SAN FRANCISCO—Those who work for government entities in San Francisco’s South of Market area have been advised to work remotely due to increased crime in the area as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to an August 4th memo that was sent to staff of more than 100 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the San Francisco Federal Building recommended that employees work remotely “for the foreseeable future” due to the reported crime in the area which the city has been battling in recent years.
This memo coincided with President Biden’s issued directive telling federal agencies to end remote work, calling it a “priority of the President.” Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has recently expressed concerns about the building’s street safety in a meeting with Ismail Ramsey who is the new U.S. Attorney for the Northern district of California.
As seen on surveillance video obtained outside of the location, drug dealers and users frequent that area daily. Back in May, two people were charged on suspicion of drug dealing in front of the Federal Building after they were caught on surveillance camera. The two defendants, Rodolfo Sagastume-Pineda and Natalin Mauricio Martinez-Hernandez were charged with felonies according to a press release issued back in June.
The building is located on the corner of Seventh and Mission Streets, which was formally known as the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, and contains multiple federal agencies including HHS, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the office of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
South of Market, or SoMa as it is most often referred, is a neighborhood that is notorious for the illegal drug business. SoMa has also been nicknamed the ‘doom loop’ due to the many companies pulling out of the city. Whole Foods left within a year after first opening and Nordstrom bailed out two of their stores. Other businesses that remain chose in recent months to implement lock down procedures where they would store various products behind security glass.
According to reports, other tenants of the building have not issued the same recommendations to their employees. Officials working with Pelosi’s office were not advised to work remotely and are working with local and federal law enforcement to ensure the safety of their employees.
“The safety of workers in our federal buildings has always been a priority for Speaker Emerita Pelosi, whether in the building or on their commutes,” Pelosi spokesman Aaron Bennett said. “Federal, state and local law enforcement — in coordination with public health officials and stakeholders — are working hard to address the acute crises of fentanyl trafficking and related violence in certain areas of the city.”
In a statement, workers within the office of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that they would remain in the building and would not transition to remote work.
