishka Cheng, a leader of the organization, handed out templates for people to write letters to supervisors asking them to support police funding. The city faces a budget shortfall and needs more money to hire police officers. The letter asks supervisors to help the town request $18 million in new funds to increase policing efforts. City Hall’s board of supervisors is set to vote on the proposal next week.