San Francisco, CA
Hundreds attend divided rally ahead of court battle over clearing SF encampments
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The issue of homelessness in San Francisco went before three federal judges on Wednesday morning.
City officials are appealing an order that temporarily blocks them from clearing homeless encampments.
However, before the city battled in court, hundreds showed up for a rally over removal efforts.
Federal judges to hear San Francisco’s appeal regarding encampment removal
The issue is certainly divisive. Even those who showed up at the early rally were split with an overwhelming majority of hundreds throwing their support behind the city. They want the injunction lifted, demanding safer streets.
Dozens of others want the injunction to stay in place.
As it stands, the order is currently keeping the city from clearing encampments as long as the number of people experiencing homelessness is greater than the number of available shelter beds.
Here’s where there’s disagreement- the city says those on the street won’t take the help and are refusing shelter.
VIDEO: SF crews making a difference cleaning homeless encampments, but here’s what’s slowing them down
However, the Coalition of Homelessness said that isn’t true. Instead, they claim the city only has enough shelter beds for half the unhoused population, and that the city is simply marking people down as “refusing” shelter.
“There’s a constitutional right to be on the streets if the city cannot provide housing, if the city cannot provide sufficient services,” Jeffrey Kwong, President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, told ABC7 News
The latest Point-in-Time Count from 2022 found that 7,754 people were experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
According to the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, there are almost 3,100 beds across 46 shelter sites. City data shows the shelters are 92% full.
VIDEO: Former SF Mayor Frank Jordan criticizes London Breed’s approach to solving homeless crisis
“There’s so many homeless people on the street, it’s really affecting our city and business is going down. So it’s affecting everybody’s life,” Resident and volunteer Kathy Wu said.
It’s unlikely judges will make a decision on Wednesday. However, many in the community admit they are frustrated and angry over what they consider a lack of any action.
Mayor London Breed rallied among residents and other city leaders to reverse the injunction.
“It is not humane to let people live on our streets in tents, use drugs,” she exclaimed. “We have found dead bodies, we have found a dead baby in these tents. We have seen people in really awful conditions and we are not standing for it anymore!”
“We are compassionate, we are supportive, we continue to help people, but this is not the way,” she said in front of a crowd. “Anything goes in San Francisco is not the way!”
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
What’s New
Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.
The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.
Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.
Justin Sullivan/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Why It Matters
The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.
The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.
What To Know
Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.
The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.
This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.
What People Are Saying
Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.
What Happens Next
Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.
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