San Francisco

‘Doom loop' tour in SF's Tenderloin raises questions

NBC Universal, Inc.

A mysterious "doom loop" tour in San Francisco's Tenderloin scheduled for Saturday is raising questions, as it says it will show the shadows of SF.

It’s not the traditional tour one would expect, advertising to show the worst parts of San Francisco: open air drug markets, homeless encampments and empty commercial spaces downtown. But one community leader in the Tenderloin says he’s more motivated to show a different side to the city’s doom loop narrative.

The mysterious tour that’s getting a lot of attention is a post on Eventbrite. It says for $30, it will show visitors the shadows of San Francisco.

That tour is scheduled for Saturday. But some are questioniong its legitimacy because there's very little information on the organizer of the event, which calls itself SF Anonymous.

NBC Bay Area reached out to Eventbrite to see if it can verify the event and was waiting to hear back.

Meanwhile, resident Dell Seymour, who has lived in and advocated for the Tenderloin community, says he is specifically conducting a competing walking tour.

Walking tours in the Tenderloin have been around for almost two decades, showing buildings and sharing the history behind places like Glide Memorial, the Tenderloin Museum, St. Anthony’s Kitchen and St. Boniface.

Seymour, who is a known advocate for the unhoused and those fighting addiction on the streets, says he wants to send a different message to the doom loop tour goers: The Tenderloin community is not what you think.

The mystery continues over who is behind San Francisco's doom loop tour. District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who is running for mayor, says while the tour could trivialize the city’s problems, there is truth to the issues highlighted.

The doom loop tour costs $30 while Seymor's Tenderloin walking tour is free. He said he’ll even throw in a free lunch at a place in the Tenderloin.

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