Tourist blasts San Francisco's Tenderloin district as 'most depressing place I've ever seen' after spotting 'drug addicts' outside his Airbnb

A tourist visiting San Francisco's Tenderloin district was aghast after seeing 'drug addicts' gathered outside his rental.

Jeremy Bernier, a software engineer, who just arrived in the neighborhood on Saturday, posted a picture on X, formerly Twitter, of a group he claimed to be drug addicts gathered outside his Airbnb.

Bernier described the city as the 'most depressing place I've ever seen' and went on to ask 'wtf is this and who the hell is in charge of this city?' 

'So many drugged out people standing up while fully bent over with their head to the ground, taking what appears to be fentanyl,' he added.

'Tents everywhere, people passed out on sidewalks. This is worse than 3rd world countries. Such an embarrassment.'

The progressive Tenderloin downtown district, once known for its rich cultural history, trendy restaurants, galleries, museums, and nightlife, has deteriorated as homelessness and drug use ramp up in the Democratic-led city. 

Though it wasn't clear what brought Benier to the gritty city, he tried to see the silver lining after his first day travelling: 'Happy to be here though, and looking forward to experiencing the tech capital!'

The Tenderloin district is in the heart of San Francisco and near the Asian Art museum. 

It's just a few blocks from City Hall and the area includes part of the Compton Transgender Cultural District.

Robberies are up 14 percent so far this year in the Golden Gate City where mayor London Breed last month demanded cuts of 18 percent from next year's police budget.

Reported deaths from drug overdoses reached 620 in the first nine months of the year, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, up from 540 for the same period in 2020.

And the city stands to lose $200 million a year in revenue through its business exodus - which has seen major hotels and retailers flee the city center.

Retail stalwart Old Navy announced it would be shuttering its flagship store in the area last month, becoming the latest chain to exit the city.

Nordstrom also announced it would be closing all of its locations in the city.

In April, Whole Foods announced it was closing all their locations, with Anthropologie and Office Depot having also made the same decisions leading some analysts to predict that the city has entered a 'doom-loop' of permanent decline.

As crippling drug issues and widespread homeless problems continue to cause problems for the city, names like 'garbage city,' 'ruined city,' and 'fallen city' have surfaced.

Earlier this month, Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman held up the city as an example of what could happen in the UK as she outlined plans to prevent charities handing tents to homeless people.

'Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor,' she wrote.

The city's US attorney Ismail Ramsey announced a multi-agency 'All Hand on Deck' project on Thursday to tackle drug dealing in Tenderloin, admitting it had become 'ground zero for drug tourism'.

He revealed that 50 kilograms of fentanyl have been seized from the district's streets in the last four months, nearly double the amount in the same period last year and enough to create 20 million lethal overdoses.

'Our drug crisis has been fueled in part because selling fentanyl has become a lucrative vocation for people who have found our neighborhoods, and principally the Tenderloin District, to be a convenient and risk-free marketplace,' he said.

It is a reality all too apparent to residents who have to live and work in the city.

Earlier this year a homeless woman was pictured giving birth on a sidewalk in Tenderloin as pedestrians wandered past.

The baby lay on the sidewalk, crying, covered in the mess of its birth until its mother reached out to scoop it up with a piece of fabric.

'This is overwhelming and mentally draining,' wrote the TikToker.

'Not to mention the dangers of the unpredictable nature of this environment.

'The tenderloin was rough but it was never like this, never, and I was born and raised here so this is not the same scene pre-pandemic.

'Imagine the children and senior population having to navigate this, it's definitely terrifying.'

TikToker 'Freqmeek,' a  life-long resident, filmed her walk to work through last month through the drug-ravaged streets that have made the city an international symbol for squalor and despair. 

'The anxiety we experience just traveling to work daily in the Tenderloin is unbelievable,' she wrote.

'There are so many concerns and protections in place for drug users and homeless people but what about the working class that have to pray that they make it to and from work in this environment.

'These are real dangers faced every single day just to be able to provide for your family.'