AHF Gets Caught Trying To Circumvent The Law, Responds By Suing The City and County of San Francisco

Aug 5, 2014
AHF
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AHF files suit in federal court, claiming its civil rights have been violated — and once again taxpayers must foot the bill

AHF's Church Street 'Out Of The Closet' location -- AHF Gets Caught Trying To Circumvent The Law, Sues The City and County of San Francisco

AHF’s Church Street ‘Out Of The Closet’ location

On Friday, August 1, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the controversial AIDS nonprofit that currently runs a pharmacy at the Out of the Closet on Church St., and took over operations at Mom’s Pharmacy on 18th Street in 2012, filed suit against the City of San Francisco, the county Board of Supervisors, and Supervisor Scott Wiener in U.S. District Court on the grounds that they have discriminated against the organization by preventing it from opening a third location, in the Castro.

AHF, which operates 34 other locations throughout the U.S., applied for city permits, then tried to circumvent the formula retail rules set by the Planning Commission. Those rules state that any business which operates 11 or more locations in the U.S. is considered ‘formula retail’ and must apply for a conditional use permit for consideration by the Planning Department and community members.

As Roy McKenzie notes at The Castro Biscuit:

So, AHF simply changed the name of the business, dropping ‘AHF’ from the name, and believed that was enough to consider them a wholly different business. It would be akin to Taco Bell opening a location in the Castro under the name “Taco Time” avoiding a conditional use authorization and also avoiding the community-based planning process.

AHF has also been delinquent on paying the rent at its Church Street location.

San Francisco City Attorney spokesman Matt Dorsey called the civil rights violation charge “absurd.”

“AHF is asking the court to find a constitutional right to build whatever it wants wherever it wants, and that’s just not something courts have allowed,” Dorsey said.

AHF’s permits were suspended earlier this year, after neighbors and AIDS activists came out against the foundation’s actions to circumvent the law. There was also concern that a large chain would put other established pharmacies in the Castro out of business.

According to the SF Examiner:

Race Bannon, an HIV activist who opposed the move, said … the “Walmart of HIV pharmacies,” as Bannon dubbed AHF, was challenged for being a predatory operation that would put established HIV pharmacies out of business, he claimed.

Activists and members of the community of HIV nonprofits have long viewed AHF as “the Walmart of ASOs” – in that Weinstein’s political machinations, outrageous behavior and lawsuits often resulted in AHF securing funds that might have otherwise gone to smaller, community-based AIDS service organizations.

Many in the Bay Area have also been concerned deeply offended over AHF’s position against using Truvada as a preexposure prophylactic (PrEP) for HIV prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and others have advocated for the HIV treatment drug as a preventative tool, but AHF president Michael Weinstein has come out against Truvada, calling it a “party drug.”

AIDS activists held a protest outside AHF’s 18th Street location two weeks ago, led by District 8 Supervisor candidate Michael Petrelis and #TruvadaWhore campaign founder Adam Zeboski.

Adam Zeboski (Photo credit: Bill Wilson.)

Adam Zeboski (Photo credit: Bill Wilson.)

In response to AHF’s actions vis-a-vis the third pharmacy, the Castro’s Supervisor Scott Wiener, along with Supervisors David Campos and Eric Mar, put forth and passed legislation closing the renaming loophole.

AHF now charges that its civil rights were violated in that it was targeted in a discriminatory manner.

“At the behest of San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, The City rammed through, at lightning speed, an interim zoning law specifically targeting AIDS Healthcare Foundation,” claimed Laura Boudreau, chief of operations for AHF. “The clear and sole purpose of that action was to discourage the organization from relocating and opening a nonprofit safety-net clinic and pharmacy in the Castro.”

Boudreau claims the motivation for The City’s actions lie in the foundation’s position on PrEP.

If this tune sounds familiar, it may be because AHF sued LA County and members of its Board of Supervisors in 2012, claiming that the County had retaliated against AHF for its years-long criticism of the County, its Public Health Department and several key health and elected officials. Different town, same M.O.

San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener - AHF Gets Caught Trying To Circumvent The Law, Sues The City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener

Supervisor Wiener released a statement saying the lawsuit has no merit suggesting it will fail:

“The lawsuit is baseless. AHF tried to game our formula retail law by tweaking its name and then claiming it wasn’t actually formula retail. Under AHF’s approach, any chain store could come into San Francisco, tweak its name, and claim that it isn’t formula retail. A broad coalition of HIV service providers and neighborhood groups came together to oppose this tactic. I then co-sponsored legislation with my colleagues Supervisors David Campos and Eric Mar to close this loophole, and the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the legislation. I stand by that action to preserve the integrity of our neighborhood-based planning process.”

Read AHF’s complaint:

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AHF dictator Michael Weinstein in his lair

AHF dictator Michael Weinstein in his lair

via SF Examiner / Castro Biscuit

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[…] So, AHF simply changed the name of the business, dropping ‘AHF’ from the name, and believed that was enough to consider them …read more     […]

Ernest Greene
Ernest Greene
9 years ago

Another crack in AHF’s armor, and once again, inflicted by those it claims to serve. If AHF’s board wants to salvage the organization’s rep as anything other than a pill mill, it needs to stop suing people and rid itself if its current predatory leadership. Personally, I hope it doesn’t. I hope they keep Weinstein on the job as loooong as possible. When he gets done tearing AHF to pieces. it’s just possible that other HIV/AIDS organizations it has smothered will get funded properly and a more progressive approach to community-based healthcare will emerge. Otherwise, these communities are indeed stuck… Read more »

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[…] reported yesterday at TRPWL, AHF also recently filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City and County of San Francisco and San Francisco Supervisor Scott […]

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[…] It would appear that to AHF “good corporate citizenship” includes union busting, overbilling, and lawsuits when the law doesn’t suit you. […]

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[…] the pharmacy component planned for 18th Street and the health care clinic set to face Castro. As we reported earlier this summer, AHF may face some formula retail zoning constraints related to those […]

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[…] opposed medication that can prevent HIV transmission, and he has sued the cities [and counties] of San Francisco and Los Angeles when they’ve opposed […]

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