San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2021/04/page/2/)
Things were looking up for Carlos Rodriguez.
It was March 2020. After spending a decade outside the workforce due to injury, he had a job as a security guard for basketball games and other events at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
But we all know what happened that month: The coronavirus pandemic landed in San Francisco. » Read more
Attacks against Asian Americans have sparked discussions about how segregationist policies, racist animus and violent attacks have been part of U.S. history for more than a century, from exclusionary laws to harmful myths about Asian people — including the notion that they were carriers of disease, which was echoed and amplified by the Trump administration. » Read more
Drivers for apps like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash have said that being classified as independent contractors while working during a pandemic means they face the impossible choice between paying their bills and managing their exposure risk. Cherri Murphy, a lead organizer for Gig Workers Rising, spoke with “Civic” about drivers’ circumstances. » Read more
Nearly 4,000 incidents of anti-Asian attacks — including verbal and physical assaults — were reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a national tracking project launched by a coalition of activist groups last year, as of late February 2021. Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, one of the founding partners of Stop AAPI Hate, reflected on the increase in attacks with “Civic.” » Read more
California’s program to alleviate rent debts — and prevent a wave of evictions in July — makes it tough for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents to request financial aid, community groups in San Francisco say.
The way the system is designed prevents many people from applying, including those who live in informal housing arrangements, those who do not speak English and those who lack digital proficiency, according to staff at local organizations helping tenants and landlords file applications. » Read more
The Bay Area Reporter distributed its first edition on April 1, 1971. While publisher Bob Aaron Ross may have chosen April Fool’s Day as a light-hearted start for the gay community’s latest bar “rag,” the newspaper would go on to do serious journalism, covering the major events of the post-Stonewall era. » Read more
It was chilly and still dark shortly before 5 a.m. on a crisp spring morning, but Gareth Willey was working up a sweat. He is a recycling driver for Recology Sunset and was coming to the end of his Tuesday route in a residential neighborhood. » Read more
Half of San Francisco’s population over the age of 16 has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. And among people 65 and older, 82% have gotten a shot. But one group of local organizers is concerned that there is more work to be done to reach seniors especially in the areas that the coronavirus pandemic hit the hardest. » Read more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development denied an application to raze and rebuild Plaza East Apartments, a 20-year-old public housing complex in the Western Addition, the agency confirmed.
The determination was made on March 30 but not publicly disclosed until Tuesday, when HUD officials were questioned by the Public Press. » Read more
Former police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial in Minneapolis, charged with murdering of George Floyd in May 2020, when Chauvin served on the local police force. At the trial, lawyers and witnesses are discussing how officers may and should use force, which has also been a contentious discussion in San Francisco for many years, along with when officers should face criminal charges for their use of force on the job. » Read more