Mobile command vehicle parked on a city street near a sidewalk. Buildings and a tree are visible in the background under a cloudy sky.
3/27/25 The command center at the SW 16th Street Plaza

Thursday around 9:30 a.m. was quiet and sleepy at the 16th Street BART plazas and surrounding area. Only Julian Avenue showed much street life. 

About a half-dozen people hung out on Caledonia Street, which was uncharacteristically clean. To the surprise of Richard Martinez, a security guard at Wells Fargo at 16th and Hoff streets, Wiese Street has been looking much better since the police operations started a couple of weeks ago.

Would that last? He wondered. 

“I think people are just moving around. I think they will eventually come back,” said Martinez, who grew up in San Francisco and thinks people feel safe coming to the city to engage in criminal activity.

“It’s always been like that. It’s like a piece of heaven for them,” he said.

Both the plazas had a municipal presence, with a police vehicle driving onto the northeast plaza and a city truck pulling into the adjacent sidewalk – the usual location for un-permitted vending.

Capp Street between 16th and 17th streets, where people usually occupy the sidewalks, was quiet, with one Public Works employee driving a truck with the back full of garbage.

The employee said the block is usually covered in garbage and that he cleans it “about everyday.” 

Only three people remained on Capp as I rode away, the fewest I’ve ever seen there. 

A person walks down a city sidewalk near parked cars, with residential buildings and utility poles lining the street. Cloudy sky overhead.
3/27/25 Julian Avenue west side
A narrow urban alley with cracked pavement, lined by buildings and a graffiti-covered fence. Metal barricades are placed on the left, and a few people are visible in the distance.
3/27/25 Caledonia Street
A street view with parked cars, a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk, and a street sign for 16th St. The pedestrian signal shows a red hand. Buildings are visible in the background.
3/27/25 Capp Street looking south
Empty urban alley with metal barricades on both sides, yellow and orange buildings, a taqueria, and a person in the distance. Overcast sky.
3/27/25 Wiese Street
White truck filled with debris and cleaning tools parked on a graffiti-covered street. Nearby landmarks include a mural and urban buildings.
A city truck parked close to the intersection of Capp and 16th streets.
Police vehicles parked near the 16th St Mission station in the American Indian Cultural District. A person walks nearby, and colorful murals are visible in the background.
3/27/25 SW 16th Street Plaza
Urban street scene with parked cars, buildings with graffiti, and a van near a stop sign on a cloudy day.
3/27/25 Capp Street looking south.
Street scene with people at a bus stop, colorful graffiti on buildings, a crosswalk with geometric patterns, and palm trees under a cloudy sky. Traffic signals and power lines are visible.
3/27/25 NE 16th Street Plaza
A city street with a group of people gathered on the sidewalk. Nearby are parked cars, buildings, and a "Hotel" sign. Various items are scattered on the ground.
3/27/25 Julian Avenue, east side

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Reporting from the Mission District and other District 9 neighborhoods. Some of his personal interests are bicycles, film, and both Latin American literature and punk. Oscar's work has previously appeared in KQED, The Frisc, El Tecolote, and Golden Gate Xpress.

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2 Comments

  1. I’m starting to think that visible police presence might … work? And it’s cheaper than paying nonprofits to hold struggle sessions at 5 star resorts in Tahoe.

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  2. It’s a lot worse, in my opinion, to have drug dealers dealing out of the little residential alleys at all hours of the night than to have them doing the same thing at 16th plaza or on Mission street in front of commercial businesses.

    So it’s nice to see that the alleys seem clearer today.

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