From the SF Chronicle article by Trisha Thadani:
As the twin crises of homelessness and mental illness grip San Francisco’s streets, nearly every city department — from Public Health to Public Works — has boosted resources and staff to address the issue. Now, a chorus of police commissioners and homeless advocates say officers are spending far too much time responding to people who would be better served by social workers.
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Police Commission unanimously approved a resolution encouraging city officials to come up with “alternatives to a police response to homelessness.” While resolutions are nonbinding, it is a notable statement for a department at the forefront of the city’s homelessness response.
Meanwhile, in a new campaign called Solutions Not Sweeps, a group of advocates are calling on the city to go even further: Stop police from responding to routine efforts to address homelessness all together — like complaints about a tent blocking a doorway or open-air drug use — unless there is a threat to public safety.
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