A once-peaceful park in San Francisco has been overtaken by drug-addled ‘zombies’ as the fentanyl crisis tightens its grip on the California city.
Jefferson Square Park was once a tranquil retreat where residents could take a break from the bustling metropolis.
The grassy oasis, dotted by a variety of large trees, is a popular dog-walking spot offering picturesque views of City Hall and downtown.
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The situation has gotten so bad that locals have started referring to the area as ‘Zombie Park,’ a neighbor explained.
‘It is very scary because you know there are two schools around here,’ Sebastian, who has lived near the park for almost 30 years, told KRON4.
‘Also, we have elderly and people who live in the neighborhood they are afraid to walk with the drug dealers and users all over the place.’
‘The park is a mess now,’ he added. ‘All the neighbors have been complaining.’
Supervisor Balil Mahmood said he has been flooded with complaints from residents saying drug dealing moved into the park from the notorious Tenderloin district.
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The problem isn’t easy to solve. When officials clear people from the park, they migrate to Van Ness and Eddy Streets, taking the problem to another part of the city.
San Francisco’s drug problem was also exacerbated by a new product hitting the streets last summer.
A drug called ‘soap’ – a diluted version of fentanyl that is overpriced and poor quality – caused uptick in robberies, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Homeless addicts told the local outlet that despite the city’s efforts to crack down on drugs, the weaker quality fentanyl is forcing them to want more and resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
‘People get crazy, they start robbing and hurting each other,’ homeless Tenderloin resident Samuel Boles told the publication last summer.
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Certain parts of the city, including the troubled Tenderloin district, became known for their squalor and misery, getting so bad that local businesses unable to recruit staff and residents have felt forced to flee.
Some addicts had said now that ‘soap’ has infiltrated the market, they are finding it harder to do things because the high is so brief and they are quickly looking for more.
‘It’s almost harder to quit now that it’s worse. It makes it harder to make it to appointments,’ Tenderloin resident Karl Ramsey told The Standard last summer.
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A huge Macy’s store which had been a fixture in the square since 1947 said last year that it would be be shuttering its doors alongside 150 other ‘unproductive’ stores.
Employees of the beleaguered store had said an average of 12 people were apprehended each shift for suspected theft.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14417429/amp/san-francisco-park-drug-addled-zombies-locals-terrifiedth.html?ito=smartnews
