As city agencies intensify their focus on the 16th Street BART plazas to combat drug dealing and improve deteriorating street conditions, nearby merchants on 24th Street express growing concerns over a surge in illegal vending.
The temporary vending ban on Mission Street, intended to curb unpermitted sales, appears to be ineffective, as vendors adapt by timing their operations with the absence of law enforcement.
Merchants report that instead of ceasing their activities, vendors strategically align their schedules to avoid encounters with Public Works employees and police officers at the BART plazas.
These vendors operate like clockwork, selling their goods in the early morning hours from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., taking a break during the lunch hours, and returning after 10 p.m. On weekends, their sales are unrestricted by time.
On a recent Wednesday, a noticeable number of vendors gathered at the 24th Street BART plaza, ready to set up as noon approached. Armed with suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks, they chatted casually while waiting for the signal to begin their sales.
Just minutes before noon, police officers and Public Works officials left the plaza, and in an instant, the vendors sprang into action, displaying an array of products on the sidewalk, including personal care items, clothing, and food.
“I’ll take $5 for the 2-pack of deodorant,” announced one vendor, effortlessly marketing her wares amidst the hubbub.
The vendor, who looked to be in her mid-thirties, emphasized the challenges faced regarding the origin of the products: “They bring the product, and we buy it from them. We don’t know if it’s stolen or not.”
The previously bustling plaza quickly transformed into an impromptu marketplace, with vendors stretching along Mission Street from 24th Street to the entrance of El Farolito Bar within 15 minutes.
“I see it all day. It’s always gonna be a cat-and-mouse game,” shared Nancy Sanchez, who has been employed at Silver Stone Coffee located at the edge of the northeast BART Plaza.
In her frustration with the ongoing conditions, Sanchez voiced the need for law enforcement: “Give the cops their authority back,” referring to Senate Bill 276 currently moving through California’s legislative process, which would allow police to cite illegal vendors.
“Park one here,” she added, pointing to a police Mobile Command Unit that has been stationed at the 16th Street BART Plaza for over two months.
Since the passage of a 2018 state law that decriminalized vending in California, police have faced restrictions on citing vendors, leaving enforcement in the hands of Public Works employees. Both vendors and local businesses advocate for a return of police authority in this matter.
The illegal vending practices and accompanying street conditions are troubling to business owners like Sanchez, who believe it is negatively impacting their revenues. “It takes money from us,” she lamented.
Across the street at a collection of shops situated at 2790 Mission St., Angelica Quiroz and Mirna Hernandez reflected on the situation over coffee.
“I’d say they should not only take those who are selling, but also those who are buying as well,” Quiroz commented.
“They see the police as their little toys,” she continued, stressing the need for police to command respect within the community.
Hernandez echoed Quiroz’s frustrations, recounting a near miss with an aggressively packing vendor: “I almost fell the other day because one of the vendors packed everything so quickly when they saw Public Works and police officers coming, that the suitcase almost hit me.”
Manuel Vargas, who operates a small shirt printing booth, also cited the adverse effects on his business due to the illegal vendors. “Customers don’t want to come,” he noted, illustrating the competition posed by street vending.
“This last holiday [Memorial Day] they were there all day,” Vargas concerning the unpermitted vendors, pushing him to question why law enforcement doesn’t dedicate more resources to the area.
Throughout the commotion, vendors continued their sales outside, undeterred by the possibility of enforcement.
“I’ve only sold $5 today,” confessed a woman selling deodorant, Advil, and toothpaste outside El Farolito. “I get depressed. I have a disability and I can’t work, but I gotta pay rent. It’s a sad story.”
She described her routine of arriving at the BART plaza at 7 a.m., seven days a week, selling until city employees arrive, then returning for another shift around noon.
Nearby, another vendor named Alicia Salazar showcased items like hair ties and portable fans, commenting on her challenging experiences with law enforcement: “The cops have taken my stuff three times already.”
Her products primarily consist of used clothes and accessories provided by family and friends, establishing a sense of resilience—“so I can work and survive.”
Salazar also observed a change in foot traffic: “More people have come to 24th Street since everything went down at 16th.” Unaffiliated vendors from areas like Oakland have intensified competition in the vicinity, according to her observations.
As Salazar continued speaking, another vendor made a brief pass by, holding a can of deodorant aloft. “Give me $1 for it, mama,” he called out, but received no interest as he moved along.
“See, sometimes they don’t like it if you don’t buy their stuff,” Salazar said, adding to the sigh of exasperation about stolen merchandise within the competitive street vendoring space.
As the hour approached 12:45 p.m., a male vendor rushed through holding a suitcase: “They’re coming back. Pack! Quick!”
With urgency, vendors instinctively began to dismantle their operations in light of the potential for enforcement, reasserting the cycle of covert commerce that has become a hallmark of life around the plaza.
image source from：https://missionlocal.org/2025/05/dont-forget-us-say-businesses-and-residents-near-sfs-24th-street-bart-plazas/
