The community concerned about the turmoil and autonomous taxi in flames incident on Lunar New Year night, Chinatown becomes another Tenderloin?

（SAN FRANCISCO) The Chinese community is very concerned about the turmoil and the incident in which a Waymo autonomous taxi was set on fire in the heart of Chinatown on Lunar New Year night. The community is also getting more worried that Chinatown will become another Tenderloin neighborhood.

February 10 was the Lunar New Year Day in 2024. At night around 9pm, a Waymo autonomous vehicle was stuck by a large crowd of people blocking the roadway on Jackson Street in Chinatown where was about half a block away from the Grant Avenue intersection, according to many video clips posted online by the people who were in the area.

There were no driver and passengers in the Waymo vehicle. The vehicle was first vandalized and graffitied by a significant number of people gathering there. Then the vehicle was in flames by people throwing the firecrackers into it.

Firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire. "Waymo vehicle (was) surrounded and then graffitied, windows were broken, and fireworks lit on fire inside the vehicle which ultimately caught the entire vehicle on fire," San Francisco Fire Department wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The videos posted on social media indicated that there was a large crowd and a disturbance occurring at the intersection of Jackson Street and Grant Avenue prior to the Waymo vehicle being set on fire. People in the crowd could be seen playing with firecrackers and fireworks which had exploded up to the sky.

In the videos, no police officers were seen in the area for a period of time. As people tweeted on X and wrote, "There was no accident that this event took place in Chinatown. Friday night (Lunar New Year eve) there were multiple explosions. Saturday night (Lunar New Year Day) I heard one loud explosion. Did not sound like fireworks," one tweet stated.

The fire and turmoil had significantly impacted the residents in Chinatown in the nearby area. Seniors and families with young children make up a vast majority of Chinatown residents in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in San Francisco.

An elderly resident who lives in an apartment on Jackson Street shared her own video with Wind Newspaper that night and said the situation was so threatening to her.

"The black smoke was all over our building. I looked out the window and saw firefighters at the scene surrounding the vehicle which was in flames," said the elderly resident who did not want to be named in the news article.

The residents in Chinatown were staying home with families celebrating the Year of the Dragon on the first day of Lunar New Year. In addition to the turmoil and the incident of a Waymo vehicle being set on fire, Mayor London Breed announced two days earlier opening a sober living housing facility in Chinatown. They said they worried about Chinatown becoming "another Tenderloin".

As the traditions in San Francisco Chinatown, members of the Chinatown family associations would gather at their associations on the eve to celebrate the arrival of the Lunar New Year at midnight.

Mel Lee, a leader of Chinatown family associations, said a large crowd could be seen the night prior to the Lunar New Year Night Waymo vehicle incident. Many people gathered at the same intersection which was close to a number of bars in Chinatown.

"The festive atmosphere of the Chinese community celebrating the Lunar New Year has been undermined by some troublemakers who undermine the rule of law," said Edward Siu, President of Chinatown Merchants United Association.

"In the past few nights (starting from Friday night, the eve of Lunar New Year), there had been firecrackers and fireworks which were out of control, and they seemed to get into turmoil, especially on Jackson Street and Grant Avenue. Bars were there that might push the disturbance to a higher level and were out of control. There were no law enforcement present for a few nights," Siu added.

An inquiry was sent to Central Police Station Captain Ja Han Kim. Kim did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The Media Relations Office at the San Francisco Police Department headquarters responded with a statement. "On February 10, 2024 at approximately 8:50 pm, officers responded to the 700 block of Jackson Street regarding a vehicle fire. Officers arrived on scene and located an unoccupied vehicle that was engulfed in flames. There are no reports of injuries at this time. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411."

Waymo Corporation released a statement to the media and wrote, ”The vehicle was not transporting any riders and no injuries have been reported. We are working closely with local safety officials to respond to the situation.”