by Randy Shaw on February 27, 2023 (BeyondChron.org)
Stopping Out of Control Drug Scene
San Francisco must temporarily close UN Plaza. The drug dealers and illegal vendors in UN Plaza are completely out of control. The entire plaza would be fenced off with the exception of an opening on Hyde to access the Civic Center transit entrance.The Farmers Market would temporarily relocate to the nearby Fulton Mall.
Does this sound drastic? It is what the circumstances demand. Closing UN Plaza is essential if San Francisco is going to get its Civic Center, Mid-Market and Tenderloin neighborhoods back on track. A temporary closure gives time for stakeholders to develop a workable plan for a space that has not met its potential for decades.
UN Plaza Has Failed
UN Plaza is more populated by drug dealers than ever before. And that says a lot, since the plaza has long failed as a quality public space.
It’s a great spot when the Farmers Market is open. And the Mid-Market revival that began in 2011 brought ACT across the street and momentum for the plaza’s revitalization. Mayor Ed Lee sought to build on this energy by bringing in food trucks, music and kids activities for robust Friday Night Markets.
But those days are gone. And plans for UN Plaza’s transformation have always lacked funding. Unlike Civic Center Park—where Parks Director Phil Ginsburg got a philanthropist to fund two children’s playgrounds and also opened a café—UN Plaza never got the funds to make the plaza more inviting.
COVID devastated Mid-Market. UN Plaza was getting worse before the city’s disastrous decision to open a safe injection site in the area. Known as the Linkage Center, it made UN Plaza more lawless than ever. San Francisco spent $22 million encouraging drug activities. The Center killed prospects for attracting new positive investment in and around the plaza.
Drain on Police Resources
UN Plaza is a huge drain on police resources. Its closure enables police to focus on shutting down the longtime drug market at 7th and Market. UN Plaza’s closure also frees up more officers to target the 8th and Mission area, whose two open drug markets were recently closed but need ongoing attention.
Where Will the Dealers Go?
Some fear that displaced UN Plaza dealers will open up shop in their neighborhood. But as I recently wrote about the Tenderloin crackdown (“Can the Tenderloin Crackdown Be Sustained?”), disruption done correctly does not move dealers to nearby blocks. The Tenderloin crackdown has not led to the opening of new drug markets nearby.
The crackdown has cleared the two main drug markets at 600 Eddy (see photo above) and 300 Hyde for the vast majority of days. It has increased dealing on the 700 block of Eddy, which has long been a problem. It has also increased dealers on the 300 block of Golden Gate after 8:30 pm.—but that block had fifty-plus night dealers before the crackdown.
The Tenderloin crackdown has closed two large drug markets without dealers simply moving to previously drug-free blocks. The same impact will likely follow the closure of UN Plaza’s drug scene.
No Excuse for Inaction
It’s insulting to the residents, workers, businesses and others impacted by UN Plaza to argue that the drug scene should remain there as a quasi-containment zone. It’s also foolhardy and destructive to the city’s economy.
If we want people to attend theaters, museums, and other cultural events in Mid-Market, the Tenderloin or Civic Center, they must feel safe using transit at UN Plaza. That is not the case now. I suspect one reason San Francisco city government has so many job openings is that people don’t want to take jobs that require using Civic Center transit stations.
A Temporary Solution
UN Plaza should remain closed until a viable revitalization plan is in place. The minor adjustments pushed in the past—like the dog park and more food trucks—aren’t enough. There must be physical changes to the space that discourage open air drug dealing. The city must also work to ensure a positive and active presence in the plaza’s office buildings; this is key to its revitalization.
A mayor-board UN Plaza task force should be given a year to come up with workable ideas. I’m usually critical of task forces for becoming a substitute for action. But we need a process for stakeholder buy in that creates an implementable plan.
Closing UN Plaza may inconvenience some commuters. But those accessing Civic Center BART and MUNI will appreciate not confronting drug dealers as they head to their destinations.
Randy Shaw
Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s latest book is Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. He is the author of four prior books on activism, including The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. He is also the author of The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco
