Paul Wade stood on the corner of 16th and Capp in a black sweatshirt and baseball cap, pausing briefly to meet a friend. He’s been in San Francisco since 1986 — long enough to remember when the Mission was still full of artists and bands, long before the dot-com wave pushed many of them out.
“These streets have always had their rough edges,” he said, nodding down Capp Street. “But it’s a little mellower now, I guess.”
Still, Wade isn’t convinced the recent changes near 16th and Mission are anything more than temporary. “I don’t know if they’re really taking care of people or if they’re just moving them around,” he said. “If they’re actually getting people off the streets and into housing, I think that’s great. At least somebody’s trying to do something.”
Wade has worked in demolition for over two decades in San Francsico. His work keeps him tethered to the Mission, and to the blocks around the plaza that have seen consistent enforcement since the city’s crackdown began in early March.
He’s noticed fewer people using drugs in public, and less of the loud, chaotic energy that had taken over parts of Capp and Mission in the months before. But he isn’t celebrating — at least not yet. “Things quiet down,” he said, “but you never know for how long.”
5/09/25 At 9:50 a.m., on Caledonia Street, a single man stood with a few scattered items around him, clutching a roller luggage bag. In the background, one of the orange trash bins was completely full while the other remained empty. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 On Sparrow Street, orange and banana peels, along with plastic bags and cups, had been swept into a small pile near the curb along the street parallel to Valencia.Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 At 10:04 a.m., on the corner of Julian and 15th Street, two HOT workers walked down 15th toward Mission Street. Nearby, a man swept the sidewalk between Caledonia and Julian. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 By 12:25 p.m., about 11 people were gathered outside the Kailash Hotel on Julian. The group chatted among themselves, although two individuals crouched over with their eyes fixed on their hands. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 At 12:27 p.m., on Wiese Street, a man was bent over with his pants down to his ankles. In the foreground, another man lay on the ground beneath a black sheet. A plastic container holding his belongings was positioned to shield his left side. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 At 12:33 p.m., the southeast side of the 16th Street Plaza had a single SFPD vehicle stationed next to the Mobile Command Unit. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 On the southeast 16th street plaza a gray Mercedes-Benz SUV was parked further south along the plaza. On its dashboard sat a BART Operations Rules and Procedures manual. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 By 12:35 p.m., the northeast plaza had no visible SFPD or DPW vehicles. An elderly man wearing a hat and using a cane stood quietly in the center of the space. Photo by Gustavo Hernandez5/09/25 At 12:38 p.m., on Capp Street, a shirtless man leaned against a graffiti-covered wall near the corner of 16th and Capp. A little further down, near the Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, foot traffic picked up slightly. 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.
My dog and I spend at least 2 hours daily picking up trash and garbage and scraping up poo and broken glass on the perimeter of this target zone and know it well.
Two comments.
First, a huge amount of the litter you see on the sidestreets is from St. John’s free prepared meals programs.
They don’t have a lunchroom like Glide and St. Anthony’s so everyone dines in the adjacent alleys and on Julian mostly and those who dine nearest the church distribution point use the trash barrel nearest and others carry their meals a block or two to locations where DPW continues to remove trash recepticals despite the new Mayor.
Again, most of these people as has been noted are housed in the plentiful neighborhood SRO’s.
The rousted Homeless can setup what my computer hears me as saying an ‘in Campland’.
Means, ‘Encampment’ and deserves uppercase like the one under my windows across the street alongside Healthy Spirits which I’ll photograph in progress and send to your Publisher much as you’re doing.
My answer again is to have FEMA set up campgrounds on Treasure Island and our golf courses much as they’d do for an earthquake.
My son, he struggles with fentanyl and meth, addiction, got housing for the second time and in another brand new building, a brand new apartment. I hope to God he doesn’t fuck this one up. I’ve lost touch with him again. Otherwise I was supposed to be visiting once a week to make sure that the apartment stays clean And that he was doing what he needs to do. He actually got the apartment directly from the Mayor.
it’s very interesting story they hooked him up with LYRIC, he’s trans. They had an apartment for him in one hour, and he moved in two days later.
I am very happy to hear that an my prayers go out to your son. Society is so mess up right now and the economy sucks for normal people since 2008. My prayers go out to you. Don’t give up on your son. He does not want to this. Life is only for the cutthroats and sociopath people.
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.
I would not drive my Mercedes around that neighborhood.
Gustavo,
My dog and I spend at least 2 hours daily picking up trash and garbage and scraping up poo and broken glass on the perimeter of this target zone and know it well.
Two comments.
First, a huge amount of the litter you see on the sidestreets is from St. John’s free prepared meals programs.
They don’t have a lunchroom like Glide and St. Anthony’s so everyone dines in the adjacent alleys and on Julian mostly and those who dine nearest the church distribution point use the trash barrel nearest and others carry their meals a block or two to locations where DPW continues to remove trash recepticals despite the new Mayor.
Again, most of these people as has been noted are housed in the plentiful neighborhood SRO’s.
The rousted Homeless can setup what my computer hears me as saying an ‘in Campland’.
Means, ‘Encampment’ and deserves uppercase like the one under my windows across the street alongside Healthy Spirits which I’ll photograph in progress and send to your Publisher much as you’re doing.
My answer again is to have FEMA set up campgrounds on Treasure Island and our golf courses much as they’d do for an earthquake.
That was my second comment.
Go Warriors !!
h.
My son, he struggles with fentanyl and meth, addiction, got housing for the second time and in another brand new building, a brand new apartment. I hope to God he doesn’t fuck this one up. I’ve lost touch with him again. Otherwise I was supposed to be visiting once a week to make sure that the apartment stays clean And that he was doing what he needs to do. He actually got the apartment directly from the Mayor.
it’s very interesting story they hooked him up with LYRIC, he’s trans. They had an apartment for him in one hour, and he moved in two days later.
I am very happy to hear that an my prayers go out to your son. Society is so mess up right now and the economy sucks for normal people since 2008. My prayers go out to you. Don’t give up on your son. He does not want to this. Life is only for the cutthroats and sociopath people.