Group of people and police officers standing on a wet city street near a mobile command vehicle. A "No Turn On Red" sign is visible.
3/12/25 Kids are ushered out of the way as the mobile command unit backs into the 16th Street BART plaza on March 12, 2025. Photo by Abigail Van Neely.

A new command unit has been deployed to the southwest BART plaza at 16th Street. It’s Day 1 of the mayor’s operation to clean up the plazas.

A large white SFPD mobile command vehicle is parked on a city street next to a purple building adorned with colorful signs. The overcast sky and wet pavement hint at recent rain.
3/12/25 The “mobile command unit” parked down 16th Street from the plaza, but was meant to drive onto the plaza. Photo by Abigail Vân Neely.
A person stands near a San Francisco Police mobile command unit parked on a wet street with officers nearby.
3/12/25 Teens look on as officers back the mobile command unit into the 16th Street BART plaza . Photo by Abigail Vân Neely.
Three SFPD officers stand in a wet plaza, which is adorned with colorful fences and a sign reading "American Indian Cultural District.
3/12/25 SFPD officers huddled together at 16th and Mission BART plaza during the “mobile command unit” deployment. Photo by Abigail Vân Neely.
SFPD officers stand vigilant near their car on a rainy street, mingling with pedestrians and tents under the somber sky. Beyond them, businesses hustle in the background while commuters gather at the nearby bus stop, braving the wet weather.
3/12/25 16th Street BART. Photo by Abigail Vân Neely.

Abigail was a staff reporter at Mission Local covering criminal justice and public health. She got her bachelor's and master's from Stanford University and has received awards for investigative reporting and public service journalism.

Abigail lives in San Francisco with her cat, Sally Carrera, but she'll always be a New Yorker. (Yes, the shelter named the cat after the Porsche from the animated movie Cars.)

Message her securely via Signal at abi.725

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Your email address will not be published.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 *