'Taking Back the Tenderloin'

For Years, Tenderloin's Open-Air Black Market Has Operated Almost With Impunity

Retail ORC Leaders Have Been Pleading With SFPD, the DA's, and the Politicians For Years

There has been a lot of news coverage and filming of individuals selling stolen goods in broad daylight, within eye shot of police. And nothing was done.

We not only witnessed this ourselves but also spoke with a number of different retailers about their efforts to put a stop to it by meeting with various public officials. To no avail.

That is until the fentanyl over dose epidemic skyrocketed between 2018 and 2020. Rising over 483% - 519 individuals.

One article even quoted the DEA and said 'San Francisco is 'drowning in fentanyl.' on Sept. 28, 2021. With the Tenderloin being the leading most dangerous neighborhood for overdose deaths. With many of the deaths occurring outdoors and on sidewalks in front of buildings.

According to and SF Chronicle survey, published Nov. 21,2022, SF had the highest accidental drug overdose rate and second highest Fentanyl overdose rate out of the 10 large urban cities they examined. With Phildelphia being highest in fentanly and second in overall over doses. And D.C. being 3rd in both category's.

On Dec. 17, 2021, San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared an official state of emergency in the Tenderloin district to address the escalating epidemic and to tackle crime. And in January the Mayor opened The Tenderloin Center. Meant to provide medical and mental health assistance. Coupled with an ambassador program on the streets to hopefully have an impact on crime.

The Tenderloin area has the highest crime rate in San Francisco: 70% of the city's violent crimes, and around one-fourth of the city's murders, occur in this neighborhood.

This year the Tenderloin has seen a 39.7% increase in larceny theft, an 18.4% increase in robberies, and an overall 17.1% increase in crime as of Dec. 4, 2022.

They've even created a web page Reducing violent crime and drug sales in the Tenderloin, as part of Tenderloin Emergency Initiative data and reports

Here's the recent news and reports:

How SF's Black Market Thrives Off Retail Theft

'Taking Back the Tenderloin'
NBC News July, 2022: New San Francisco DA Vows to Clean Up the Tenderloin
Less than a week in office, new San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is vowing to clean up the Tenderloin, one of the roughest parts of the city. Velena Jones reports. nbc.com

SF Shuts Down Controversial Open-Air Drug Market: The Tenderloin Center
Business Owners and merchants have been pleading for SF to shut it down

‘There’s going to be bodies everywhere’:
Why S.F.’s streets are about to get even grimmer'
Lack of funding and a lack of political support the city closed the Tenderloin Center for good on Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least four overdoses were reversed in U.N. Plaza as former staff broke down the site. Soon, however, they’ll be gone. With no replacement in sight, overdose numbers will almost certainly rise once more.

For nearly a year, the Tenderloin Center served San Francisco’s unhoused and marginally housed people, many of whom use drugs. It also had a small area outside where people were permitted to use drugs with the support of staff who could respond to any overdoses. From Jan. 18 through Sunday, the center’s staff reversed more than 300. Overdose deaths dropped citywide accordingly, despite fentanyl’s rise.

“The overdose statistics will change back. January is going to be a tough month for this city. After Christmas and New Year, when resources get really scarce again, there are going to be bodies everywhere.”  sfchronicle.com

Editor's Note: For years 'The Tenderloin' has been a drug heaven, black market for stolen goods featured on various news channels, an ORC nightmare, where the police prefer not to make apprehensions. And the Center for all of it's good intentions had local business owners pleading with the city and the mayor to shut it down.

San Francisco shuts down $22M open-air drugs market after it referred less than 1% for treatment - Just 18 addicts out of 23K it welcomed in its first 4 months

World Famous for all the wrong reasons - Even the UK Papers Covering it

San Francisco's open-air drug market in the Tenderloin District has closed less than a year after opening to the public.

The site, opened by San Francisco Mayor London Breed earlier this year as a way to tackle the city's ongoing drug crisis, cost about $22million to operate.

The Tenderloin Center, an addiction services site was often referred to as a 'safe place' for addicts to 'get high without getting robbed,' according to one person who used the center.

In October, Breed signaled a U-turn in her approach to the city's rampant drug use by backtracking on some of her 'soft touch' ways.

Breed and others have not announced plans for a similar site at this time.

The closure, which debuted to mixed-reactions, now has some thanking the mayor while others criticize her for taking away what they say is a critical resource.

Others, however, described it as a massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

Many are cheering ecstatically at the site's closure after months of pleading with the city to shut down the market over security concerns to those in the area. dailymail.co.uk

The Tenderloin - San Francisco, CA - YELP
1 Review: San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood is one of our nation's most dangerous, filthy, and disgusting subdivisions. In the tenderloin, there is a very reasonable chance that you will be murdered.

This part of San Francisco is a vibrant microcosm of everything that is wrong in every big city in the United States. Yet plenty of families live right here. And it ain't cheap.

2 Review: Very horrible, dangerous part of San Francisco. Drug addicts everywhere....hundreds. needles all over the ground, very unsafe to go outside or even drive in a car. Do not live here or come here ever.  yelp.com