People stand in a long line on a city sidewalk near a building, with trees and street signs visible in the background.
4:59 p.m 6/18, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez


You can see all the 16th Street posts here.

At 4 p.m. or so on Wednesday, the man was slumped against the curb on Wiese Street, already dead, said David, who lives at the Altamont Hotel, a single room occupancy hotel on the corner of 16th and Wiese streets.

Fentanyl, David guessed, adding, “He was a friendly guy.” David goes by Wiese often and he expects there will be more deaths.

The west side of Mission Street was clear mid-morning, but the south end had filled up by 5 p.m. Generally, the crowds will go deep into the block, but on Wednesday, after a group at the entrance to 1950, who asked that I not take their photograph, the sidewalk was clear and clean.

Southwest Plaza and the west side of Mission Street

  • A busy urban street scene shows a man riding a bicycle cart, cars, a food truck, pedestrians, and buildings under a clear blue sky.
    4:58 p.m 6/18 southwest plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with scattered trash, barriers, and two people, one standing and one bending down, near buildings and parked vehicles during the daytime.
    10:38 a.m 6/18 westisde of Mission Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • A worker in a yellow safety vest uses a hose to spray water on a city sidewalk near a street with parked vehicles and nearby pedestrians.
    10:38 a.m 6/18, westside of Mission Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • A group of people stand and sit along a city sidewalk near a building, some with bags and backpacks; trees and a bus are visible in the background.
    4:56 p.m 6/18, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People stand in a long line on a city sidewalk near a building, with trees and street signs visible in the background.
    4:59 p.m 6/18, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People sit and lie on a littered city sidewalk, with a group gathered in the background near parked cars and bicycles.
    4:56 p.m 6/18, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Urban sidewalk with people walking, lined with palm trees and parked cars; a bus is visible on the street to the right under a clear sky.
    4:56 p.m 6/18, west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

On the northeast plaza, dozens of people gathered around the BART elevator and along the plaza steps mid-morning. Groups were still there at 5 p.m. and some vending was going on. No officers were present.

Northeast Plaza and east side of Mission Street

  • People are gathered on a city sidewalk near a colorful building with murals, some sitting and some standing, on a sunny day.
    10:39 a.m 6/18 northeast plaza, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • People wait at a colorful bus stop near a crosswalk; street art and murals cover surrounding walls under a clear blue sky.
    4:59 p.m. 6/18, northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People stand and sit near a building with colorful murals and graffiti; some are gathered around belongings on the sidewalk in an urban setting.
    4:59 p.m. 6/18, northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Caledonia Street

  • Narrow urban alleyway with graffiti on the right wall, fences and utility poles on the left, and buildings lining both sides under a clear sky.
    10:12 a.m 6/18, Caledonia Street near 15th Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • A narrow urban alleyway with graffiti on the right wall, a beige building on the left, and a cracked asphalt path running between them.
    5:04 p.m. 6/18, Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Julian Street

  • A person walks on a sidewalk next to parked cars and buildings, passing a sign for Kailash Hotel at 179 Julian Ave. A pedestrian crossing sign is also visible.
    10:31 a.m 6/18, Julian Avenue, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • A city sidewalk with parked cars on the right, several people near a bicycle on the left, and colorful buildings lining the street under a clear blue sky.
    5:04 p.m. 6/18, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with parked cars on the left and buildings with windows on the right under clear blue skies.
    5:04 p.m. 6/18, Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A sidewalk with trees growing through cutouts in the pavement, next to a black metal fence and a brick building on a sunny day.
    10:19 a.m 6/18, 15th street and Julian, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez

Wiese Street

  • A deserted urban alleyway with metal barricades along both sides, a tipped-over trash can, and scattered litter on the ground.
    10:36 a.m. 6/18, Wiese Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • A deserted urban alleyway is bordered by metal barricades and buildings, with a red object on the ground near the right side.
    5:00 p.m. 6/18, Wiese Street and hour or so after a man was found dead on the street. Photo by Lydia Chávez

Capp Street

  • A city street corner with cars parked, a red light and pedestrian signal, people on the sidewalk, and a man standing near a utility pole.
    10:48 a.m 6/18 Capp Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez
  • Two men stand on a city sidewalk; one squats down inspecting the ground while the other, holding a large bag, faces away near parked cars and graffiti-covered walls.
    10:50 a.m 6/18 Capp Street, Photo by Gustavo Hernandez

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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.

Gustavo Hernandez is a freelance photojournalist and videographer currently living in Excelsior District. He graduated in Fall 2024 with a double major in Journalism (Photojournalism) and BECA (Broadcasting and Electronic Communications Arts) from San Francisco State University. You can periodically catch him dodging potholes on his scooter and actively eating pho.

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6 Comments

  1. Truly tragic. RIP to that fellow who passed away. Where are the street outreach teams who do wellness checks and distribute Narcan? The best way to honor those who have passed is to support those who are currently at risk and have the mindset of “no more deaths.” Yes, that’s a lofty goal, but a worthy one that will at least save some folks. I recently left working for a local nonprofit after the majority of our street-based work was cut back. I live in this area and even take my dog out for breaks at 1am and I’ve never seen a street-based outreach team doing wellness checks at early hours or at night when folks are most at risk. Can future reporting cover this topic? Thank you for your continued coverage.

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  2. Tragic
    Until the drug dealers are gone more will die

    They are killing people

    This is really sad and beyond comprehension

    Why cannot this city get control of this ?
    Sf is not that big

    Lower Polk has a drug death almost every day .

    Really rough to encounter overdoses and dead bodies when trying to walk down Polk

    How many drug ods and deaths have you and your readers seen

    It is easy to be all talk and no action

    But when you see it everyday it takes it toll.

    This city and its residents need to really get on this now

    Come out in force and put these criminals out of business and lock them up

    Get it together sf Show you care
    As long as it is not on your block in neighborhood then you think you have a say

    Get real

    Very sad and dissapointed with this city and its” compassionate “ citizens

    Stop the harm now

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  4. I think y’all just wasting your time doing reports about what’s going on in 16th St. that’s gonna continue and continue and continue as long as you get all these people from all over the country in San Francisco and again nonprofit has made billions of dollars of peoples misery keep on giving us those lousy reports I’m not giving you a dime to that nonprofit cause I know I know exactly what’s happening with nonprofits in San Francisco they don’t do shit for no one.

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  5. Thank you for your article, I see my brother there sitting by the train elevator looking directly at the camera, he hasn’t called me in a few weeks so I’ve been extremely worried, this let’s me know he’s alive and I got to see him 🙁

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  6. I just rode the #14 back and forth past 16th.
    It’s the worst I’ve seen it in a LONG time.
    Tons of junkies and other derelicts.

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