{"id":128722,"date":"2026-01-11T03:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T03:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/128722\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T03:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T03:46:11","slug":"pop-up-at-16th-street-bart-seeks-to-activate-the-plazas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/128722\/","title":{"rendered":"Pop-up at 16th Street BART seeks to activate the plazas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Vendors, artists and family activities took over the 16th Street BART plazas today. The event, organized by the city and neighborhood groups, was a pilot to activate an area that has long struggled with open drug use, dealing and illegal fencing.<\/p>\n

Seven vendors offering everything from handmade jewelry to bath salts participated in the event. There was also a photo booth and family activities such as face painting, chalk drawing and a pi\u00f1ata making workshop.<\/p>\n

\"AThe pop-up at the 16th Street BART plazas may not be the last one. Organizers said they hope to bring more events to the area. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is good for the community. It\u2019s good for the vendors. It\u2019s good for our kids. It\u2019s good for people using public transit,\u201d said mayor Daniel Lurie, who made an appearance around 11 a.m. \u201cMuch better than what we see other times of the week,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"AChildren and adults alike waited in line to get their faces painted. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

The event was a collaboration between BART, the mayor\u2019s office, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the SFPD, Department of Public Works, the Department of Emergency Management, the American Indian Cultural District, the city\u2019s ambassador program and Mission Loteria. The latter coordinated the selection of all vendors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more of this. You can see it\u2019s working,\u201d said Lurie, who wants to see more of the same. \u201cWe got to build this muscle. We gotta activate not only 16th Street, but 24th Street with positive interactions and solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMayor Daniel Lurie spoke with vendors and customers before he filmed himself for a social media post. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

Diana Ponce De Leon, the director of community economic development at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, agreed. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be looking and working with the community to come up with more of these activities throughout the year on a more regular basis,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pop-up serves as an opportunity for the community to reclaim these spaces, said Rafael Moreno, the senior program manager at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.<\/p>\n

On Saturday morning, that is precisely what Maria Itza and her family did. Itza said a friend told her mom about Saturday\u2019s event and she decided to come by with her three siblings and her mom to check out the vendors and the family activities.<\/p>\n

\"AMaria Itza and her family took a couple of selfies. She said she hopes to see more events take place at the 16th Street BART plazas. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything looks really pretty. I like it,\u201d said Itza in Spanish, looking at the multi-colored arch balloons at both plazas, the chuck drawings and the shiny pi\u00f1ata at Mission Loteria\u2019s stall. \u201cI see that everyone is helping each other. Everyone is like a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her family then rushed to the photo booth to take a portrait.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacelyn Guzman, a local Mission vendor who sells her own handmade jewelry and lip oil under the brand of Burbujitas & Bling (soon to be Baudelia) said she felt excited for the opportunity to share her creations with a wider audience.<\/p>\n

\"AJacelyn Guzman said she felt excited to make new customers and show them some of her new work. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just really want to get more exposure, especially since I started doing the permanent jewelry (a piece with no clasps with its ends welded together),\u201d\u00a0 said Guzman, who hopes to one day open her own brick and mortar store.<\/p>\n

\"AJacelyn Guzman\u2019s creations. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n

Rosting Arguello, a co-owner of Ometepe company, also looked forward to connecting with more customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething really nice not only the city, but Mission Loteria, is offering is the opportunity to create that connection with our people,\u201d said Arguello in Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ometepe Company<\/a> sells Nicaraguan coffee beans, reed diffusers, candles, room sprays and bath salts amongst other products.<\/p>\n

District 9 BART board member Edward Wright was also there to celebrate the event and said that these activities will be part of the agency\u2019s efforts to renovate the 16th Street station.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of my biggest priorities, and I think these spaces belong to the public. They should be serving the public,\u201d said Wright.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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