San Francisco, CA
Sideshow turns destructive in San Francisco’s Sunset District, leaving neighbors shaken
A predawn sideshow in San Francisco’s typically quiet Sunset District spiraled into chaos Saturday morning, leaving a rented U-Haul truck burned, a nearby vehicle damaged and neighbors angry over what they described as a delayed police response.
The sideshow erupted around 4:30 a.m. at two intersections just one block apart — Kirkham Street and the Lower Great Highway, and Kirkham Street and 48th Avenue — according to witnesses. Neighbors reported cars spinning donuts, fireworks being set off and gunfire echoing through the neighborhood.
The U-Haul moving truck was set on fire near the intersection of Kirkham Street and 48th Avenue. Todd Brown, who had rented the U-Haul, said the noise of the loud sideshow woke him from sleep and sounded more like a racetrack than a residential street. “They were revving up their motors,” Brown said.
The situation escalated when some spectators vandalized Brown’s truck, breaking the front windshield and opening the door. From inside his home, Brown watched as people set the vehicle on fire.
“They were actually setting off Roman candles inside the car,” Brown said. “Here’s one of the Roman candles, right here.”
Brown said some people in the crowd appeared to be armed, prompting him to stay inside and focus on keeping the flames from spreading to his house. “There were too many people, I didn’t even want them to know that it was mine,” he said. “I was afraid the house was going to catch on fire. It was bad.”
Frightened neighbors said they repeatedly called police as the scene grew more dangerous. Witnesses estimated there were at least 100 participants and spectators.
Perry Jackson said he heard gunshots during the chaos. “[One guy] just reached into his waistband and ‘pop, pop,’ started popping off shots,” Jackson said. “That’s when we went ahead and called the cops and, ‘hey, not only do we have a sideshow, but they’re popping off shots’.”
Neighbors also reported spectators jumping on top of a parked work van, damaging its roof and windshield.
Many residents expressed frustration that it took police at least 20 minutes to respond. Jackson said officers told neighbors they were overwhelmed. “They were outnumbered,” he said. “I asked [an officer]. And he said there was only two squad cars, and so they had to wait for backup.”
Newly appointed District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong met with neighbors Saturday afternoon to address concerns and discuss possible solutions. “There had been suggestions from some of the neighbors about a potential roundabout or different rubber speed bumps to provide some environmental preventions from this happening again,” Wong said. “Then there’s the response side of things, being able to encourage and ensure that we’re fully staffed up in the police department.”
The incident comes as the city steps up penalties for sideshows. Mayor Daniel Lurie recently signed legislation cosponsored by Wong that doubles fines for participating in sideshows from $500 to $1,000.
Some neighbors say tougher penalties alone won’t be enough.
“They need to hire more police like they’re keep saying they’re hiring more police, but it’s not happening quick enough,” said Tony Villa.
As for Brown, he said he was able to salvage only a few kitchen cabinets from the U-Haul, losing most of the cabinets and furniture inside. Jackson summed up the mood of many neighbors: “I’m bumped out. It’s a drag.”
San Francisco police said one person was detained in connection with setting the U-Haul on fire, and that person’s car was impounded. Officers said they are continuing to investigate and are working to identify additional participants involved in the sideshow.
Borg has made several questionable calls from
One pedestrian died at the hospital and three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a driver struck them in SF’s Mission District earlier this week.
The San Francisco Police Department arrested a driver suspected of fatally striking four pedestrians in the area of 16th and Mission streets Monday morning, as KRON4 reports.
Officers responded to the scene at 12:13 am and found medics treating one pedestrian with life-threatening injuries. The person later died at a nearby hospital, and three other pedestrians sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver was reportedly detained soon after the collision. The department has not announced what charges they will receive.
“We hold the victim and their loved ones in our thoughts, and grieve this loss of life on San Francisco’s streets,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director for Walk SF, in a release. “We all deserve to be able to get around safely in our city.”
This marks the ninth pedestrian death in San Francisco this year. It’s also the second such death in the Mission, following the tragic death of local musician Danielle Spillman at Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue in April, as SFist reported previously.
Four pedestrians were killed throughout the month of March, including deaths in Chinatown, the Financial District, North Beach, and the Outer Mission. In late February, a two-year-old was run over in Mission Bay.
Anyone with information may contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text “TIP411,” beginning with “SFPD.”
Wife of SoMa Hit-and-Run Suspect Says ‘My Husband Is Not a Villain’
Image: Google Maps
San Francisco, CA
California Supreme Court ruling on bail sparks debate over what it means for San Francisco’s safety
A recent California Supreme Court ruling is changing how bail is set across the state, and it’s sparking a sharp debate in San Francisco about what it could mean for public safety.
Inside her office, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said every decision carries weight. She views her role through one lens: protecting the public.
“My responsibility to San Francisco is public safety,” Jenkins said. “And to be transparent to me in achieving that safety. This is a ruling that has real-life consequences, and deny that would be untruthful and would not help people understand why we may see retraction from our progress.”
The ruling requires judges to set bail at levels defendants can afford, shifting the focus away from cash bail and toward whether someone poses a risk to public safety.
Jenkins said she believes that shift could have serious consequences.
“I knew it would be immediately be devastating to public safety and the state of California and had a lot of concerns that I thought needed to be shared with the public and other city leaders,” she said.
She warns that the change could make it easier for repeat offenders, particularly those involved in drug-related crimes, to be released before trial.
“These judges don’t live in San Francisco, many of them,” Jenkins said. “They don’t live in places like the Tenderloin that are most affected by these issues. They are ruling in a way that has impacts on other people’s lives.”
But not everyone agrees with that assessment.
San Francisco Defense Attorney Marsanne Weese said the ruling does not eliminate accountability and that courts still have tools to detain people who pose a threat.
“In regards to her statements, there is no basis for it,” Weese said. “And the justices pointed out that there are a number of non-financial tools the lower courts can use and should use.”
Those tools include options like pretrial detention and supervised release, which allow judges to consider risk without relying solely on a person’s ability to pay bail.
“So, in regards to this being a drastic change, yes, it will be a drastic change, but not to safety,” Weese added.
For Jenkins, the concern is not just the intent of the law, but how it will be applied in real-world courtrooms and what that means on city streets.
For now, there is unease for some, optimism for others, and a growing debate over what public safety will look like under this new system.
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