There was a stark contrast along Mission Street between 16th and 24th streets today.
On the northeast plaza and the east side of Mission near 16th Street, a sheriff’s deputy and a police officer had cleared much of the sidewalk.
Still, one woman, visibly stressed, scrambled to pack her spread-out belongings into a suitcase. A young man with her urged her to hurry so they could catch the approaching 14R bus. The deputy told her to pack quickly. Throwing up her hands in frustration, she asked where she was supposed to go.
His response: “Anywhere else.”
The heightened law enforcement presence may explain why so few people remained near 16th and Mission. Across the street, beside the U.S. Bank, only one vendor quietly sold roses and sunflowers.
Just a few blocks south, however, the scene at 24th and Mission was markedly different. The sidewalks there were full: People were selling a range of items, including shaving cream and fruits and vegetables.
The contrast raises a pressing question: Is the police presence at 16th and Mission effective, or is it simply displacing unhoused residents and street vendors?
1:04 p.m. 8/16 16th and Mission streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.1:21 p.m. 8/16 24th Street and Mission. Photo by Daniela Sandoval.1:01 p.m. 8/16 east side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.2:20 p.m. 8/16 east side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.2:33 p.m. 8/16 east side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
Wiese Street
12:59 p.m. 8/16 16th and Wiese. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.12:59 p.m. 8/16 Wiese Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
16th and Mission
1:03 p.m. 8/16 Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
Southwest Plaza and west side of Mission Street
12:53 p.m. 8/16 Southwest Plaza and west side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.12:53 p.m. 8/16 Southwest Plaza and west side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
Northeast Plaza and east side of Mission Street
1:01 p.m. 8/16 Northeast Plaza and east side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.2:32 p.m. 8/16 Northeast Plaza and east side of Mission Street. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
Julian Avenue
12:58 p.m. 8/16 Julian Avenue. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.12:59 p.m. 8/16 Julian Avenue. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
Mission and 24th streets
1:19 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval .1:20 p.m. 8/16 Mission and 24th streets. Photo by Daniela X. Sandoval.
I'm helping with Mission Local's social media strategy and finding stories in the Mission. I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire in Southern California. I'm a UCLA alumna and am now pursuing my master’s degree in journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. In my free time, I enjoy going to the movies and running (yes, for fun!).
It was great this last week to see some of the sidewalks wet washed, and the police stopping people from taking over sections of alleyways and sidewalks to do drugs and party. The police came down Minna around 4pm and made people move along. Unfortunately by 7pm there was a group of younger people that came together again and were smoking either meth or fentanyl and partying into the night, playing loud music, and trashing the street. We seem to have reached a point where almost none of this has anything to do with acute homelessness and has everything to do with people coming in from around the bay area to buy easily accessible drugs and party. When it was more about large encampments a couple of years ago you’d see the same 40-60 people floating around the neighborhood. Now all of those people are gone and have been replaced with a younger crowd that are clearly here for entertainment.
High time to start arresting repeat offenders. Keep them in jail for a few weeks, increasing the amount if they keep offending. They will get the message and go elsewhere. They keep taking advantage of Mission 16th and 24th street Bart stations. Some form of detainment is the only option. Otherwise they just keep coming back…day 158, and counting….
Hey sorry to be like this but if you’re going to ask “is it effective?” without stating your own definition of “effective” or quoting one from the police or whoever, then isn’t it kind of a vacuous question? Is it “effective” to impose displacement? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Are these worthwhile questions? I think it’s a bit late , day 158, to not have established positions from the police/whoever that can be quoted in the article.
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.
“Is the police presence at 16th and Mission effective, or is it simply displacing unhoused residents and street vendors?”
This is a question?
How about we displace them to prison where they belong?
It was great this last week to see some of the sidewalks wet washed, and the police stopping people from taking over sections of alleyways and sidewalks to do drugs and party. The police came down Minna around 4pm and made people move along. Unfortunately by 7pm there was a group of younger people that came together again and were smoking either meth or fentanyl and partying into the night, playing loud music, and trashing the street. We seem to have reached a point where almost none of this has anything to do with acute homelessness and has everything to do with people coming in from around the bay area to buy easily accessible drugs and party. When it was more about large encampments a couple of years ago you’d see the same 40-60 people floating around the neighborhood. Now all of those people are gone and have been replaced with a younger crowd that are clearly here for entertainment.
High time to start arresting repeat offenders. Keep them in jail for a few weeks, increasing the amount if they keep offending. They will get the message and go elsewhere. They keep taking advantage of Mission 16th and 24th street Bart stations. Some form of detainment is the only option. Otherwise they just keep coming back…day 158, and counting….
Hey sorry to be like this but if you’re going to ask “is it effective?” without stating your own definition of “effective” or quoting one from the police or whoever, then isn’t it kind of a vacuous question? Is it “effective” to impose displacement? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Are these worthwhile questions? I think it’s a bit late , day 158, to not have established positions from the police/whoever that can be quoted in the article.