A resident of Julian Avenue, who asked not to be identified, sprayed the sidewalk outside his home with water from a hose on Wednesday morning, saying that the smell of the street has gotten so bad he can’t get fresh air.
“The smell has gotten so bad, I can’t open my window,” he said.
The situation at 16th and Mission streets, he said, is up and down. “It comes in waves,” he said. The man said the city has not found a permanent solution to the crime or pollution problem on Julian Avenue. “The city always comes and cleans Caledonia Street when I call 311,” he said. But the pollution will then move to Julian Avenue, he said.
“What’s it for?” he asked, referring to the San Francisco Police Department’s mobile command unit that’s been parked on the plaza 24/7 for over two months. “Kids live here and they have to see crime, drug use, prostitution,” he said.
The man acknowledged that the presence of police has improved the area around 16th and Mission. “The illegal vending is gone, they cleaned the area, and you can actually walk through it now,” he said. But, he added, he’d like for the city to provide more sanitary resources for the unhoused.
Aracely, the manager of Nieves Cinco de Mayo, also on Julian Avenue, thinks sheriff’s deputies have made the biggest difference. “When it was just the [police] bus, nothing really happened,” she said in Spanish. Even with the difference, though, she said her business is still suffering because of the corridor’s reputation.
“The clients see people doing drugs right in front of the door and they don’t want to come in,” she said. “Look at that; that’s what I’m talking about. They probably did that last night,” said Aracely. Outside the window, the burnt remains of an incinerated suitcase laid on the sidewalk.
Nearby, at 15th and Julian streets, groups of people sat in the shade at Centro Latino De San Francisco. Arturo, who is originally from the Philippines, has lived in San Francisco since 1972. “This is the worst it’s gotten,” he said about the area, echoing others. Police, he said, have helped, but there should be more attention to the corner at night.
Generally, however, the northeast 16th Street BART Plaza was quiet on Wednesday. Small groups of people sat and socialized with each other and, in the back corner by the entrance to the BART station, a man was sunbathing under two palm trees. He wore a bright-yellow one-piece suit, no shoes.
A man wearing an all-black outfit bopped his head as he played reggae music out of his speaker. A couple of feet away, a lady sat by herself, listening to salsa music and staring intently at the steady flow of cars going up and down Mission Street.
At the southwest 16th Street Plaza, the SFPD mobile command unit was accompanied by a patrol vehicle. A lively group of men sat down by the BART station. Most of them shirtless, they sang and danced to cumbia sonidera music. One of the men yelled in Spanish, “Don’t play these songs, because you know what they do to me.” His friends laughed as he danced in the middle of the group, behind people waiting to board a Muni bus.
A little known secret for those that want things done. If you write a physical letter to the health department and cc city hall and local supervisor stating that the conditions are so bad it’s a health hazard, the city will sweep that street and remove encampments immediately. It has to be a physical letter and make sure it’s to the health department and that city leaders are also sent a copy of same letter. When it’s a health hazard, they worry about being sued and that is the only thing that springs these folks into action for those of us that are not wealthy. Get multiple neighbors to send these letters and span them out every couple days. Don’t stop until your street is as clean as the one mayor Lurie lives on
I wish that worked on the Health Dept when you have a mouse infestation! They dont see droppings as a health hazard claiming instead they must see a mouse with their own eyes.
Coming from somebody who lives here all their life the police actually have made a big change in the neighborhood and in the Mission District when I was growing up out here people were dying people were getting shot people were at war with each other every day people are getting robbed it was nothing like it is now there’s nobody on the street hardly anytime they’re selling anything on the street now on the 16th in the city just changed a lot of people in jail and even some of the cops are mad because they’re not there are people that were used to be on the payroll and on the payroll no more if you get what I mean you know there’s a lot of people out here working for I want to say moody he’s a police officer out here in the mission that is one dirty copper and that’s my opinion and you know he’s always going to be out here cuz his pockets got hit very hard when all the Hondas went to jail and there was no more fentanyl on the streets these cops were suffering now they have all the the I don’t know how you say all the Gophers we will call and gophers now they’re all the Gopher officers on the street you know the ones that just go do that go do this go do that go right around the neighborhood for 2 hours unless they’re doing something that you saw or you know Etc la la la you know it’s terrible it’s never going to end they want to build a big old apartment building on the corner right here and that’s going to really change the mission cuz where everybody’s going to go to where are they going to sell drugs where are they going to hang out where the prostitutes going to prostitute you know it’s been a long time that San Francisco I had this part of the mission culture intertwined with normal culture if that makes sense you know what I’m talking about and that’s coming from resident here that lives on 16th Street I’m currently living in the cabins tiny homes on 16th in about 3 months 4 months ago people are getting killed every other day out here now there’s hardly anybody out here so I’m giving props for props to do congratulations sapd for making a valiant leap and it might almost say that you’re winning but only time will tell that’s all I have to say thank you hopefully what I said make sense to some of you but it’s the truth and that’s about it I’m just going to leave my name and first letter m fourth letter k last letter y so if you figured that out you know who this be and I’m just saying these cops made a good dent in the s*** out here I wonder how long it’s going to last
John you need to learn to use periods. That is just a wall of nonsense text, no offense, that is just a wild stream of words that honestly is impossible to read. That being said good for you for getting yourself into a stable housing situation and hopefully you can get yourself together there.
H.C.. How is it at all possible that you couldn’t understand anything John was implying. Actually comes off as merely a DISTRACTION…when one as yourself focuses on a person’s proper punctuation.
Thanks for the info🙌💯
I hate to agree with the article, but it has gotten a lot worse. Initially things weren’t that bad, but it seems like the sidewalk area around the old Walgreens on Mission St just gets more and more crowded. Most evenings it’s impossible to walk down the block because of all the people hanging out doing whatever, including a good number of people selling their stolen goods, which the “illegal vending being gone” is the one part of the article that is not really correct. Another thing that has gotten worse is that during the day it’s become more frequent that there’s large groups of people hanging out around 15th st and Julian Ave, which less to people hanging out on the patio entrance stairs for some of the apartments in one of the buildings there even though there’s signs clearly stating not to sit there, and those that do generally leave a mess when they finally leave. To be blunt it’s really starting to feel like the area between Mission and 16th is becoming the new Civic Center Plaza with the amount of people congregating there during the evenings. It may be true that the plaza is being cleaned up, but all it’s really done is push the people from the plaza down to the next few blocks, which is exactly what happened when they started cracking down on the people dealing in the old “pill hill” and Hyde street area. Hopefully it doesn’t become a multi year game if whack a mole cracking down on each new area they start congregating in like it was the case with the dealers finding a new corner to sell until they finally disappeared for the most part.
Haha.
We need a no loitering law.. wherever people live or work
I am 4th generation, born breed and Fed. in san fran. This was a great place to grow up in . My grandmother told me some great things about living in the city with her family when she was small . And I have great memories as well. Unfortunately my granddaughter’s won’t have that , because of the new people coming and going through not careing about the city as those who were displaced and forgotten about!!!!
Hi ML, I just wanna say again,again! It’s a freaking mess out on 16th Mission on weeknights,in our doorway at 1950 Mission I’m constantly asking/telling these drug dealers and addicts to move away from the front door because our children don’t need to see that crap at there front door! It’s especially OUT OF CONTROL ON WEEKENDS. IM SEEING MYSELF ALONG WITH OTHER DISABLE PEOPLE HAVING TO WALK IN THE STREET FROM 16TH MISSION TO OUR HOME AT 1950 MISSION STREET BECAUSE THESE RETAIL THIEVES SELLING ALL THEY “STOLEN PROPERTY”, SELLING DRUGS,SMOKING DRUGS (that Mayor Lurie allows,shamefully!) I TALK WITH AN SF ART SERGEANT ABOUT 16TH AND MISSION AND ALL HE CAN SUGGEST TO ME IS TO WRITE THE MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL SUPERVISOR ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT ,otherwise He said He don’t know what to tell me,it’s the San Francisco Police I should be talking too! yeah right, they frustrated themselves,they know they are limited by what authority they have! It’s all because of Gov.Newscum,Mayor Lurie make it a political game! And impossible! They don’t care,they get to live in they fancy,clean,drug free neighborhood. We just the little pawns on the chest board,but even they important! You get me ML,write that in your reporting! thanks! I’m still going to go and make a difference by sharing my testimony from a former drug addict,alcoholic who lived the street life, I was also homeless for like 5 years. But now I worked to get my life strait and now I been blessed with a apartment at 1950 Mission. Back when I was kicking it out en la calle 16th Mission, in the 80’s it was not with out it’s druggies,winos,prostitutes,but it wasn’t so many Gente like it is now,especially more different types of Gente, now here in the mission,more Moreno’s,and gringos then before. I’m looking to move out of my beloved 16th Mission st neighborhood where it was all happening back when I was a child,and in my teens,and 20’s. I don’t want to move out the bes neighborhood where the sun always be shining in the mission But it’s changed for the worse now,I’m older and I’m now being assaulted by some these punks out here,so yeah,I got to think bout my safety,these kids don’t care who they slap around,intimidate. I say to some the young REBELS when they try to get smart with me, I will say to them “Mijos, don’t let the grey hair fool ya,I will still kick yo behinds” most them jus move on.. Unless this neighborhood is taken seriously by our Leaders,then they’re never be change but grow more corrupted becuz of corruption in the Leaders of California I’m moving on!! Adios!