The online magazine Turnstyle just released a video about San Francisco’s tech boom that includes interviews with organizers and start-up founders in the Mission District.
Hélène Goupil is a former editor at Mission Local who now works independently as a videographer and editor. She's the co-author of "San Francisco: The Unknown City" (Arsenal Pulp Press).
More by Hélène Goupil
I wish there had been more interviews with the people that new residents are displacing.
These changes are good.
Two thoughts:
A) poverty is a major cause of crime — this site is full of complaints about violence and crime in the neighborhood. As the area becomes wealthier, crime and violence will decrease.
B) People keep saying “the city is no longer affordable to the working class.” That is rubbish! Who is moving in? They are tech *workers* — the new working class. The modern economy is built on the backs of hard working well educated tech workers and professionals. The reason they get bussed around and paid well is because they work SUPER hard. They are not “owners” or top management of the classic “us vs them” — they are workers like the rest of us. So yes, the city *is* affordable to the working class — but you need to be in the right industry. Industries change over time, jobs that used to be valuable become less valuable. Few people make a living from repairing plows, horse carriages, or other outdated skills. Being in the manual trades today is less profitable than it used to be. Be smart, be proactive, and get educated in current technologies, and you can have a good paying working class job at a tech company, and afford to live in the city.
Not everyone can be a tech worker. What about the teachers, non-profit workers, public health practitioners, people who run after school programs, janitors, garbage collectors, or others help ensure that San Francisco is a great place to live? We work just as hard or harder, but don’t make the same amount of money. zBesides, it’s a silly argument to say everyone should be a tech worker because obviously there are a limited number of tech positions. You can’t run a city with only one type of worker. And tech workers are not working class. Be smart! Read more and you would know they are the petit bourgeoisie and that being working class isn’t just about working, it’s a term that signifies relationships to power. Access to education and housing are not equal throughout San Francisco or this country and tech workers clearly have different access than many other people.
Right on, Kat!