Bay News Rising

Professional and college reporters training collaboratively for the future of Bay Area journalism. Bay News Rising is a project of the Pacific Media Workers Guild made possible by the labor and contributions of its members.

Americans with disabilities are at an especially high risk of negative police encounters. Advocates want new solutions.

As studies find a disproportionate number of people with cognitive disabilities or those experiencing mental health crises have negative interactions with police, some are trying to change that Kim Randall … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

Young workers embrace unions in fight against workplace racism

John Hopkins, a warehouse worker by trade and a coder by passion, went to work one day in January 2020, hoping to pitch coworkers about joining a union. He had … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

Oakland family plagued by high levels of lead in their home. They’re not alone.

OAKLAND – Laura Smith took her infant daughter to the doctor for a routine wellness check. But when the results came back, Smith was shocked. One-year-old Lucy had been diagnosed … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

“Essential” workers face heightened risks but reap limited rewards during COVID-19 pandemic

For more than 10 years, Benito Huerta, a farmworker in Southern California, woke at dawn to perform hard labor in the fields of Ventura County, harvesting blackberries and strawberries. He … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

Small business survival tactic: Own your own building

Borderlands Books served as a literary hub at the heart of the Mission District for 20 years, offering one of the Bay Area’s finest collections of fantasy, science fiction, mystery … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

New training teaches Napa cops to work with the mentally ill.

It was a Sunday afternoon when Richard Poccia, a registered nurse out on leave, was planning to go the store to pick up some alcohol. It was Thanksgiving weekend, the … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

Mental health stigmas disproportionally impact African Americans

At the age of 15, Gemikia Henderson didn’t know what a father’s love felt like. “I remember thinking, ‘This can’t be the life that God gave me. There’s no way … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

African-American community hopes Mayor Breed will step up

Bayview, Fillmore districts look to City Hall for much-needed support for housing, small business  It was a warm, breezy Saturday in Bayview — ideal shopping weather in most commercial corridors … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

Thousands Face U.S. Immigration Court Alone

Defendants in immigration court without an attorney are five times more likely to be deported. But legal representation is often not available. In the ‘zero tolerance’ era a good lawyer … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment

BART police still under fire

The killing of Oscar Grant forced changes on BART’s police force, but many in the community say the killings of other men of color show the agency is still flawed … Continue reading

Featured · Leave a comment