SF SoMa shopkeeper sees little change from latest drug crackdown
SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco grocery store owner said by and large there have been no major changes to the downward spiral he's witnessed in SoMa, despite recent crackdowns.
In fact, 71-year-old Gilles Desaulniers says since stores have gone out of business nearby, he's run into even more trouble inside his 8th Street market.
He said he drives a block and a half to work every day, because he says he doesn't feel safe walking past drug and other criminal activity in his neighborhood. Desaulniers has run his grocery store for 20 years
When he gets to Harvest Urban Market, it's not exactly a safe haven.
"A woman came in and she was causing a lot of problems and we tried to get her out of the door. She was carrying a metal water bottle and she tried to hit people with it, and then she threw it at the windows," he said of an incident that happened on Thursday.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a partnership with the CHP and state National Guard to take down organized drug dealing operations.
He announced that in its first six weeks, CHP officers seized 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Tenderloin and nearby areas, enough to kill nearly three times the city's population.
Officers also made 92 arrests related to fentanyl possession, illegal firearm possession, DUI and domestic violence.
"It's still the same to me, it's still the same to me and more store closures are happening. People don't want to invest in the city, people don't trust the city government and its decisions," he said.
"I think there might be a few less people on Mission Street near 7th, the federal building, but there's still quite a few people, and I think a lot them are being pushed into the side alleys, South of Market," Desaulniers went to say.
He shared video of his view from his home on any given night. In the last six weeks, since the announcement of major closures including Whole Foods, he's seen even more shoplifters every day.
"I would say ten to 20-30 times a day," he said of shoplifting incidents.
Desaulniers lost track of how many times he's been assaulted, threatened, even bitten by shoplifters. One attack left a tendon in his hand permanently damaged.
He believes the market's bathroom is still being used for drug transactions or worse.
"For me, the city's enabling, they're the enablers, they're giving people the money and getting all these drug dealers around, we're just aiding and abetting the problem," he said. "And until that stops, we become victims."
Meanwhile, the governor said he's proud of the state's efforts to hold drug dealers accountable, and the early results show promise.
"I would rather be at my age in a place that's saner, little more sane and a little more pleasant," he said. "And the other thing is you invest a lot of time and energy in your city, I love this city, but it doesn't represent me anymore."
