Residents, Businesses Can Sue San Francisco Over Tenderloin’s Drug Proliferation, Judge Rules

The plaintiffs—five anonymous residents and two hotels—argue that the city’s actions have led to crime, blocked sidewalks, and unsanitary conditions.

Retired chef JJ Smith, a Tenderloin resident whose brother died of an overdose, checks on the well-being of homeless drug addicts in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, on May 16, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Residents and businesses in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood can proceed with most of their lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco, a federal judge has ruled.

The plaintiffs allege that the city’s policies have turned their neighborhood into a “containment zone” for illegal drug activities, resulting in crime and unsanitary conditions that violate their rights.