A city street scene with two white utility trucks parked near a tree, a green electric scooter, and buildings in the background under a clear sky.
5:39p.m.. 10/4, southwest plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez

You can see all the 16th Street posts here.

I’ve been away and returned on Thursday, anxious to take a look at 16th and Mission Streets.

I stopped by briefly on Thursday and Friday and visited twice today. It’s still remarkable how west Mission Street has remained clear of vendors. It was chaotic up until early July.

The scene on the east side of Mission Street remains a problem after 5 p.m.

The mobile unit parked on the southwest plaza is gone, but the plaza remains calm, perhaps thanks to the BART trucks parked there at different times. They’re empty, but appear to be something of a deterrent.

Terraine Miller, a supervisor with Ahsing Solutions, a crew of seven to eight ambassadors who move people along and post at different corners, said the west side of Mission Street had become almost boring.

A man stands on a city sidewalk near a parking meter, with parked cars, palm trees, and a "YOU NEED ART" neon sign in the background.
5:36 p.m.10/4, Terrmaine Miller from Ahsing on West Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez.

And the east side? The city is apparently waiting for construction to begin on the affordable-housing project planned for there. Once that starts early next year, Miller said, there won’t be room for vendors.

Even now, he added, it has calmed somewhat, thanks to police officers who regularly patrol the area on foot and in cars.

I saw several officers out this morning, along with crews from the Department of Public Works. Miller has the police on speed dial, and their response, he said, has been helpful.

One notable difference between now and a month ago: Capp Street. Men and women used to hang out on Capp Street south of 16th Street. On Friday and Saturday, they were on the north side of 16th Street, on the same block as Marshall Elementary School.

Caledonia Street south of 15th Street, which has been more problematic lately, was nearly clear on Friday and Saturday, but that could have changed after my last visit after 5 p.m.

Here are the photos from today.

Southwest plaza and west Mission Street

  • City sidewalk with metal barricades, graffiti on a black wall, a pickup truck, traffic lights, and buses in the background on a sunny day.
    11:59 a.m. 10/4, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A woman pushes a stroller with two children walking beside her on a city sidewalk. Another person stands near the curb. Cars and street art are visible in the background.
    11:59 a.m. 10/4, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A worker wearing a safety vest pushes equipment along a sunny city sidewalk; a red bus and pedestrians are visible in the background.
    12:05 p.m. 10/4, west side of Mission Street Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Several people stand and walk on a city sidewalk near a busy street, with a stroller, trash bag, and bus visible in the background.
    5:17 p.m. 10/4, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with parked cars on the right, closed storefronts on the left, and a few people walking in the distance under daylight.
    5:19 p.m. 10/4, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A white pickup truck is parked on a city plaza with palm trees, buildings, and pedestrians visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
    5:39p.m.. 10/4, southwest plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Northeast plaza and east Mission Street

  • People walking in an urban plaza with palm trees, street art on walls, and a Mission District sign on a sunny day.
    11:59 a.m. 10/4, northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A mostly empty urban plaza with a few people sitting on benches, blue lamp posts, trees, and a graffiti-covered wall in the background.
    12:00 p.m. 10/4, north east plaza Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • City street scene with several people standing on the sidewalk, a bus on the left, palm trees, graffiti on a building, and bright sunlight creating shadows.
    12:00 p.m. 10/4, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A busy outdoor plaza with people walking, biking, and sitting near palm trees and colorful buildings under a clear blue sky.
    5:16 p.m. 10/4, northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people stand and sit along a city sidewalk near a building with colorful murals and graffiti, next to a glass-paneled structure.
    5:17 p.m. 10/4, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with pedestrians, street vendors, a person repairing a bicycle, and people sitting near bags and belongings against a building wall.
    5:17 p.m. 10/4, east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people stand in line on a sidewalk beside a mural-covered wall in an urban area with palm trees; a dark Honda SUV is parked in the foreground.
    5:37 p.m.10/4, east side of Mission St, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Caledonia Street

  • A narrow urban alley with people sitting on both sides, colorful graffiti on the right wall, and buildings lining the left side.
    11:57 a.m. 10/4, Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • An empty urban alleyway with cracked pavement, puddles, graffiti-covered walls, and overhead utility wires on a sunny day.
    12:09 p.m. 10/4, Caledonia , looking south toward 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man sits on the ground against a wall in a narrow, sunlit alley with graffiti, scattered trash, and shadowed brick buildings.
    12:09 p.m. 10/4, Caledonia , looking north toward 14th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alley with cracked pavement, a beige building on the left, and a chain-link fence with colorful graffiti on the right, under a clear blue sky.
    5:25 p.m. 10/4, Caledonia Street looking north toward 15th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alleyway between buildings with murals, utility poles and a “One Way” street sign under clear daylight.
    5:22 p.m. 10/4, Caledonia Street looking north toward 14th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Julian Avenue

  • A sunny sidewalk runs alongside a building with parked cars on the street; trees provide partial shade in the background.
    12:07 p.m. 10/4, Julian Avenue looking south toward 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man wearing sunglasses and a brown jacket stands on a sunlit sidewalk next to a black iron fence and brick building, with trees casting shadows on the ground.
    12:08 p.m. 10/4, Julian Avenue looking south toward 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A sidewalk with scattered belongings and a few people near a red brick building; parked cars line the street and a bike is on the ground.
    12:08 p.m. 10/4, Julian Avenue , west side looking north toward 14th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk beside parked cars and buildings, with a metal grate covering part of the pavement in the foreground. The sky is clear and it is sunny.
    5:26 p.m.10/4, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk runs alongside a beige brick building, with parked cars on the right and trees lining the street in the background under clear skies.
    5:20 p.m. 10/4, Julian Avenue looking south toward 16th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk lined with trees and parked cars, bordered by a black iron fence and buildings, with scattered leaves on the ground.
    5:21 p.m. 10/4, Julian Avenue looking south toward 16th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man sits on a ledge along a wide sidewalk next to parked cars and multi-story buildings on a sunny day.
    5:25 p.m.10/4, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Wiese Street

  • A narrow city alley with metal barricades, cracked pavement, puddles, and buildings on both sides, including a closed storefront and a "Mission Graduates" sign.
    11:58 a.m. 10/4, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alley with yellow buildings on both sides, graffiti on the pavement, overhead wires, and strong sunlight casting shadows.
    12:07 p.m. 10/4, Wiese St. looking south toward 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow urban alleyway with metal barricades on both sides, cracked pavement, and buildings painted yellow and green.
    5:26 p.m.10/4, Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Capp Street

  • A city sidewalk with cars parked along the curb, a graffiti-covered utility box, and shadows cast by a traffic signal and streetlight.
    12:01 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking north from 16. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city street intersection with a red pedestrian signal, parked cars, and buildings on both sides under bright sunlight.
    12:01 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking south from 16. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Urban street intersection with a traffic light showing red, pedestrians walking on the sidewalk, and cars parked along the street on a clear day.
    5:15 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking south from 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A person crosses a street at a crosswalk in an urban area with buildings, parked cars, and a traffic light in the background.
    5:15 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking south from 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People gather on a city sidewalk near a utility box and a bicycle, with parked cars and apartment buildings visible in the background.
    5:14 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking north from 16th. Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Several people sit on the sidewalk beside a building in an urban area, with cars parked along the street and city buildings visible in the background.
    5:12 p.m. 10/4, Capp Street looking north toward 16th Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Follow Us

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.

Join the Conversation

6 Comments

  1. As previously stated – come here after dark, and when the police leave , it’s often a crazy situation. Mostly Latinos live in the blocks around the plaza. Mostly Latino kids go to the Marshall elementary school down the block from me around the corner from the BART plaza. Things are not better right here. It’s pure racism for the City to concentrate drug dealing and related crimes here.
    As for the supportive housing slated for the former Walgreens lot, where they are demolishing the 100k per cabin village. The first building going up is for people struggling with addiction. How stupid is that. …I’m trying to get clean and right out my door is drug dealers.. temptation. All of that parcel at-16th/Capp/Mission should be affordable housing as with Avanza or Fenix and others further down from the BART plaza. The City had promised that. Forrest Hills, Pacific Whites, st. Francis Wood should have these experiences but they won’t… can lobby $$ their district supervisor and few if no working class minorities live there. I’m sure all the police and city district supervisors the mayor etc live nowhere near here because if so there’d be a complete transformation

    0
    0
    votes. Sign in to vote
    Reply

  2. Thanks for reporting

    It takes a village

    Persons all may at times need help with food clothing shelter medical care

    But allowing persons to break laws and show no respect for others or the public space needs to be reigned in

    Glad to see the city did respond there
    Not sure who got them to come and focus there ?

    Wish they would make the same committment to other neighborhoods that have been ignored for years .

    SF is a great place but everyone must not just be concerned about their area but also pitch in and come to the aid of other areas .

    Would love to see sf residents and taxpayers who dont live in the Tenderloin or Lower Polk Street Area actually care and help get those areas addressed as well.

    Altruism is rare these days .

    0
    0
    votes. Sign in to vote
    Reply
  3. Reply
  4. Reply
  5. Reply

    1. BS. Breed did the same things, photo-op enforcement sweeps that end, then the problem comes right on back because there’s nothing to stop it. Lurie is making exactly the same noises she was. Gone today, back tomorrow.

      +1
      0
      votes. Sign in to vote
      Reply
Leave a comment
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.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *