Several San Francisco residents filed a lawsuit Thursday over city officials’ failure to stop rampant crime, homelessness and outdoor drug use. Associated Press report. The owners of the Phoenix Hotel and Best Western Road Coach also joined the lawsuit against the city.
The plaintiffs, who include five anonymous residents and a hotel manager, claim the Tenderloin has become a “containment zone” for illegal activity. They argued that even though city officials have prevented homeless encampments and open-air illegal drug markets from spilling into neighborhoods, they are allowing them to continue in the Tenderloin.
The group’s lawsuit asks the city to clean up the neighborhood’s poor conditions. Plaintiffs are not seeking monetary damages.
Matthew Davis, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said, “Plaintiffs are seeking an end to rampant illegal street vending and the filth and misery that exists throughout their neighborhoods. People in the throes of addiction… “The city has decided that it doesn’t matter whether they live or die.” On the streets of the Tenderloin. ”
davis said KABC“Every day, every day, people are dealing drugs and using drugs in front of our eyes. [the plaintiffs’] Apartment. There are also encampments. People are lighting bonfires. Their sidewalks are stained with all sorts of problems, from used syringes to human waste. ”
One anonymous plaintiff, called Jane Roe, explained that drug dealers often roamed outside the building where she lives with her two young children. Ms Lowe claimed she witnessed “patrons openly injecting drugs and smoking” and “someone who appeared to be unconscious or dead”.
Susan Roe, an elderly woman who is a plaintiff in the case, said in her complaint that sidewalks in her neighborhood are blocked by shopping carts and broken bicycles, making it difficult for her to get around using a walker. . Instead, she is forced to walk the streets, where she wanders around “excrement, used syringes, vomit, and trash.”
One hotelier claimed that hotels are having difficulty hiring staff due to the poor environment in the area. Phoenix Hotel has decided not to renew its lease for next year, citing issues surrounding the facility.
The nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless is also suing the city of San Francisco, alleging that the city’s mass cleanup of homeless camps violated individual rights.
In a statement to KABC, the City Attorney’s Office said, “While we understand and share the frustrations of Tenderloin businesses and residents, we believe that while the city strives to reduce crime, disrupt open-air drug markets, and address homelessness, , all of which are becoming compliant.” Preliminary injunction issued in Homeless Coalition lawsuit. ”
Democratic Mayor London Breed believes it was recently approved. Proposition E Increasing police presence and resources will curb the problems plaguing the Tenderloin area.
“While we have made improvements to our neighborhood, the Mayor understands the frustrations of residents and businesses in the Tenderloin and will continue to work to make our neighborhood safer and cleaner,” Breed’s office said in a statement. Stated.
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