San Francisco police erected a barrier outside a McDonald’s in the city’s Mission District the past week to keep illegal vendors and the homeless off public thoroughfares.

Originally, the vendor bazaars and homeless people congregated near the entrance to the city’s 24th Street Bay Area Rapid Transit station. Barricades were there to regulate foot traffic and prevent vendors from congregating, but were torn down by protesters.

A vendor permit system and heightened police presence near the station entrance managed to disperse the illegal throngs — who proceeded to move across the street and hang out in front of the McDonald’s instead.

A video posted by San Francisco resident Rafael Gutierrez on Twitter demonstrated the change.

The McDonald’s took to playing classical music nonstop to drive the loiterers away.

To deter the crowds further, the San Francisco Police Department and Department of Public Works placed metal event fencing barriers along the Mission Street side of the McDonald’s last weekend. The barriers extend down the street in front of other businesses.

Law enforcement did not specify how long the fencing would remain.

A manager at the McDonald’s said the fencing has made a positive difference.

“Now the customers say it’s very good, because it’s cleaner,” Clementina, who did not provide a surname, told Mission Local.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.