Elected officials, business leaders and ordinary San Francisco residents are noting an improvement in street conditions as world leaders and top CEOs arrive for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
In particular, there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of tents and drug activity along Van Ness Avenue, in United Nations Plaza and around the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, which has long been the epicenter of the city’s drug crisis.
Ahead of the summit, The Standard’s photographers visited many of the areas where tents and rubbish frequently blocked sidewalks, and where drug dealers and users often conducted transactions. This week, photographers returned to many of these same spots to document any changes.
Sidewalks that were once packed with tents and people loitering were empty this week. Exactly what tactics the city used were explored in this story about the changes.
See below for before and after photographs of San Francisco.
