Drugs are killing the Tenderloin

We know the problem. We know the dealers. Why does nothing happen?

It is a general rule that to find solutions for difficult issues, you have to start by identifying the problem.

Luckily we’re good with that in San Francisco. Not that we don’t have plenty to choose from. There’s poverty, homelessness and crime for starters. And now there’s COVID-19 and a tanked economy. All of those are concerns.

But if you’d like to pinpoint a long-time, enduring, unending drag on the city . . . something that makes everything worse, ruins lives and kills the vulnerable, there’s only one answer.

It’s drugs.

The Chronicle’s Trisha Thadani had an alarming piece last week. In one sense we already knew the story. The opioid fentanyl is incredibly deadly, and it is causing rampant overdosing. The story says fentanyl was detected in 70 percent of the deadly overdoses in SF this year.

The numbers induced double takes.

In 2020, a total of 699 people died of a drug overdose in San Francisco. That is an increase of just about 60 percent.

Shocking? Wait for it . . .

Using numbers from the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project, Thadani reports on the use of the drug Narcan, which is used to pull someone back from an overdose. The total includes outreach workers, but also drug users who have access to Narcan (which they should), and can administer it to revive someone who has OD’d.

Narcan was used “at least 3,400 times,” this year.

Combine that with over 200 doses given by police officers, it is not a stretch to speculate that, without Narcan, over 3,500 could have died. (Although, sadly, some might be repeat OD’s.)

Now you will very sensibly point out that fentanyl is not just a local problem. Overdoses have swept the country, even in rural areas where you wouldn’t think heroin or fentanyl would be a concern.

And that’s true. But San Francisco some unique characteristics. As the Chronicle story says, “more than 40 percent” of the OD’s were in the Tenderloin or SoMa.

Which is no surprise to anyone who has been in the city for 30 minutes. Those neighborhoods are such obvious open air drug markets that even tourists can spot the deals taking place.

And it is the oldest cliche’ in San Francisco to look at the Tenderloin and say, “If other neighborhoods don’t have put up with drug dealers on their sidewalks why does the TL?”

And as often as people say it, it is still a great question. Why are residents in the center of the city, surrounded by high end shopping (pre-COVID) and City Hall, forced to put up with these dangerous, destructive dealers?

(Understand, we are not talking about drug users. I not only support a safe injection center, where users can inject in a safe medical facility, I think I was one of the first to suggest and promote it years ago. This concludes the patting-myself-on-the-back-portion of the newsletter.)

Unfortunately, when we follow the logic of clearing out the drug dealers, we end up on a familiar and well-worn path. The knee-jerk reaction is to say the police should be out there arresting people.

To which the SFPD asks: what do you think we’ve been doing?

Lately, some of the SFPD stations have been using their Twitter feeds to post deadpan, eye-rolling, what-are-you-gonna-do accounts of the daily drug war.

For example, here’s an entry from the Tenderloin Station last weekend:

“Operations by Officers from TL, Southern, Northern and Narcotics have resulted in five dealers in custody over the last 2 days. 4 of 5 booked are known/repeat dealers. One has been booked 5x in 7 months. 4 of 5 are violating SA (stay away) orders, (are) fugitives, have open cases and/or on probation.”

A later Tweet details an impressive confiscation of drugs including 75 grams of fentanyl. That is significant because even a few milligrams can be fatal.

And finally, a third Tweet noted that the sweep also picked up some other wanted fugitives, bringing the total arrested to nine. And the Tweet drops the mic with “To our knowledge none of the 9 booked in this operation live in the Tenderloin.”

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As we said at the start, this isn’t a case of not understanding the problem. Or not knowing who is causing the problem. These are professional dealers, often from the East Bay according to a former captain, who come to the TL to sell drugs, much of which is deadly.

And the cops know and recognize the dealers. They may have arrested them before. Maybe several times before. And yet the dealers are back out, selling on the street.

Some of the Twitter reports are almost comical. Two different suspects were arrested while wearing an ankle monitor. One, “a prolific auto burglar,” was not only wearing an ankle tracking device for three open cases, he is on probation for burglary. (Burglary, assault and shootings are all by-products of an active neighborhood drug trade.)

At this point, we are supposed to go on a rant about progressive D.A. Chesa Boudin. He’s become the radical punching bag for angry moderates who are fed up with crime.

And Boudin has made it easy for them at times. He’s going to be hearing about the case of multiple offender Troy McAlister for some time. McAlister was arrested twice after being put on probation for burglary, but the D.A.’s office declined to file charges. McAlister subsequently crashed his stolen car into two women in the city, killing them both.

Boudin has admitted — a little grudgingly, and with some finger-pointing — there were “missed opportunities” in the McAlister, case.

Not following up on McAlister was a mistake by Boudin. A deadly mistake.

Pro tip: you don’t have to read this newsletter to share it. Just hit the button here, send it over and make some vague comment about “a few good points at the end.” You’ll sound well read and chances are they’ll never call you on it. That’s ethical, right?

But it can’t just be Boudin. Drug trafficking was out of control in those neighborhoods before he was elected. There’s more to this: judges, the bail system, a confused prosecution of drug crimes.

But the simple fact is, what we’re doing — and have been doing for 20 years — isn’t working. Getting arrested for selling drugs in the TL is no deterrent.

What should be done? Well, even if the dealers aren’t forced off the street, confiscating product is worthwhile. The Tenderloin Station seized over 18 kilos of narcotics last year. That has some effect.

Following up on outstanding warrants, filing parole violations, enforcing stay away orders and making consequences for multiple offenses would all be helpful.

Because right now the city seems powerless, even with the problem right in front of us.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers.

All I have is one question. We asked it earlier:

If other neighborhoods don’t have to put up with drug dealers on their sidewalks why does the Tenderloin?

Contact C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@gmail.com. Suggestions and compliments gladly accepted. Complaints, not so much. Twitter: @cwnevius