(NewsNation) — As San Francisco launches a new effort to crack down on illegal drug activity in the city, residents aren’t convinced it will make a difference.
Some San Francisco residents are calling it National Guard Day, but there won’t be any boots on the ground. And so far, there’s no increased law enforcement presence either.
Monday kicked off a new collaborative attack on the problem-plagued areas of the Tenderloin and South of Market in downtown San Francisco. It’s a roughly ten-block area known for open-air drug markets and blatant trafficking and drug use.
The latest crackdown includes California Highway Patrol officers joining the San Francisco Police Department to help out with enforcement and arrests.
Behind the scenes, more than a dozen California National Guard specialists and analysts are focused on cutting off the flow of fentanyl and tracking down the cartels that supply it.
Like other major cities, San Francisco has seen hundreds of overdose deaths so far this year.
The dangers downtown prompted the recent closure of a new Whole Foods store, just a year after it opened.
At a downtown Target, shoppers are facing major inconveniences since rampant crime has everything in the store behind locked cases.
Residents are desperate for a change, but say the new crackdown may just push the problem around.
“They’ll find a different space to make their attraction. Whether it’s in this square mile or in another neighborhood, the attractions will still happen,” said resident Kate Kepting.
Neo Veavea works downtown.
“Anything can help because as you can see it’s pretty desolate out here and we need help,” Veavea said.
“It will make people feel better that something is happening,” resident Steven Kepting said.
Some residents NewsNation spoke with said as a sanctuary city, San Francisco has been too accommodating to the homeless and that adds to the problem.
It’s likely officials are keenly aware of the optics of a military presence on the streets of an American city to deal with a domestic problem.