Precita Park merchants and nearby residents have been harassed by a man who has repeatedly threatened them, but thus far, local officials have been unable to address their concerns.

For several weeks, Precita Valley Neighbors (PVN), the community group that represents the Precita Park area, has been documenting the man’s behavior, which includes making threats, lewd behavior, and defecation on the floors of local shops.

According to PVN, the man, who appears to be in his late 40s, first arrived in Precita Park a few months ago. He sometimes threatens the woman who closes the Precita Clean Laundromat on Folsom near Bessie, and he has stalked her outside her apartment in The Mission.

Local merchants, including Charlie’s Cafe, have given the man free food and beverages, but his aggressive behavior has not subsided. Female employees at the cafe have been harassed.

PVN has called San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team for support several times, but PVN says the man refuses counseling, treatment, and services. Ingleside SFPD has also been notified, but after officers have spoken with the man, PVN reports that he typically moves to the bus stop across the street for a while, then returns.

Twice in the last week, PVN has requested police intervention to protect merchants from the man’s lewd behavior, public defecation, and physical harassment.

PVN’s most recent request, sent over the weekend, reads as follows (with names redacted to protect the victims):

Please please have a police car on hand at 10:00pm when [Victim 1] the laundromat worker, closes the Precita Laundromat at 3214 Folsom Street, cross street Precita/Bessie. The homeless individual resting on the sidewalk across the street as seen on this attached picture nightly enters the Laundromat at closing time, defecates and urinates on the floor, physically threatens, verbally abuses, and has been witnessed by [Victim 2] of Charlie’s Cafe to masturbate in front of [Victim 1] when she is opening or closing the laundromat. [Victim 1] is too afraid to call the police. Her job is to close the Laundromat and then she walks home one block away — often alone. The individual often threatens her as she walks home and follow her there. The individual is drinking more and acting more aggressively toward her and the Charlie’s Cafe employees. The individual has refused help from the Outreach Van for the past two months of frequent visits. Precita Vally Neighbors is helping [Victim 1] fill out the Civil Temporary Restraining Order forms. [Victim 2] , of Charlie’s Cafe, is also filling out the same forms, and is assisting his employees to file as well. The forms will be filed early next week, and understand it takes a few days for processing. We are working with [Victim 1] to call 911 tonight when she sees this individual near her within 150 feet, since he is a known public threat. For the next few days, we will ask for a nightly passing call request at 10:00pm until the orders are executed. We believe this individual demonstrates increasingly aggressive behavior and we want to prevent physical violence.