"We are Real people!" reads a sign posted by a homeless camper on his tent in July 2016. City officials planned to kick out campers on Division and Bryant streets the next day. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
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As a fourth-generation Bay Area resident, I grew up hearing stories about the changes in San Francisco from family who grew up in the Mission, the Marina, and the Richmond.
Seeing drastic changes in San Francisco over the past decade, I’ve set out during my lunch breaks where I live and work in the Mission District to document the city’s changing landscape. These images are part of the photojournalism project “San Francisco: A Changing City,” and are intended to capture different responses of what it means to call SF “home.”
About these images
I captured this specific set of images between February-March, 2016, in my work as a paralegal/social worker to document the homeless individuals and families being displaced at an alarming rate in the north Mission and SoMa.
Some photos in this series capture specific streets before and after the displacement of the tents and encampments. While the encampments along 13th Street have been mostly cleared out since March 2016, the number of tents remains high in the area as of August 2016. The tents are more dispersed along nearby streets.
This is a documentation of what was. Spaces are an extension of the people who inhabit them. This is a documentation of how spaces change once the people who inhabit them are displaced. How we relate to the spaces we share in SF is always changing. The city’s policies are always impacting the use of space and changing lives through evictions and gentrification. The same amount of space that tents took up on the sidewalks is now taken up by metal fences. We must reconsider use of the term “homeless” and how all residents of this city relate to each other.
Joe Sciarrillo is a photojournalist, social worker, and author of Bay Area Underground: Photos of Protests and Social Movements, 2008-2012.
Homeless camper on 13th and Mission streets asked drivers for spare change at an intersection where police often attempt to curb panhandling. This photo was taken in February 2016 when the city began massive sweeps of homeless encampments in the Mission District. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Homeless camper on 13th and Mission streets remained after a recent sweep by city officials displaced over a dozen people. February 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Mike (above) discussed what it’s like to be homeless on Division St. as the city announced plans to push the homeless out of the area. He stated, “It’s messed up how [city officials] are treating the people out here…they don’t have any where to go…People are just out here trying to survive and live…and I’m homeless and I’m still trying to help people…some people were just dealt bad hands.” February 25, 2016. Screenshot of Video by Joe Sciarrillo.
A homeless camper on 13th and Bryant streets posts a sign, pleading to the city to stop plans to displace campers. The sign reads: “We are Real people!” February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Tent encampments were lined up along 13th St. and South Van Ness Ave. on February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th Street and South Van Ness Avenue. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets after the displacement. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Bryant streets. With skyrocketing rent prices, many San Francisco residents resort to living in cars and RVs. This photo was taken in 2013 before the large tent encampments started. 13th street had been a common place for RV parking until the city placed further parking restrictions on RVs. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Bryant streets. Community Ambassadors from the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) along with the Homeless Outreach Team (seen in the background) spoke to folks living on the street as city officials were publicly declared that all public encampments would be cleared out the next day. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Bryant streets after the displacement. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets before the displacement. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th St. and Harrison St. after the displacement. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
A homeless camper on 13th and Bryant streets rested next to his belongings hours after dozens of tents were kicked out of the north side of 13th Street. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
The same man on 13th and Bryant streets rested next to his belongings hours after dozens of tents were kicked out. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Artwork on 13th and Harrison streets mocks the city’s displacement of homeless encampments. Mayor Ed Lee came under heavy criticism for targeting visible signs of homelessness during the city’s hosting of Superbowl events in February 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets hours after dozens of tents were kicked out. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
The Department of Public Works posted signs and barricades on the sidewalks along 13th Street, declaring the space a “Public Health Nuisance.” February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
At 9th and Bryant streets Slim panhandles. He lives in a tent nearby. February 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets. This city’s Department of Public Health posted signs, warning of the plans to remove the tents. February 25, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
13th and Harrison streets. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
The Coalition on Homelessness posted its own solutions to addressing the “health needs of campers,” and called for a “Moratorium on Sweeps.” 13th and Harrison streets. March 2, 2016. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Police interact with homeless campers at 13th and Mission St. 2015. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
Photo taken in 2013 of one of the few homeless encampments along 13th St. at the time. This was at 13th and Folsom streets. The woman on the right, Elaine lived on that corner until she passed away in summer of 2015. Photo by Joe Sciarrillo.
I’m glad to see Blair’s comment above. It seems to me that people forced to live in tents under freeways already have it hard, and they’re not asking for much- just a tiny bit of recognition of their humanity.
I’ve lived in SF since 2003, and I have never once been in any way put out by the presence of a tent. But I suppose (based on the comments above) that for many people, having to look at a tent, or think about homeless people is sufficiently terrible as to warrant wholesale harassment of others. Real enlightened, forward-looking thinking there.
Based on the nasty, hateful, dehumanizing comments people are leaving on this article, San Francisco as the ideal stretching back to the age of Mark Twain is dead. The real San Francisco is gone and the greedy narcissists who now live here don’t have the first clue about a holding community together.
Does anyone remember what the Height was like after the summer of 67 was over. I saw people get mugged in front of my flat. That’s what’s people feel like living around these encampments. What’s next emperor Norton?
When non mentally ill people are evicted, they find somewhere else to live. It’s dishonest journalism to create a correlation between evictions and homelessness. They are two very distinct issues.
I wanna do meth and have great sex for 5 years … and then I want the city of San Francisco to clean up my mess and support me for the rest of my life…….
U had a meeting last week in the mission- where your supervisor and precinct captain told u that all the encampments will be gone in 4 months! Are u put up with this crap for 4 months – of course u are – u don’t have any political muscle.
These encampments were also brought to u by the ” activist “, who have no voting base in neighborhood- who present city hall with issues that do originate in the neighborhood but only causes.
.Nice photos- but these encampments never should been there in the first place. When they were allowed to be set up -it was a political decision- from the supes. and the mayor’s office. Also, a lack of any real political representation for the Mission.
Here’s a link to a YouTube slideshow on homeless encampments in SF , — @ ~ one second per image, and crowdsourced from the last group of encampment reports that include images. It’s not a fun watch.
^ “Aesthetics matter more to me than people’s life and well being.”
The above post really captures the mentality of a lot of very disgusting people in SF.
You are clueless as to what “disgusting” is. I’m also sick of the BS claim that the enabled are responsible for these vagrants and the vagrants themselves are absolved and blameless. Talk about psychological projecting and blame shifting ! YOU CAN NOT SPEND ENOUGH to fix these damaged humans ! San Francisco already spends 250 million dollars every year for 30 stinking years and it DOES NOT WORK !
Bob is right. Also of note is Eric’s casual avoidance of the SAFER and CLEANER parts of the comment bc crime, human excrement, drug abuse and violence are irrelevant to this discussion…
Right Bob, If we could just use the power plant by the bay as a place to put these human excrement, and then turn them into soap, problem solved , something useful to wash down the streets, and even a warning to the other vagrants who might think of traveling to SF,
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Thank you Joe Sciarrillo for your continued photojournalism humanizing and telling the stories of those most vulnerable in our community!
I’m glad to see Blair’s comment above. It seems to me that people forced to live in tents under freeways already have it hard, and they’re not asking for much- just a tiny bit of recognition of their humanity.
I’ve lived in SF since 2003, and I have never once been in any way put out by the presence of a tent. But I suppose (based on the comments above) that for many people, having to look at a tent, or think about homeless people is sufficiently terrible as to warrant wholesale harassment of others. Real enlightened, forward-looking thinking there.
Based on the nasty, hateful, dehumanizing comments people are leaving on this article, San Francisco as the ideal stretching back to the age of Mark Twain is dead. The real San Francisco is gone and the greedy narcissists who now live here don’t have the first clue about a holding community together.
Does anyone remember what the Height was like after the summer of 67 was over. I saw people get mugged in front of my flat. That’s what’s people feel like living around these encampments. What’s next emperor Norton?
When non mentally ill people are evicted, they find somewhere else to live. It’s dishonest journalism to create a correlation between evictions and homelessness. They are two very distinct issues.
I wanna do meth and have great sex for 5 years … and then I want the city of San Francisco to clean up my mess and support me for the rest of my life…….
U had a meeting last week in the mission- where your supervisor and precinct captain told u that all the encampments will be gone in 4 months! Are u put up with this crap for 4 months – of course u are – u don’t have any political muscle.
These encampments were also brought to u by the ” activist “, who have no voting base in neighborhood- who present city hall with issues that do originate in the neighborhood but only causes.
.Nice photos- but these encampments never should been there in the first place. When they were allowed to be set up -it was a political decision- from the supes. and the mayor’s office. Also, a lack of any real political representation for the Mission.
Here’s a link to a YouTube slideshow on homeless encampments in SF , — @ ~ one second per image, and crowdsourced from the last group of encampment reports that include images. It’s not a fun watch.
https://youtu.be/DDzz7H9Y7Yk
Looks much better without tents. Also safer and cleaner. Sorry.
^ “Aesthetics matter more to me than people’s life and well being.”
The above post really captures the mentality of a lot of very disgusting people in SF.
You are clueless as to what “disgusting” is. I’m also sick of the BS claim that the enabled are responsible for these vagrants and the vagrants themselves are absolved and blameless. Talk about psychological projecting and blame shifting ! YOU CAN NOT SPEND ENOUGH to fix these damaged humans ! San Francisco already spends 250 million dollars every year for 30 stinking years and it DOES NOT WORK !
The only damaged human here is you Bob Evans.
Bob is right. Also of note is Eric’s casual avoidance of the SAFER and CLEANER parts of the comment bc crime, human excrement, drug abuse and violence are irrelevant to this discussion…
Right Bob, If we could just use the power plant by the bay as a place to put these human excrement, and then turn them into soap, problem solved , something useful to wash down the streets, and even a warning to the other vagrants who might think of traveling to SF,