Dia de los Muertos came at a critical time for the Mission District this year. Volunteers from the Marigold Project and Erick Arguello from the Lower 24th Street Merchants and Neighbors Association discuss the importance of the festival as well as the direction of the neighborhood.
Emily Gibson
Living in the Mission District feels a lot like home for former Brooklyn resident Emily Gibson. Both neighborhoods are happening cultural centers with their own unique stories to tell. As an arts reporter, Gibson, 28, hopes to highlight under-reported Latin cultural events and their role in the larger contemporary art scene.
More by Emily Gibson
I personally work in construction (immigrant) Is logical that people to has old rent having a space for less than $1200 4 bedrooms or less that can be shared for 5 or more people is not convenient now days for landlords.. (water consumption, garbage,property taxes, fixes and on) is just surreal now days, let’s be honest and know that people that pays that rent if they are productive in work they have nice saving in the bank, unless they just spend it all, if they had family also can be affordable to raise them up and keep them out of trouble, but is not acceptable to have them in the street and joining gangs, smoking pot and always joining social injustices causes knowing that victimizing is always a good excuse to keep their reckless and nonsense behave…usually immigrant like me and the majority don’t accept that behavior because it causes bad social reputation knowing that we only are ok having a job to keep feeding our selfs, send money to our family and keep our kids at school out there to avoid this issues in a future..
peace.
people who are “affording” to live in your suburb, should not be treated unfairly, as they are not forcing anyone out of a community. But the mission district is changing because those who have lived there for ages, can no longer afford to live there. As a young professional, $450 rent sounds like a freaking dream come true, but don’t forget that there are tons of elderly people (both brown and white) who can barely afford that on their fixed incomes. The reason why so many people are drawn to the mission is because of the colors, the vibrancy, the ambiance, which yes, is a bit better and safer now because of the new inhabitants, but in the process of moving in, you are kicking out those who colored the neighborhood, and have made it what you see it for- today. Once they are gone, those murals will fade, you will no longer hear the music or the children playing in park, you will be left with dogs and overpriced coffee. Learn to appreciate the community you are joining instead of taking it over and stripping its original charm. You will abandon it once you get bored of it, and what then?
Maria, I don’t buy the idea that me moving to the Mission drives anyone out. Other than a relatively small number of no-fault evictions, everyone who lives there now can stay, and often at ridiculously low rents.
There are lots of new units being created and they can absorb the new entrants. While large tracts of the Mission remain poor. Sorry, vibrant.
But more importantly, if you cherish what the Mission currently has, and all the original Missionites are moving elsewhere, say to Bayview or Oakland, then surely that is where you would want to be for all that “vibrancy” etc?
Haven’t neighborhoods always been on the up or on the down? With new people moving in, or out and onwards? Isn’t that also part of what constitutes “vibrancy”?
One more thought– as in much of California, the white suburb where I grew up is now substantially Latino and Asian. It’s a great change.
Do you think it would be appropriate for the remaining white residents there to march around with a coffin proclaiming the death of the neighborhood because lots of Latinos or Asians moved in? Yet this site publicizes this same racist behavior.
Please take some of that middle class money and read a book or I guess you have never been poor and homeless. Well you need a reality check. I am a native San Franciscan 50 years living here. I have seen the city grow and grow. It is huge now. There is a lot of people with money and with no clue of what the history. I really think YOU do not care so please if you have nothing supportive to say. Please do not insult the rest of use who care with such ignorance. Thx
While costs are increasing, the Mission is becoming a safer and more diverse neighborhood. Tired of the the negative, racial slant on this site.
The continuous stream of stories about Yanez trying to hold on to his $450 rent also is tiresome.
your a dick