Day 34 of the 16th St. Plaza cleanup: New cans hit Caledonia St.

Two more trash cans arrived Monday on Caledonia Street near the 16th Street BART Station. There they were: Two large, bright orange plastic cans chained to metal fencing at two different points on Caledonia Street. 

It’s unclear who put them there but, in the daily efforts to keep the plazas and side streets clean, few things have been more apparent than the lack of trash cans. On Day 10 of the city’s efforts, three new trash cans were installed on the northeast plaza, where there had not been a single trash can. And the side streets, up until today, have had no trash cans. 

So we will see if cans on Caledonia Street make a difference. On Monday, plastic bottles, cardboard and trash bags littered the area near the 15th Street corner. Some eight people were clustered nearby. 

Julian Avenue had fewer people hanging out. A San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team vehicle was parked in front of the Gubbio Project building, while two individuals sat along the east side of Julian with litter scattered around them.

On Wiese Street at 9:41 a.m., two city workers in high-visibility vests cleared trash. A traffic cone behind their truck blocked vehicles from entering the street.

At the southwest 16th Street Plaza, the Mobile Command Two unit remained parked with an SFPD vehicle in front of it. No officers were visible. The plaza was clean, with about half a dozen people sitting at the center, while others sold hot drinks and pastries from a table.

Across the street, the northeast plaza was busier. Vendors sold hot drinks and snacks to passersby, while foot traffic remained steady. No officers or police vehicles were visible at the time I visited.

On Capp Street, one person sat on a cushion and another leaned against a wall. Trash collected along the gutters.

Nearby, at 17th and Mission streets, Cecilia Vigil, a lifelong Mission District resident, reflected on how the neighborhood has changed.

“I’ve lived here my whole life — 24 years,” Vigil said. “It’s gotten a little bit safer. Granted, there are still a lot of cleanups to happen, but over time, I feel a little safer.”

She noted improvements at the BART plazas, including new security gates and the Mobile Command Unit parked near the plaza.

“Hopefully that does help people feel safe,” Vigil said. “This plaza has had a lot of history of, I don’t want to say illicit activity, but just different activity,” Vigil said, chuckling. “Hopefully the patrol unit is able to clear that out and make people feel safer again.”