San Francisco APEC Barricades: See Before and After Photos

Written by Joel UmanzorPublished Nov. 17, 2023 • 7:02pm

Two photos side by side of a car driving down a street with pedestrians on the corner and a group of CHP officers stand behind a barricade at a road closure

A vehicle drives down Fourth at Market Street left, in San Francisco on Nov. 3, and California Highway Patrol officers stand at the same location is closed to traffic, right, on Thursday. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

As the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation weeklong San Francisco conference came to a close Friday afternoon, blocks of fencing lining the security zone around the Moscone Center were lifted from city streets and once again accessible to the public.

The signature black barricades wrapped around the security perimeter, termed an “exclusion zone,” only permitted pedestrians to enter the outer belt without screening but required authorized passes to enter the area around Moscone and Yerba Buena Gardens

Several cars pass down Howard Street quickly with Moscone Center in the background. — Cars drive west down Howard between Third and Fourth streets in front of Moscone Center on Oct. 5, left. A man walks by a tall metal fence erected in the same location on Nov. 10. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Liu Guanguan/China News Service/Getty Images

A man walks by a fence in front of the Moscone Center. — Cars drive west down Howard between Third and Fourth streets in front of Moscone Center on Oct. 5, left. A man walks by a tall metal fence erected in the same location on Nov. 10. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Liu Guanguan/China News Service/Getty Images

Prior to the conference, the federal government declared APEC a National Special Security Event, a designation that underlined the potential for a terrorist attack or major civil disruption.

The first-of-its-kind designation in Northern California meant the United States Secret Service was in charge of security for the event, which was attended by dignitaries and CEOs ranging from President Joe Biden to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

A taxi and a few other vehicle drive down Howard Street in San Francisco with a bike lane separating the lanes — Cars drive west on Howard near Fifth Street in San Francisco on Nov. 3, left, and a California Highway Patrol officer stands at a road closure at the same location on Thursday. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

A California Highway Patrol officer stands on bicycle lane on a street closure. — Cars drive west on Howard near Fifth Street in San Francisco on Nov. 3, left, and a California Highway Patrol officer stands at a road closure at the same location on Thursday. | RJ Mickelson/The Standard; Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

By Friday evening, most of the fencing around the security zone was being taken down by city workers with residents being able to freely enter and exit the area.

See below for before and after photos of San Francisco barricades during APEC.