Residents of San Francisco’s Mission District were in shock Saturday morning after nine people were shot and injured at a Friday night party outside a skate shop and clothing store at the intersection of 24th Street and Treat Avenue.
Area resident Warden Lawlor, who says he’s lived in the Mission District for 20 years, said the store where the block party and shooting occurred — which is shared between clothing company Dying Breed and Mission Skateboards — has never been a problem in the past.
“From what I understand, there were families there and it was kind of like this open house situation that some promoter was putting on,” said Lawlor. “So it was nice and people were out and about and it’s a shame that that happened, because it puts us in the national headlines and, you know, more mass shootings.”
Mission District resident Mark, who declined to give his last name because of fear for his safety in the wake of the shooting, was at a bar across the street when the shooting happened.
“None of this makes sense at all … Everyone was surprised,” said Mark, “They’ve (Mission Skateboards) been doing a lot of different events. Everything was going good. People were selling food, deejays, it was a beautiful scene. There were kids here, dogs, families and all that. And then all of a sudden, the gunshots broke out.” Mark said his family has been living in the Mission for six generations. He said he didn’t think the shooting was related to the business.
But another resident who lives near the skateboard and clothing store, and who declined to give his name for the same reasons, said the parties the store throws, like the one on Friday night, have been a problem in the past.
“This is not the first time that they have these block parties,” said the man. “It was bound to happen someday, sooner or later … It always gets out of hand … The police never show up if you call them. Or if they do, they drive by.”
