San Francisco leaders' drug crisis hearing ends abruptly in UN Plaza
Contentious supervisors hearing, featuring Mayor Breed on opioid crisis, ends abruptly
City leaders in San Francisco were part of a contentious hearing Tuesday that ended abruptly. The rare open-air meeting focused on the citys drug market and fentanyl crisis. Mayor London Breed made an appearance as requested by the board of supervisors. The meeting quickly devolved into heckling and even a brick thrown before it was moved back indoors.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - San Francisco supervisors and the mayor met in a rare outdoor meeting Tuesday to discuss the open-air drug markets and the fentanyl crisis plaguing the city.
A crowd gathered in UN Plaza for what became a contentious meeting between city officials and the public that ended abruptly.
"I agree this is not a new problem, but it is one that has become so visible that many San Franciscans do not feel safe," Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said.
City leaders have been fielding frustrations and concerns from community members over the challenges brought on by the drug epidemic. UN Plaza was chosen for the hearing because of its notoriety as a place of widespread drug use.
Mayor London Breed was called before the supervisors to publicly answer questions about what’s being done to combat the problem.
"We have tried over and over again and what we are doing is not working," Breed said. "In fact, our local resources have increased, but it has not dealt with the problem based on the magnitude of what we’re experiencing."
Some community members could not hold back and began shouting and yelling at city officials or blaming the mayor for increasing open-air drug dealing and using.
The mayor attempted to respond to Peskin’s question about how she would tackle the problem but was met with heckling. Breed asked to answer questions in a different forum.
Within 15 minutes of the board of supervisors’ meeting beginning, it was called to recess and reconvene in the chamber at City Hall.
While some supervisors were still in the plaza, officials said a protester threw a brick toward the stage and it hit a young person.
No one was seriously hurt, and the protester was quickly arrested and taken to jail by police.
"The attack on a young person in the plaza today when a violent protester threw a brick is only another tragic example of how we are losing control of our public spaces," Peskin said. "If we can’t guarantee everyone's safety when the mayor and her security team are present – we have lost control of our public realm."
With tempers flaring, supervisors and the mayor agree now is the time for action.
"We have some proposals that are on the table that will work with adult probation and the sheriff’s department," District 11 Supervisor Asha Safai said. "If you are an addict, if you are on the verge of overdosing…we can compel people into treatment," he said.
Some community members have demanded more attention on racial disparities and those directly affected by the crisis.
Phelicia Jones, founder of Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community said there needs to be Black community voices at the table since many live in the neighborhoods where addicts and drugs run rampant.
"What politicians in San Francisco need to do is take harm reduction off the books and go back to an abstinence-based program as it relates to substance abuse," she said.
Breed said it will take collaboration among several city departments and leaders to curtail open-air drug use.
"We want to get people help, but we will not allow things to just occur as they have been," said Breed. "I am putting everything on the line."
Brooks Jarosz is a reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @BrooksKTVU