On Friday afternoon, four groups of vendors sold produce and soap near the bus stop on the northeast plaza. Two men pulled out laundry detergent from a blue-and-red striped duffle bag.
Meanwhile, on the southwest plaza, four police officers were on patrol next to the mobile command unit. Two public works employees chatted nearby, with green vests on and a clipboard in hand.
A few minutes later, two police officers and two public works employees crossed the street to the northwest corner of the intersection. A vendor, sitting on the ground and seeing them coming, slid a pair of shoes back into his bag, unfazed.
The team jaywalked across Mission Street to the northeast plaza, where vendors were selling. Without talking to the vendors, they went straight to three middle-aged women, who had just purchased some produce from one of the vendors.
The women, one of them holding a bag of two bell peppers, negotiated with the public works employees. But after being told they could get a citation, they gave up the goods to the enforcement team. It was, they said later, mostly food that was worth about $25.
It was mostly quiet on the side streets. Wiese Street was empty at 3:56 p.m., a scooter tipped over on its side and trash scattered along the edge of the street, including some fresh celery.
On Julian Avenue, about eight people were hanging out on the west side of the street, their dogs barking at each other. Around 4 p.m. on Caledonia Street, no one is in the alleyway. A few pieces of food wrappers were scattered about. Right out of the alley, a man napped on a sleeping pad in the shade, with a red jacket covering his chest.
Around 4:10 p.m., four groups of people were hanging out on Capp Street. One of them sat on a scooter, with his head buried in his knees. Another man sat with a friend, who sported a green fluffy frog hat. The street was calm, and everyone seemed to be resting.
Jesus h. Christo !!
Those women are “middle aged” if they live to be 120 to 140.
The DPW workers hovering over them were twice as big and had heavily armed SFPD backup who (like the DPW workers) took time out from discussing their mortgages and the overtime both groups were raking in for this.
Hassling them for trying to get a bargain on produce and confiscating it with threats is not a good look for Mayor Lurie.
I mean, hey, Daniel … arresting fentanyl customers is one thing cause the product is illegal and consumption of same is same.
Far as I know, until now the consumption of bell peppers is not illegal in America.
Who is in charge of coordinating this clown show of DPW and SFPD Enforcers ?
Make them stop spending all of their time just bullshitting with each other.
Make the cops walk a few single officer Foot Patrols kind of as a tribute to the way cops used to do when the ships were made of wood and the men were made of steel.
Don’t tell me you don’t have the manpower because I’m watching the Mission Local coverage of more than enough troops to have Foot Patrols walking in 4 directions and still have plenty to guard that White Whale Command Vehicle from taggers.
Y’all coming to my birthday part tomorrow ?
go Niners !!
h.
This is the first time I have heard of enforcement against someone buying something from a vendor. Can you elaborate on this? Is that kind of “enforcement” even legal?
What is the regulation that allows public works to enforce this against a buyer? How is a buyer supposed to know which vendors are ok to purchase from and which vendors can result in their purchases being confiscated?