Profiles
San Francisco State University journalism students immersed themselves in the San Antonio district of Oakland in search of stories that revealed the community's cultural richness, spirit and struggle to improve. Here are some of the people they got to know through the course of their reporting.
This Teen's Life: Growing up in the Vis means being on guard 24/7
Terry Rollins, now 18, is a young man of the streets, trapped in a world where violence is so prevalent that it seems like the only option is to be violent yourself in order to survive. One disgruntled look at a passer-by could cost you your life. Gangbanging is no joke when a case of mistaken identity could lead to a bullet wound in an innocent victim’s arm or worse, to his or her death.
Historical Designation Raises Concern
His own good fortune has made Veasna Chea extremely passionate about the work the mission and the academy do in the Tenderloin. That’s why he’s particularly upset at the pending designation of the academy’s main building at 230 Jones Street as an historical landmark. To him and to many others at the academy, the designation would be a hindrance to their work. His wife, Elaine Chea, who also teaches at the school, said the designation won’t help and could be detrimental to the school and the children who attend it.