San Francisco residents have expressed fury over a controversial city program that will provide free alcohol to homeless alcoholics, raising concerns about its potential impact on the city's already-precarious state.
San Francisco, a city plagued by homelessness and rampant drug use, has sparked outrage with the approval of a new program that will allocate taxpayer dollars to provide free alcohol to homeless alcoholics. The controversial measure, unanimously approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, has sent shockwaves through the community, with residents expressing a mix of anger and disbelief.
The program, touted as a "harm reduction" strategy, aims to reduce alcohol-related deaths among the city's large homeless population. However, critics argue that it will only exacerbate the city's addiction crisis, attracting more homeless individuals to the already-overwhelmed Tenderloin district.
San Francisco's Free Alcohol for Homeless Alcoholics Program Sparks Outrage
"That's bull," said one San Francisco resident interviewed by Fox News contributor Sara Carter. "They're not helping these people, they're just making the problem worse."
In a desperate attempt to curb crime and drug use in the Tenderloin district, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors also approved legislation Tuesday to institute a curfew on certain businesses. The curfew, which will last two years as a pilot program, prohibits businesses in the Tenderloin from selling prepackaged food or tobacco products between midnight and 5 a.m. Liquor stores will be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m., but must close by 5 a.m.
San Francisco's Free Alcohol for Homeless Alcoholics Program Sparks Outrage
San Francisco Mayor London Breed defended the curfew, stating that it is "a good example of turning community feedback into real action." However, some members of the police force and local community have opposed the measure, arguing that it will only drive drug activity underground.
"Our challenges still occur at night," said Assistant Chief David Lazar, in an interview with KTVU when the curfew measure was first proposed in April. "Crowds of people that are there selling stolen property, selling narcotics. We have drug users all over. And the problem is that when you have businesses that are open, like liquor stores and smoke shops, it just attracts more people."
San Francisco's Free Alcohol for Homeless Alcoholics Program Sparks Outrage
Multiple businesses in the Tenderloin district have complained about the homelessness and drug crisis in recent years, stating that running a business in the city has become increasingly difficult. A recent study by WalletHub found that San Francisco is the "worst run" city in the U.S., citing its ineffective leadership and poor management of city services.
Breed's office defended the mayor's policy actions to reduce drug use in San Francisco in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Mayor Breed has taken aggressive steps to shut down open-air drug markets and that is why she established the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC) in May 2023," the statement read. "Since May 28, 2023, SFPD has seized over 225 kilos of narcotics and made more than 3,400 arrests related to drug activity in these neighborhoods."
Despite the mayor's efforts, the city's homeless and drug crises continue to spiral, leaving residents feeling frustrated and unsafe. The free alcohol program, coupled with the new business curfew, has reignited the debate about how to effectively address these complex issues without exacerbating the underlying problems.
