San Francisco street ambassador slain while confronting drug user by library

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A San Francisco street ambassador was asking a man to stop using drugs outside a library in Civic Center Plaza when the ambassador was shot.

The homicide victim, 60-year-old Joey Alexander, worked for Urban Alchemy. The nonprofit is contracted with the city and sends street ambassadors into some of San Francisco’s roughest areas. They are tasked with deterring criminal activity and discouraging drug use.

Alexander was shot on Friday outside the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. He passed away in a hospital Tuesday.

Urban Alchemy spokesperson Jess Montejano said, “That was his beat, in front of the main library. He showed up to work every day when it was his shift.”

Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X Wednesday, “Our ambassadors dedicate their lives to the work of helping those on the street. Joey Alexander gave his life for it.”

There were children near the library when Alexander tried to get the man to stop using illicit drugs in the area.

“The suspect didn’t like that, they exchanged some words, pulled a shotgun out of his bag, and shot him in the torso,” Montejano told KRON4.

Police said 42-year-old Edmund Bowen was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of homicide.

Alexander had worked as an Urban Alchemy ambassador for two years and lived in Oakland.

Like many of the nonprofit’s employees, he had turned his life around and was dedicated to helping others do the same. Urban Alchemy’s formerly incarcerated employees are highly motivated to give back to their communities and take pride in their work, Montejano said.

“It’s a tight knit team. There’s definitely some fear amongst urban alchemy practitioners right now. It’s very easy to see themselves in Mr. Alexander,” Montejano said.

Alexander is survived by his son and two brothers.

The mayor wrote, “As we mourn his loss, I am grateful for all of our ambassadors, including those from Urban Alchemy. Every single day, they work alongside our city outreach workers and law enforcement to help those on the street and keep all of us safe.”