by Kanishka Cheng on January 30, 2023 (BeyondChron.org)
Open-air drug markets must be shut down—Full Stop.
San Francisco has become synonymous with public drug use and sales, plentiful fentanyl, and daily overdose deaths. While city officials and departments continue to fight themselves, their failure to effectively respond to the drug crisis has led to visible suffering, violence, and addiction throughout the city. Those struggling with addiction and their families are victims, as are residents, businesses and tourists.
The impacts of the fentanyl-fueled drug crisis go far beyond city limits—we have a nationwide opioid crisis where overdoses are now the leading cause of death for people aged 18-45. The rate of overdose deaths in America is around 20 times the global average. Over the last two years in San Francisco alone, there have been 1,971 overdose deaths—almost two per day.
That’s why TogetherSF Action is hosting an event on Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30pm at 2505 Mariposa Street, focused on how we got here and what actions we as residents need to take next. The discussion will feature subject matter experts from different constituencies affected by the crisis, including Assistant Chief of Police David Lazar, Director of the Healthy Streets Operations Center Sam Dodge, and recovery community advocate Cedric Akbar.
Our experts will explain how San Francisco got here and what we can do together to demand action and change. You will leave with a clear understanding of this crisis, and what you can specifically ask our leaders to do to solve it.
We’re calling for the District Attorney and the Police Department to work together to reduce the drug supply by arresting and prosecuting dealers in San Francisco. They must also coordinate with law enforcement at the state and federal level to address cartels bringing drugs to the city. And, city departments need to work cross-functionally to make recovery the goal (even sometimes compelling treatment), giving users the chance to live healthy lives and shrinking the demand for drugs on the street.
Join the TogetherSF Action community in demanding the Mayor and Board of Supervisors prioritize closing drug markets through a plan of action that includes a serious push to get users into recovery, as well as a sensible law enforcement approach that will get dealers off our streets. Now more than ever, city leadership needs to give unified direction to city staff and agencies that closing drug markets is the number one priority—without a united front and strong call to action, the street-level misery will only continue to spiral.
To join the meeting, sign up here.
