Split Life Living

The Mission breathes life through every crack of its streets, with its heavy Hispanic influences to its gentrified residents. In a matter of blocks, the Mission is truly split life living.

Valencia Street has become the home to new businesses like coffee shops, bike shops and specialty shops, gathering a new crowd to the Mission district, integrating its original Hispanic residents. At Ritual Coffee, one of the many flourishing coffee shops, barista Jamie Olsen describes the residents of the Mission as a big mix of Hispanics and “people with money,” like the tourists and those who can afford the rent in the ever popular district.

“I have no problem with them,” said Olsen. “They make my paycheck.”

Though living in Portola, Olsen works and has frequented the Mission in the past, making up her image of the Mission as “really ethnic and mostly Spanish.” Though she feels the transients mixed with expensive rent can be a letdown, Olsen sees the Mission as a nice place to live with a very convenient location. In one word: dirty.

Dirty doesn’t have to be negative though. It shows the history and life of Mission. It’s not necessarily dirty. It’s more “lived in.” Around the Mission, I met a group of Fremont natives doing what they look for in the Mission, living. Caitlyn Bossio (24), Alleny Gomez (20), Muney Kaur (20) and Jesus Ley (20) showed young Mission life, taking me to Dolores Park, where DJs play amongst the people playing football, Frisbee and other activities. There is this sense of “do whatever you want” in the Mission, according to the group.

“We just walk around, drink and smoke over here,” said Bossio. “But in the Mission, there is so much more happening.”

Though the group described the Mission as hectic and ludicrous, Gomez described it as home, with the murals and history of the city reflecting a part of her Latina history.

“I love to see the murals to know who was down for the fight,” said Gomez.

With the sun and fun during the day, the night is another life. Mission Street is known for its traditional Hispanic roots and has stayed mostly the same through the years, but the same goes for its reputation. Like the group from Fremont, Sammy, a produce worker from La Mission Market on 17^th and Mission, doesn’t recommend the Mission at night.

“Traffic here ends a like 8 or 9 p.m. since the night here is very dangerous,” he said.

Though it can be dangerous, the Mission has given Sammy a profitable business and the ability to find anything in the Mission, from clothes to produce to food, all at the cheapest prices.

“Every day you see something new,” said Sammy.

Amongst the interviews, I’ve had the danger aspects and fun factors explained to me about the Mission but I think George Khoury from the Mission Smoke Shop put it best.

“With all the rich, poor and common people here, the Mission district is reality,” said Khoury.