Wednesday evening, San Francisco leaders and community members gathered in the South of Market neighborhood to celebrate what they say is a step in the right direction in curbing overdoses and addiction. Alyssa Goard reports.
Wednesday evening, San Francisco leaders and community members gathered in the South of Market neighborhood to celebrate what they say is a step in the right direction in curbing overdoses and addiction.
They’re citing the city’s recent shift from tolerance of public drug use to pushing people towards recovery and accountability.
At Montesacro Italian restaurant on Stevenson Street, the advocacy group Druf Free Streets held a celebration to mark its first year of action.
The restaurant has been in the SOMA neighborhood for 11 years.
Owner Gianluca Legrottaglie, said shortly after the restaurant came to the area, “fentanyl came right after, and it became this devastating phenomenon, and now we are dealing with devastating consequences for letting it spread so widely.”
Legrottaglie said that over that time, he watched public drug use become more widespread and impact local businesses. He noted that many of the businesses that used to be on the street with him are no longer there.
However, he has noticed a recent change.
“Over the past year, there’s definitely been a dramatic difference with the conditions of the streets, especially these alleys around 6th street, especially with Jessie Street,” he said.
State Assemblymember Matt Haney, who represents San Francisco and lives in the Tenderloin, said he has also noticed a difference.
“It used to be in many of these blocks around here, there were people who were using drugs, selling drugs everywhere you looked, needles on the ground, and you’re not seeing nearly as much of that anymore,” he continued.
Haney, who used to represent San Francisco’s Tenderloin as a supervisor, explained that San Francisco has gone through a significant shift in approach during recent years.
“No more do you see San Francisco with an approach of, ‘Here, we’re going to give you a needle, we’re going to help you use in a safer way,’ no, it should be, ‘We’re gonna help you get off those drugs,'” Haney said.
Haney added that he is trying once again to pass a bill that would free up state funding to support drug-free housing.
At the city level, Supervisor Matt Dorsey is pushing forward legislation that would prioritize city funds for permanent supportive housing that bans onsite drug use.
Dorsey, who is open about his own recovery from addiction, was present at the celebration on Wednesday, as was San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Lurie praised the work of Drug Free Streets and of other community members who helped him learn more about recovery.
Lurie shared with the audience, “I have to tell you that I am a little emotional, because I spent a couple of hours last night doing a ride-along with our SFPD, and I went to Mission and 16th, and I went to 6th street, and I went through the Tenderloin, and,” Lurie paused, “we have a lot of work to do.”
“There are still way too many people openly using, suffering; they are in pain,” he continued.
Also speaking at the celebration on Wednesday was Amber Richmond, who described the years she spent openly using drugs in the streets.
“Every day revolved around getting high,” she explained.
Richmond said she currently works helping people to get housing through the very same system she had to go through.
“I can tell you, there are still major gaps for people who are trying to direct their own recovery, people who want to move forward, rebuild their lives, and create stability, beyond just surviving day to day,” she said.
Richmond emphasized that it took more than getting housing to help her break the cycle of addiction.
,”I want to be clear, though, compassion matters, housing matters, treatment matters, and people deserve dignity, support, and care, but recovery matters just as much,” she said.
“Housing alone was not enough for me, I’d been housed for 6 years, but only recently had I truly begun rebuilding my life through recovery,” she continued.
Legrottaglie said he wants to see the city and local advocates keep up the momentum on this issue.
“We don’t want to go anywhere, but we are asking for more support,” he said.