A group of fed-up residents are suing a Democrat-run city for allegedly turning their neighborhood into a drug-ridden hellhole.
Five anonymous plaintiffs and three businesses have accused officials of transforming their district into a drug ‘containment zone,’ where ‘drug dealers openly sell narcotics on the streets.’
The lawsuit, which was reviewed by The Times, claims that the City of San Francisco ‘effectively drives fentanyl users into the Tenderloin area, with some organizations even providing drug kits to their sidewalk camps.’
One of the anonymous plaintiffs, identified as an immigrant housekeeper with two children, reported often seeing drug dealers and ‘users openly injecting or smoking narcotics, as well as people lying on the streets who seem unconscious or dead.’
The woman stated that drug users had ‘threatened her with knives and hammers’ and have set bonfires on the street, which worsened her daughter’s asthma. She mentioned that the drug users ‘threatened to cut her throat’ when she asked them to stop.
The Phoenix Hotel, one of the businesses involved in the lawsuit, reports that ‘individuals who appear to be gang members now openly sell fentanyl and other strong drugs,’ according to the filing.
A lawsuit filed by five anonymous plaintiffs and three businesses accuses San Francisco authorities of turning the Tenderloin district into a drug ‘containment zone’.
The suit cited the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s ‘harm-reduction’ strategy, which sees officials distributing drug kits to addicts
Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks during a Lunar New Year Celebration at City Hall in February
The complaint cited the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s ‘harm-reduction’ strategy, which sees officials distributing needles, pipes, straws and foils to addicts in order to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
The iconic hotel recently announced its decision to close, citing the untenable conditions of the neighborhood as one of the reasons why.
Claimants said officials turned the area into a ‘containment zone’ where the law does not apply and ‘drug dealers brazenly sell narcotics on the streets’.
They are not looking for a payout, but want a preliminary injunction that stops the city from distributing drug paraphernalia near their homes and businesses.
Mayor Daniel Lurie implemented a rule so drug users must receive counseling before they receive drug kits, but the claimants said it has made no real difference.
The city issued a statement addressing the lawsuit and stood by its practice of handing out drug paraphernalia to addicts.
‘The city has made great progress in reducing crime, disrupting open-air drug markets, getting people into treatment and addressing homelessness in the Tenderloin and across the city. We are reviewing the motion and will reply in court,’ said the city’s communications director Jen Kwart.
‘We firmly believe that lawsuits of this kind do not improve conditions on our streets. The courts are not equipped to step into the shoes of elected policymakers and voters in order to craft broad strategies to address crime, substance use and homelessness.’
The Phoenix Hotel is one of three businesses part of the lawsuit
Claimants said officials turned the area into a ‘containment zone’ where the law does not apply and ‘drug dealers brazenly sell narcotics on the streets’
Long known for its brazen open-air drug markets, chronic addiction, mental illness and homelessness, the Tenderloin neighborhood is also home to the highest concentration of kids in San Francisco, an estimated 3,000 children largely from immigrant families.
The crisis has heavily impacted San Francisco’s retail scene, with the once-bustling Union Square being forced to close several stores due to theft.
A huge Macy’s store which had been a fixture in the square since 1947 said last year that it would be shuttering its doors alongside 150 other ‘unproductive’ stores.
Daily Mail has reached out to the city for comment.
