San Francisco holiday market plagued by ‘distress, drug abuse’

Footage of unsheltered individuals camped out round a “family-friendly” San Francisco holiday market underscored town’s homelessness epidemic.

In a 25-second clip posted to Twitter on Thursday, an individual is seen sleeping on the road underneath a blanket with syringes scattered close by simply exterior the Winter Wanderland market in Union Square’s Hallidie Plaza.

Two different apparently unsheltered individuals are seen on the outskirts of the open air market subsequent to their possessions as two individuals dressed as a snowman and reindeer danced within the practically empty plaza.

The footage was shared by a person who goes by “Old Fashioned SF Parent,” that shares content material to “raise awareness about collateral damage due to open-air drug scene, anti-kids conditions” within the metropolis.

“Misery, drug abuse, overdosing, drug dealing and mayor’s “Winter Wonderland” [sic] at Hallidie Plaza and Powell BART station at downtown San Francisco. Who is that this charade for?,” the person wrote, tagging The Daily Mail, which first reported on the clip.

“I am a property owner just above that Powell BART station,” the unidentified mom of two instructed the outlet.

“[I’ve seen a] horrible decline since March 2020. It’s a nightmare, it’s all drugs,” she continued, telling the outlet she and her youngsters deliberate to maneuver to the close by metropolis of Alameda.

“I have a love/hate relationship with the city. I don’t want to move but I have no choice.”

The scene the girl captured lacked the joyous environment promised by organizers and the native business alliance, who had touted a “cute festive spot with live performances, food, drinks, and shops for stocking stuffers” that additionally had “cute spots for photos.”

The “family-friendly” market ran via Christmas Eve, organizers mentioned.

City officers estimated that about 20,000 individuals have been homeless in San Francisco this year, or about one in each 40 residents, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

The metropolis had been besieged by retail theft amid downgraded shoplifting legal guidelines for the reason that pandemic and actual property costs had been falling over the previous year within the notoriously costly metropolis as many tech employees continued to work remotely.