Local News & Views

A protest that shut down the Buchanan Street Mall renovation in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood highlighted long‑running disputes over exclusion of Black contractors and demands for meaningful local hiring, as community leaders and contractors said pledged inclusion has not produced real contracts or opportunities and urged stricter enforcement of equity agreements to preserve neighborhood history and economic power.

Formerly incarcerated advocate Dorsey Nunn said his memoir "What Kind of Bird Can't Fly" has been placed on California’s list of disapproved publications and banned from delivery to people in state prisons, a move Nunn and supporters decried as censorship that undermines rehabilitation and access to literature for incarcerated readers; the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation cited portions of the book as posing a “serious threat to institution security” under Title 15 mail rules, and the publisher may appeal.

A first-person account republished for Black Agenda Report’s 20th‑anniversary Katrina coverage, Malik Rahim’s “This Is Criminal” says government failures and racial neglect — from faulty levees to withheld rescues and armed vigilantes — turned Hurricane Katrina’s devastation into a manmade catastrophe for Black and poor New Orleanians, and Rahim’s update recalls how grassroots volunteers and the Common Ground Collective mobilized thousands to provide lifesaving aid amid official abandonment.

San Francisco’s once proud maritime edge is unraveling — one pier, piling and wharf at a time. Now, even the youth are feeling the fallout.

Dorsey Nunn’s memoir "What Kind of Bird Can’t Fly" recounts his journey from illiteracy and decades behind bars to activism and advocacy, blending candid reflections on incarceration, racial injustice and forced prison labor with personal scenes of family, recovery and mentorship; Nunn frames his life as testimony and a call to recognize the humanity and rights of people impacted by the criminal justice system.

Black officers and soldiers have at times refused federal orders to police Black communities, citing duty to disobey unlawful commands.

This is a fundraising/advocacy announcement and service‑oriented news release focused on environmental justice — specifically a campaign to raise funds for a medico‑legal defense fund supporting toxic exposure screening, medical referrals and legal representation for residents and workers near the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund area.

“I’m a union painter,” said Tory Carpenter. He had worked on the 2007 renovations under AIMCO. “That job was union. This one isn’t. They’re using the cheapest labor and cheapest materials.”

Black Americans who identify with Palestinians say their shared experiences of racial oppression inform solidarity, but activists and visitors report that Israeli authorities often target and mistreat Black supporters — a pattern critics say underscores how race shapes both solidarity and state repression in the Israel‑Palestine conflict.

A houseless and Indigenous coalition in Oakland unveiled a “Liberation Easement” to permanently remove a small parcel of land from the real‑estate market, the organizers said, a move they described as an act of decommodification and long‑term stewardship that binds residents and descendants to caretaking rather than ownership and prevents future sale, rent or eviction; the document was created with Sogorea Te Land Trust and legal counsel and will be publicly filed at a ceremony Oct. 23.

Bred in the Bay, Lisa Tealer is not new to this – she is true to this! It is by no coincidence that after 30 years in the biotech field she would find herself as the executive director of the extremely impactful nonprofit in San Mateo County, Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC), focused on improving health in the African American community.

Community-oriented. Poised. Empathetic. Driven. These are just a few adjectives to describe Cydney Nunn, a leader who strives to make the world feel seen and heard, whether this be as a CBS news producer or as the Managing Director of the Ruth Williams Opera House. 

Bay Area analysis finds enduring occupational segregation keeps Black workers concentrated in low‑wage jobs, limiting equity.

All of Us or None held its national convening in San Antonio from July 17–20, drawing formerly incarcerated organizers from across the country to share strategies on legal advocacy, parole preparation and community reintegration; participants celebrated solidarity through workshops on basebuilding and AI for liberation, heard messages from imprisoned leaders and marched downtown to demand reforms aimed at restoring rights and resources for people inside and formerly incarcerated.

JR Valrey remembers David “General Jap” Johnson as a longtime Black revolutionary and mentor whose work with the Black Prisoners Movement and the San Quentin 6 helped educate a new generation of organizers in Oakland; Valrey recalls Johnson’s mix of fierce loyalty, sharp teaching and humor, citing his role in community events, political education and cultural life as central to his legacy.

They say they care about us. If that were true, we wouldn’t be constantly stressed out. Our daily lives are full of anxiety

Fathers to Founders transforms fathers’ lives through mental-health care, financial education and community-led healing.

Knot Our Kidz workshop urged parents, schools and tech platforms to protect children from online exploitation.

South Berkeley demands full affordable housing, equal design, local hiring and community spaces to repair past harms.

The city displaces vehicle residents through enforced moves, barriers and punishments; treat them as neighbors, not nuisances.