Message from the Board of the San Francisco Drug Users Union (SFDUU):

1. The Board of the SFDUU is made up of experienced harm reduction practitioners who volunteer their time to support the mission and vision of the SFDUU, a program that has made historic strides in drug user health and organizing for over a decade. 

2. The Board is committed to protecting this unique program and ensuring its longevity, especially at a time when harm reduction policies have been under attack in San Francisco.

 3. In May of 2024, the Board received a serious complaint related to an executive staff member. This complaint implicated the safety of our staff, its participants and neighbors. 

4. The Board took this complaint very seriously, conducting a thorough investigation with a neutral investigator. 

 5. In an abundance of caution and with a heavy heart, the Board suspended services at the SFDUU while we investigated this matter and took action to prevent another similar incident from taking place again in the future. 

6. After the investigation was completed, the Board took the difficult decision of making important staffing changes. The organization is now in a stronger position to ensure that services to our constituents are not interrupted in the future. 

7. While the investigation was being conducted, we have come to know that there has been an unauthorized use and takeover of the organization’s social media accounts. We apologize for any unnecessary and distressing communications you may have received from these social media accounts. We do not condone the use of these platforms for spreading false and misleading information. The use of the organization’s social media accounts to disparage and harass members of the Board and others in our community has not been taken lightly and has been dealt with through the organization’s attorneys.

8. As the organization works hard to move forward, we reiterate our commitment to serving our community. The Board’s current priorities are to: engage in a process of healing among those impacted by recent events; get services up and running at the SFDUU as soon as possible; restart collaborations with existing partners; and prepare to move onward and upward with new leadership.

9. We are confident that the community understands this pivotal moment for drug user health in San Francisco. We ask that you continue to work with us and step up to support the SFDUU board, staff, volunteers, partners, and stakeholders during this time of transition.

The Board would like to do a special shout out and express deep appreciation for all who have consistently shown up to provide harm reduction services to drug users in the Tenderloin, over the recent months, years and decades. We also want to express our gratitude to many of you who reached out to us directly, and stood by the board with dignity, compassion, and respect as we navigated this extremely challenging period.

 In Solidarity,

The Board of the San Francisco Drug Users Union