San Francisco mayor declares emergency in troubled district

By DAISY NGUYEN
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mayor of San Francisco declared a state of emergency on Friday in the Tenderloin to bring down overdose deaths and violent crime in one of the city’s poorest and most drug-infested neighborhoods. Mayor London Breed said rapid drug intervention is needed because about two people a day are dying, mostly from fentanyl, in the Tenderloin and another central city neighborhood. She and other city officials say the emergency declaration will allow the city to cut through red tape and quickly provide shelter, counseling and medical care to people suffering from addiction. Last year, over 700 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco, compared with 257 people who died of COVID-19.