San Francisco Mayor Booed in City Square During Board Meeting, Brick Thrown in Crowd

An outdoor meeting of San Francisco’s mayor and board of supervisors to address blatant drug use and public safety was abruptly shut down as members of the public booed and a brick was thrown in the crowd.

The local leaders gathered Tuesday at the city’s United Nations Plaza to highlight issues plaguing the area and suggest potential solutions.

Mayor London Breed said that the city has tolerated “illegal, out-of-control behavior for far too long,” according to local outlet KRON.

“Many San Franciscans do not feel safe,” added Aaron Peskin, president of the board of supervisors. “Brazen drug dealing and deteriorating street conditions have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis on our streets.”

A chorus of jeers and shouts soon drowned out Breed as she attempted to take questions.

At one point, a woman threw a brick in the crowd, nearly hitting a child, KRON reported, citing police. The woman was quickly arrested. Her identity and any charges against her were not immediately disclosed.

"I do think that... the fact is... I'm not sure without listening to the public that this is going to be the right forum to be able to answer your question thoroughly,” Breed said as the situation devolved, according to local outlet ABC7.

Less than 10 minutes after the event started, Peskin called for a recess, the leaders left the podium under further boos, and a video feed of the event cut to black.

The meeting later reconvened indoors, with Breed again decrying drug use in the city.

“Compassion is killing people,” she said. “We have to change what is happening on the streets. It’s too easy getting drugs, they are dying under our watch, we have to do better.”

Peskin previously called on Breed to crack down on brazen drug-dealing contributing to city overdose deaths and general disorder.

In a statement issued after Tuesday’s meeting, he said that the chaos into which it descended underscored the severity of the situation.

“If we can't guarantee everyone's safety when the Mayor and her security team are present - we have lost control of our public realm,” Peskin said, according to ABC7. “And that is our shared mission: to regain control of all of our public spaces, so that they are safe and clean for everyone always. We simply can't defend this status quo and we must continue to demand change."