Overview
- A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction that sought to stop city-funded nonprofits from giving out drug-use supplies in San Francisco’s Tenderloin.
- The court said residents and business owners did not show a certainly impending injury or a clear link between the handouts and the harms they described.
- City evidence, including recent photos and testimony about improving street conditions, went unanswered, and the judge accepted the claim that cutting supplies could push users to share unsafe items.
- Police leaders had testified against distributing pipes and foil, yet the judge found no evidence that an injunction would reduce drug use, homelessness, or crime.
- Harm-reduction practices remain in place as the broader lawsuit continues, with the next case-management step expected later this month.