San Francisco Public Works Removes Boulders Along Clinton Park

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Department of Public Works on Monday removed boulders placed by residents on Clinton Park, a department spokeswoman confirmed.

The residents reportedly banded together earlier this month and placed more than a dozen large rocks along the street, located in the city's Mission Dolores neighborhood, to deter encampments and drug-dealing.

According to DPW spokeswoman Rachel Gordon, the residents themselves asked the city to remove the boulders.

"They said they had been receiving threats and getting hassled by people opposed to the boulders and the situation became untenable for them," she said.

After the residents initially placed the boulders along the sidewalk, many homeless activists decried the move. In the following weeks, the boulders were mysteriously moved into the street several times, with DPW crews moving them back repeatedly.

Although the rocks have been taken away, Gordon said the residents "want to go back to the drawing the board to look at potential solutions and we will continue supporting and working with them."

In a statement on Twitter, officials with the Coalition on Homelessness called on city officials to focus on creating more housing, which they said was the "real solution to homelessness," instead of the boulders.

"They'd rather put in bigger boulders and barricades all around the city to make sure unhoused people cannot exist in public," coalition officials said.