The San Francisco Standard on Nov. 30 published a provocative piece written by senior culture editor Astrid Kane, “Black Market, Black Friday: What $20 gets you at the 16th Street BART plaza.”
Presented as an edgy, budget-friendly shopping guide, the article suggested a less conventional way to score deals during the holiday shopping season by purchasing stolen goods on the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District. Rather than recommend traditional local retailers offering discounts, Kane’s piece encouraged readers to explore the thriving illicit market on a 10-block stretch of Mission Street, particularly near the 16th Street BART station, where vendors sell cheap stolen items.
Kane’s story was not an exposé but a review of a personal “shopping trip,” in which it was acknowledged the few items bought were stolen, being a way to save money, without much concern for the ethics behind the transactions.
However, the article quickly attracted widespread backlash after it was shared on X. Critics took issue with both the writer and The San Francisco Standard for what they saw as an irresponsible glamorization of crime:
@LaCapitalista4 wrote: “16th and Sycamore (v close to BART) was home to a murder yesterday, one of several that have occurred there over the last year. There is nothing good about the Mission stolen goods market. Stop glamorizing it – where is your editor?”
“Crazy how your writer is straight up bragging about literally committing a crime,” commented @mpopv.
Others didn’t hold back their fury at Kane: “Go the [expletive] back to Ohio or whatever [expletive] you came from. You [expletive] losers are why the city is in such a horrific state. Go cheer fencing stolen goods and crime somewhere the [expletive] else,” wrote @jeffthoimo.
Although I had seen the illegal market before, I had never officially reported on it. So on Sunday, Dec. 1, San Francisco native who goes by JJ Smith on X and I went, not to shop, but to learn. Around noon, we met at the 16th Street BART station, then walked up and down Mission Street for hours. Block after block was crowded with buyers and sellers.
Some vendors had elaborate, organized set-ups with covered tents and others set their goods out on the sidewalk haphazardly. The array of items was vast, including but not limited to jewelry, tools, toiletries, cosmetics, chips and candy, electronics, speakers, and alcohol. There were piles of new shoes and clothes.
I picked up a sweater and asked about the heavy plastic security device still on the sleeve. The seller said she would snip it for me. Tags showed Target, Ross, Walgreens, Macy’s, and many other prominent stores in the city. Then I came across a pair of perfect white ice skates, size six. Because my daughter had been a figure skater, I’m familiar with the cost. For a decent pair, as these were, the retail price usually begins at $100. Keeping up with growing feet is a constant struggle, so my mind raced to the parent who made the investment but lost it to theft. Car smash and grabs are frequent occurrences around the Yerba Buena Ice Rink. I held the skates. “Five dollars,” he said. “How did you get them?” I asked. He said, “A guy.”
“Where is this from?” I asked repeatedly for everything. Answers ranged from “Someone gave it to me” or “I found it,” to “No English.” In most cases, though, the sellers would just ignore the question or look away.
Shopping in these illegal markets is not just a bad choice — it’s a crime, and perpetuates cycles of harm that have far-reaching consequences.
So what’s wrong with these enterprises? A lot, says Jim Dudley, retired San Francisco Police Department deputy chief and criminal justice lecturer at San Francisco State University. Per California Penal Code Section 496 it is illegal to buy, receive, conceal, or sell property that you know to be stolen.
So it appears the Standard editor broke the law. In the story, Kane acknowledged that it is “likely the vast majority of what you’ll find at the plaza is stolen,” then writes, “I bought two four-ounce bottles of Eucerin Daily Lotion with SPF 30 and Walgreens stickers still affixed for $5.”
Although the final price Kane paid was small, the negative impact such illegal markets have on the community and individuals is substantial. “Walgreens and other stores’ profit margin is just crushed by these things,” says Dudley. “Then they close. We have the ability to shut [the illegal markets] down and we should.
“They say these are harmless opportunities to turn trash into gold,” says Dudley. “But it’s not. We’ve all seen the viral videos of people cleaning stores out, swiping shelves. That’s where these things are coming from. Then they took the police out and made it the responsibility of the Department of Public Works [DPW]. Now DPW can’t keep the streets clean or shut down these sites.”
Smith and I spoke with a young man sweeping the streets who gave his name as Kenny, and asked where he thought the piles of stuff came from. “It’s all stolen,” he said. “The police swing by every so often, and the people leave. [The police] disrupt it but [the people] come back.” I remarked that it seems like just about everything is being sold and he said yes, and dogs too. “A guy comes here with puppies,” says Kenny. “If he doesn’t sell them all he just leaves them.” Smith and I looked for the puppy dealer but didn’t find him.
What we did see were the people in drug hazes pulling items out of bags and suitcases, conducting swift negotiations. Crumpled bills were quickly exchanged for the items, enabling addicts to earn just enough for their next fix before they restarted the boosting process.
Smith and I saw a man of about 25, sitting by himself at the entrance to the BART station. He looked distressed. He only had a couple of things to sell, but no buyers. I asked if he would talk with me, but he put his head down, gathered the items and walked away. I thought he seemed embarrassed but Smith shook his head. “No, he’s upset because he didn’t make enough money to buy his drugs.”
It’s hard to rationalize these illegal marketplaces, not just because they play a key role in hurting legitimate businesses and perpetuating the toxic drug trade. It’s dangerous.
In 2018, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 946. Known as the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, it decriminalized sidewalk sales in California, allowing local authorities to adopt noncriminal laws to protect public health, safety, and welfare.
It hasn’t gone as planned. In 2023 the district’s supervisor, Hillary Ronen, was forced to issue a 90-day ban on the markets. San Francisco Public Works inspectors who were tasked with managing them were being threatened with physical violence, and had to wear bulletproof vests for their safety.
As we left that day, I asked a man hawking clothes from Macy’s how he could participate in this illicit business. “Free market,” he said, smiling. “Ah, you’re a capitalist,” I responded, and we both started laughing. It was the only moment of levity in an overwhelmingly depressing day.
Rather than flourishing with healthy culture and legitimate commerce, the Mission District has become a rough, sad, blighted place. Although Astrid Kane encouraged the public to take part in this underground economy, the Voice of San Francisco urges the opposite. Please don’t. If you do, you’re engaging in an illegal and harmful trade. Shopping in these illegal markets is not just a bad choice — it’s a crime, and perpetuates cycles of harm that have far-reaching consequences.
Note: The Voice of San Francisco reached out to Astrid Kane and The San Francisco Standard’s Editor-at-Large Adam Lashinsky for comment but neither responded; however, Executive Editor Jon Steinberg did, writing, “We won’t try to defend the story other than to say that it didn’t meet The Standard’s expectations. We’ve put new procedures in place to ensure that such articles don’t make it to publication. We can only commit to doing better in the future, and we will.”