SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR Daniel Lurie, weighing in on President Donald Trump’s threats to send the National Guard to his city, said deploying troops wouldn’t help with the city’s ongoing efforts to combat drug dealing.
“I am deeply grateful to the members of our military for their service to our country, but the National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers — and sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer,” he said in a statement released by his office Monday afternoon.
The mayor didn’t refer to Trump by name in the statement. Lurie instead focused on the crime trends in the city, saying the violent crime rate “has fallen to levels not seen since the 1950s,” and that tent encampments were at record lows.
“There is no question we have more work to do. I ran for mayor because I see the impact of fentanyl use on our streets — when I drop my son off at school, when I talk to our business and community leaders, when I walk through the city in between meetings,” Lurie said.
San Francisco law enforcement has already partnered with state and federal officials to shut down open-air drug markets, the mayor said.
According to Lurie, the city would welcome stronger coordination with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to carry out targeted operations, arrest drug dealers, and disrupt drug markets and multinational cartels.
“Under my leadership, we will always protect the people and the values that make San Francisco the greatest city in the world,” the mayor said. “That means welcoming people in our city and standing up for every member of our community and for the longstanding policies that have kept our communities safe. As your mayor, that has been and always will be my north star.”
Lurie’s statement on Monday comes a day before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting, where District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder announced plans to make a motion to ask the mayor about city preparedness in the event that the National Guard was deployed to the city.
“National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers — and sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer.”
SF Mayor Daniel Lurie
Last week, Salesforce founder Marc Benioff apologized for comments he made in which he welcomed the deployment of National Guard troops to San Francisco.
“Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” Benioff said Friday on X. “My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused. It’s my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership. I remain deeply grateful to Mayor Lurie, SFPD, and all our partners, and am fully committed to a safer, stronger San Francisco.”
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