Workers in protective gear power-wash a graffiti-covered city sidewalk; police cars with lights on are parked nearby on a wet street.
6:16 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Saturday’s operation involving the San Francisco Police Department and the Department of Public Works demonstrated that it is possible to keep Mission Street from 16th to 15th streets clear of unpermitted vending and open drug use.

At 8:30 a.m. Saturday, vendors were already out on the block, and it looked like another weekend market frenzy was set to take off, one that had devolved last weekend to a lot of open drug use. But by the time I returned at 10 a.m., several police officers had arrived on foot, along with workers from the Department of Public Works, who were on foot or in trucks.

The officers encouraged folks to accept services or move on, said Officer Huerta. At 10 a.m., most had moved mid-block but, by 12:30 p.m., the officers had cleared out just about everyone except the food vendors, who are allowed to be on the block. It was slow, methodical work. 

DPW had picked up all the trash and Mission Street looked like any other commercial corridor. Vibrant, clean, with lots of foot traffic.

What’s more, when I returned at 6 p.m., the east and west sides of Mission Street were even cleaner. DPW power washers were out. 

There was one woman at the corner of 16th and Mission who continued to sell her produce and dried beans, but otherwise, all the unpermitted vendors had been cleared away. 

So, it is possible to return Mission Street to being a regular commercial corridor. We’ll check in with DPW and the police to see the manpower this required, but they succeeded.

Some unpermitted vendors stationed themselves north of 15th Street and some users moved to 15th Street and the Wells Fargo parking lot, but there were nowhere near the crowds generally seen on recent weekends. 

Southwest 16th Street BART Plaza and the west side of Mission Street: 8:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. 6 p.m.

  • A group of people stand and sit on a city sidewalk near a street corner; cars and a bus are visible along the road on a cloudy day.
    8:16 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A woman pushes a cart on a city sidewalk as people walk by, with a police car parked nearby and a public transit bus in the background.
    10:07 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with cardboard pieces on the ground, a tree, a parked pickup truck, police officers, and pedestrians in an urban setting.
    10:09 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two men stand talking on a city sidewalk near a yellow building, with scattered trash and other pedestrians visible in the background.
    10:09 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two people sit on a city sidewalk surrounded by bags, a folding chair frame, and an open container of empty soda cans near a utility cover labeled "Street Lighting.
    10:09 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People gather on a city sidewalk near tables with bags and boxes; a handwritten menu is attached to a cart in the foreground.
    10:09 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A cart covered with a blue bag contains packaged meat, apples, oranges, cabbage, and other groceries. A person in a green jacket stands nearby on a city sidewalk.
    10:09 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People stand near a white tent on a city sidewalk with parked cars, a motorcycle, and suitcases visible. Buildings and palm trees line the street.
    10:11 a.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with people walking, parked cars on the right, trees lining the street, and a tiled border along the pavement.
    12:41 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with people standing and sitting, a man with a bicycle and dog, parked cars, and buildings lining the street on a sunny day.
    12:41 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two police officers stand near a table with people seated under a red canopy on a busy city sidewalk; pedestrians walk by and colorful buildings line the street.
    12:41 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk along a city sidewalk decorated with blue and red tile patterns, with cars parked at the curb and buildings lining the street in the background.
    12:41 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk on a sunny city sidewalk near parked scooters and a mural, with shadows from nearby trees visible on the pavement.
    12:51 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk in sunlight with blue and red tile borders, a bike rack, trees, a parked bus, pedestrians, and buildings alongside.
    12:52 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two people wearing masks examine goods laid out on the sidewalk as street vendors sell food and drinks on a city street corner.
    12:52 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, The last vendor. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People are gathered on a city sidewalk with bags and belongings, some sitting or standing near a building, while others walk along the street on a sunny day.
    12:44 p.m.. 6/02, north of 15th St., Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person in a black puffer jacket carrying a Giants bag walks on a wet city sidewalk; several people walk ahead and a scooter is parked at the curb.
    6:12 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person walks on a wet city sidewalk with red and blue tile patterns; a parked electric scooter is near a tree, and puddles reflect the surroundings.
    6:12 p.m. 6/07, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Northeast Plaza, east side of Mission Street

  • Urban sidewalk scene with trees, blue lampposts, graffiti on walls, a wheelchair, equipment case, and several people gathered near a palm tree.
    10:16 a.m 6/07, northeastplaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People wait at a city bus stop surrounded by graffiti-covered walls, with a palm tree and buildings in the background on a sunny day.
    12:40 p.m 6/07, northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People stand and sit along a city street with colorful graffiti murals on a building in the background. A person in a wheelchair is in the center of the scene.
    12:40 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A white utility truck is parked on the street next to orange cones, with colorful graffiti art on the wall behind it and trees on the sidewalk.
    6:13 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Four workers in safety vests stand near a utility truck on a city street in front of S & N Liquor & Market and a storefront with colorful graffiti. Traffic cones mark their work area.
    6:13 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A worker in a reflective vest uses a power washer to clean a graffiti-covered wall on a city sidewalk; a police car with flashing lights is parked nearby.
    6:16 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two workers in safety vests and gloves clean a city sidewalk outside a yellow building with a "SALAD" sign in the window.
    6:16 p.m 6/07, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Caledonia Street

A narrow urban alley with cracked pavement, graffiti-covered walls on the right, and a tan building on the left. A few people are visible in the distance.
10:22 a.m. 6/07, Caledonia Street does not change month. It has a 24-hour security guard. Photo by Lydia Chávez

Julian Avenue

  • A city street intersection with parked cars, multi-story buildings, and a crosswalk on a cloudy day.
    813 a.m. 6/07, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person stands on a sidewalk near the corner of a street lined with parked cars and buildings under an overcast sky.
    813 a.m. 6/07, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk runs alongside parked cars and a row of buildings on an overcast day. The street is empty of pedestrians.
    10:20 a.m. 6/07, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person stands on a city sidewalk with two large suitcases, one blue and one black, near a crosswalk.
    10:20 a.m. 6/07, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk lined with parked cars and multi-story buildings on a cloudy day. The street is mostly empty, with no people visible.
    6:11 p.m. 6/07, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Wiese Street

  • A narrow, empty urban alley with scattered trash, closed storefronts, metal barricades, and a few pigeons on the ground during daylight.
    8:13 a.m 6/07, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A deserted urban alleyway with metal barricades lining both sides, yellow and gray buildings, and a wet pavement under overcast skies.
    10:20 a.m 6/07, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow, cracked alleyway lined with metal barricades and graffiti-covered walls, with a few people visible in the distance.
    6:11 p.m. 6/07, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

15th Street

  • People are gathered on a city sidewalk with bags and belongings, some sitting or standing near a building, while others walk along the street on a sunny day.
    12:44 p.m.. 6/02, north of 15th St., Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people pose for a photo on a city sidewalk with a cart containing supplies, wearing gloves and casual clothes. Some graffiti is visible on the building wall behind them.
    12:44 p.m.. 6/02, north of 15th St. Outreach Workers from a local nonprofit Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people stand and browse items laid out on the sidewalk near a street corner in an urban area.
    6:15 p.m.. 6/7, north of 15th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person repairs a bicycle on a city sidewalk while others stand nearby; a row of palm trees, buildings, and a parked RV are visible in the background.
    6:15 p.m.. 6/7, north of 15th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Capp Street

  • A person with a shopping cart waits at a crosswalk on a city street with buildings, cars, and traffic lights visible.
    10:17 a.m. 6/07, Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with parked cars, an orange building on the left, and a large utility box near the curb. Trees and buildings line the street in the background.
    10:17 a.m. 6/07, Capp Street between 16th and 15th. Is always clear. Security guards at Five keys keep it clear. Photo by Lydia Chávez

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Founder/Executive Editor. I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still here.

As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.

At ML, I've been trying to figure out how to make my interest in local news sustainable. If Mission Local is a model, the answer might be that you - the readers - reward steady and smart content. As a thank you for that support we work every day to make our content even better.

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6 Comments

  1. So happy to hear that the area 16th and 15th were clean and accessible for residents and anyone passing by the sidewalk. I think your coverage made a positive difference.

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  2. What’s the point of the cleaning? Tomorrow the feces and trash will return along with the criminals.

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  3. There making progress

    Will it continue
    What about the other troubled spots in SF

    In Europe , the truck comes by a sprays the street and sidewalk everyday Get out of the way

    Why SF cannot yet get the sidewalks cleared and clean daily is not acceptable

    The daily babysitting and room service needed indicates that many in society are sefish and have no respect for the community

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  4. Follow them all over the neighborhood and annoy them until they stop or go to another city. Not that complicated.

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  5. Please ask the cops why they cruised the neighborhood last evening blasting a message saying that there was an emergency evacuation and everyone had to leave and to listen to TV or radio for instructions. It was very scary and when we called SFPD they wouldn’t tell us what was happening, only that we didn’t need to go anywhere. I’d like some answers because there’s is nothing good about cops purposely lying about something so important. Talk about crying wolf.

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