A few blocks away from the 16th Street BART Plaza, Allison White, the owner of Valencia Street Vintage, stood near 17th and Mission early Thursday. Although she and her husband, the former owner of Yellow Moto, recently moved to Spain, she’s currently back for a five-week stay, living at their old place nearby.
This visit reminded her of how little has changed in the blocks around the 16th Street BART Plazas. “I lived here for 10 years. I’ve been spit on. I’ve been punched. I’ve seen fights every single day. I’ve seen people bleeding.”
From her apartment, she hears the daily cycle unfold. “I hear people kind of partying, you know? And then around, like, five or so, I’ll hear a police car come in and be like, ‘All right, time to keep it moving,’ you know, like, on the intercom. And then I hear them cleaning and stuff like that.”
At a town hall on Wednesday night about recent attempts to clean up the plazas, residents told similar stories. One described a feeling of “hopelessness,” saying, “It feels like one day, all the streets are clear, the next day … the alleys are full again.”
Another resident asked whether they should call 911 or 311 to report ongoing issues, and what benchmarks the city would use to track progress. It’s clear from Mission Local’s daily visits and interviews with residents that the crackdown has not resolved issues of drug use, vending and disorder.
At the end of Wednesday’s meeting, Supervisor Jackie Fielder said, “It is valuable how people feel … Certainly, none of us are under the illusion that it’s okay right now.”
On Thursday, more city workers were visible in the area.
5/1/25 At 9:30 a.m., Caledonia Street saw five people: Three sat near a garage door surrounded by a scooter, a suitcase, and a broken mirror, while two others entered the block from 15th Street. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez. 5/1/25 On Julian Avenue, three Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) workers parked and donned green vests. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez. 5/1/25. Near the Kailash Hotel, two men walked toward 15th Street. The area was mostly clean, with only a few scattered pieces of trash. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 Wiese Street had two men squatting near a bicycle. A city truck was stationed near the 15th Street end, where a worker stood beside it. The block appeared well-maintained. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 At 9:36 a.m., the southwest 16th Street Plaza had one police vehicle, and about a dozen people sitting on the BART steps. A Public Works crew worked nearby. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 On the northeast side of the plaza, a police cruiser backed in with lights flashing at 9:47 a.m. Both plazas were clean and quiet. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 Capp Street and 16th remained active. Families crossed the intersection while three men lingered on the west side of Capp. One man cupped his hands and lit something near his mouth; another paced the sidewalk. A foam mattress, bags, and cardboard cluttered the wall. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 On Capp Street one man cupped his hands and lit something near his mouth; another paced the sidewalk. A foam mattress, bags, and cardboard cluttered the wall. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.5/1/25 Allison White, who runs a vintage shop on Valencia Street, now lives in Spain but regularly spends time in San Francisco. Living near 16th and Mission, she says she hears the nighttime activity and the morning sweeps. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez.
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.
Quiet? I’m sorry, but that loud, incessant generator blasting from the mobile command vehicle is anything but. And seeing all those cops standing around made for a kind of hostile, intimidating environment that I never experienced when vendors were just selling shampoo and soap.
Less agencies, less money involved, more boots on the ground with buses ready to take the low life crews up north in a nice, secluded jail in the middle of nowhere. A little view from their cells of distant trees, of birds chirping, would benefit them while folding laundry.
What’s so valuable about this series is how it shines a spotlight on the zero-sum situation facing SF political leadership. Most debates are about shades of gray, but this one is simple – who will our government prioritize, the working class residents of the Mission’s side streets and alleys or the out of town drug addicts who have taken over their neighborhoods? Both populations need help but they can’t coexist as is for much longer.
San Francisco is one of the few places in America (and the world) where political leaders seem scared to inconvenience the latter group, or at least scared to inconvenience the agencies and nonprofits we pay to service them.
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Quiet? I’m sorry, but that loud, incessant generator blasting from the mobile command vehicle is anything but. And seeing all those cops standing around made for a kind of hostile, intimidating environment that I never experienced when vendors were just selling shampoo and soap.
Less agencies, less money involved, more boots on the ground with buses ready to take the low life crews up north in a nice, secluded jail in the middle of nowhere. A little view from their cells of distant trees, of birds chirping, would benefit them while folding laundry.
What’s so valuable about this series is how it shines a spotlight on the zero-sum situation facing SF political leadership. Most debates are about shades of gray, but this one is simple – who will our government prioritize, the working class residents of the Mission’s side streets and alleys or the out of town drug addicts who have taken over their neighborhoods? Both populations need help but they can’t coexist as is for much longer.
San Francisco is one of the few places in America (and the world) where political leaders seem scared to inconvenience the latter group, or at least scared to inconvenience the agencies and nonprofits we pay to service them.