State of Emergency
Virginia Allyn | California, United States
Photographer: Virginia Allyn
Exhibit Title: State of Emergency
Location: California, United States
Upon arrival on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin one man's first impression was that he was on a movie set because "no one could live like this." Struggle is written on the faces on every corner here. The sidewalks are dirty, the people are poor, the streets dangerous. People who lost their way and can't find a way out live here. "Life in the Tenderloin is like a powder keg" a man utters as he studies Eddy Street. In reality the persons who have made these streets home have long been living in a state of emergency. It is nothing new. But today people are dying in great numbers due to a drug called Fentanyl. So it is here on these blocks one year ago that the Mayor of San Francisco declared a State of Emergency for the Tenderloin.
The Tenderloin in San Francisco is a community dear to my heart. I worked here for nine years. There are people on these streets who need so much and who appreciate help so much. So much help is needed. To have an understanding of people and a community gives us the possibility to make life better.
I went back to visit a few months ago. I walked familiar streets. I wish I was still able to be there and help to make a difference. The Tenderloin Linkage Center established with the declaration of a State of Emergency for the Tenderloin to connect people to services closed in December 2022. It was open less than 12 months. Additional funding for the center was not made available.
The San Francisco Chronicle's in depth reports on the Tenderloin; interviews with people of the Tenderloin
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