As San Francisco prepares to block vehicular traffic from a section of the Mission District this month to suppress street prostitution, the idea of ​​creating a designated sex work district is gaining traction among some advocates and officials.

A red-light district may not be a far-fetched concept in Mission, where many residents say sex workers have had a presence for decades.

Though San Francisco has taken no official action regarding a red light zone, officials are having water barriers and other barricades installed on Capp Street in response to recent complaints about what precinct chief Hillary Ronen called a “cruising zone,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle . The section of Capp between 18th and 22nd Streets will be closed to vehicles except residents.

Motorbike cops will patrol the area and issue traffic charges to discourage people from looking for sex workers.

It is unclear how long the barriers or police patrols will remain in place. The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to requests for more information.

The erection of the barriers has reignited discussion about a designated area where sex workers could operate without being criminalized and how to address concerns about human trafficking.

Ronen, who represents the mission, told the Chronicle that she would support a red light zone, but that figuring out the legal hurdles and location would be a challenge.

But she hopes to present a resolution to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors Tuesday that will serve as an official call for California lawmakers to decriminalize sex work.

“What’s happening right now on Capp Street is that it’s gotten bolder and bigger than we’ve ever seen it before,” Ronen told The Times on Wednesday.

“Rather than repeating the same cycle that we’ve been repeating for decades, it’s time to try something new,” she said.

The idea of ​​decriminalizing sex work isn’t as radical as it was when Ronen took office in 2017, she said.

“I don’t think that will happen tomorrow. This would be a big change in policy and direction,” said Ronen, a licensed attorney. “I certainly won’t be the first person to try to call for the legalization of prostitution, and I won’t be the last.”

Celestina Pearl, outreach director at the nonprofit St. James Infirmary, which provides resources to sex workers, welcomes the idea of ​​a red-light district, but said there’s a critical component that needs to be considered.

“I think it’s important to include the actual voices of sex workers,” Pearl told The Times. “Are they talking about starting a red light district and then pushing for decriminalization? Or maybe at the same time? Or prioritizing criminalization? That’s all the possibilities. The future is happening very fast.”

A group of anonymous residents told ABC affiliate KGO-TV that drivers lined Capp Street until 3am in search of sex workers. They also said crime had gotten worse in recent months.

Santiago Lerma, a legislative adviser in Ronen’s office, told Mission Local news outlet that there was a resurgence in sex workers as people began to emerge from the pandemic.

Pastor James Amado of the Seventh-day Adventist Church San Francisco Tabernacle near Capp and 22nd said sex workers had been on Capp Street since he first attended the church more than 20 years ago.

“Capp Street is like the main street that they flock to,” Amado told the Times, referring to the sex workers. “I saw her every night. These ladies start walking around in front of the church.”

Amado said he saw suitors and sex workers attempting to use the church parking lot when he left it unlocked at night during weekly church meetings.

“It’s been a thing in this neighborhood for a long time, and I can feel the spirit of the people who live in the neighborhood,” he said.

San Francisco Dist. atty Brooke Jenkins said her office has been in touch with residents of Capp Street.

She visited the neighborhood on a weekday “to better understand their concerns and find out how.” [to] be helpful in addressing the issues of prostitution and human trafficking while also working to support victims,” ​​she said in a written statement.

Clients subpoenaed for an indictment are referred to neighborhood courts for a decision and are expected to honor the agreements they have made, including attending the “John School and a commitment not to repeat their behavior,” it said Jenkins.

Since taking office last year, 14 suitors have been referred to the neighborhood court, she said.

“We are also doing everything we can to rescue victims from human traffickers. We stand ready to prosecute any … trafficker if there is sufficient evidence for us to proceed,” the statement said.

Pearl of St. James Infirmary said that while there are likely cases of sex trafficking, not all sex workers on the street are victims.

Anita O’Shea, operations manager at St James Infirmary, said roadblocks on Capp Street were not a permanent solution.

“It will not change the fact that sex workers have to work to survive, support their families and pay rent,” O’Shea told the Times. “If we want real solutions, we need to decriminalize sex work. And provide poor people with housing, job training, health care and other things.”

St. James distributes kits to sex workers twice a week, containing sanitary pads, condoms and lube.

San Francisco’s planned crackdown on the mission will only put sex workers down another street, O’Shea said.

While it’s clear that Capp Street residents face violence and other dangers when men cruise around looking for sex, O’Shea said, “We don’t believe the solution is to sweep people away.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A social media post sparked further controversy in San Francisco’s so-called “red light district.”

SFMTA installed new barriers along Capp Street in the Mission District, replacing existing barriers erected a few weeks ago to curb ongoing prostitution in the area. The cinder block barricades are a concern for the San Francisco Fire Department.

“I think it’s the best thing they’ve done in . . . forever,” said Carl Connell, a longtime resident who lives down the street on Capp Street and sees no exploited women on the street.”

For the first time in 41 years, Connell says he genuinely enjoys his neighborhood — even if it means his newfound sense of peace shifts the issue elsewhere.

“I don’t know, it’s someone else’s turn to have this stuff for 40 years,” Connell said.

EXCLUSIVE: SF residents say this street has turned into a “Las Vegas Strip” filled with alleged sex workers

A turn his neighbors down the street won’t take.

“That’s just obviously stupid,” said Steve Bower, who owns a wood and paint shop on Capp Street. “There has to be a safe place for sex workers to work.”

The irony of barriers designed to block the problem may just create another.

“It endangers public safety,” Bower said.

Over the weekend, the local San Francisco Fire Department union tweeted, “Self-serving decisions that put others at risk can have dire consequences. The tweet included a photo of the barricades and referenced a large fire that affected their ability to save the 300 block of Capp Street.

RELATED: Video shows street barriers aimed at curbing alleged sex work being torn down in SF’s ‘red light district’

Word got around quickly.

“I heard there was this massive explosion and the fire engines couldn’t get in to do their job,” Bower said. “Seems to be a pretty steep price to pay for complaints from neighbors who don’t like people pulling up and asking for sex.”

But according to resident and city records, there was no fire on Capp St over the weekend. The tweet actually confused many in the neighborhood.

“We were a little worried,” said a Capp Street resident. “We thought, oh, are the barriers causing problems? But speaking to other residents, we found that there hadn’t been a fire, not in the 300 block of Capp St. or anywhere else on Capp St., since the barriers were put up.”

Several neighbors told the I-Team that they felt the tweet misrepresented the reality of what happened. But rescue workers argue that every second counts when responding to life-threatening situations.

RELATED: Resolution legalizing sex work in CA introduced by SF overseer

More than 170 neighbors signed a letter expressing their support for the barricades, adding that they have reduced violence and restored peace to the area. The letter was presented to Mayor Breed and other city officials during a meeting Tuesday to discuss next steps.

“In the meantime, the mayor has decided that we will keep the barricades up,” said Sup. Hillary Ronen, adding that there will be minor delays in the event of emergencies. “But on the other hand, the danger on the street from violence and gunfire and a pedestrian being hit was so great that we have to balance all these competing factors.”

“Are you concerned about the impact on response times?” ABC7’s Stephanie Sierra asked Connell. “Nah. You just have to know how to get in,” he said.

But other residents aren’t happy with the idea — they expect more traffic, parking problems and delayed deliveries.

“It’s a danger,” Bower said. “That is no solution.”

Excellent. Ronen says the city will design and build a new barricade system that will be bolted to the ground over the next six weeks. At this point, the firefighters can use a tool to remove the barricades in an emergency.

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