La Muerta de La Misión: Slumlord Hawk Ling Lou Gets His Way
181 Market-Rate condos will be built on 22nd and Mission Street where Mission Market once stood
Source: Thursday, May 15, 2025. Photo: Yuriria Avila (El Tecolote SF)
By Joshua Baltodano
June 23, 2025
Last month, the SF Planning commission approved the development of 181 market rate condos on 2588 Mission Street corner (22nd & Mission St.), a lot owned by slumlord Hawk Ling Lou. While three commissioners voted against this development (specifically Theresa Imperial, Gilbert Williams, and the Vice Chair, Kathrin Moore), the votes of the four other commissioners Derek Braun, Amy Campbell, Sean McGarry, and Lydia So (the chair) got it passed. All four of these commissioners were appointed by Mayor London Breed.
It was a despicable display as the four commissioners acted chummy with the property owner with comments like “wish we could have worked harder with him” before approving the development that everyone knew was going to further displace Mission District natives.
Source: SF Gate 2015: Jason Henry
For folks who don’t know, on January 28, 2015, there was a fire at the Mission Market at 2588 from a so-called electrical outage. However, the night of the fire, none of the smoke alarms were operational. Some residents only found out because of a little girl who was yelling desperately about it. Unfortunately, given there weren’t any operational alarms to notify folks to evacuate, Mauricio Orellana, a 38-year old man, lost his life as paramedics tried to resuscitate him after pulling him out of the fire. SFFD also had to rescue six people from fire escapes and 5 others from inside the building. Ultimately, the fire displaced over 60 people from 17 dwellings, along with 45 businesses.
Source: Photo from Mission Local 2015: Andrea Valencia
Six years later, local District Attorney Chesa Boudin discovered that the contractor Mr. Lou hired to inspect smoke alarms never had a license, as he was charged with fraud and grand theft in 2021.
Mind you though, after the initial fire in 2015, Lou let the property sit for over a year without making any form of repair. The former residents were finally able to visit the property after a year, at which point they discovered rot and mold growing within the building. Unfortunately, because of the initial fire, the City authorized demolition crews to go into the building and dismantle it to street level due to concerns about public safety in the case of an earthquake.
Lou stated he filed several repair requests to the Department of Building Inspectors; however, a representative from their office, Lily Madjus Wu, stated “Lou never provided additional documentation that was requested.”
Source: Photo from Mission Local 2016: Laura Wenus
As a result, community members held a press conference regarding the demolition of the building since it would jeopardize displaced tenants’ right to return. Activists were under the impression that the building could be altered, not demolished, thereby still falling under rent control, granting tenants the legal right to return to the property.
Suspiciously, 16 days later, the same exact building caught on fire yet again. SFFD stated the source of the fire was similar to that of the first, blaming squatters, but no one was found inside the building.
Source: Mission Local 2016: Joe Rivano Barros
And the third and final fire happened another month later on 4/16/2016. However, this time a SFFD Assistant Chief, Tom Siragusa stated that the fire was caused by a resident at the nearby Vida condominiums who flicked a cigarette butt at the decaying building. When people bring up the word gentrification, this is what they mean, in real-time.
Source: Mission Local 2016: Joe Rivano Barros
Activists have been fighting against property manager Hawk Ling Lou’s proposals to build market-rate condos at the 2588 Mission street site for the past decade as it has been dubbed “La Muerte de La Misión”. Demonstrations from activists as well as full-out protests throughout the years have been ongoing, and it finally made it to the San Francisco Planning Commission’s table nearly 10 years after the first fire.
After several years of delays from the City to take the matter, the Planning Commission first held a hearing on February 6, 2025 on a Thursday evening at 4pm. Hundreds of people in opposition to the proposal showed up, as people came to give public comments all the way up to 8:45pm. Several people spoke of Mr. Lou committing arson (given there were 3 fires) and that he severely neglected the property. Nevertheless, Commissioner Theresa Imperial tabled the project to a later date, to allow for further investigation.
The meeting was ultimately delayed over two months, until the Planning Commission agreed on a Thursday session at 12pm noon on May 15, 2025. Given it was scheduled for 12pm on a weekday, it wasn’t as accessible to the public as the previous hearing was.
-Prior to the meeting Frisco Voices circulated a timeline detailing the horrendous neglect Hawk Ling Lou caused as the property owner that ultimately led to three fires and the displacement of so many residents-
Despite the inaccessible time, several dozens of people came out in opposition to Mr. Lou’s 181-market rate proposal. With over 20 people approaching the podium to give public comments, some people attempted to clap for their fellow comrade. But these activists were threatened by the Director of Commissioner affairs, Jonas P. Ionin, who said that he “would call the sheriff to have them arrested.”
Ultimately, the four commissioners mentioned previously, Derek Braun, Amy Campbell, Sean McGarry, and the chair, Lydia So, approved the slumlord’s 181-market rate proposal at 2588 Mission Street here in San Francisco.
I leave you with a reel we published on Frisco Voices Instagram page. I personally don’t believe in the political system, and when these actors do everything in their power to circumvent the process to benefit them, we gotta take other measures.