SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco, a group of residents say they are suing the city claiming their street has turned into the epicenter of sex work.

Last year, ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena broke the story of prostitution on Capp Street which led to the city taking action but now, residents on another street say all the prostitution has migrated to their block.

Residents on San Francisco’s Shotwell Street say they have reached a breaking point.

“We have our kids come over and their friends and they have to see all this. It’s embarrassing,” said Esperanza Aparicio, a Shotwell Street resident. “I’m just tired. I hope the city does something about it.”

Esperanza Aparicio and her husband Reynaldo are part of a group of San Francisco residents who are pleading for the city to take action and stop the prostitution that takes over their street every night. On Wednesday, five residents announced they are suing the city.

EXCLUSIVE: SF residents say this street has turned into ‘Las Vegas Strip’ with alleged sex workers

“We had no other choice,” said Ayman Farahat, one of the residents suing the city. “We have been talking to them for years. In this corner we had a meeting in June of 2023 to discuss exactly those issues. Nothing happened, but in the meantime, we had the attack by the sex worker, we had a murder, we had a motorcycle on the sidewalk, endless nights of traffic.”

Residents on Shotwell say they have tried everything to deter prostitution from their area.

In January, a group of them held signs and protested at night as pimps and sex workers were out. Some residents have confronted pimps and sex workers.

“They started pushing back against me and then one of them basically said, you know I have a knife, and she threatened me,” said Shotwell Street resident, Laura Sydell.

Some threats have led to attacks.

Barriers at San Francisco’s Capp St. forces alleged sex work to new area, report says

“There was a prostitute and we asked her to leave. She turned around and she sprayed me with mace. My eyes were all burnt,” said Shotwell Street resident, Reynaldo Aparicio.

Many of the people in the area noticed a clear shift about a year ago after the city placed road barriers on Capp Street to stop car traffic from prostitution. They say all that car traffic moved to Shotwell Street.

“We need to be very deliberate about how we solve them and just closing one street is not a deliberate solution,” said Farahat.

For the past year, Shotwell Street residents have been documenting the activity.

“We hear a lot of loud music, or yelling, or the prostitute beating up another prostitute then I get up and I start looking there and I’m all night watching,” said Aparicio.

SF Capp St. sex worker issue improved but drivers blocking barriers are now creating hazards

After residents announced legal action, the mayor’s office responded, promising: “New strategies include new barriers on Shotwell Street to prevent individuals from using their vehicles for prostitution that also causes congestion and traffic issues, new public safety cameras, and the issuance of Dear John letters to help discourage the illegal behavior.”

Shotwell Street residents want to see permanent solutions.

“We want to be able to sleep at night, but we also don’t want others to suffer, and this is what the city will gladly do. It’s just push it one block to the other,” said Farahat.

According to the Mayor’s office, SFPD has made 72 arrests in multiple enforcement operations in the last four months around Shotwell Street.

In a statement, the San Francisco city attorney’s office said:

SF residents debate effectiveness of barriers installed in hopes to curb sex work on key street

“Once we are served with the lawsuit, we will review the complaint and respond appropriately.”

Full statement from the mayor’s office:

“San Francisco, CA – Today Mayor London N. Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen announced a series of new measures to address illegal prostitution impacting Shotwell Street in the Mission neighborhood. These initiatives come out of a series of meetings City agencies have had with community members and are responsive to their requests.

These new strategies include new barriers on Shotwell Street to prevent individuals from using their vehicles for prostitution that also causes congestion and traffic issues, new public safety cameras, and the issuance of Dear John letters to help discourage the illegal behavior.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has been enforcing laws and deploying strategies to combat the decades-long challenges associated with illegal prostitution around Shotwell Street in the Mission District. The SFPD has made 72 arrests in multiple enforcement operations in the last four months around Shotwell Street, a known corridor for illegal prostitution-related crimes.

SFPD patrol and plain clothes officers will continue prostitution enforcement operations in the Mission and hold individuals accountable for their actions who are coming into our neighborhoods to commit crimes and disturb the peace.

“By working with the community, we’ve developed solutions that will make the Mission safer for all,” said Mayor London Breed. “Our police officers will continue to enforce our laws, but these new strategies will help us build on that work and improve conditions in the neighborhood. This is part of our commitment to address significant challenges in the Mission neighborhood.”

“My office has given these neighbors and this issue a great deal of attention, and we have been working with City departments to come up with meaningful solutions, including outreach to sex workers to get them support and protections, and ultimately off the streets,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “Real solutions require collaboration and creative thinking to tackle this age-old issue, not frivolous legal action.”

New, Expanded Strategies

The City, under the leadership of the Mayor’s Office, has been working with the community to develop additional strategies, including:

• Barriers: City agencies, including SFMTA, will install and improve barriers along Shotwell Street, similar to the barriers that were installed on Capp Street.
• Cameras: The City is working to install cameras that are highly visible to deter people from soliciting prostitution and related crimes. The cameras would also capture evidence to be used in enforcement operations. These would be new public cameras authorized under Prop E.
• Dear John Letters: The City is launching so-called “Dear John” letters and encouraging community members to submit tips about people engaging in solicitation or other prostitution. Based on the circumstances, a warning letter will then be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, indicating that it was seen in a known area for prostitution activity. The primary objective is to discourage such behavior by notifying drivers that they have been observed in the area. Additionally, it is possible that others residing at the vehicle owner’s address may also become aware of the letter’s content upon its arrival.

SFPD will continue to enforce the law by citing and arresting people engaged in prostitution-related activity.

“Illegal sex work degrades the quality of life in our city, and it cannot be tolerated,” said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. “Our officers will continue to enforce the law as we implement new strategies and technology to deter this high-risk behavior. Strategies like Dear John letters have been effective in other jurisdictions at deterring people from engaging in this activity and we expect to see similar results in San Francisco.”

The Seattle Mariners took one small step closer as they attempt to rally for a playoff appearance and their first American League West title in 23 years.

Watch: Seattle Mariners outfielders slug two-run HRs in same inning

The Mariners topped the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Wednesday to secure a second consecutive series win and wrap up a brief six-game homestand. As a result, Seattle gained one game and sits 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros, who dropped two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’re excited,” Mariners manger Dan Wilson said postgame Wednesday. “This is a good one to build on – another good series win – and we’ll take it on the road.”

The Mariners improved their playoff odds to 17.5% with the series victory over Tampa Bay, per FanGraphs. They entered the series at 15.1%.

“I think we just got to keep piling up series wins. I think that’s the key,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t really matter how they come. Again, we’ve got a lot of work to do here and we’re looking at it that way – just keep putting together good baseball, good at-bats, good pitching performances and turn around and see where we’re at.”

Seattle has the day off Thursday before starting a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Meanwhile, Houston begins a four-game home series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. After Thursday, the Mariners and Astros will each have 28 games remaining. They square off once more for three games in the penultimate series of the season Sept. 23-25 in Houston.

The Mariners also alive in the wild card picture, but their chances are bleaker than their shot at winning the division.

They’re currently 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the third and final AL wild card berth. Seattle was 6 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot entering Monday. However, the Boston Red Sox are also just three games behind Minnesota.

The Royals, Twins and Red Sox all hold the tiebreaker over the Mariners.

Seattle has just a 3.3% chance of clinching a wild card berth.

Schedule watching

A look at the remaining strength of schedule, toughest remaining opponent by record and easiest remaining opponent by record for the Mariners, Astros, Twins and Red Sox, per Tankathon.

• The Mariners have the 25th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .481.Their toughest remaining opponent is three games against the Yankees. Their easiest remaining opponent is three games against the Angels.

• The Astros have the 14th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .499. Their toughest remaining opponent is three games against the Diamondbacks. Their easiest remaining opponent is seven games against the Angels.

• The Twins have the 16th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .497. Their toughest remaining opponents is three games against the Orioles. Their easiest remaining opponent is thee games against the Marlins.

• The Red Sox have the 18th-toughest remaining schedule with an opponents’ winning percentage of .496. Their toughest remaining opponent is four games against the Yankees. Their easiest remaining opponent is three games against the White Sox.

Up next

The Mariners open a three-game series at the Angels on Friday. Seattle’s pitching probables (in order) are right-hander George Kirby, right-hander Bryan Woo and right-hander Bryce Miller, while Los Angeles is set to counter with right-hander Carson Fulmer, left-hander Tyler Anderson and right-hander Johnny Cueto.

The Angels sit in last place in the AL West at 54-78, which is better than only the historically bad White Sox in the AL. However, they have won five straight against Seattle.

The Mariners are 4-6 overall this season against the Angels.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners activate shortstop J.P. Crawford off IL, send down Canzone
• Passan: The one thing that makes Mariners’ rotation phenomenal
• Did Brant Brown’s interview hint at problem with Mariners’ offense?
• Dan Wilson details how he became the new Mariners manager
• Drayer: Looking at Scott Servais’ legacy, why Seattle Mariners let him go

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With the Denver Broncos roster being whittled down to 53 players as the regular season quickly approaches, this is still a roster with as many questions as answers. One area on the depth chart with a lot of uncertainty is the safety position.

After years of stability with Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons as the starters, Denver now has a handful of relative unknowns set to protect the back end of the defense. Across the league, the safety position appears to have been greatly devalued, as evidenced by how long it took Simmons to sign with a new team, and for how little money-wise.

Outside of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers retaining Antoine Winfield Jr., there were more expensive safeties cut this offseason than signing new big contracts. The Broncos did “reload” at safety after moving on from Simmons by signing 26-year-old Brandon Jones to a three-year, $20 million contract. Still, overall Denver went young and inexperienced at the safety position.

Unfortunately, Jones missed almost the entirety of training camp and preseason with a hamstring issue. He did go through pre-game in the preseason finale, and we heard that he “feels great,” but after Jones, the assortment of P.J. Locke, JL Skinner, Devon Key, and Keidron Smith are more or less unproven.

Given the devaluation of the safety market and the Broncos’ obvious questions at the safety position, perhaps the front office might work the phones to look for an additional option. At least, that’s what Bleacher Report‘s Alex Kay thinks, as he urged the Broncos to pursue a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for starting safety and former second-round pick Richie Grant.  

“The Broncos could make a run at Richie Grant to shore this weak point up. Grant, a second-round pick in 2021, has spent the last two seasons starting for the Atlanta Falcons but may soon be relegated to the bench following the emergence of DeMarcco Hellams. With Jessie Bates III also locked in as a surefire top safety for the Falcons, Grant could be expendable.

“Given Grant’s cheap, expiring contract—he’s only owed a shade over $3 million in base salary on the final year of his rookie deal—and age (26), this move works as both a budget one-year rental and potential tryout for a new deal this coming spring,” Kay wrote.

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The Broncos are obviously a team in transition with financial constraints following the Russell Wilson release, but Kay argues the Broncos “should be on the lookout for serviceable talent at a cheap cost who can help this rebuilding squad contend again.” Specifically, the secondary, outside of superstar cornerback Patrick Surtain II, could use further fortification for the 2024 season.

Denver could address the cornerback opposite Surtain, especially now that Damarri Mathis is set to miss some time. However, cornerback is a more expensive position with fewer options. Riley Moss is auditioning now for a long-term spot, but Kay believes that “the most concerning is at the safety spot, where Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke are projected to start and little of note in terms of depth behind them.”

Would the Broncos look to make a move at safety? For the cost projected from Kay, acquiring Grant for a 2025 sixth-round selection, there is little risk in adding someone with so much starting experience to the back end of the defense, given the uncertainty of the position. There is also something poetic about Denver adding Grant, who lost his starting spot in Atlanta due to the Falcons signing Simmons.

Grant has been hit or miss during his time in Atlanta but has accumulated 2,338 defensive snaps during his three years in the league. Grant would likely compete with Locke for the starting spot opposite Jones. Grant would also provide insurance should Jones’ hamstring injury do what many hamstring injuries tend to do and linger.

The Broncos could be on the lookout for a number of positions to add to the roster before Week 1’s bout in Seattle. Linebacker, tight end, offensive line depth, and safety seem the most likely spots Denver may peruse outside of its initial roster. If Grant were available for such a cheap cost and the Broncos’ brass assessed the contract as acceptable, the trade would make some semblance of sense.

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