People sell various goods laid out on the sidewalk in an urban outdoor market setting; some wear masks, and a colorful building is visible in the background.
6:44 p.m. 7/13 northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez

For the second weekend in a row, the Department of Public Works, the San Francisco Police Department, and Ahsing, a new outreach and safety team, proved successful in keeping the west side of Mission Street and nearby side streets clear.

For a time, the east side and the northeast plaza were also clear – helped by two BART trucks parked on the plaza and cleaning crews and a power wash. By 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and at some point on Saturday, however, the trucks and crews were gone and unpermitted vending and open drug use took over the northeast plaza and the east side of Mission Street.

On both days, the west side remained clear into the evening. On Sunday at 6:30 p.m., some crew members stood on the west side of Mission Street and the SFPD’s Mobile Unit Two and a police car sat on the southwest plaza. Nevertheless, the action continued on the east side of Mission Street and on the plaza.

Earlier in the day on Sunday, the Ahsing crew picked up trash east of Mission Street and along Capp Street. Vendors and others loitering on the side streets tended to pick up and leave when the crew came by.

Police appeared to arrest someone on Caledonia Street Saturday morning around 10 a.m.

The photos below include some from Saturday.


You can see all the 16th Street posts here. 

Southwest Plaza and west side of Mission Street

  • People cross a city street at a crosswalk with bold geometric patterns. A truck, workers in safety vests, and traffic lights are visible. Buildings and palm trees line the background.
    9:59 a.m. 7/12 west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A dimly lit city sidewalk at night with metal barricades, a few pedestrians, parked cars, and streetlights in the background.
    9:35 p.m. 7/12 west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man walks a small white dog across an urban street near a bus stop, with people and vehicles in the background on a cloudy day.
    6:48 p.m. 7/13 southwest plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Two men in black clothing stand on a city sidewalk near a building, while other pedestrians walk past and cars are parked along the street.
    6:43 p.m. 7/13 west side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Northeast Plaza and east side of Mission Street

  • A crowd of people gathers on a city sidewalk at night, illuminated by streetlights and surrounded by parked cars and street art.
    9:36 p.m. 7/12 east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people gathers on a city sidewalk at night near a mural and parked cars, with string lights hanging overhead.
    9:36 p.m. 7/12 east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Several people walk through a sunny urban area with graffiti on the walls, trees, blue lamp posts, and a fallen electric scooter on the ground.
    11:30 a.m. 7/13 northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk along a sunny city sidewalk lined with murals, parked cars, and a parked scooter; palm trees and buildings are visible in the background.
    11:30 a.m. 7/13 northeast Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People walk by street vendors selling various goods laid out on the ground in an urban plaza; some vendors and shoppers are wearing masks.
    6:44 p.m. 7/13 northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • People stand and sit on a city sidewalk with bags, supplies, and belongings scattered around; some individuals appear to be sleeping or resting.
    6:45 p.m. 7/13 northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people, some with luggage and backpacks, stand and walk on a city sidewalk near a colorful mural; one person is in a wheelchair and a dog is present.
    6:45 p.m. 7/13 northeast plaza, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of people gather on a city sidewalk near a colorful mural and graffiti, some sitting and others standing, with personal belongings and a stroller visible.
    6:45 p.m. 7/13 east side of Mission Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Caledonia Street

  • Three police vehicles are parked along a city street in front of an apartment building, with a red bus lane and bike lane markings visible.
    6/12 10 a.m. near Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • 6/12 10 a.m. near Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow, empty alley at night is lit by overhead lights, with graffiti-covered walls on the right and a building with barred windows on the left.
    9:33 p.m. 7/12 Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A police officer stands on the sidewalk of a graffiti-covered alley, looking down the empty street lined with buildings and a chain-link fence.
    6:41 p.m. 7/13 Caledonia Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Julian Avenue

  • A city sidewalk at night with cars parked along the street and apartment buildings in the background. The sidewalk is mostly empty, with some litter scattered on the ground.
    9:34 p.m. 7/12 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A dimly lit city sidewalk at night with parked cars on the left and a building with illuminated windows and signs on the right.
    9:34 p.m. 7/12 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • City sidewalk with parked cars lining the street; buildings and trees visible in the background on a sunny day.
    11:28 a.m. 7/13 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk with parked cars, a pedestrian crossing sign, and the Kailash Hotel sign above 179 Julian Ave. Several people are visible in the background.
    11:28 a.m. 7/13 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man stands on a city sidewalk next to a white building, with parked cars lined up along the street and apartment buildings in the background.
    6:42 p.m. 7/13 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A sidewalk lined with parked cars next to a beige brick building; a sign for Katlash Hotel hangs above the street.
    6:42 p.m. 7/13 Julian Avenue, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Wiese Street

  • 9:34 p.m. 7/12 Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A narrow city alley with metal barricades on both sides, graffiti on the walls, and cardboard debris on the ground. Buildings border the alley, and the street is empty.
    11:28 a.m. 7/13 Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A deserted urban alleyway lined with metal barricades, adjacent to yellow and green buildings with graffiti and utility wires overhead.
    6:43 p.m. 7/13 Wiese Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

Capp Street

  • Urban sidewalk with parked cars on the left, colorful graffiti on the right wall, and several people walking or standing in the distance under cloudy skies.
    2:59 p.m. 7/12, Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A group of city workers with cleaning equipment stand at a crosswalk while pedestrians talk on a sunny urban street.
    11:31 a.m. 7/13 Ahsing crew headed to Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A man pushes a cart down a city sidewalk lined with parked cars and buildings, one of which has a large colorful graffiti mural. Several people are gathered in the distance.
    11:33 a.m. 7/13 Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Several people in uniforms clean a sidewalk next to a colorful graffiti-covered brick wall on a sunny day in an urban area.
    11:33 a.m. 7/13 Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • Urban sidewalk with a textured yellow ramp and tactile paving, bordered by a red building with graffiti; cars are parked along the street and pedestrians walk in the distance.
    6:47 p.m. 7/13 Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez
  • A city sidewalk near a red building with graffiti, a street crossing signal, and some parked cars along the road.
    6:47 p.m. 7/13 Capp Street, Photo by Lydia Chávez

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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.

As founder/executive editor 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.

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5 Comments

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  2. If people are breaking laws and violate public health and safety codes that endanger an entire community, then its the job of SFPD to enforce laws. Obviously, they do not and the psyhotic circus continues.

    If SFPD actually enforces laws and arrest everyone breaking them, then this city would not be in this abhorent situation where criminals get more rights then citizens.

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  3. 17th & caap to 16th really need to be checked more often regarding people sleeping on sidewalks and using drugs .we have children in area and people don’t want to see this filth.im continue to see it daily and by 16th van ness they sleep make mess in garbage cans and leave mess daily ..by Avanza 490 bldg and Adrian st alley ..needs to be monitored

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