Mass shooting unnerves San Francisco Mission District residents

SAN FRANCISCO — On Friday night, San Francisco’s Mission District became the latest scene of mass gun violence.  Nine people were shot on a sidewalk during a neighborhood block party.  Police say they will likely all survive but, in the morning light, residents wondered how much their neighborhood — and the city itself — may be changing.

It around 9 o’clock Friday night when the Mission District neighborhood at 24th and Treat was painted with the red and blue of police lights.  

“It’s confirmed that there are nine victims that were struck by gunfire and they are all expected to survive,” said SFPD spokesperson Officer Eve Laokwansanthitaya.

Police said some people attending a street party outside a business called Dying Breed were targeted, perhaps by a lone gunman. 

The victims were men ranging from 22 to 35 years old and one 19-year-old woman. Santiago Lerma, an aide to San Francisco supervisor Hillary Ronen, was in the area and said police told him the shooting may have stemmed from a previous argument during the city’s celebration of Carnaval.

“Very concerned, obviously, about the situation and it’s very scary,” Lerma said. “But this is an outlier. This is a very safe neighborhood, generally.”

RELATED: 9 injured in targeted San Francisco Mission District mass shooting

That’s how a lot of people think of the area — as a place of relative peace and that’s why resident Zora Arum was so shocked by the number of people injured.

“I mean, I don’t think it is reflective of the neighborhood. I think it’s the most beautiful community. People are so kind here,” Arum said. “I’m not sure who did this or what happened exactly but I definitely don’t feel like it reflects the character of the neighborhood in any way.”

On Friday, Mayor London Breed also insisted it doesn’t really match the character of the city.

“Well, nine people, that’s a lot, of course,” she said.  “And I think what we’re seeing in San Francisco, when we look at our data, a lot of the violent crime, we’ve seen the numbers decline considerably. So, this is definitely heartbreaking and challenging, not just for the Mission community but for our city as a whole.”

Cynthia Carrillo wasn’t looking at data. She only sees the way her neighborhood is changing and it scares her.

“I feel like nothing’s getting better, nothing’s being done! They really need to force something to be done because it’s not getting better. It’s not. What’s happening to the whole of San Francisco? It was never like this, never like this. Something’s gotten out of control,” Carrillo said. “I think it’s a lot of the way — the mentalities of these children growing up now.  It’s changed completely and they’ve got anger inside them, hatred inside them.”

Of course it’s hard to get precise data on anger and hate. That’s why things like this can spring up any time or anywhere. And it can instantly change the perception of a neighborhood, even to those who live there every day.