Former homeless addict calls out Supervisor Dean Preston's claim on the crisis facing the California city
Former homeless addict rips SF official blaming homelessness on capitalism: 'Deflecting away from the problem'
Former homeless addict Tom Wolf responds to San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston's claim that capitalism is responsible for the homeless crisis.
A former homeless drug addict accused San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston – a Democratic socialist – of "deflecting away" from the homelessness problem by blaming capitalism for the crisis.
"It's just it's amazing to me that Supervisor Preston, who himself is a multimillionaire, actually is blaming the very thing that made him wealthy for the problems that he's facing in his own district in San Francisco," Tom Wolf, founder of Pacific Alliance for Prevention and Recovery, told "FOX & Friends First" on Wednesday.
Wolf said capitalism wasn't to blame for his own prior addiction, simply noting he got addicted to heroin and ended up on the street.
Supervisor Dean Preston introduces resolution calling for cease-fire in Israeli attacks on Gaza, which Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wait in line to comment during a Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall in San Francisco, California, United States on December 5, 2023. ((Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images))
Preston more specifically stated that the ongoing crisis in the Golden City is "absolutely the result of capitalism" and claimed that the city's "inconsistent" approach to arresting people for doing drugs is "counterproductive."
"I think what you’re seeing in the Tenderloin is absolutely the result of capitalism and what happens in capitalism to the people at the bottom rungs," the local leader reportedly remarked in a new documentary by the UK outlet, UnHerd.
"The biggest driver of why folks are on the street is because they lost their jobs, income or were evicted from their homes, usually for not being able to pay the rent. So you have major landlords literally causing folks to lose their homes, and real estate speculation making it impossible for folks to find an affordable place to live," he reportedly added.
The remarks garnered attention.
SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS ARMING THEMSELVES WITH BATS, SAY CITY DRUG INITIATIVE MAKING CRIME WORSE
An aerial view of the city of San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge in California, U.S., October 28, 2021. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
His District 5 includes the Tenderloin District, an area notorious for crime and drug use. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the district also contains nearly half of the city's homeless population.
Wolf said multiple themes are feeding into the homelessness crisis, including drug use and mental illness.
"This year alone, the police have pulled over 70 kilos of fentanyl off the street alone. We're on pace to lose 800 people due to drug overdose deaths, so it's clearly a drug issue," he said. "And he's [Preston] clearly deflecting away from the problem."
Wolf further criticized the district's leftist policies for prompting widespread drug use, including viewing addicts as victims instead of criminals.
Homeless encampment is seen in Tenderloin District of San Francisco, California, United States on August 28, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"He's [Preston] up for election next year, and I really, really hope… and there's a really strong movement here in San Francisco to make a change and boot him out," he continued.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in September, also criticized Preston for the Golden City's deteriorating state, accusing him of likely being the person "most responsible for the destruction of San Francisco."
"Dean Preston needs to be fired," Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, at the time.
Preston's office did not return previous requests for comment.
FOX News' Kristine Parks and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
