Urban Alchemy ambassador shot in San Francisco Tenderloin, source says
SFPD Generic
SAN FRANCISCO - A source tells KTVU that an Urban Alchemy ambassador was shot in San Francisco's Tenderloin Friday afternoon.
Police confirm there was a shooting on the 300 block of Turk Street at Leavenworth. SFPD Tenderloin posted to Twitter at around 3:30 p.m. that the shooting happened earlier and that an investigation is ongoing. San Francisco Chronicle reported the shooting happened at around 2 p.m.
Police did not confirm the victim was an Urban Alchemy street ambassador. KTVU's source did not have the condition of the male victim. The ambassadors are unarmed and have had an increased presence in the Tenderloin and along the Market Street corridor throughout the pandemic.
This is the second report of an Urban Alchemy ambassador being shot in the city in broad daylight this year. The other shooting happened at a city-sanctioned homeless tent encampment near City Hall in February.
Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit contracted by the city to keep a watchful eye on the streets and to enforce safety. They employ the formerly incarcerated and those recovering from substance abuse and addiction.
A recent 90-day state of emergency declaration for the Tenderloin by Mayor London Breed expired in March. It was imposed due to rampant drug dealing, open use, conditions of homeless on the streets and crime. When it came to pass, the mayor's office acknowledged there was still work to be done.