A shopping cart on a sidewalk holds groceries, including packaged chicken, a salad box, and leafy greens, with discount stickers visible on the food items.
1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez


You can see all the 16th Street posts here. 

Mission Street, between 16th and 15th streets, was packed with unpermitted vending on Saturday afternoon, as it is on most weekends. Sometimes the sidewalk feels like an aisle in a quirky discount store. Chicken pieces from Whole Foods (50 percent off!), pistachio nuts, and a wrench – all could be had from upwards of 50 vendors crammed on either side of a narrow path for pedestrians.

Vending is banned on Mission Street, but without the city on top of it, the vendors rule the sidewalk, some selling used items, but most likely selling stolen items.

As the day wears on, the market scene will likely become more a drug market than a vending market.

I can’t return tonight. But I was out Friday night and the east side of Mission Street remained active well after 8 p.m.

A Timeline on the city’s efforts to stop unpermitted vending

I did not see any open drug use on Friday night, but there was quite a crowd that greeted visitors leaving and arriving on Muni. All this happened Friday night while Mobile Unit Two and an unmanned patrol car sat on the southwest plaza.

Two police vehicles, including a large command truck and an SUV with lights on, are parked near the 16th St Mission BART station. A person with a backpack walks nearby.
8:52 p.m. 6/13, southwest Plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Later in the evening.

The mobile unit was moved today, likely because of the planned protests. And, unlike last week when three officers patrolled the west side of Mission Street, cleared it out and returned it to pedestrians, no officers were seen today.

Southwest Plaza and the west side of Mission Street

  • A city plaza with people sitting on benches and steps, a "16th St Mission" signpost, trees, and surrounding buildings under a partly cloudy sky.
    1:07 p.m 6/14, southwest plaza where the mobile unit has been moved – at last for today., Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk on a city sidewalk beside metal barriers; a few individuals stand near a pole with belongings and blankets, while a bus passes in the street under a sunny sky.
    1:08 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People's legs visible around a sidewalk market displaying toiletries, canned food, and groceries on the ground; partial shadows and a stroller are present.
    1:08 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person in dark clothing sits on a sidewalk near a wall, with litter including a cup and scattered trash nearby. Blue and red patterned tiles are visible on the ground.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man in a colorful jacket and green cap arranges toiletries and hygiene products for sale on a sidewalk next to a parked car.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk by various items laid out for sale on the sidewalk in an urban setting, with some pedestrians and street vendors visible.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People gather on a city sidewalk with various items, including clothes and a guitar, laid out on the ground for sale or display.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person with a backpack walks on a city sidewalk past street vendors selling various items laid out on blankets and tarps.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Several people are gathered on a city sidewalk next to a building; various personal items and clothing are laid out on the ground.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A variety of tools, batteries, flashlights, tape, and packaged items are displayed for sale on a white cloth at an outdoor market.
    1:11 p.m 6/14, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Caledonia Street

  • Narrow urban alley with a mural-covered wall on the right, beige buildings on the left, chain-link fence, and clear blue sky overhead.
    1:05 p.m. 6/14, Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alleyway lined with graffiti-covered walls, litter scattered on the ground, and overhead utility wires against a partly cloudy sky.
    1:18 p.m 6/14, Caledonia Street looking south from 15th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Julian Avenue

  • A city sidewalk with parked cars along the street, buildings on both sides, and some scattered litter on the ground in daylight.
    1:06 p.m. 6/14, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person sits against a wall near the entrance of Kailash Hotel on Julian Ave; parked cars line the street, and it is a sunny day.
    1:06 p.m. 6/14, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Wiese Street, filled Friday night, empty on Saturday at noon

  • A group of people gather and sit on the sidewalk in an urban alley lined with graffiti and litter in the evening.
    8:53 p.m. 6/13, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alley lined with metal barricades and scattered trash, bordered by graffiti-covered walls and buildings.
    1:06 p.m. 6/14, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

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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.

As founder and an editor 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

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    1. ICE isn’t actually general law enforcement but specific policy enforcement -and the policy is incredibly dumb and entirely unevenly applied as is. Notice, until recently we HAD actual law enforcement in SF. Now? We have a series of concurrent pensions and promoted cronies of POA with zero expectations of real, tangible results. You get the policing that the oversight allows for, and there is effectively no oversight going on. Just “Yep” men.

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  3. Thanks

    Cat and mouse game continues

    Vendors who sale legit items , have a license , and pay taxes should be able to rent a space in lot somewhere in eqch neighborhood .

    The persons who hawk stolen good s should receive strict penalties .

    In this city , there are too many persons who dont respect others or the public spaces /environmemt .

    I guess more law enforcement is needed .

    They could train persons to handle this and not require police . Issue a fine on the spot and make them pay right away.

    The main problem law enforcement is needed is for the on going drug crap on every block in certain areas.
    More police are needed there .
    Let the stores downtown hire their own trained guards who could intervene with appropriate response .

    The drug zombies and dealers should be all but gone from the streets at this point .

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  4. Street vendors near 16th & Mission save me time and money, for instance yesterday I bought reading glasses, boxes of milk and other good stuff from them.

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