San Franciscans arm themselves with BASEBALL BATS and stun guns on their walks to work past notorious drug sobriety centers for fear addicts will attack them
- San Franciscans in the SoMa neighborhood have started carrying defensive weapons after a “sobering” drug clinic moved into the neighborhood
- The SoMa RISE clinic opened in June and San Francisco Mayor London Breed described it as a place for addicts to get back on their feet
- Locals say the clinic has only brought droves of dangerous drug addicts to the neighborhood
- The CEO of HealthRight 360, which operates the clinic, said residents’ complaints have been heard but resolutions will take time
San Francisco commuters are arming themselves with baseball bats and stun guns after a newly opened drug “cooling-off” facility has drawn crowds of violent drug addicts into a previously peaceful neighborhood.
Residents of the SoMa neighborhood in northeast San Francisco are outraged, saying “troublemakers” have plagued the neighborhood since the SoMa RISE drug sobriety center opened in June.
Local residents told Fox News that the center has done little more than curb drug use than to attract heavy users to the neighborhood.
With these users comes crime, local residents said, throwing a hazard across the neighborhood.
The center opened with help from Democratic San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who described it as a safe haven for addicts looking to get back on their feet.
San Franciscans in the SoMa neighborhood have started carrying defensive weapons after a “sobering” drug clinic moved into the neighborhood
The SoMa RISE clinic opened in June and San Francisco Mayor London Breed described it as a place for addicts to get back on their feet
The office of Mayor Breeds characterizes SoMa as a “safe indoor space” for addicts to “get off the streets” and regroup and “stabilize.”
But SoMa resident and business owner Mark Sackett said things weren’t going nearly the way the city intended.
“They let their clients come out of here and get high, go in and get sober, and then get high again,” Sackett told ABC7.
Another resident, identified only as Ghis, gave a similar account to ABC7.
“More troublemakers have settled down, are comfortable doing their drugs, peeing and s****ing in the streets, and blocking the sidewalks,” Ghis said, adding that the neighborhood was going through ‘a time of madness.
Another local named Bill said the problems started when the center opened and since then he has wondered if he was in danger every time he left home to go to work.
“Every morning it’s a roulette. If you show up at your office, will 10 people pass out in front of your building?’ he said. “Will they be violent? Before HealthRight 360 moved in, that was never an issue.”
“If you ask me, it should be closed and there should be other approaches to the homelessness and drug problem we’re all facing,” Bill added.
Locals say the clinic has only brought droves of dangerous drug addicts to the neighborhood
Homeless drug addicts on the streets of San Francisco. Residents of the SoMa neighborhood say a new sobriety clinic has made the problem worse
When the center opened in June, Mayor Breed said the center would make a difference in the lives of “all San Franciscans.”
“Our city is experiencing a drug use and mental health crisis that is sadly affecting far too many residents,” she said. “As we continue to face the challenges on our roads, we must do everything we can to focus our resources and our efforts on those who need them most.
“The opening of the SoMa RISE Center will not only provide a safe place for those in need, but also brings us one step closer to making a difference in the lives of these people and the lives of all San Franciscos.”
At least $4.2 million has been allocated to the center by taxpayers for 2022 and 2023, according to ABC7.
Vitka Eisen, CEO of HealthRight 360 – the company that operates the center – asked locals to do so ‘be patient with us.’
“We can’t fix everything, but we’re part of it,” Eisen said. “A slice of the city trying new things to respond to people suffering from homelessness, street drug use and mental illness.”
