District 6 demands action on public safety and open‑air drug use
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District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, a recovering drug addict, has a no-tolerance policy on open drug use. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios
District 6 residents erupted with frustration earlier this week over perceived failures to deliver on public safety in their community.
Why it matters: The district, which includes SoMa, Mid-Market and parts of downtown, sits at the crossroads of San Francisco's biggest challenges — homelessness, crime and persistent street-level drug use — which have come to define the daily realities for people who live and work there.
State of play: Supervisor Matt Dorsey and Mayor Daniel Lurie, joined by top public safety leaders, fielded questions during a Strand Theater town hall from residents fed up with stalled progress on crime, addiction and street conditions in an area they say is absorbing more than its share of the city's crises.
- On Sixth Street, the daily tableau is unmistakable — people bent over in the familiar "fentanyl fold," trash-strewn sidewalks and foot traffic forced to navigate around clusters of drug users.
Between the lines: During Monday's hourlong Q&A, Dorsey — the city's resident sober czar who often speaks publicly about his past addiction and recovery — said San Francisco is "moving in the right direction" but not fast enough.
Police Chief Paul Yep said overall crime has dropped nearly 30% citywide but acknowledged that "the numbers don't matter if you don't feel safe in the street at the end of the day."
- He highlighted the need for more officers and reminded the crowd that the San Francisco Police Department remains 500 short.
Angry residents chimed in, challenging the panel to explain why the numbers sound better but the streets conditions aren't.
- Several people pointed to the daily reality: repeat break-ins, people entering buildings without permission, fights, drug scenes and slow or nonexistent police response times.
- Alex Ludlum, executive director of SOMA West CBD, described seeing someone pulled out of an apartment entryway by police — then released immediately — only to be seen smashing car windows hours later.
- "I believe that the culture of our police department is broken," he said. "I don't believe that really adding 500 police will do much if the work they produce is what we have now."
In an impassioned plea, Dorsey doubled down on his stance that San Francisco should not tolerate drug use on city streets and expressed optimism for the new involuntary sobering center opening next year at 444 Sixth Street.
- "We have to be better," Lurie added. "We in San Francisco view our city differently than we did a year ago, so let's stay relentless on this."
What's next: Dorsey aims to introduce a new ballot measure — Drug Free Sidewalks — next June that would expand law enforcement's ability to cite and arrest people caught using drugs openly and those under the influence.
- In the meantime, he's also introducing legislation to impose a curfew on corner stores and add more drug-free recovery options in permanent supportive housing.
The bottom line: "We have to give people who are coming here to use drugs three options — get sober, get arrested or get out," he said.