HEROIN IN THE MISSION

Editor -- John Carman's review of heroin use in San Francisco is
interesting, especially considering that it's business as usual at the
intersection of 16th and Mission. The highly touted ``crackdown'' on
drug dealers in that area is over.

I guess a celebrity's child has a little more impact on the SFPD than
the many deaths of other mothers' children, but it obviously has a
limit. No more headlines mean no more crackdowns. There was a lot of
talk about the clean up that was going on and how long it would last,
after all, the SFPD has gone into that area several times to clean it
up (usually after someone of high profile dies or gets killed) and,
after the press died down, they walked away, just like they did this
time.

It seems funny that if everyone, including the police know that this
is one of the worst areas for drug dealing in the city, that they
can't do something final about it. Most of the people in the
neighborhood just believe that because it's the Mission, this is
considered to be part of the ``local color'' by the SFPD. Complaints
are met with ``there are other priorities'' and staffing issues are
cited. It seems kind of funny, if you know where there is a cancer,
you don't run off and treat athlete's foot and pimples on your butt,
you treat the cancer by any means available until it's gone.

By the way, school kids are perhaps the biggest audience of the open
drug dealing at this intersection. While waiting for their buses they
are treated to the opportunities of either buying or selling, knowing
full well that 16th and Mission is always open for business.

ROGER ROLDAN
San Francisco