{"id":200767,"date":"2026-03-02T17:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200767\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:17:07","slug":"how-is-sfs-jefferson-square-park-a-year-after-drug-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200767\/","title":{"rendered":"How Is SF’s Jefferson Square Park A Year After Drug Raid?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Jefferson Square Park, The Cathedral Hill’s Emerald<\/p>\n

February 26 marked the first anniversary of the high-profile drug raid <\/a>at Jefferson Square Park.<\/p>\n

In response to many community complaints of criminal and drug-related activity in Jefferson Square Park, the San Francisco Police Department led an enforcement operation on February 26, 2025, that involved the\u00a0Sheriff Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the National Guard, San Francisco Recreation and Park Rangers, the Department of\u00a0Public Works, the\u00a0San Francisco Fire Department, and Animal Care and Control (ACC), resulting in 90 arrests and\u00a0over\u00a01.21\u00a0pounds of narcotics were seized.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want everyone to hear this: if you are selling drugs in this city, we are coming after you,\u201d Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X<\/a>\u00a0after\u00a0the drug raid. Even though no drug dealers or users were convicted in the end, the raid\u00a0sent a loud and clear message to them\u00a0to\u00a0stay\u00a0away from the park. And,\u00a0one year after the drug intervention by the city, the park is still \u201cclean and sober.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the only\u00a0neighborhood in the city that had drug problems when Mayor Lurie took office, and no longer has them now.<\/p>\n

Jefferson Square Park Is Not Completely Out Of The Woods <\/p>\n

The drug problems have been under control, but there is still one more problem at the park that the city needs to address.<\/p>\n

A machete-wielding homeless man<\/a> named Ignacio Dzul, who has been terrorizing the park since 2024, as the SF Chronicle\u2019s Emily Hoeven reports, is still troubling the community. He has destroyed approximately 75 plants in the park and several other plants along the sidewalk by the park. And city\u00a0officials have no idea what to do with him. He keeps getting released from jail after getting arrested and goes straight back\u00a0to the park. And the cycle goes on and on.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the SF Chronicle story on him had been published, he was arrested on February 2 and charged with contempt\u00a0of court and unauthorized lodging. He currently remains in jail and is due back in court on March 5.<\/p>\n

It Takes A Community To Build A Community<\/p>\n

San Franciscans deserve safe, clean, and vibrant streets to live and work.<\/p>\n

Our Mayor, Board of Supervisors, law enforcement agencies, and city departments can\u2019t do it alone.\u00a0They need the\u00a0participation,\u00a0enthusiasm, and support from our whole community to build the city block by block.<\/p>\n

We need to feel we belong to our community. If we don\u2019t care about our neighborhood and city, who will?<\/p>\n

Take ownership of your neighborhood. Plant a tree on your block or park, nurture it, and let it flourish!<\/p>\n

Both Supervisors Bilal Mahmood<\/a> and Stephen Sherrill<\/a>, who share jurisdiction over the park, have rolled up their sleeves and\u00a0planted trees in Jefferson Square Park.<\/p>\n

To celebrate the first anniversary of reclaiming their beloved emerald, a precious green space, the Jefferson Square Park\u00a0neighbors plan to pick up trash, spread wildflower seeds, and plant trees in the park on Earth Day in April, in collaboration\u00a0with the\u00a0Recreation and Park Department and the neighborhood cleanup group Refuse Refuse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mayor Daniel Lurie, SF\u2019s First Lady, Becca Prowda, and SFFP Chief Dean Crispen at the Supervisor Stephen Sherrill\u2019s swearing-in ceremony in the Presidio Officers\u2019 Club, January 16, 2025<\/p>\n

For those who\u00a0crave human connection<\/a>, this event will be the perfect opportunity to meet people and combat loneliness, as\u00a0described by the First Lady of San Francisco, Becca Prowda, who will be\u00a0leading her own initiative,\u00a0a citywide day of\u00a0service called \u201cOne City Day\u201d<\/a>\u00a0on July 11, which involves\u00a0park cleanups, food giveaways, and work with the homeless population.<\/p>\n

Speaking of working with the homeless population, why not get them involved in park and street cleanups,\u00a0tree planting,\u00a0and\u00a0handing out food to other homeless people?\u00a0This will give them a sense of ownership and a sense of being part of\u00a0their\u00a0community.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaint The Town Almond Blossoms Like Van Gogh\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Almond blossoms are in full bloom in Oakdale, CA<\/p>\n

Cherry and almond blossom seasons are critical economic drivers, bringing over 1.5 million visitors and millions in revenue\u00a0to Washington D.C. and California\u2019s Central Valley, respectively, during the post-holiday, early-spring slow season.<\/p>\n

During a recent visit to a sleepy little town, Oakdale, in the Central Valley, to see almond blossoms, I witnessed that the\u00a0local\u00a0businesses were blooming as well during the almond blossom season.<\/p>\n

Taco trucks were everywhere. Pies were flying off the shelves at Bloomingcamp Ranch<\/a>. And, almond butter milkshakes\u00a0were\u00a0flowing at Roberts Ferry Gourmet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Almond blossoms,\u00a0a major, yet mostly untapped, tourist draw for the Bay Area,\u00a0could be another economic driver to bring\u00a0visitors and revenue into San Francisco. The First Lady of San Francisco could initiate the planting of almond blossoms all\u00a0over parks and neighborhoods in the city to inspire walking tours and cruises<\/a>, like in the Central Valley, to help the Mayor\u00a0boost the local economy. And, we could start with Jefferson Square Park.<\/p>\n

Plants, urban greening, and community gardens provide significant positive comfort, safety, and psychological benefits in\u00a0\u201cbad\u201d or high-crime, low-income neighborhoods in the city. Far from just being aesthetic, intentional greening acts as a form\u00a0of social infrastructure that reduces stress, fosters community, and decreases crime.<\/p>\n

Success Is Watching Hope Take Root Again<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A man is playing with his bunny at Jefferson Square Park<\/p>\n

Critics said that the Jefferson Square Park\u2019s high-profile drug raid was a dud<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the raid was not all about how many arrests and\u00a0convictions the city could rack up.\u00a0It was about returning the park<\/a> to\u00a0the\u00a0community\u00a0and inspiring ownership and\u00a0volunteerism.<\/p>\n

Non-enforcement doesn\u2019t protect vulnerable communities. It abandoned them, as Mission Local reports<\/a>, \u201cKids dodge drugs,\u00a0feces, near 16th and Mission elementary school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking action on the drug problems in the Mission, Mayor Daniel Lurie says on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cMore SFPD foot patrols are coming to the BART plazas in the Mission. We\u2019re adding officers walking between the 16th and\u00a024th Street plazas and deploying a sergeant to manage the plazas and surrounding corridors. We\u2019re also changing the\u00a0street cleaning schedule and expanding our community ambassador presence to keep this corridor welcoming and well\u00a0cared for. The Mission deserves public spaces that reflect the pride of the people who live here\u2014and we\u2019re committed to making that the standard every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Success is a park safe for kids to play. Success is a park for all to enjoy a lazy Sunday. \u201cVamos, San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sebastian\"\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jefferson Square Park, The Cathedral Hill’s Emerald February 26 marked the first anniversary of the high-profile drug raid…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-200767","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-san-francisco","9":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","10":"tag-san-francisco-news","11":"tag-sf","12":"tag-sf-headlines","13":"tag-sf-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}