A Republican lawmaker wants San Francisco’s main federal office building — named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to be closed until the “threat to public safety” passes after a crime spree outside the facility.
In early August, the Department of Health and Human Services warned workers to stay away from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Federal Building “for the foreseeable future” over security concerns, including an uptick in drug dealing outside the facility.
On Wednesday, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) suggested workers move to other government facilities in the Bay Area where they won’t “fear for their lives.”
“Working in the Department of Health and Human Services building should not be a risk to your health or life, but it is now because of former Speaker Pelosi and other liberal politicians who have allowed criminal chaos to overtake the streets of San Francisco,” Ernst said. in a statement to The Post.
Joni Ernst suggested the government should close Nancy Pelosi’s Federal Building until the crime situation is addressed.AP
“If it’s not safe for federal employees to work here, it’s certainly not safe for businesses to operate and families to live here,” he added. “I call for the closing of the Federal Building of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. After all, they were forced to leave it, so why should taxpayers keep the lights on in Nancy Pelosi’s haunted house?”
Ernst, a staunch supporter of requiring government employees to return to work in person, made the remarks in a letter Wednesday to the General Services Administration, which manages the property.
The Pelosi Building opened in 2007 and houses the local offices of the California Democrats, as well as outposts of HHS, the Department of Labor and the Department of Transportation.
Workers at Nancy Pelosi’s Federal Building have been subjected to rampant crime and drug use when they leave the building, according to local media.David G. McIntyre
The former speaker had raised concerns about the safety of his staff who had to enter the building, but didn’t go so far as to recommend his five-person team work from home, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in August.
“The safety of workers in our federal buildings is always Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s top priority, whether in the building or on their travels,” Pelosi spokesman Aaron Bennett told The Post.
“Federal, state and local law enforcement – in coordination with public health officials and stakeholders – are working hard to address the acute crisis of fentanyl trafficking and related violence in certain areas of the city.”
The 18-story building is named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP
Several federal employees have been threatened with knives and at least one has been chased with a hammer, the San Francisco Standard reported in September.
“The plaza was a dangerous, open-air drug market, with addicts shooting, snorting, and clearly smoking drugs. Drug users passed out on public benches and used needles littered the ground,” Ernst wrote in his letter to the GSA.
“Overdoses are a ‘common horror,’ with nearly 150 suspected overdoses – including more than 30 deaths – in the blocks surrounding federal buildings reported in the first half of the year. Dozens of dealers appear every day, one of whom opened fire with a gun near the building recently. Although the fence has been installed, addicts and traders still hang around the plaza.”
Authorities have erected a fence around Nancy Pelosi’s Federal Building, but the problem continues.ZUMAPRESS.com
In response to the worsening conditions, the Federal Protective Service has increased patrols, with some workers asking to be escorted in and out of the building, according to the Chronicle.
“With at least five other federal facilities in the San Francisco area and GSA reportedly using only about 10 percent of its available office space, it is possible that Speaker Pelosi’s Federal Building should be closed for the foreseeable future with its employees relocated,” added Ernst.
The senator also demanded the GSA detail the number of employees who regularly enter the building, the security threats they face, and all federal posts where employees have been advised to work remotely due to security concerns.
Joni Ernst has been a strong advocate for pushing federal workers to return to work in person.Getty Images
He demanded answers to those questions by December 20.
Concerns about crime have been well-documented in San Francisco, which some activists have described as a “promised land of milk and fentanyl” despite recent efforts to crack down on lawlessness.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
