The black community has been vocal for years about its involuntary eradication and the City of San Francisco’s prejudice against black business owners. The decline of the black community’s prominence has been steady and noticeable, and the biggest cultural wrecking ball has been the City itself. In 1970, blacks made up 13% of the San Francisco population; today, it’s dwindled to 3% – and it’s still getting smaller:
“My prediction is 10 years from now, we won’t have 20,000 blacks in this city.” - Rev. Amos C. Brown, pastor of Third Baptist Church, a historically black church founded in 1852.
In fact, just two years ago, over 130 Midtown residents – mostly African-Americans – saw their rent increase over 400%. The average San Franciscan typically sees a mere 2% increase.
How is this possible? Well, it’s the City’s own doing:
“Midtown is owned by the Mayor’s Office of Housing, which faces charges of constructive eviction based on rent increases by residents allege are intended to banish long-time African American tenants from San Francisco. Mercy faces allegations of gross mismanagement and tenant harassment, including illegal unit entry, car towing, issuing eviction threats… For decades 130 Midtown families have been pursing equity ownership of their property and satisfied mortgage in 2007. However, in 2013 the city awarded a master lease in a no-bid contract to Mercy Housing and immediately hiked rents and put an end to the ownership model.” (SaveMidtown.org)
The lack of resolution here is vastly different from the new settlement for tenants on Market Street, wherein the City is purchasing fifteen units on the second floor through the Tenderloin Housing Clinic to prevent displacement.
Why is the solution, or even the existence of one, entirely opposite? Because most Mercy project residents were black, and most Market Street tenants were not? It’s hard to deny the obvious.
It’s also important that Mercy residents were about to own the building, placing them on the path to a dream for many: homeownership. Then, the City inexplicably ended the ownership model, choosing instead to astronomically increase the rent for these 130 residents. Meanwhile, at the Market Street property, the City has become incredibly concerned with helping 16 non-blacks, to the extent that the Board of Supervisors is involved.
The City’s blatant disregard for its black community is despicable and, it seems, intentional. The government goes above and beyond to aid other residents, but the only time it bends over backwards for the black community is to inconvenience, punish, and eradicate. It was almost a year before the displaced Mercy tenants received the free representation that most San Franciscans receive immediately.
In a recent example, the City has done everything in its vicious case against successful black landlord Anne Kihagi – including allowing tenant-witnesses to present false testimony – to silence and destroy her. The City, along with tenants, has harassed, threatened, and overwhelmed her with documents and displays of brute force, even arriving to a routine inspection with armed officers.
This is the same deplorable conduct that continues to cripple the black community. No one cared when the City displaced thousands of black residents, but when Ms. Kihagi moved her family into her building, or evicted non-black tenants who were illegally profiting $40,000 per year, uproar ensued.
In the end, the City of San Francisco demanded over $2.5 million from the landlord, plus attorney fees. What other San Franciscan sees this kind of abuse?
Will the City stop at nothing to drive the black community out of San Francisco? How much longer can the community survive?
For more information on Anna Kihagi & West 18th Properties, @annekihagi1http://annekihagisf.com/
