I left my heart in the Fillmoe & Nihonmachi

Quentin Hoskins, Joe Russell, Wardell Wonder, Erin Williams, Haruka Roudebush, Ryan Kimura, Quillan Rusky, Officer Rogers and Taeophilus Wright are some of the main people that come to mind when I think of the Western Addition as a whole.

I feel like everything has come full circle since my first ride on the 22 line.

First trip

I remember my first trip to the Western Addition as a writer. I had been to the Japantown mall on Webster with some of my friends and I had been to the Fillmore when my sister wanted to look at clothes at Brooklyn Circus.

But going to the area to make contacts was an entirely different experience.

Since I had been to the Japantown mall before I thought I would start there. I remember walking around for fifteen minutes before I got the nerve to talk to people. I successfully talked to three employees but then three people turned me away.

My confidence plummeted. It made me even more nervous to talk to random people. After making a couple more contacts I gave up and left for the day.

I knew I was going to have trouble with the assignment, I am usually really shy with strangers and having someone say that they do not want to talk to you was upsetting.

Familiarity with the Fillmore

A couple days later I went back on the 22 and walked around the Fillmore. I knew the Fillmore was known for its popular music scene but when I went there to make contacts I learned of its tight knit community.It reminded me of where I grew up. Everyone knew everyone; people were of all different backgrounds. I thought I was really going to like the Fillmore.

I did not realize how different it was going to be just by treading up the street. Up toward Upper Fillmore/Lower Pacific Heights there were boutiques of pricey items, tourists visiting the area and the complete opposite of what I just saw down the street.

I really did spend most of my time in Lower Fillmore, by Turk. I felt more accepted and people were more willing to talk. It was comforting to have people respond so quickly. At first I was intimidated; people like to stick with their groups of friends. But if you take the time to visit and get to know people they start to look at you less like a visitor and more as a part of the community.

Obstacles

Throughout the semester I had formed such respect for this community. What used to be dominated by the Japanese and African American communities have dwindled to Japanese making up 1 percent and African Americans .5 percent.

Before I went to the Western Addition, I did not know about all the obstacles they had undergone. They fought through internment, urban renewal, cultural loss and redistricting.

To me the Western Addition is the little neighborhood that keeps going. Even though a lot of the original residents have left the ones that remain fight their hardest to preserve what is left. It is admirable and inspirational.

My Fillmoe

Paul from the jazz band Bohemian Knuckleboogie. ( Mardi Gras)

The Fillmore has a little special place in my heart. I will not forget the long talks I had with Quentin Hoskins about life or the day I met Joe Russell and his friends at Fillmore Turk and Mini Park.

Talking to the residents every time I went there was always a highlight. I felt like a resident myself when I went there for Mardi Gras. You could really feel the essence of the stories the original residents told me.

Back in the day the Fillmore was known as the Harlem of the West. That night everyone came out, listened to jazz and partied the night away. It was a magical sight.

nihonmachi aka Japantown

I fell for Japantown. It was a longer process, but I came to love the area. When I think of Japantown I think of one thing—nihonmachiROOTS.

That group saved my life or at least my reporting grade. They were just regular guys but there was no bs, they really care for Japantown. These are guys who voluntarily spend their time working to preserve their neighborhood.

Ryan and Quillan in particular truly impressed me. They have grown up in Japantown all their lives. Quillan still volunteers for the festivals and helps lead nihonmachiROOTS, all the while attending college. Ryan owns Pika Pika, the popular picture place in Japantown. He also leads JCCCNC and nihonmachiROOTS.

When Ryan spoke at the redistricting meeting I felt so much pride covering their story. I witnessed this group practically save their neighborhood. It was a really beautiful, memorable moment.

A picture from Pika Pika (Ryan’s business)

The end

Every story I wrote made me gain a deeper connection with the Western Addition. When I wrote about crime I learned the present struggles that people have to go through. I had no idea that the Western Addition, six years ago, underwent such crazy gun violence.

I felt sympathetic. After I wrote the story I realized how attached I got. Every time I went there I noticed familiar faces and met new people with every visit.

My final piece reflects everything I have written about during my semester. The people in the Western Addition inspired me to write about their journey. They have endured so much and have stayed so loyal to their roots that I wanted to write a story that captures that.

It has a little bit of everything I have written about this semester but I added more about their future as a community. They struggle but they always seem to overcome. I just thought it would be the perfect way to conclude my time with the neighborhood.

I am thankful for getting the opportunity to write about this community. At the end of the semester I feel like I have grown as a writer. I am more confident in approaching people and coming up with story ideas.

I just feel like everything fell into place this whole semester and am grateful for how things turned out. I only hope my last story ties everything up and ends my Western Addition experience the way it should be.

Weapon Crime in the Fillmore (March, 2012)

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A mother’s love

It has been almost six years and Paulette Brown still to this day does not know who killed her son, Aubrey “Chedda” Abrakasa on Aug. 14, 2006.

In Show Banga’s, rapper and friend of Aubrey, music video Free–Paulette Brown is featured in the beginning. She talks about the loss of her son and how she still keeps his memory alive by hanging up reward fliers for information on her son’s death.

Another highlight for me is when she mentions how she loves how Aubrey’s friends still come around and hug her because a hug from his friends is like a hug from her son.

She cautions young men to “Be safe, watch your surroundings…listen to your parents.”

Aubrey was not apart of a gang, rather the opposite. He worked with kids in Bernal Heights Park. His life ended too fast and too soon under horrifying circumstances.

I just wanted to share this video because his story was the reason I chose to focus on violence, specifically gun and gang violence in the Western Addition.

Scarred for life

I am not going to lie, ever since the beginning of the semester I have been dreading the crime story the most. Now let me explain why, I really dislike interviewing police officers.

It all began in Yumi Wilson’s Newswriting class last year. I had to write a story about community policing in San Francisco. She encouraged us to contact all of the police stations in San Francisco. About half of the stations I called did not want to talk to me, officers did not want to give me their names or they gave me very generic answers.

I even tried to go to the station in the Mission. Let’s just say they were not very interested in being interviewed.

Even though I got the story done I have been scarred by my prior experience. So when I went into the police station in the Fillmore I panicked.

I spoke to one officer who directed me to another officer. I told him I was a student from SF State and all I received was a stern nod. I continued to go on about my assignment, how I was focusing on gang violence in the Fillmore. At one point I asked him for his name and he told me he would not give it to me until I asked him questions.

Seriously, I wanted to pee my pants. He asked if I was in a journalism class and I nodded my head. I thought he was going to stop me there. He had the strongest poker face I had ever seen. I asked him some basic questions about gang violence. His answers were very short and direct. I thought I would be slick and glance at his nametag. I guess he caught me writing it down and told me not to use his name.

After I explained how my teacher would probably be the only one to read the story he allowed me to use his name.

It was so nerve-wracking, even though he eased up on me and actually gave me some good ideas for my paper I really felt uncomfortable the whole time.

He eventually started to joke with me about how I should have grown up in San Francisco versus San Diego (I love SF but no one talks about San Diego). Then he told me how he used to hang out in Lake Merced when he was younger.

It was not a horrible experience but I prefer to talk to the residents of the Fillmoe. At least I feel more comfortable with them.

I have only been covering the area for a couple of months and people recognize me by face. I am starting to feel trusted by them and I really find it to be an accomplishment. It feels good to make a connection with the people and feel like a part of a community.

“Welcomed to the neighborhood”

For my last two stories I have spent most of my time in Japantown. As much as I love the people, the environment and even the cafes I knew I could not forget about the residents in the Fillmore.

What has been so difficult for this story is the fact that I have been sick and have not been able to get out to my neighborhood. After recovering for a week I was finally able to return and start my story today.

I was able to ask a few residents what they thought the biggest reported crime in the neighborhood was, I was surprised when I received replies such as motor-vehicle theft, gun violence and homicide.

I studied the crime map all week; I noticed that there were no reported homicides in the area. According to the SF crime map gun violence was not frequently reported.

But these are people in their 20s who live and hang out in the neighborhood.

I talked to Erin Williams, a girl who has lived in the Fillmore all her life, she lost a friend to gun violence six years ago and a lot of people she grew up with would have been 21 if they too had not been killed by gun violence in the neighborhood.

Right now I am really interested in the gang violence that goes hand in hand with the gun violence in the neighborhood. She told me that a lot of young men resort to gang violence so “they can feel welcomed to the neighborhood.”

I want to know if that is still the case today. Hopefully I can talk to a cop on the beat and other residents.

Words of Wisdom from District 5

I have been working on all of my pieces this week and I noticed how many great quotes I have accumulated this past semester. Each and every resident and merchant from this neighborhood that I have talked to has something to say and is passionate about their district. I decided to share my favorite and most memorable quotes from each story I have done.

Street:

“This is not the Fillmoe. Now the only thing that hasn’t changed is the name.” – Joe Russell

“Everybody took care of everybody. We partied as an African American community.” – Quentin Hoskins

“We still like to sit here and reminisce about good old times. You can’t change our good times, you can’t change the Fillmoe.” -Taeophilus Wright.

Hood:

“Real Fillmore was community based. Now we’re at a tug and war with one another. But I have hope that things in the Fillmore will come full circle.” – Daniel Landry.

Meet:

“I think we sometimes don’t sit down and talk to each other about what our needs are and what’s happened to our community through the past 50 years. This provides an opportunity to do that.” – Patricia Scott

“I think you all put that line on Geary on purpose in January to create a stir and to help unite the Western Addition and really help us build or relationships. The relationships are already there but they’re a lot stronger now.” – Ryan Kimura

(Sidenote: Attending this meeting has been my favorite part of reporting. If I could I would have included the 20+ people who stood in an hour long line to thank the task force in keeping the Japantown and the Fillmore together. It was probably one of the most inspiring things I have ever witnessed)

Profile:

“There is a long history that goes back with Japantown and the rest of District 5 that had largely been forgotten for many years. We don’t just want to keep Japantown we want to keep it with the people we know in District 5.” – Quillan Rusky

“A straight line through Geary looks great but it’s not what a community is, people make the community and the institutions that are here. It’s not the streets.” – Ryan Kimura

“It’s the opportunity to have some direct involvement with how things shape up in Japantown. But I also feel it’s valuable for us to create opportunities for other people to get involved with the process too. It’s kind of limitless opportunity for what our group can do.” – Haruka Roudebush.

Japantown and the Fillmore Stay Together

It took me three weeks but after waiting to attend the Redistricting Task Force Meeting on March 17, at the Ella Hutch Community Center, I can honestly say it was worth the wait.

It was an honor to not only witness nihonmachiROOTS come out victorious but a whole district.

Prior to March 12, Task Force placed the northern District 5 boundary through Japantown, meaning important institutions like the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) and Chibi-Chan Preschool would not officially be a part of the area anymore. Instead it would be a part of District 2, which includes the Marina and Pacific Heights.

In January, Task Force actually placed the boundary across Geary, which separated all of Japantown from the Fillmore and Western Addition. Even parts of the Fillmore like the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center would have been separated from the community as well.

nihonmachiROOTs, members of Booker T. and residents from all over District 5 fought at meetings and sent their concerns to Task Force until they changed their mind.

March 12, an updated pre-proposed map was created that included all of the community’s demands for the northern boundary.

I had interviewed the boys hours before the update was made. They had hope in their community and felt that Task Force would respond positively, which they did.

The meeting was over an hour of appreciative two-minute testimonies. Majority of the audience stood in line just so they could thank Task Force for not splitting up their original community.

It was beautiful and moving watching the Japanese American and African American community stress how important it was for their groups to stay together. Both have been through major displacement in their own communities, faced discrimination and endured so much change and yet they fought side by side to make sure neither community fell through the District 5 cracks.

I am really happy that I got to be a part of a happy process. I wanted more than anything to see this district come out triumphant. After everything they have been through, it is inspirational that Japantown and the Fillmore fought to stay together and ultimately won.

You really can’t ask for a better ending than that.

J-town Love

It was only a few weeks ago when I had trouble getting people in Japantown to talk to me. I was actually quite defeated and focused most of my energy on the Fillmore.

But I guess you can say I have had a change in heart for the little area.

It is because of this part of District 5 that I will get to complete a meeting story, profile story and most likely a final.

Apparently, looking for sources at the mini mall in J-town was probably the wrong technique.

On Monday I had coffee with three members from nihonmachiROOTS. I interviewed them for my profile and actually made three new friends who are Japantown experts. I told them about how I first struggled to make substantial sources there but they reassured me that it was not me. They just explained that some people are hesitant to talk to new people.

I can definitely agree with that, I was extremely shy at the beginning of the semester. It would take me a good 15 minutes of standing outside before I pushed myself into shops to talk to people.

Other students have asked me how do I get so many sources? Honestly, friends of friends and pushing myself to talk to whoever is there. I usually bring a good friend with me who will say, “Love, just talk to them so we’re not here alllllll day.”

Thanks to Daylight Savings Time I was able to jump on the 22 and walk up to Post Street by myself in the late afternoon. I feel like going by myself, which my strict Filipino mother would hate if she knew, enabled me to relax and explore without feeling rushed to return home for someone else.

But basically, my trip to Japantown was really successful. I learned of other groups who worked in the area I could use as sources. I was introduced to the cutest cafe–YakiniQ Cafe on Post Street. But best of all I started on my profile.

Yes, I believe I have found some love for J-town.

NihonmachiROOTS Profile Plan

I plan to profile nihonmachiROOTS. It is an organization of progressive young people who focus on the big issues in Japantown, San Francisco. The main issue the group is focusing on is the redrafting of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan (BNP).

Japantown has always been a part of District 5, alongside the Fillmore and the rest of the Western Addition. But if proposals are passed prominent parts of Japantown from District 5 would move to District 2. Notable neighborhoods of District 2 include the Marina and Pacific Heights.

The Japanese Community Youth Building (JCYC) will be moved to District 2 if Japantown residents do not do something to stop this. nihonmachiROOTS is trying its best to get the community to stop this move from happening.

This upcoming March, nihonmachiROOTS is planning a week of action. Throughout the week of March 12 – 16, the group will lead people in online events to get the Redistricting Task Force’s attention. I plan to monitor their success and on March 17 leaders of the group will attend and talk to the Redistricting Task Force Meeting. I will attend and cover the event and add to my profile about their presence and the difference that they make.

I will of course explain more about the group I plan to profile. I know there was worry about not being able to get people from the group to talk to me but I already received e-mails from a member of the group Haruk Roudebush, who has agreed to get a few members to talk to me about their work and their impact.

I want to profile this group and tell their story, especially during the week of action leading up to the Redistricting Task Force Meeting.

Last Note: I would really like to thank Lindsay, for sending me the petition, which ultimately inspired my choice. Thanks Lindsay! 

Time for Japantown

This upcoming week I will head to Japantown and cover meetings concerning Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan.

This plan created in 2009 has four continual main goals I plan to look for in discussion when I attend these meetings:

• Preserve the history of the Japanese
• Make it a thriving economic district
• Make it a more residential friendly neighborhood
• Make it a more physically appealing place

What impress me with the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan are the several subcommittees that conduct meetings pertaining to one part of the main plan.

• Community Heritage Subcommittee
• Community and Economic Development / Japan Center Subcommittee
• Land Use / Built Form Subcommittee
• Transportation/Public Realm Subcommittee

My question for people that have already attended meetings in their neighborhood is what tips could you offer me that have not been given during class? I have covered meetings before but new advice is always welcomed and appreciated.

I’ll post again once I attend my first meeting this week!