SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco, a group of residents is suing the city, claiming their street has become the epicenter of sex work.
Last year, ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena brought the Capp Street prostitution case to light, prompting the city to take action. But now residents on another street say all the prostitution has migrated to their block.
Residents of Shotwell Street in San Francisco say they have reached a turning point.
“Our kids and their friends come to our house and they have to watch all this. It's embarrassing,” said Esperanza Aparicio, a Shotwell Street resident. “I'm just tired of it. I hope the city does something about it.”
Esperanza Aparicio and her husband Reynaldo are part of a group of San Francisco residents calling on the city to take action and stop the prostitution that takes place every night on their street. On Wednesday, five residents announced they would sue the city.
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“We had no choice,” said Ayman Farahat, one of the residents suing the city. “We've been talking to them for years. On this corner, we had a meeting in June 2023 to discuss these very issues. Nothing happened, but in the meantime, we had the sex worker attack, we had a murder, we had a motorcycle on the sidewalk, endless nights of traffic.”
Shotwell residents say they have tried everything to keep prostitution out of their area.
In January, a group of them held signs and protested at night when pimps and sex workers were not home. Some residents have confronted pimps and sex workers.
“They started pushing me back 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.
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“There was a prostitute and we told her to leave. She turned around and sprayed me with pepper spray. My eyes were all burned,” said Reynaldo Aparicio, a resident of Shotwell Street.
Many people in the area noticed a significant change about a year ago after the city put up roadblocks on Capp Street to curb car traffic from prostitution. They say all car traffic shifted to Shotwell Street.
“We need to be very deliberate in solving these problems. Closing a single road is not a targeted solution,” Farahat said.
Over the past year, residents of Shotwell Street have documented these activities.
“We hear loud music or screaming or a prostitute beating up another prostitute. Then I get up, look around and watch them all night,” Aparicio said.
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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, which also causes congestion and traffic problems, new surveillance cameras, and the issuance of 'Dear John' letters to discourage 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 that's what the city likes to do. They just move things from one block to another,” Farahat said.
According to the Mayor's Office, the San Francisco Police Department has made 72 arrests in several enforcement actions around Shotwell Street over the past four months.
A statement from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said:
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“As soon as we receive the lawsuit, we will review the complaint and respond accordingly.”
Full statement from the Mayor’s Office:
“San Francisco, California – Today, Mayor London N. Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen announced a series of new measures to combat illegal prostitution on Shotwell Street in the Mission neighborhood. These initiatives are the result of a series of meetings city officials have held with community members and are in response to their requests.
These new strategies include new barriers on Shotwell Street to prevent people from using their vehicles for prostitution, which also causes congestion and traffic problems, new public safety surveillance cameras have been installed, and Dear John letters have been sent to discourage this illegal behavior.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) enforces laws and develops policies to combat the decades-long problems related to illegal prostitution around Shotwell Street in the Mission District. The SFPD has made 72 arrests over the past four months in multiple enforcement actions around Shotwell Street, a known corridor for illegal prostitution offenses.
SFPD patrol officers and plainclothes officers will continue their efforts to combat prostitution in the Mission and hold individuals who come to our neighborhoods to commit crimes and disturb the peace accountable for their actions.
“By working with the community, we have developed solutions that make the mission safer for everyone,” 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 neighborhood conditions. This is part of our commitment to address significant challenges in the Mission neighborhood.”
“My office has paid close attention to these neighbors and this issue, and we have worked with city departments to find meaningful solutions, including reaching out to sex workers to provide them with support and protection and ultimately get them off the streets,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “Truly solving this age-old problem requires collaboration and creative thinking, not frivolous legal action.”
New, expanded strategies
The City, under the leadership of the Mayor’s Office, is working with the community to develop additional strategies, including:
- Barriers: City agencies, including the SFMTA, will install and improve barriers along Shotwell Street similar to those installed on Capp Street.
- Cameras: The city is working to install highly visible cameras to deter people from engaging in prostitution and related crimes. The cameras would also record evidence for law enforcement purposes. These are new public cameras authorized under Prop E.
- Letters to Dear John: The city is implementing “Dear John” letters, asking citizens to report anyone engaging in prostitution or other forms of prostitution. Depending on the circumstances, a warning letter will then be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, advising that the vehicle has been seen in an area known for prostitution. The main goal is to discourage such behavior by informing drivers that they have been observed in the area. In addition, it is possible that other people living at the owner's address will also learn the contents of the letter when it arrives.
The San Francisco Police Department will continue to enforce the law by citing and arresting individuals involved in prostitution.
“Illegal sex work worsens the quality of life in our city and cannot be tolerated,” said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. “Our officers will continue to enforce the law as we implement new strategies and technologies to discourage this high-risk behavior. Strategies like Dear John letters have proven effective in other jurisdictions in deterring people from this activity, and we expect similar results in San Francisco.”
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