The Racist Origins of San Francisco’s Housing Crisis
“Where the city couldn’t legally segregate, landowners did so themselves. Many inserted ownership requirements into building deeds, known as ‘racially restrictive covenants,’ to selectively filter potential buyers. (Though no longer enforceable, even today some Bay Area homebuyers have been shocked to find such requirements still in their property’s title report.) Regulators turned a blind eye. This particularly hurt black families, who also faced the nearly impossible obstacle of obtaining loans, as most financial institutions refused to lend to them. (Even in 1957, the Giants’ baseball legend Willie Mays had trouble buying a home near the affluent St. Francis Wood area, no thanks to racist neighbors.) Poor neighborhoods and areas dominated by non-white residents were also redlined, meaning that developers and banks avoided investing in those areas or loaning to those who lived there.”