WATCH – DRASTIC ACTION –
Dec. 24, 2021 – “We know this increase in police presence will disproportionately impact Black and brown unhoused community members who — due to lack of dignified housing options — are forced to live out their private lives in public space,” a statement from COHSF read. “The Tenderloin, in particular, has poor housing stock, such as tiny rooms without living rooms, and many residents spend much of their day outdoors. Police have limited tools to address socioeconomic issues — mainly weapons, enforcement and arrests — and they already have a heavy presence in the neighborhood. Inevitably, the prospect of an intense police crackdown on the neighborhood will lead to displacement of unhoused people and sweeps of homeless encampments.”
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is also not on board.
“Jailing people who have mental health struggles, putting who are vending hot dogs and other people in cages will not solve this problem. They are not the only options available to us,” Boudin said. The declaration only applies to the Tenderloin, using the boundaries used by the San Francisco Police Department’s Tenderloin District. The border is visible in this map.
