For a place that proudly heralds slogans like #BlackLivesMatter, the homes of San Francisco house very few Black people.

What’s happened to the African-American community in San Francisco is a much more complex tale than just being pushed out by young and transient up-and-comers. Instead, it involves a deeply-rooted history spread across generations with a comet-sized impact that is still being felt today.

And for the sake of this three-part story, it begins with the very polarizing San Francisco nickname: Frisco.

In Part I, we explore why some view this term to be as offensive as the F-word and spend some time with those who simply don’t give a fuck.

Ep. 023 — F R I S C O (Part I of III)

Three horizontal stripes, red, black and green, add color to the streetlights and poles in and around the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.

These Pan-African flags are a relatively new addition to the area. They were painted just about a year ago thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the neighborhood's local city supervisor, Malia Cohen.

“This is about branding the Bayview neighborhood to honor and pay respect to the decades of contributions that African-Americans have made to the southeast neighborhood and to the city,” she said in a statement.

But when compared to what’s going on in the neighborhood, these painted flags inadvertently serve as reminders of what this neighborhood once was and what it now isn’t. This used to be a place where you could be Black and thrive. You could find work and own a home. Now, not so much.

In Part II of this story about the term Frisco, we try and find out what happened.

Ep. 024 — F R I S C O (Part II of III)

Don’t call it a comeback. 

San Francisco’s black population continues to decline, hovering north of just 5 percent of the city’s total residents. And to think that there was once a time when that number was close to 15 percent. 

But don’t blame it solely on gentrification, either.

More at thisissomenoise.com/ep-25

Ep. 025 — F R I S C O (Part III of III)

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