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San Francisco Sued Over 'Deplorable Conditions' Throughout City Streets from Rampant Homelessness

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A San Francisco neighborhood, along with the UC Hastings College of the Law, has sued the city of San Francisco over for the "deplorable conditions" throughout the streets and sidewalks from the homeless population.

Residents, business owners, and the law school cited the Tenderloin District's contaminated and unsafe conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak, KPIX-TV reports.

The lawsuit, which was filed last week against the city, is asking for the tents to be removed for the safety of the homeless and those who live and work around them. 

"Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the de facto policy of the City and County of San Francisco to use the Tenderloin community as a containment zone had resulted in a dramatic decline in the livability and safety of the neighborhood," the complaint reads. "The deplorable conditions tolerated by the City in the Tenderloin are not permitted in other neighborhoods in San Francisco."

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UC Hastings College, which occupies several locations within the Tenderloin District, said it has spent thousands of dollars on increased security and on cleaning services since the beginning of COVID-19.

"Litter and used needles are found every day around the Hastings parking garage. Human feces and urine are found in the doorways," Hastings said in the complaint. "Staff have to escort the homeless out of the garage regularly. Thieves break into cars."

During a public appearance in April, San Francisco Mayor London Breed explained that the city's homeless crisis would not be resolved during the pandemic.

"We know that there are a lot of frustration and emotion attached to what we know is a real homeless problem in our city," Breed said. "We are not going to be able to solve our homeless problem in San Francisco with this crisis. We cannot deviate from what information we have and what systems we are putting in place in order to address this challenge and really, truly flatten the curve. This is our ultimate goal."

Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, has supported Mayor Breed's efforts during COVID-19 but is troubled by what is happening to Tenderloin District.

"I don't know of any place in America where health mandates are so flagrantly violated as in the Tenderloin," he said. "It hasn't sunk in that we're in danger."

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.