“This is War!”

Chinatown Leaders Livid After Being Excluded From Sober Hotel Plans

Feb. 8, 2024, San Francisco Calif. At 1:00pm PT, Mayor London Breed announced the imminent opening of a unique new hotel. Located on the cusp of Chinatown, it will be the first dedicated clean and sober permanent supportive hotel in the city. It will serve approximately 150 men and women who have been struggling with addiction and who want to leave those substances in the past.

Although the project’s proponents called it “housing first,” the hotel’s occupants are expected to be clean and sober prior to being granted a room. After that, they are monitored for sobriety during their time as tenants.

Therefore this is really a “sobriety first” model, that up until now has been rejected by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and the Department of Public Health. Instead of promoting recovery and abstinence, these departments have leaned heavily into harm reduction, such as giving drug use supplies. In fact, the word “clean” in reference to drug use had been deemed pejorative by the public health officials.

Advocating for sober living is quite a departure, though perhaps not surprising. In 2023, 806 people lost their lives to drug use in San Francisco, most from fentanyl. Perhaps these city departments may finally be waking up to reality.

Almost shockingly, there will be 12-step meetings in the hotel as well as other programs designed to keep people on the right path. If a person does relapse they will be routed to a building that doesn’t function the same way, so they don’t end up on the streets.

The hotel itself is a classic San Francisco building, immaculate and beautifully renovated. It is an extremely welcoming environment that would surely be an important place for people wanting to repair their lives, especially those who have been on the streets, addicted and alone.

Not all are celebrating, however.

A group showed up to the press conference, furious and prepared to fight, and it wasn’t the radical harm reduction activists. As Breed wrapped up her presentation there were loud boos and rumblings of dissonance.

“This is war!,” yelled someone from the crowd. “Do you know what you’ve done? You started a war!” It turns out that residents and business owners of the Chinatown community were not notified of the hotel project until 11:30 this morning.

Ed Siu, chairman of the Chinatown Merchants United Association of San Francisco did not hold back his anger as Breed was leaving the pressor. He demanded answers. Why were they not informed about this hotel until now?

“There was a mistake made and I want to sit down and have a conversation,” said Breed.

For a project that has been in the works for at least a year, it seems unimaginable that omitting Chinatown leaders was not deliberate. And if it was a gaff, it was epic.

Members of the Asian community have been grappling with increasing crime (from theft to attacks on elders), graffiti, and vagrancy for too long to be forgiving.

Distrust and disgust is showing in the polls. According to a January 2024 survey, conducted by David Binder Research, mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie leads Breed by 27 points among the Chinese speaking population.

Chinatown is hurting. As I walked to the press conference, I watched as three police officers were handling a dangerous situation on Washington St and Grant Ave. A man who appeared to be inebriated was screaming incoherently, causing an ugly scene. Another woman, steps away, was passed out in a pile of garbage.

I asked a small business owner who grew up in the neighborhood (who did not want to be identified) about what he feared. “That it will be hell for us,” he said. “This is crazy, this is just crazy.” They are worried about more mayhem, and despite the project’s noble goals, their worries are rational and legitimate. After all, plans don’t always go as expected or promoted. At this stage extra security is not part of the package, which could alleviate some of the community’s concerns.

What happens next depends on whether or not Breed can mend the riff with future conversations and promises of security and safety, which will take place behind closed doors.