San Francisco BART plaza fenced off to curb drug use, illegal street vending

San Francisco BART plaza at 24th and Mission fenced off to public

A public plaza in San Francisco's Mission District has been fenced off because of illegal activity happening there including open drug use and illegal vending of stolen goods. Many in the community say it has gotten out of hand during the pandemic and has made them feel unsafe.

SAN FRANCISCO - BART riders at the 24th and Mission Street station in San Francisco say the short walk to catch the train can sometimes be scary. Now the plaza is fenced off to the public.

Recently, they say they have encountered people blocking the sidewalks, engaging in drug use, and other illegal activity.

Theresa Lopez, a neighbor who lives in the area said, "Oh it was completely out of control, I was afraid to go to BART."

David Cheng, a Daly City resident said, "Usually when I come over here there’s all sorts of people hanging around over here, drinking beer, have music going on."

City officials say this public space is now off-limits because of rampant drug use and illegal street vending. A fence has been erected around the plaza with only a path for people going to and from the BART station.

In a series of tweets, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen explained the situation was causing problems for the whole neighborhood. She wrote, "it infuriates me to see a once beautiful & vibrant community space overrun by open-air drug markets & vendors selling stolen goods."

"In my personal opinion it is wonderful," said jewelry vendor Milagros Lopez. She has been legally operating on that corner for 8 years and said problems escalated during the pandemic. "They sell drugs, they make drugs, they bring more extreme bad people doing illegal activities," said Lopez.

With the fencing, she said she already feels safer. "At night for us we have a lot of protection because now I don’t need to pay attention to who is behind me."

The fencing is only temporary while the city’s Public Works Department will set up a vendor application process and train more street inspectors.