SF's 16th and Mission Streets plagued by drugs and illegal goods

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A bill allowing San Francisco police to issue citations for illegal street vending is about to pass.

If you've even walked in parts of the Mission District, you've likely seen the prolific black market of stolen goods. But the Mission now has one more problem to contend with: the dramatic increase of drug addicts on the streets.

While we were there, an illegal vendor allowed us to shoot video of personal hygiene products he was selling on Mission Street. Where did he get them from? He told us, from another man who allegedly stole the items from a store and sold them to the illegal vendor for a few dollars. The vendor then resells them at a higher price.

A few minutes later, that same man was headed back to a store to steal again.

"Everyone knows that they are stolen goods, and it's pushing out the legitimate street vendors. It's creating an atmosphere, at times, of violence," said State Senator Scott Wiener.

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It's been up to the Department of Public Works to make sure people are not selling things illegally, but its workers, too, have been harassed and threatened.

Now Wiener is certain his bill will pass, allowing San Francisco police officers to cite these illegal vendors.

"This is for folks who are selling goods that have been placed on a list of commonly stolen goods, who don't have a permit and don't have proof of purchase. Then, the police will be able to cite them and on the third offense, they can get a misdemeanor," he said.

But in recent weeks this problem has also created a hotbed for drug users and dealers.

Ironically, all of this is happening under the watchful eye of San Francisco Police Department, which has placed a mobile command post only a few feet away. While we were there, we didn't see police make a single arrest.

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"I can't speak for why they don't make a particular arrest for drugs. I know there have been more drug arrests recently," Wiener said.

According to its incident reports, SFPD said in March that there were 140 drug-related arrests within 300 meters of 16th Street and Mission near the BART station.

"We're receptive to the resident and business owners that are telling us this, and we are citing and arresting people for drug use or for their warrants. We've done this more in the last few months than we have ever," said Robert Rueca, spokesperson for the SFPD.

Police admit that in recent months, part of the drug scene has moved from 6th street in the South of Market, to other neighborhoods, the Mission District being particularly hit hard.

In less than five minutes, we saw paramedics from the fire department respond to three wellness calls for people passed out on the street.

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People in this neighborhood told us they are now frequently calling 911.

"It's like a third world country. It's very bad. It looks terrible. I don't know why the authorities don't do anything," said resident Francisco Grande.

We asked the Supervisor from this district, Jackie Fielder, to weigh in, but she did not make herself available despite this chaos.

We also found a woman nodding out at the entrance of Mona's Apparel. The owner says he deals with this everyday. We asked him how he would deal with this crisis.

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"Very, very serious penalties for taking drugs on the street, " said Alex Suen, owner of Mona's Apparel.

Just hours after ABC7 News was there, Mayor Daniel Lurie drove by to see for himself what we have been reporting on.

This is what Lurie told the audience at the Bay Area-Silicon Valley Summit.

"And there were hundreds of people gathered at 5 p.m. I made some calls, and by 8 p.m., it was clear. We are sending a message that if you are on our streets, we want to get you help, but the streets are no longer the option," Lurie said.