To commemorate Dia de los Muertos, a group of unhoused advocates marched around San Francisco City Hall on Friday in an effort to raise awareness about the number of unhoused people who have died.
The group, which consisted of about 30 people, marched around with signs that read "Sweeps Kill," referencing the city's boosted efforts to remove tent encampments.
"Last year we had about, over 400 people who died homeless," said Jennifer Friedenback, who's part of the Coalition on Homelessness. "This is a stark increase from the years and years I've been doing this work. We typically have about a hundred people every year."
Sweeps in the city and Bay Area have increased since a Supreme Court decision that allowed San Francisco to enforce several local laws that were blocked by an injunction.
The organization claims there's been a sharp increase in deaths based on a combination of data from the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and contributions from various homeless advocacy groups. However, figures provided by the city show the number of people living on the streets has dropped by 13%.
The group laid out candles and flowers on the steps of City Halls to honor those who had died.
At the demonstration, advocates passed out a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that included drug use as a significant factor in deaths among unhoused people.
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"One of the things that happens is that people have their Narcan taken, and then they overdose. And that can increase morbidity," Friedenback said.
However, the OCME reported the number of unintentional fatal overdoses has dropped.
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