Early Tuesday afternoon, two sheriff’s deputies apprehended an individual at the intersection of Sparrow and Caledonia streets near the 16th Street BART Station. When asked about the reason for the stop and citation, one deputy replied, “He was smoking as we drove by.” The deputies photographed the middle-aged man, took his fingerprints, returned his red sling bag, and let him go.
About 17 minutes later, at 12:44 p.m. at Mission and 15th streets, the same two deputies repeated the procedure with another person. They issued a citation, took a photograph and fingerprints, and allowed the person to leave.
Tara Moriarty, the spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department, said one of the men was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of a drug or alcohol. Both are misdemeanors in California. She was unsure what the second person was cited for, but said the charges were likely similar.
The sheriff’s deputies were more visible than usual, patrolling Caledonia Street, Julian Avenue and Capp Street. At 1:05 p.m., a sheriff’s SUV moved north along Capp Street as five individuals exited toward the plaza, carrying backpacks and suitcases. One rode a bicycle.
On Julian Avenue, asphalt construction was underway at the corner of 15th Street.
On Wiese Street, a lone figure packed his belongings into a suitcase. Pieces of litter floated along the street but, overall, the area appeared clean.
At 11:33 a.m., the southwest 16th Street Plaza remained quiet. A single San Francisco Police Department SUV was parked near the plaza’s mobile command unit. Two SFPD officers leaned against the vehicle’s bumper, one of them using a phone.
At the northeast 16th Street Plaza, one SFPD officer spoke with two Department of Public Works employees. By 11:54 a.m., the northeast wall by the Plaza 16 Coalition, a section of the plaza usually crowded with fencing operations, was clear.
It looks amazing maybe someone can have a business there now. Even Mission Local admits there was a problem now. “usually crowded with fencing operations”
Where is Jackie?
ML, I think the SFPD has failed us citizens of WIESE Alley. The Police don’t even bother anymore with Wiese alley drug addicts,alcoholics and mentally ill. I live in the new apartment building on 16th st and my window faces the alley in the back. I have to constantly call the police to ask them to clear alley but they just do not even bother with it any longer! they was sending a unit all throughout the day for awhile,but now I barely see them patrol alley at all,forget about the weekend,they don’t even bother with that anymore! So I been having to deal with drug addicts below my window smoking dope all day long and no police in sight. I actually had to almost pepper spray a few individuals who I ask repeatedly to please move from my window, but instead I got threatened by a young black man that told me, he will look for me on the street and take care of me. I’m not to worried bout him though because this is my neighborhood. My homeboys will take care of me(I’m senior citizen) they won’t let that happen. Yeah, I’m no longer going to support SFPD,since they careless about our children,families,our seniors! what infuriates me about the Police is they don’t even show up when I call 17th St station to report trespassers,crime on our property,smoking dope in front of our children. So I told them since you do not wanna respond to calls,then we will do your job for you and I will no longer call them! simple as that! they’re COWARDS!
I’m sorry and I have to agree – we’re on the other side of Wiese and it is consistently awful. Sure it clears out for a while, but never very long. I can see two people bent over from fentanyl right now from my window and when there are two there will soon be more. Please check out the 16th Street Alliance: https://www.16thstreetalliance.com/ the more residents who join the better chance we have of forcing the city to do its job.
Thank you for reporting.
Great to see the city finally having law enforcement and services coming .
The babysitting need s to stop.
Homeless and addicts who are offered and refuse services need to be transported to outside city limits.
Repeat offenders locked up.
Fines and tickets issued,
If people know the consequences and they are enforced then the behavior should change .
Some are impaired but many have made lifestyle choices and are selfish and destroy others safety and well being.
One thing that should be done is job placement. May not be in SF.
But the taxpayer should not be supporting drug addicts and vagrants and persons who refuse help hang out all day and loiter and cause a nuisance .
These adults need to grow up and get real.
We should get a pool going to see by what date will the city have abandoned 16th and Mission to return to the way it was. I say they’re out by June 19th.
Thank you ML for all your recent efforts to document through real time photos the very sad state of despair for too many in and around that area you are focused on. It takes a special strength in character to even embark on such a mission. Tho its the only way to express the true urgency of the situation. The comment have been hard to read, I chose to read ML mainly to follow the Nima Momeni trial. I realize cable stations have their policies on how they report on these cases, especially with videos and images included. I have more to comment on this issue, but for right now after viewing the photo with the tired looking gentleman, his belongings in a cart, his loyal canine buddy by his side and reading Gustavo’s piece, both heart warming and heart wrenching, at the same time; I need to break and add more later.
Can you add some perspective to this? What are we looking at? Is it better or worse than before?