Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Black Americans and SF officials take steps to raise awareness about fentanyl crisis

Phelicia Jones, founder of the organization Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, took the stage to say she's tired of San Francisco's problems affecting Black residents more on May 10, 2023. (Olivia Wynkoop/Bay City News)

By Olivia Wynkoop. Bay City News.

On the steps of City Hall, leading Black leaders and city officials joined together Wednesday to clarify how the city's fentanyl crisis disproportionately affects Black San Franciscans.

At National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Phelicia Jones, founder of Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, took the podium to say she's tired of seeing the city's deadly fentanyl epidemic follow an all-too-familiar pattern of homelessness and job insecurity, with San Francisco's Black population bearing the brunt.

San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey outlined fatal fentanyl overdose statistics that disproportionately affect Black residents at a news conference on May 10, 2023. (Olivia Wynkoop / Bay City News)

In the first three months of this year, 200 people have died from overdoses, which represents an increase of 41 percent compared to the same period last year, according to