Demonstrators demand protected injection web site in San Francisco — now
Lawyers planted 712 white flags in a meadow in Civic Center Plaza Tuesday night, each representing a death from an overdose in San Francisco last year. Side by side they carried signs: “Any overdose is a political failure.” “How many have to die?” “The price of waiting.”
It was the most recent public call for the San Franciscans to create safer injection sites, also known as supervised consumption points. These are facilities where people can consume pre-ordered medication while a trained staff is present to stop potential overdoses; Provision of guidance and equipment, such as B. a clean needle; to provide syringe disposal; and help guide people to treatment and social services.
A crowd of roughly 70 – including doctors, nonprofit staff and directors, nurses, city lawmakers, and community members – listened to the speakers, well-versed in overdose deaths, and insisted that the websites are needed now, especially given the number of overdose deaths across the city exceeded that of Covid last year.
“I’ve lost so many of my patients to overdose, so many of them – they were all loved, they all had families, they all had friends, and their deaths were preventable,” said Dr. Leslie Suen, a UCSF internal medicine doctor who works at San Francisco General Hospital.
Del Seymour, who was a drug addict for 18 years before founding the nonprofit Code Tenderloin, added, “There’s a sentence on the street that is modeled after the movie Gone in 60 Seconds – that happens out there. From the time you stick the needle and if it’s not the right stuff, you’ll be gone in 60 seconds. I’ve seen it. Many, many times. Too much time. That is real.”
The protesters urged San Francisco officials to build the sites in disregard of federal and state laws that restrict them. The demonstration took place on August 31, Overdose Awareness Day, and was organized by the Safer Inside Coalition, a group of nonprofits, community organizations, activists, and others including the nonprofit health organization HealthRIGHT 360, The Gubbio Project, the SF AIDS Foundation, GLIDE and St. James Infirmary.
The mayor and board of directors unanimously passed laws for safe injection sites last year, but none were built due to legality issues at the federal and state levels.
Decision and legislation
Last month, event co-organizer Gary McCoy, a former representative of Rep Nancy Pelosi, went on a hunger strike outside City Hall to urge city officials to tackle overdose deaths. He ended the strike 60 hours later, after being supported by the board in issuing a resolution calling for a state of emergency and the creation of safe injection sites.
Supervisor Matt Haney, whose office is drafting the resolution, told Mission Local that he would have a resolution supporting it on Sept. 7th – and likely passed as early as the 14th.
Haney said declaring a public health emergency would allow the city to take action, but noted the city could open a safe injection site even without the declaration.
“If the federal government or the state government does not agree with us, which I am not sure at this point in time, then we should defend ourselves vigorously; we’ve done it before, ”he told Mission Local.
Protesters called for a safe injection site in San Francisco on Tuesday evening. Photo by David Mamaril Horowitz
This, he and many others noted, would be very San Francisco – much like how former Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed same-sex marriages before the law in 2004, or how former Mayor Frank Jordan was during the 1993 AIDS epidemic.
Guards Hillary Ronen and Rafael Mandelman, who attended the demonstration, confirmed that they too supported the resolution. McCoy, a former city legislative adviser to three city overseers, told Mission Local that every overseer except Catherine Stefani, who he said had not yet contacted him, had told him they supported the resolution.
With 10 or 11 votes, it would then go to Mayor London Breed.
legality
The demonstration follows Senator Scott Wiener’s postponement of Senate Bill 57 in July, which would have legalized a pilot program that would have enabled safer injection sites in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. Now the bill could not be passed before January 2022 at the earliest, which means it would not come into force for a full year later.
In the meantime, according to a 2008 study of the law and policies of Safe Injection Facilities, state and federal laws nationwide, including the Controlled Substances Act, could potentially be used to shut down sites.
This law codifies a provision known as the “crack house statute” – which makes it a crime to knowingly open, lease, or open a place for the manufacture, distribution or use of controlled substances rent, use or maintain.
Therefore, the site should be owned by the city, says Lydia Bransten, managing director of the Gubbio project, the mission refuge for residents who are not housed. Otherwise, nonprofits providing services would have to put their own property at risk if the federal government tries to seize it.
effectiveness
Studies have shown that these sites prevent overdose deaths and seek treatment for drug use.
A 2007 study at one of these locations in Vancouver, British Columbia found that its opening was associated with a 30 percent increase in detox service use – behavior that further decreased with a higher rate of long-term addiction treatment commencement and reduction Injection at the site.
Another study in Vancouver, conducted over four years through 2008, found that eight to 51 overdose deaths could have occurred if they occurred outside the facility.
A die-in was held at the demonstration on Tuesday evening. Photo by David Mamaril Horowitz
In August 2017, around 98 locations in 66 cities in Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany and France were in operation. No overdose deaths have been reported at these locations.
A 2016 study that analyzed the cost benefits of placing one of these locations in San Francisco found that the city was pro-poor due to avoiding HIV and hepatitis C infections, avoiding deaths from overdosing, and reducing skin consumption Would save a total of $ 3.5 million a year for a site with 13 booths and soft tissue infections and more people taking drug-assisted treatment.
Bransten, the executive director of the Gubbio project, said the sites should offer wound care, advice and detox treatment upon request.
Angelica Mirsoian, a nurse at the Tom Waddell Urgent Care Clinic, said they had reversed many overdoses at the center and that it was especially important to include case management, full-service and other care services.
“It’s not just drug use – there are many other things that go with drug use, like wounds and other physical problems,” she said.
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
David is one of those San Francisco locals who gets upset every time they talk about City College. He has a degree in journalism there and from San Francisco State University, which he graduated from the latter in … More from David Mamaril Horowitz
