On the night of October 16, Sixth Street in San Francisco experienced an unusual calm, a stark contrast to its usual chaos.
With the Dreamforce convention taking place, police presence surged, leading to a significant reduction in drug activity across the area, particularly around the troubled corners at Market Street.
However, just one week later, on the morning of October 23, the streets were buzzing with activity again.
Drug users and dealers thronged the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Market Street, overshadowing the brief respite the city had seen during the convention.
Visible drug transactions resumed under the watchful gaze of passing police, who were otherwise occupied responding to separate incidents nearby.
The organization of the Dreamforce convention, which attracted around 50,000 attendees to the city, included amplified police enforcement.
This operation was hailed as a success, with San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) reporting it as “one of the safest events on record.”
Yet, the temporary measures taken during high-profile events like Dreamforce reflect a recurring trend in San Francisco: a mobilization of resources that dissipates once public attention wanes.
Billy, a fentanyl user spotted on Market Street, commented on the situation, noting, “They’re just playing a game of cat and mouse. It’s not going to just go away.”
As the early morning hours of October 23 unfolded, chaos erupted at the intersection of Golden Gate and Market as a drug dealer openly conducted business while a customer began to overdose nearby.
The scene turned frantic as the man convulsed on the sidewalk, his friends rushed to help him, applying pressure to his chest while calling for assistance.
Despite their pleas, those around them cautioned against calling 911, wary of attracting law enforcement.
Just a block away, police were busy dealing with a different disturbance, leaving those in immediate danger with little support.
In a subtle act of defiance, the dealer quickly stashed his weighing scale and vanished into the crowd, unaffected by the chaos he contributed to.
Over the past two years, police have made significant arrests related to drug offenses, tallying over 7,500 drug-related arrests during the day.
However, officials and community members note that there is a marked decrease in police activity at night, allowing drug markets to flourish unchecked.
Randy Shaw, the executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, expressed frustration over the ongoing situation, saying, “I don’t quite understand why this situation is allowed to continue. The crowds are enormous… It should not be tolerated.”
In response to criticism, the SFPD acknowledged that they had increased police presence during Dreamforce and indicated that they would continue to deploy additional resources in an effort to dismantle open-air drug markets.
A spokesperson emphasized the ongoing collaboration with city, state, and federal law enforcement to tackle the growing fentanyl crisis, stating, “While we have seen major progress, we still have work to do, and the SFPD is committed to doing this work for as long as it takes.”
Fortunately, the man who overdosed on Golden Gate Avenue was revived by a bystander who administered Narcan, the opioid antidote, before the crowd resumed its usual activities.
The events of the past week illustrate the troubling cycle of drug activity in San Francisco, where resources are dynamically allocated based on the presence of notable events, yet ultimately fail to provide a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis.
As the city grapples with the reality of its drug epidemic, many continue to wonder what it will take for a sustained change to occur.
image source from：sfstandard
