A July 4 celebration turned into frenzy early Tuesday morning as revelers started a bonfire in the middle of the street at 24th and Harrison streets.
When officers arrived at 12:39 a.m. and tried to disperse the crowd, the partygoers began throwing bottles and setting off explosive devices in the direction of the officers, according to San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman Allison Maxie. Shortly after people allegedly began throwing bottles, some police officers in riot gear showed up to the intersection.
This fire is one of many that occurred across the city on July 4. According to a tweet from the San Francisco Fire Department, it received 247 fire calls.
Maxie wrote that 12 officers responding to the Mission fire experienced ringing in their ears, and two received minor burns from debris from an exploding device. No arrests were made in connection with the officers’ injuries.
Javier Diaz, who works at La Gallinita Meat Market, said he witnessed people with a rental scooter setting off fireworks sometime between 10 and 11 p.m. Diaz said he thought the same people setting off the fireworks also set the fire.
Diaz added that the people who were shooting off fireworks were not from the Mission, but that remains unclear. Asher, a worker at the family-run coffee shop Temo’s Cafe, on 24th near Harrison Street, agreed.
“This happens every year,” Asher said, referring to the people shooting off fireworks.
Casa De La Misión, a senior affordable housing complex at 3031 24th St., and Healthyish Republic, a restaurant scheduled to have its grand opening on Wednesday at 2990 24th St., were also tagged during the evening.
The restaurant still plans to have its grand opening tomorrow and is working to paint over the graffiti before its big event.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reported that a 14-Mission bus was graffitied at 22nd and Mission streets at 3:55 a.m. The bus was defaced on the windshield and on its side.
This story is unfolding and will be updated when possible.
I love a good fireworks show but the street firework in the mission is dangerous. Right next to powerlines, a few feet away from people’s homes, sometimes shooting directly at someone’s house. When will we stop this madness? When someone gets killed?
smh.
I disagree with the take that no residents of our neighborhood are trashing, burning, and tagging the neighborhood, whether it’s on 4th of July or any other night. I appreciate Mission Local covering this story, and it makes me sad what so many of our neighborhood’s, and our city’s, reaction seems to be. Chatting with neighbors and business owners about the destruction that comes every 4th of July, the most common reaction I see is a shrug and some variations of, “Well, it’s the Mission.” I don’t understand why we tolerate this as a community. We claim to be a progressive community but shrug our shoulders when people deface an affordable housing complex for seniors and locally-owned businesses. What does, “Well, it’s the Mission,” mean to people? What ARE our values as a community? And what do our actions say about us?
We have to leave the city every year for the Fourth. It’s really, really awful here and it’s getting worse each year. Reading this, I can’t believe the police haven’t learned to be more pro-active here. 24th between Arizona to Folsom should be closed to traffic and police should be here from the afternoon until 2am.
And yes, what about Calle 24? Is this what we want as a historical district? The saddest thing to see is the new senior housing building being covered, COVERED in graffiti.
Pathetic. Where is Calle 24 to denounce this?
The same people do this every year. They are residents of the block and have no regard for their neighbors. The city knows who they are. Those of us concerned about safety call the non emergency hot line every year when they start setting up early in the afternoon. They put our lives and property at risk every year. The city does not care about protecting us.
Outside the hood? Are you kidding me? It’s well-known that a certain house on Harrison between 24th and 25th is ground zero for fireworks and partying for New Year’s and the 4th. So well known, in fact, that in past years SFFD has placed a firetruck at the intersection of 24th and Harrison. Can’t believe not one arrest was made. Meanwhile, Calle 24 is focused on getting permits for thieves to continue selling their wares at 24th St BART. Where’s Eleven, because we’re certainly in the Upside Down
“Revelers”. Sure…..uh huh.
Calle 24 doing what they do best—”keeping hoods theirs”. Pathetic.
As much as I wish we could chalk this up to bad behavior from those outside the hood, we know that’s not the whole truth. Jon Jacobo basically live-streamed the “show” on his Instagram stories, and he’s very much from the mission.
Revelers or scumbags? Not one arrest? The usual local politicos and their nonprofit cronies always whining about protecting the Mission of course are silent
Sounds like you should be mad at the cops, not the “politicos”
would you be one of people to then accuse them of targeting minorities?
This is the video of the people vandalizing the bus. Horrible. This is anarchy.
https://gfycat.com/optimaldefensiveeland
there’s video of the bus being attacked and what you didn’t make clear was that it was an active bus running with passengers, who must have been terrified, and how there was just no reason to attack that bus, but it was, and quite swiftly and viciously with one person trying to kick the doors open and the instigator spray painting all over the driver’s window
Whoo!!! San Francisco rules, this is what we pay for!