SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wearing a bright safety vest with the words “Safe Passage” on the back, Tatiana Alabsi strides through San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood to its only public elementary school, navigating broken bottles and stained sleeping bags along tired streets that occasionally reek of urine.
Along the way in one of America’s most notorious neighborhoods, she calls out to politely alert people huddled on sidewalks, some holding strips of tin foil topped with illicit drugs.
“Good afternoon, happy Monday!” Alabsi says to two men, one slumped forward in a wheelchair and wearing soft hospital socks and one slipper. Her voice is cheerful, a soothing contrast to the misery on display in the 50-block neighborhood that’s well-known for its crime, squalor and reckless abandon. “School time. Kids will be coming soon.”
Further along, Alabsi passes a man dancing in the middle of the street with his arms in the air as a squealing firetruck races by. She stops to gently touch the shoulder of a man curled up in the fetal position on the sidewalk, his head inches from the tires of a parked car.
2 workers die after buried alive in well in Philippines
Democratic officials criticize Meta ad policy, saying it amplifies lies about 2020 election
DeLuca has 3 RBIs in season debut after being out with broken hand and Rays beat Mets 10
New Jersey deadbeat dad Christopher Gregor is seen in hospital carrying limp body of six
Framing growing cultural connections
Angels star outfielder Mike Trout has knee surgery. Team expects 3
Zebra remains on the loose in Washington state as officials close trailheads to keep people away
Biden awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to these 19 people
Shane Lowry ties a major championship record by shooting a 9
Not just an 'urban legend': The mile
Zebra remains on the loose in Washington state as officials close trailheads to keep people away