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January 2004
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Bernal Heights Image Problems
Ah, gentrification. While property values and a tide of trendy restaurants, bars, and professionals can change a neighborhood in a short time, perceptions take longer to shake.
Take, for instance, my neighborhood of 16 years, Bernal Heights. I hadn't thought of myself as living in a ghetto—until I called the proprietor of Add-a-Garage, one of the biggest companies behind the garage-building boom. His reply shocked me: "Oh, we don't give estimates over there. You people get bids but never get the work done."
When I told him that sounded like redlining—an illegal practice whereby banks refuse to write mortgages in low-income areas based on racial makeup—he said, "It's not redlining. I can choose where I do business." You mostly see Add-a-Garage signs, I realized, in Pac Heights and Noe Valley. I called the owner back, who reiterated, "I've figured a dozen jobs out there and we've never gotten one. It's not worth my time." Well. But even if Add-a-Garage can legally refuse to come to Bernal Heights, other contractors I contacted made bids. Home improvement thrives in Bernal, legal discrimination be damned.
Take, for instance, my neighborhood of 16 years, Bernal Heights. I hadn't thought of myself as living in a ghetto—until I called the proprietor of Add-a-Garage, one of the biggest companies behind the garage-building boom. His reply shocked me: "Oh, we don't give estimates over there. You people get bids but never get the work done."
When I told him that sounded like redlining—an illegal practice whereby banks refuse to write mortgages in low-income areas based on racial makeup—he said, "It's not redlining. I can choose where I do business." You mostly see Add-a-Garage signs, I realized, in Pac Heights and Noe Valley. I called the owner back, who reiterated, "I've figured a dozen jobs out there and we've never gotten one. It's not worth my time." Well. But even if Add-a-Garage can legally refuse to come to Bernal Heights, other contractors I contacted made bids. Home improvement thrives in Bernal, legal discrimination be damned.
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Gone
Our recent story about teen suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge has generated a sometimes heated debate. In the last four years, 16 young people have climbed over the rail and jumped. These kids weren’t crazy. They were in the throes of painful—and impulsive—adolescence. Then, suddenly, they were gone.
Suicide hotlines and resources
If you or someone you know might be contemplating suicide, contact the following resources.
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