By Ann-Marie Alcántara
As the city continues to grapple with its housing shortage, coupled with the influx of workers from the tech boom, one former resident of the Mission shares exactly what’s changed and how it feels to be displaced more than once from his home.
A BuzzFeed video follows along Kai, one of the prominent people from the infamous video that depicted a few Dropbox workers arguing with local Mission kids over the use of a soccer field. Kai actually revisits the park in the clip and recounts the story, noting that the Dropbox employees decided not to play with the local kids, but instead took over half the field.
“So there is still a segregation of people,” Kai says in the video. “People that feel that they are a part of the community without showing they are a part of the community.”
Kai also notes that his family has been evicted twice in San Francisco due to the Ellis Act; once in 2005 from the Mission and again in 2008 from the Richmond District.
The video isn’t easy to watch, no matter what your stance is on the issues surrounding gentrification and the changing demographics in San Francisco. Kai walks around the Mission, pointing out new bars, salons, and condos that have replaced Latino bakeries and other businesses. As his tour ends, he notes, “People forget that community is only relevant because of people. So when you’re displacing all the people in the community, where does that culture go? Where does that community go?”
Watch the video below and share your thoughts in the comments.
Top photo courtesy of BuzzFeed/YouTube.
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