Amid Bay Area Gentrification, One Man’s Three-Year Struggle
A chance encounter with a man trying for a new start in Oakland led to a complex, three-year tale with no easy answers.
Amid the political and cultural fervor a half-century ago, Oakland and the Bay Area were once home to founding members of the Black Panthers, Beats and hippie movements. These days it’s attracting many white middle-class residents who bring with them rising rents and displacement. When Sam Wolson moved to Oakland, he became keenly aware that he was a part of that influx.