Race Relations: The Bay vs L.A (San Francisco, Oakland: lower-class, high crime)

[Motion]

To those who have visited Southern California,especially L.A,how would you compare the racial situation there to what you see in the SF Bay Area?

[jade408]

LA is infinitely more segregated than the Bay Area. Every ethnic group has a neighborhood/enclave. Things are spread far enough apart it is very very easy to stay with your group, and most people do.

[Motion]

Has the Bay Area had a history of similar police abuse issues in minority communities that L.A has had like the ones that led to the Watts riot and 92 riot?

[hsw]

Suspect every major urban region on planet is socio-economically self-segregated

Racial/gender mix of highest paid/wealthiest at AAPL or GOOGL is probably similar to that of any hedge fund in SF/LA/NYC or wealthiest owners of media/entertainment cos. in LA/NYC or o&g cos. in TX/OK....but likely rather different vs highest-paid/wealthiest workers (not owners) in NBA...it is what it is

Not sure what is relevance of cops anywhere in productive parts of US....essentially no crime in any affluent parts of SF/LA that's not self-inflicted or self-insured.....arguably cops are just annoying tax collectors w/guns and badges....not sure there's much relation between no./pay of cops and economic productivity for any taxpayer in SV/SF or BH or NwptBch or anywhere else where big taxpayers live&work, anywhere in US

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Motion

Has the Bay Area had a history of similar police abuse issues in minority communities that L.A has had like the ones that led to the Watts riot and 92 riot?

Yes, that is pretty much a national issue.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Motion

Has the Bay Area had a history of similar police abuse issues in minority communities that L.A has had like the ones that led to the Watts riot and 92 riot?

Remember Oscar Grant at the BART station?

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by hsw

Suspect every major urban region on planet is socio-economically self-segregated

Racial/gender mix of highest paid/wealthiest at AAPL or GOOGL is probably similar to that of any hedge fund in SF/LA/NYC or wealthiest owners of media/entertainment cos. in LA/NYC or o&g cos. in TX/OK....but likely rather different vs highest-paid/wealthiest workers (not owners) in NBA...it is what it is

Not sure what is relevance of cops anywhere in productive parts of US....essentially no crime in any affluent parts of SF/LA that's not self-inflicted or self-insured.....arguably cops are just annoying tax collectors w/guns and badges....not sure there's much relation between no./pay of cops and economic productivity for any taxpayer in SV/SF or BH or NwptBch or anywhere else where big taxpayers live&work, anywhere in US

Awesome, the hsw-bot is back!
Yes, cops are generally nicer to rich people just about everywhere.

[DoggieMatic]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Remember Oscar Grant at the BART station?

That's an insane 'example' of racially-charged police brutality. You have no way of articulating that the results would have been any different had the suspect been white, Asian, etc.

[GalacticDragonfly]

Originally Posted by Motion

Has the Bay Area had a history of similar police abuse issues in minority communities that L.A has had like the ones that led to the Watts riot and 92 riot?

In Oakland, yes there's been conflict between local P.D. and the black community. In San Francisco and Berkeley there's the always present profiling of communities with high crime. But there's really been nothing that's caused a massive riot in the Bay Area regarding race. That's probably because the people in their ethnic communities traverse between others at such ease, that's weird to consider your neighborhood of one race. This might have something to do with the size of the region, the location of jobs, the speed of transit (BART) and the very liberal ideologies present.

There's always been tons of white people from Berkeley, or somewhere in San Francisco like the Haight to jump in and support a racial political protest, since the 60's. White hippies and left-wingers have been leading them, oftentimes. So there's no real conflict. Yes, people in places like Rockridge, the Berkeley Hills, and Pacific Heights, may scoff at lower-class communities either illegal enrolling students in their proximity, activism in their secluded neighborhoods, or whatever but not enough segregation to avoid passing by these people at least once a week.

The last serious racial conflict I can remember in the Bay Area was between Asians and blacks in San Francisco, in the late 00's after a series of crimes against Asians. But that blew off fast. Then Oscar Grant occurred, but again the strong presence of whites and people of all ethnicities arguing against the officer made it clear it wasn't a racial division issue. Also the footage of Grant being killed wasn't as morbid as Rodney King, since it was clearly an accident on the film and everyone (including other officers) seemed shocked by what occurred (because Mehserle shouted "taser" beforehand, which made the footage debatable in the first place). The most hated police force in the Bay Area is probably the Rapid Transit police.

In L.A., the division was so obvious in so many ways, that the only thing stopping the riots is gentrification.

[UKWildcat1981]

The race relations seemed really good in the SF Bay Area personally for me I was just in SF in Nob Hill, SF itself is a super expensive and well educated city in general that prices out a lot of lower middle class people. I remember talking about this my cab driver who said the same thing that SF prices out the the minorities, but I said what about Jews and Asians are they not minorities and they don't struggle in SF and he didn't say anything. The biggest program with the Bay Area is not race relations its socioeconomic issues, SF is a super educated and liberal city but it still struggles with a lot of homelessness, mentally ill people and social services issues for drug addicts. SF is amazing city thou, the scenery and weather is the near the best in the world.