How a 1970s San Francisco Evictions Battle Influenced Minneapolis Renters

A look back at a 1970s evictions fight in San Francisco - one that booted several predominantly single Filipino men out of the hotel where they rented rooms - serves as inspiration to Minneapolis renters who aim to buy their building from their landlord. In a climate of increased housing insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many cities across the country - and the renters who call them home - are looking for innovative solutions.

Saint Paul’s neighborhoods of color have a disproportionate number of vacant buildings than areas primarily occupied by white residents. That fact has a direct impact on crime rates, public-health risks and quality of life. Data reporter Kyeland Jackson examines the links between vacant properties and the city’s racial disparities.

Along with other urban centers across the country, the Twin Cities have a history of racially discriminatory housing covenants that prevented people of color from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. That history ripples in the present-day affordable housing crisis: By limiting opportunities for home ownership, people of color were stripped of one key way to build equity over time. Discover more in “Mapping the Roots of Housing Disparities in Minneapolis.”