Bay Area Racism vs Southern Racism (Oakland, Chula Vista: real estate, crime, neighborhoods)

[Nineties Flava]

There's definitely racism in the bay area. The difference is, you have to search a little harder to find it. In the outer east bay, Marin and the south bay in particular where you often find suburbs that are 80+% white/asian, you have to ask yourself... when diversity is one of the main things the bay area has to offer, why would you purposefully segregate yourself when you can obviously afford to live in or closer to the city center instead of places like Danville/Saratoga/etc.? The given reason is better schools/safety/etc... but with the kind of money some of these people are making, one could get even better schools (ie private) in the city and never have to worry about safety. Notice who's in the private schools in the peninsula and who isn't. Why do most of the kids in East Palo Alto have to be bused to Redwood City instead of going to the school districts right next to them (ie SC County, Menlo-Atherton, etc.)? I myself have had more than my fair share of racist encounters in the bay area, both throughout my school career and outside of school.


What I'll say specifically about SF though is that if you were to look at the comments on any SF gate article about Oakland or bayview hunters point, you'd think you were on stormfront.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

They are holding onto the past with white racism as in history it's generally been worse.

Having said that, I believe today that the majority of whites are not racist. Many are racially and culturally ignorant and I mean that they don't always understand where a non white is coming from when they speak etc. As a minority myself, I will go out on a limb and say that I think today there are more racist among minorities then among whites.

In the bay area that history isn't far away at all... how long ago were the BPP being hunted down in Oakland and SF and perceived as the "greatest threat to the national security of America"? You have to ask yourself... in the wake of the Cuban missile crisis and the cold war, how did a bunch of black radicals (ie "uppity ******s") become the single greatest threat to the US? Those words were uttered by J Edgar Hoover himself. Many of those who were killed on sight by the police were only loosely affiliated with the BPP anyway. And this is ignoring the charming history of the OPD pre-1970's which is what created the BPP in the first place.

[andyadhi01]

I don't think SF is more racist than the south. Its definitely less integrated than big cities in TX and there is huge income gap between different races in SF. The economic gap between different races in Dallas is rather narrow.

[Motion]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

In the bay area that history isn't far away at all... how long ago were the BPP being hunted down in Oakland and SF and perceived as the "greatest threat to the national security of America"?

That the Panthers saw the need to be started in the Bay Area was an indication of the racial climate of the area at that time. If you go by stereotypes you'd think the Panthers would have formed in places like Alabama or Georgia instead of California. Not to downplay the south's racism but people should keep in mind that most of the 60's race riots occured outside the south in more liberal cities like L.A's Watts,Detroit,Newark etc.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Motion

That the Panthers saw the need to be started in the Bay Area was an indication of the racial climate of the area at that time. If you go by stereotypes you'd think the Panthers would have formed in places like Alabama or Georgia instead of California. Not to downplay the south's racism but people should keep in mind that most of the 60's race riots occured outside the south in more liberal cities like L.A's Watts,Detroit,Newark etc.

90% of the blacks in the bay area came directly from the south to work in the Oakland, SF and Richmond ports. This is why the areas by the ports (North Richmond, Hunter's Point, West Oakland) are still predominantly black. It's also why all of these areas are poor; poor black folk were trying to escape the south precisely because it was ridiculously racist and Jim Crow as in full force. Little did they know what the OPD had in store for them...

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

In the bay area that history isn't far away at all... how long ago were the BPP being hunted down in Oakland and SF and perceived as the "greatest threat to the national security of America"? You have to ask yourself... in the wake of the Cuban missile crisis and the cold war, how did a bunch of black radicals (ie "uppity ******s") become the single greatest threat to the US? Those words were uttered by J Edgar Hoover himself. Many of those who were killed on sight by the police were only loosely affiliated with the BPP anyway. And this is ignoring the charming history of the OPD pre-1970's which is what created the BPP in the first place.

Totally understand what you're saying. Growing up in the inner east bay in the 80's I certainly saw remnants of that. At that time black in Oakland were still quite heated. I remember the outcry over the arrest of Freddy Lee Roberts. I went to Berkeley High but lived in Oakland at the time. Then there was the guy at the former Blue and Gold Market on Shattuck ave, up the street from Berkeley High(now a Walgreens I believe) who flat out called a girl the N word. Then there was the Asian cop in SF who called me the N word.

The racism in the Bay was once wretched but it still had a different dynamic I believe than what existed in the south.

[andyadhi01]

Folks! With the new lows achieved by AZ every year, pretty much anywhere in US looks enlightened.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

Folks! With the new lows achieved by AZ every year, pretty much anywhere in US looks enlightened.

Good point

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Totally understand what you're saying. Growing up in the inner east bay in the 80's I certainly saw remnants of that. At that time black in Oakland were still quite heated. I remember the outcry over the arrest of Freddy Lee Roberts. I went to Berkeley High but lived in Oakland at the time. Then there was the guy at the former Blue and Gold Market on Shattuck ave, up the street from Berkeley High(now a Walgreens I believe) who flat out called a girl the N word. Then there was the Asian cop in SF who called me the N word.

The racism in the Bay was once wretched but it still had a different dynamic I believe than what existed in the south.

It wasn't limited to the east bay either though. The BPP had an influence on the entire bay... the overblown reaction to them is largely the reason why the peninsula for the longest time was one giant sun-down town and why SF stepped up the pace on gentrifying its poorer black residents out of the city. It's the reason why mentioning "Oakland" in schools in the peninsula, marin county and south bay - particularly among white students - will more often than not provoke knee-jerk reactions of genuine fear even today. It's also the reason why every city with a black population exceeding 15% gets a bad reputation regardless of the level of crime. Most whites in the bay area in the 60's and 70's were scared ****less by the media of Oakland and black people in general except for those in Oakland itself and in close-by cities such as Berkeley. For a great example of this, see San Leandro circa the 1970's-1980's. This is also the reason why Oakland is arguably the most progressive and genuinely diverse city in the bay area... those who lived in Oakland knew the realities of the issues the poor black community faced at the time. Racism in the bay area is also very multi-faceted... this is without getting into japanese internment/cultural differences of hispanics/etc. Make no mistake, the bay area is NOT devoid of racism. Do I think its as ingrained in bay area culture as it is in southern culture? I'd have to be ignorant of history to even begin to consider that.

[Nineties Flava]

Whether some people like to admit it or not, Huey P. Newton was one of THE most important figures in Bay Area history along with Cesar Chavez, especially concerning race relations.