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90-year-old San Franciscan Dorothy Lathan keeps Black history in the city

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90-year-old San Franciscan Dorothy Lathan keeps Black history in the city


SAN FRANCISCO — It is sensible why Dorothy Lathan is aware of lots of people. She is somebody who exudes kindness and pleasure. Over time, she’s gotten to know Senator Diane Feinstein, and meet visionaries like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Lathan has contributed to San Francisco in so some ways. Nonetheless, you’d possible do not know until you sat down for a chat.

Dorothy Lathan was born in Forrest Metropolis, Arkansas, in 1932.

“I’ve to all the time inform individuals Forrest Metropolis, Arkansas was named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was the primary Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan,” Lathan stated. “My metropolis mirrored every thing that he would have wished. It was very, very racist, very rigidly segregated.”

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Her household left Arkansas in hopes of a greater life in St. Louis. Regardless of having little cash and alternatives, she went on to varsity at Lincoln College. She met the love of her life at college.

“I met Arthur Lathan,” she went on. “He was an enormous man on campus, very extremely revered. He was an excellent good man.”

Dorothy and Arthur Lathan had been married from 1953 till his passing final yr. The navy moved them to San Francisco in 1954. Whereas he fought abroad within the Korean Struggle, Dorothy started constructing a life within the metropolis.

“I used to be very politically energetic,” Lathan stated. “Even the lecturers had been segregated by way of the place you bought your task. We had been despatched to Hunter’s Level.”

In 1963, Lathan fought the San Francisco Unified College District and have become the primary Black instructor at Columbus Elementary College. After 32 years, she retired as a principal within the district.

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“Out of all of the issues I’ve carried out, what gave me the best pleasure and the best pleasure was being within the classroom,” Lathan stated. “I cherished working with these youngsters.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein, who was mayor on the time, appointed Lathan to the primary hire management board, and introduced her alongside to Abidjan when it turned a sister metropolis to San Francisco. Lathan was the primary feminine president of Youth for Service, a metropolis group to assist teenagers in want. Considered one of her most impactful contributions could be noticed proper downtown.

“We had been simply considering that Africans are in all places and never solely that, everyone got here from Africa,” Lathan stated. “That was the seed of humanity, of life and that we should always have a museum that displays that.”

In 2000, Lathan, together with a workforce that included former Mayor Willie Brown, started growing San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora, or MOAD. It opened in 2005.

“It was supposed to be a Black presence,” Lathan replied. “To ensure there was a Black element hooked up to the redevelopment of town after you have had city renewal that displaced so many Black individuals. Cannot you a minimum of have one factor that provides some permanence?”

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Kitsaun King has been working with the museum virtually since its inception. She is a born and raised San Franciscan and is aware of Lathan effectively.

“I used to be very excited as a result of we do not have something like this in San Francisco and by no means have,” King stated.

“After I noticed this place, I noticed it was a severe exploration of the diaspora,” King continued. “In 2015, we modified our focus to being a up to date artwork museum. That basically set us on the trail we at the moment are and the place we wish to go, which is to assist and amplify modern artists from the African diaspora wherever they might be.”

Lathan’s involvement with MOAD is a dream of her ancestors’ realized.

“I am simply so thrilled that’s has survived as a result of so many issues die, however MOAD could be very vibrant.”

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At 90, Lathan remains to be vibrant, too.



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San Francisco, CA

Suspect Arrested For San Francisco Homicide

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Suspect Arrested For San Francisco Homicide


HAYWARD, CA — A Hayward man was arrested by police in San Francisco on suspicion of a fatal shooting in the Tenderloin in October, the department said.

On Oct. 30 just after 6 p.m., a man was shot in the area of Ellis and Jones streets and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators identified 22-year-old Michael Javius as the suspect and arrested him on Dec. 12. Search warrants were issued for residences in San Francisco, Hayward and Antioch, police said, and evidence related to the shooting was seized.

Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Javius was booked into jail on suspicion of homicide, conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact.

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Although an arrest has been made, this is an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

Find out what’s happening in San Franciscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.



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San Francisco West Portal hardware store closing after nearly 9 decades

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San Francisco West Portal hardware store closing after nearly 9 decades


A hardware store in San Francisco’s West Portal is closing up shop after being in business for 88 years.

Papenhausen Hardware made the announcement, saying it no longer could afford to stay open.

Karl Aguilar walked into this hardware store 29 years ago as a San Francisco State University student looking for a job. But in 2018, Aguilar became a co-owner and thought he would retire there.

Aguilar said it wasn’t just one thing prompting the closure, but two fires and the pandemic took a big hit on his business. He estimates sales dropped about 30% in the first year of the pandemic.

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“By the second year, we realized it was time to sell and all of the emotional side of it,” said Aguilar. “What can we do, all the questioning, the sleepless nights happened then.”

On Saturday, Papenhausen Hardware started its going out of business sale. Many of the shelves are now empty as customers come by to make their final trip to their local hardware store.

papenhusen-hardware-sf-121824.jpg
Papenhausen Hardware in San Francisco’s West Portal after announcing it would close after 88 years in business at the end of 2024.

CBS


“We thought there would be an increase in business but it’s just been this crushing avalanche of nonstop business for four days now,” said Matt Rogers the co-owner Papenhausen Hardware. “So, it’s impressive. Touching too really.”

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“It’s been overwhelming in a good way?” Aguilar added. “The community is deeply upset. They wish it wasn’t the case and people have come out of the woodwork trying to come up with ideas and find ways to keep us here but the financial reality is that we just can’t stay.”

After 88 years in the West Portal neighborhood, generations of families have relied on this store for basic hardware supplies.

Customers like Lee Bradley said the closing is a huge loss to the community.

“Terrible news really,” Bradley said. “Devastation. The convenience is the whole thing. It’s nice having a store, just down the block that you could little bits and bobs. Whatever you wanted.”

But as customers shopping habits have changed after the pandemic, Papenhausen isn’t the only one struggling to keep its doors open.

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Aguilar hopes people realize how important community support is to keep small businesses open.

“The one thing people should take from this is whether it be a bookstore, or a coffee shop or maybe a fabric store that you love,” he said. “I guarantee you that they’re struggling. If you want to see them there, you can support them and every dollar makes a difference.”

Papenhausen Hardware is scheduled to close on December 31st but if they run out of inventory, the store could be closed earlier.



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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Developer Unveils Plans for New 22-Story Ocean Beach Project | KQED

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San Francisco Developer Unveils Plans for New 22-Story Ocean Beach Project | KQED


While the developers claim that the proposed project “exceeds” AB 2011’s standards, the application is still under review to determine if it qualifies for the expedited approval process granted by the law.

Sider noted that the proposal “hasn’t yet been assessed for Code compliance, but we remain hopeful that the project will be thoughtfully designed and adhere to all regulations.” He added that the location “has always been an ideal spot for new housing.”

The original plan for a 50-story, 712-unit high-rise was met with fierce opposition from city planners, residents and Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Sunset District, where the site is located.

Engardio called the initial proposal a “middle finger to the city” and dismissed it as a plan “no one would take seriously.”

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Although the new proposal significantly reduces the building’s height, with only 22 stories, Engardio remains critical.

“Twenty-two stories is still far beyond what’s reasonable,” he said in an interview. “We need to stop dreaming up massive skyscrapers at the beach and focus on real housing that will meet the needs of real families.”

Engardio pointed out that the Coastal Commission will need to weigh in on the project and criticized the developers for not adhering to the Sunset District’s current zoning laws, which limit building heights to 10 stories.

“We need more housing for seniors and families in the Sunset and throughout San Francisco,” Engardio said. “But no one wants Ocean Beach to turn into Miami Beach.”





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