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Residents and advocates tell supervisors Mercy Housing evicting medical marijuana patients; callers urge investigation
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the June 3 San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting alleged that Mercy Housing management has illegally entered apartments, stolen property and is evicting tenants who use or provide medical cannabis, and they urged the city to investigate.
During the public-comment period on June 3, multiple speakers told the Board of Supervisors that Mercy Housing managers in a city-subsidized building were illegally entering apartments, seizing property, and evicting residents who use or provide medical cannabis.
Joe Conley (transcribed as Joe Connolly in parts of the record) told the board he faces an eviction hearing and said management had "illegally breaking into my apartment" and that he had "35 complaints of human rights and civil rights violations by the management" in a 64-unit building. He said Mercy Housing managers entered his apartment and that he was scheduled for an eviction hearing. Several other speakers, including Brent Soppy and David Goldman representing Americans for Safe Access, said Mercy Housing appears to be discriminating against medical marijuana patients and called for investigation and enforcement of tenant protections. A nonprofit volunteer and patient advocate, Andrew Kosteras, said he receives care from Conley and urged the board to support the tenant.
Advocacy groups flagged the issue as systemic. Brent Soppy told supervisors that "20 medical marijuana patients that live in a 64 unit building right now are being evicted," and he asked the board to look into alleged abuses including property theft and selective enforcement. David Goldman said Mercy Housing's actions may violate law and asked supervisors to act because the city subsidizes some Mercy Housing projects.
Other public commenters raised related housing and disability concerns and asked for city action. Several speakers asked the city attorney and relevant supervisors to investigate and urged that volunteer-credit and pretrial diversion programs use the city's minimum wage as the credit rate. The board did not take an immediate formal action during the public-comment period, but multiple supervisors and staff were addressed directly by speakers and the matter was raised for follow-up.
Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the June 3 transcript and are identified in the public-comment record.
