The Bay

Heritage and gentrification intersect in West Oakland's Lower Bottoms neighborhood. That's the historical headquarters of the Black Panther Party, and the last train stop in the East Bay before San Francisco. The rising cost of housing in the Bay Area is changing the character of the Lower Bottoms, and we introduce you to the podcast Out of the Blocks to hear just how. Out of the Blocks is an immersive listening experience built from a mosaic of voices and soundscapes from inside a neighborhood. Today, they take us to West Oakland. You can find the Out of the Blocks podcast at Apple Podcasts or Google Play. Guest: Ariana Proehl, Out of the Blocks field producer, producer with KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tragedy of the Conception boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast has rippled throughout the diving community. Several of the 34 people who died on Labor Day were from the Bay Area. The boat and Truth Aquatics operators are highly regarded by divers. One local dive instructor who has been on the Conception wonders how a boat with such a good reputation caught fire and caused so much destruction. Guest: Mauricio Muñoz, President of CaliDivers Scuba Diving Club and owner of Pacific Ocean Water Sports Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local, Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ghost Ship trial is over, for now. The jury acquitted Max Harris, one of the two men accused of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the 2016 warehouse fire that killed 36 people. The other defendant, master tenant Derick Almena, is still locked up after a hung jury couldn’t decide whether he was guilty or innocent. The fire devastated Oakland’s artist community as the city began cracking down on unsafe living conditions. So how do artists and those who were at the Ghost Ship warehouse the night of the fire feel about the verdict? Guest: Sam Lefebvre, KQED Arts reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Lee remains in critical condition after he was shot outside his home in the Philippines last month. The San Francisco native warned that the Philippine government had been intimidating him for working as a human rights advocate for indigenous communities in the Ifugao province in northern Philippines. San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney recently visited Brandon in the hospital and he joined the family in asking for government help to bring Lee back to the U.S. for care and protection. Guest: Faye Lacanilao, a San Francisco activist and friend of Brandon Lee's Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our reporting on deadly police shootings that have happened in Vallejo has struck a nerve with listeners, especially those who live in the city. A police shooting will ripple throughout a community and touch everyone. Instead of city landmarks, some see spots where police violence occurred. They've written us to say they are frustrated but say this is a solvable problem. Today, we'll feature some of their voices and discuss how some Vallejo residents are feeling and what they're talking about. Guest: Ericka Cruz Guevarra, producer for The Bay, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brianna Sedillo is a student at El Cerrito High School in the East Bay. After her grandfather passed away, the pressures of high school intensified for her. Her depression and anxiety kicked into high gear leaving her with few coping mechanisms to succeed in class. It's a feeling that many teenagers in school experience, and a topic that KQED's education podcast MindShift is taking on as part of it's fourth season. MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. The hosts report on the shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn, while meeting the rigorous demands of their standards. Guest: Katrina Schwartz, co-host of the MindShift podcast Listen and subscribe to the MindShift podcast from your mobile device: via Apple Podcasts | via Stitcher | via NPROne | via Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Cabellos listed their Oakland property for sale, they got offers from developers and corporate businesses. The property sits in the gentrified Temescal neighborhood, which is part of the reason they closed their business Baby World in 2017. The family was holding out for a buyer who understood the plight and the struggle that many people – like the Cabellos, who came to Oakland as political refugees - are going through in a rapidly gentrifying city. Then they found the perfect buyer. Guest: Sam Lefebvre, KQED Arts reporter Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local, Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This isn’t the first time Vallejo has experienced a cluster of high profile police shootings and incidents that have caused residents to demand changes. The current pleas and fight for police accountability from activists is reminiscent of 2012, when there was a spike in deadly police shootings. But it's not just police shootings people are concerned about. It’s also everyday run-ins with Vallejo officers that for years have added to a sense of mistrust that’s blowing up in City Hall. Vallejo is hiring its next police chief soon and has invited an outside audit of its police department. But it begs the question: Why is this happening in Vallejo, and why now? This is the final episode in The Bay’s three part series on Vallejo policing shootings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent wave of protests for police accountability in Vallejo started back in 2017. That’s when Angel Ramos, 21, was fatally shot by an officer who thought he was stabbing another person during a fight. But no knife was found near him. Since then, his sister Alicia Saddler has been trying to change the narrative about what happened, which has largely been controlled by law enforcement and the city. Now, new activists and more families who’ve lost loved ones to police shootings are joining in to pressure the city for answers. But what happens when you take on an institution that we’re meant to trust? Read the Full Story This is episode two in The Bay’s three part series on Vallejo policing shootings. This story was reported and produced by KQED's local news podcast, The Bay. Click the "listen" button above to hear the episode. Subscribe to The Bay on any of your favorite podcast apps to hear more local, Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie McCoy had a hard childhood, but his dreams of making music professionally kept him alive until he was shot 55 times by Vallejo police in February after he was found unconscious his car. His death and the subsequent release of body-cam video of the police shooting has sparked protests at Vallejo City Hall, a new round of outrage different from the protests over police killings in 2012. Activists, the media and ordinary Vallejo residents are paying attention this time. With their help, David Harrison, 20-year old McCoy's older cousin, has mounted a police accountability campaign to get answers, information, and change. But he is learning that when you pressure the Vallejo Police Department and City Hall, silence and alternative narratives is what you get. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices