Dear Editor:

I've read several well written letters about Mayor Newsom's proposed community court program to restore quality of life to ALL citizens of our fair city. Public inebriation from alcohol and drugs has become a blight on our city, especially the tenderloin and downtown area that also is home to our major retail, theater and hospitality businesses. These drunks and addicts nodding off and passing out in their own feces and urine is bad for everyone, but most of all for the drunks and addicts themselves. The dollar cost of these alcoholics and addicts is enormous and growing worse each day. Today I walked from Post and Jones to 5th and Market following the southbound route of the 27 Bryant and counted 16 drunks sprawled in the sidewalks in 25 minutes. I encountered two women shooting drugs into their veins, dozens of people smoking crack and even more drinking beer, wine and liquor with impunity on this walk.

Many of those opposing Mayor Newsom's plan do so because he doesn't allow citizen or community input into his policy decisions as witness his WiFi, Treasure Island, Comcast, Emergency Preparedness, Muni, Entertainment Commission, Golden Gate Park and dedication to avoiding dialogue with the board of supervisors. Real leadership would bring diversity and open mindedness to the table when creating and implementing policy and Newsom has chosen to avoid those qualities since taking office and that scares many people in the same way the religious right scares people as they create and implement policies that took us to war in Iraq. The Mayor's plan is worth implementing as anyone who has visited the Times Square area of New York City will attest because it changed almost everything about that shabby and seedy part of Manhattan very quickly and effectively.

All San Franciscans deserve a better quality of life, not just Chris Daly's district, and they also deserve to be part of creating and implementing the solutions that will affect their community. I think the ball is in Mayor Newsom's court and if he is willing to push this plan and act life a leader, let's start talking with everyone who lives, works, shops, goes to school and church in this diverse and vital part of our city, and not just political hacks and highly paid lobbyists getting rich of our current and past Mayors. We all want quality of life brought back, but not just a reelection ploy or enrichment scheme for political insiders. Come on Mayor Newsom, open it up and let's all work together and bring accountability back to everyone, not just the poor.

Thank You,

Stu Smith


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