The San Francisco Police Department is investigating a possible arson that took place at 21st and Shotwell streets late Tuesday night, which neighbors said was set by a group of unhoused people who regularly hang out on the block.
Lt. Mariano Elias of the San Francisco Fire Department said there were no injuries, and that no one was displaced. He said two arson investigators were sent to the scene, and the fire had been extinguished by the time the first firefighters arrived.
The owner of the three-unit building at 671 Shotwell St. said that a group of two or three people set his garage on fire and snapped the windshield wipers on his car. It’s part of a longstanding feud between the neighbors and a group of homeless people that has been going on for about a month, he added. Earlier this month, someone cut the internet cables outside his house.
At least 10 firefighters in two trucks and two SUVs responded to the scene. Firefighters cut away a segment of the garage that was charred.
Nine people live in the building, and one tenant said he would get a hotel room for his wife and young child because of the smell and the smoke.
The fire was right next to the tennis courts at Jose Coronado Park, a frequent hang-out spot for late-night drinking. Shotwell Street residents became so frustrated with sex work and loitering on the block that they sued the city last year over poor street conditions, though attorneys said the suit was unlikely to survive.
The building’s owner said that he had elevated his concerns about being targeted by this group of unhoused people to the local police station and the mayor’s office, who set up a meeting with Mission Station Captain Liza Johansen. The homeowner said the meeting was “unfriendly.”
SFPD, in a statement, said police officers at the scene “were advised that a suspect started a fire that caused minor damage to a garage.”
Another neighbor, standing at the scene of the blaze, said she had been assaulted by the same group of unhoused people and had filed a police report.
“I call the police every night to complain, and nothing is done. It’s torture for us,” she said. “These houses can go up like a matchbox.”
“We are very busy in the Mission,” said a police officer on-site, speaking to a resident. “Sometimes we have shootings and stabbings that we have to get to ahead of time.”
There is no “minor” arson.
This is biased and un-thorough reporting. Did the reporter attempt to speak to any of the “unhoused residents” accused by the building owner? There is no evidence for his claims, yet it’s presented as if probable.
You write that “Shotwell Street residents became so frustrated with sex work and loitering on the block that they sued the city last year over poor street conditions” – you should have written that SOME Shotwell Street residents sued the city. Many other Shotwell Street residents disagreed with their neighbors and had no issues with the street conditions.
“The building’s owner said that he had elevated his concerns about being targeted by this group of unhoused people to the local police station and the mayor’s office, who set up a meeting with Mission Station Captain Liza Johansen. The homeowner said the meeting was “unfriendly.” ”
I guess they don’t teach empathy at the district station, only how to fill out OT cards.