A man was killed in the Mission. A day later, someone reported the memorial to 311 as 'trash'

A memorial at the site of a shooting near 115 Bartlett Street in the Mission District of San Francisco was the subject of a complaint to 311 this week; The person reporting it labeled it "trash." A memorial at the site of a shooting near 115 Bartlett Street in the Mission District of San Francisco was the subject of a complaint to 311 this week; The person reporting it labeled it "trash." Photo: SF 311 Photo: SF 311 Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close A man was killed in the Mission. A day later, someone reported the memorial to 311 as 'trash' 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

There's a Twitter bot that automatically shares reports made to 311 in San Francisco. The feed is a catalog of a certain type of quality-of-life complaints. Many are instances of the city's housed citizens complaining about its unhoused ones.

Reports of graffiti abound, as do requests for the city to clear homeless encampments. It is not, generally speaking, the most compassionate slice of life in the Bay Area.

Early Wednesday, though, a report appeared that was more polarizing than most: a request to clear what appeared to be a memorial left at the Mission District site where a man had been fatally shot the afternoon before.

Jonathan Bello, 28, was shot by an assailant on a bicycle on Bartlett Street near 22nd Street in the Mission about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Mission Local reported. He was taken to SF General, where he died.

MORE: Man dies in Mission District shooting, suspect at large

At 6:43 a.m. Thursday, someone used an iPhone to report the memorial that had been left on Bartlett Street to 311, requesting the sidewalk be cleaned. It labeled the collection of still-lit votive candles, and roses and lilies wrapped in burlap "trash."

The report rankled some observers on social media, especially as gentrification in the Mission and clashes between the neighborhood's older and newer residents continues to be an emotional issue in the city.

"Seriously? The candles are still burning and its clearly a memorial that's meaningful to people," one person replied on Twitter. "It's not 'trash' til the candles go out."

"I came to the Mission because I love the culture!" https://t.co/0VCULm8hiT — Chris Rоbегts (@cbloggy) May 2, 2019

YO WHO CALLED 311 ABOUT AN OFRENDA TURN YOUR LOCATION ON I JUST WANNA TALK https://t.co/2SlMy8vE1j — Weedris Elba (@WorkingMichael) May 2, 2019

As of Thursday evening, the report still appeared "open" on the 311 website, indicating the memorial had not yet been cleared by DPW. Department of Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon explained that it's the department's policy not to clear memorials until after a funeral has taken place, although memorials sometimes need to be modified to keep the street functional or to remove rotting food that has attracted pests.

"Our general policy is to leave a sidewalk memorial up until after the funeral/memorial service," wrote Gordon. "We understand the importance of memorials as a symbol for people to remember and grieve the person who lost his or her life, and we want to help support that process, while being mindful that it doesn't become a nuisance."