San Francisco police officers cleared out several blocks around Garfield Park Thursday night, giving dispersal orders and shutting down the unsanctioned Fourth of July fireworks that occur in the vicinity yearly.
Minutes after 11 p.m., Mission Station Captain Thomas Harvey issued his first dispersal order at 25th and Harrison streets, speaking through a bullhorn and telling the hundred-plus people assembled nearby to go home.
“It’s time to go. We do not want to make any arrests,” Harvey declared. Police officers lined up behind him and began walking down Harrison towards 26th Street, telling everyone to leave.
The crowds there obeyed, walking away calmly and shooting off some last-minute pyrotechnics. But they reassembled at several intersections nearby, joining other groups and continuing to light fireworks. Police officers had to move corner to corner to dissipate them.
At 25th Street and Treat Avenue, police officers rushed in and people scattered, according to a young skater watching from halfway up a tree. He said the police gave dispersal orders, threatened people with arrest, and then ran in.
The skater had climbed the tree to avoid trouble, and oversaw the operation.
“There’s enough mayhem,” he said. “I don’t need to be a part of it. So, I climbed the tree.”
At 24th and Treat, where another crowd had gathered later in the night, Harvey again issued dispersal orders: “It’s time to go. It’s after midnight. Leave the area!” he shouted through a bullhorn, growing increasingly exasperated. “You’re being rude.”
The crowd slowly thinned, and officers eventually moved in to disperse those remaining. Skaters shouted “Fuck you!” as they sped off. A man argued with an officer, asking him where they were being told to go. “Shut your mouth,” the officer replied.
People congregated throughout the Mission all night, setting off fireworks and enjoying the makeshift shows.
On Harrison, a hulking man wearing a black tank top walked around holding a fireworks tube aloft and shooting it into the air; the crowd “ooh”ed at the display, and someone yelled, “The Terminator!” A costumed Batman wandered around 25th and Treat, teenagers vaped and drank cheap beer, and skateboarders did flip tricks over the burning remains of fireworks boxes. Paper ash rained down on the crowds.
The largest assemblies were around Garfield Park, as they are every year — initially on Harrison between 25th and 26th, and at 25th and Treat. Police vans had been set up nearby, keeping a watchful eye.
Last year, dozens of police officers swept through the Mission, starting at 25th and Harrison streets, giving dispersal orders just after midnight and rushing crowds. They swung batons and aimed bean-bag rifles, sending people running. In the aftermath, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said several people had been injured by fireworks; a bartender at Pop’s said he heard of people losing fingers.
In 2022, police similarly moved to shut down the party after responding to a bonfire in the middle of an intersection.
Unlike last year, however, police officers spread themselves out across multiple corners on Thursday, watching over the gatherings, seemingly in an attempt to prevent large and boisterous crowds.
It mostly worked. Small groups of officers waited a half-block away from many of the fireworks shows. Occasionally, officers drove police SUVs through crowded intersections, thinning those gathered; people flipped them off as they drove away.
When asked to speak about the police presence, Captain Harvey angrily brushed this reporter away.
“No! No!” he said, when approached, waving his hand. He had been speaking to a small group of officers near a police van, when the street was calm. Would he talk? “Not at all,” he said, turning his back.
It is unclear if anyone was arrested. In a statement, San Francisco General Hospital said it admitted five patients on Thursday “with blast injuries from fireworks to the face and hands.” Two were in serious condition as of Friday, and three in “fair condition.”
Celebrations started early in the Mission. Before the sun fell, revelers set off M80s and other noisemakers across the neighborhood. Car alarms went off, and police started patrolling.
After dark, music traveled from parked cars, garages, and open front doors. People lounged on their stoops, grilling and drinking. As the night wore on, the sound of sirens grew common.
Most police vehicles left the area shortly before 1 a.m. They were followed by a street-cleaning car, spraying water to clear debris, and a fire department truck.
The Mission is a stupid nightmare on the fourth. No one is celebrating the country’s history – they’re just celebrating mayhem and war. Great, just what we all need. Thanks. Kudos to the Mission PD for formulating an ongoing plan to deal with it. It’s only a matter of time before a serious fire/accident/deaths happen. I can only imagine those poor knuckleheads who lost fingers and whatnot think about their stupidity in hindsight, and I’m sure they’ll really appreciate the lawsuits and jail time they’ll get next time.
The explosions went on until 2:30 around Dolores Park.
Last night, someone blew off random M-80’s until after 2:00 am
I am exhausted today thanks to jerks who think it is funny to keep the neighborhood up all night.