Two people with carts stand on a city sidewalk, one bending over a pink cart, while four uniformed officers stand further away near a building.
4/15/25 Julian Avenue Westside. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez

Eight San Francisco sheriff’s deputies moved through the area surrounding the 16th Street BART Plazas on Tuesday morning, mostly moving people along. 

On Julian, near the Kailash Hotel, three deputies dispersed a group of six people huddled in a circle. The deputies walked the block, encouraging anyone hanging out to keep moving. In their wake, piles of trash remained scattered across the sidewalk.

Three other deputies walked on Hoff Street, pausing near the now-closed Wells Fargo bank at the 16th Street intersection. 

On Caledonia Street, three city cleanup trucks parked along the curb; loose trash filled each truck bed. The orange trash cans that appeared on Monday remained chained to the fence. 

Lydia Bransten, executive director of the Gubbio Project, a homeless service program located at 15th and Caledonia streets, confirmed the placement of the cans via email. 

At 9:51 a.m., a street sweeper entered Wiese Street to clear the scattered trash.

Aside from the Mobile Command Two unit parked on-site, the southwest 16th Street plaza had no visible officers or patrol vehicles. The plaza was sparsely populated and appeared clean.

Across the street, the northeast plaza also lacked a police presence. A single city truck was parked between the BART entrance and the bus stop.

At 9:55 a.m., Capp Street was lined with aerosol cans and flattened cardboard. One person leaned against a wall. Two more sat nearby at the corner of 17th and Capp streets.

Three utility trucks are parked in a narrow urban alleyway with trash and equipment in their beds, surrounded by buildings and power lines.
4/15/25 Caledonia Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Person pushing a stroller down a city sidewalk lined with parked cars and trees; other people are visible further down the sidewalk near buildings.
4/15/25 Julian Avenue, east side. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Two people with carts stand on a city sidewalk, one bending over a pink cart, while four uniformed officers stand further away near a building.
4/15/25 Julian Avenue, west side. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A city plaza with a bicycle seat in the foreground, a few people walking or sitting, and a white bus parked near colorful buildings in the background.
4/15/25 Southeast 16th Street Plaza. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Street intersection with people waiting near a public transit stop; graffiti covers surrounding buildings, and palm trees line the sidewalk. Traffic lights and street signs are visible.
4/15/25 Northeast 16th Street Plaza. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A street sweeper cleans a trash-littered alley lined with metal barricades and graffiti-covered walls.
4/15/25 Weise Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Two uniformed police officers stand in a parking lot near a tree and several parked vehicles, including a white van with a California license plate.
4/15/25 16th Street and Hoff Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
Two police officers cross a city street at a crosswalk under a red hand signal, with pedestrians and graffiti-covered buildings in the background.
4/15/25 16th and Mission Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
A person sorts through cardboard boxes on a littered urban sidewalk beside a graffiti-covered wall, with cans and trash scattered around.
4/15/25 Capp Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.

Follow Us

Gustavo Hernandez is a freelance photojournalist and videographer currently living in Excelsior District. He graduated in Fall 2024 with a double major in Journalism (Photojournalism) and BECA (Broadcasting and Electronic Communications Arts) from San Francisco State University. You can periodically catch him dodging potholes on his scooter and actively eating pho.

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

  1. Reply

  2. Thanks

    How about coming to report the Lower Polk and Larkin Street “ hell on our doorstep” neighborhood

    If you want news , come visit .

    Drug dens , encampments , drugs and drinking loitering, crime, vandalism, poop and pee , mostly human, dogs without leashes , loud music .

    If only this area was half as bad as the area you keep covering .

    Please don’t be afraid to cover this area .

    For seven years , this neighborhood has been a “no go zone”

    +1
    -1
    votes. Sign in to vote
    Reply
  3. Reply
Leave a comment
Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and easy-to-follow rules.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *