San Francisco, CA
‘We want our neighborhood back’: SF locals talk Tenderloin public safety with city leaders
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It’s been over three months since Governor Newsom announced the state was stepping in to help get drug dealers off the streets of the Tenderloin.
Many residents of the San Francisco neighborhood say they still feel unsafe.
On Thursday, the Saint Anthony Foundation held a town hall with city leaders, including the police chief and district attorney, to discuss safety.
“We got seniors that can’t or won’t come outside. We got children that can’t play outside anymore. We want our neighborhood back,” said longtime Tenderloin business owner Del Seymour.
MORE: SF now sending people to ‘drug court’ on 2nd drug arrest. Will it help get users into treatment?
It was a plea for greater public safety.
On Thursday, Seymour joined dozens at the St. Anthony Foundation in San Francisco to talk with city leaders.
The social services provider called for the community meeting, following rising violence in the area.
That includes a shooting several weeks ago not far from their front door.
MORE: San Francisco to receive federal assistance to combat drug trafficking
“In the same week, two people being shot and two people being stabbed really within easy walking distance here of Golden Gate Avenue and our building here. Two of them have died,” said CEO of the St. Anthony Foundation, Nils Behnke.
Besides violence, open-air drug markets were another big subject of discussion.
Both District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and law enforcement officials believe the solution to that has to be multifaceted.
However, they all say they think a form of deterrence has to be part of the equation.
MORE: SF mayor’s Q&A on drug crisis from UN Plaza cut short after pushback from public
“When addiction is that strong, people can’t make a rational choice for themselves to get into treatment. We have to help them detox and make the responsible decision,” Jenkins said.
Despite the concerns from some locals in attendance, SFPD Chief Bill Scott says his department is arresting more people than they have in years.
“We’ve almost exceeded where we were all of last year already,” Scott said.
That was something that was echoed by Jenkins, who says she thinks the courts are a big part of the problem of letting repeat offenders back on the streets.
MORE: Mixed reaction to Gov. Newsom’s plans to combat San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis
“It’s taking four open cases — so that means the police have to arrest the same person four times on average before the court will agree to hold them in custody,” she said.
The panel says the collaboration between their departments, as well as state and federal partners will ultimately make the Tenderloin a safer place.
A hope for Del Seymour, who thinks this neighborhood is worth fighting for.
“My California license plate says Tenderloin. That’s how much I love this community. I’m not going to let it go to waste like it seems like it is sometimes,” he said.
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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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