>> now, from abc7, "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. >> thanks for joining us. today's show looks at topics and concerns affecting our local black and african-american communities. the us office of management and budget defines this racial category to include people who have origins in any of the black racial groups of africa, as well as afro-caribbean countries. the black community makes up the largest minority group in the country, yet the fight for equality continues in america. abc7 news anchor eric thomas is here with local black leaders to talk about the many important issues affecting our bay area communities. >> thanks, cheryl, and there are many topics to talk about. let's start with this -- our last bay area census back in 2010 found blacks make up 6.7% of the total bay area population. but that's almost a full percentage point drop from the previous census in 2000. it works out to a loss of about

30,000 individuals. the decline is more significant in san francisco, san mateo, and santa clara counties. in particular, san francisco has seen a steady drop of black residence over the years -- a 6.6 percentage difference since 1980, or 38,000 people, have left san francisco. today, the population decline is one of the items we'll be discussing with our special guests. but first, let's look at a recent bright moment in the bay area. a parade to honor black history month never existed in san francisco until this year. abc7's lyanne melendez has the story of how the bayview community came together to remember the many contributions of african-americans and to talk about bringing a divided nation together. >> it's the first-annual black history parade! all of you, say it loud! >> i'm black and i'm proud! >> san francisco's bayview neighborhood has never had an annual parade to honor the growing history of african-americans. today, those attending the event wanted this to be a celebration

of how far they have come while acknowledging there is still much work ahead for all minorities. >> and everybody got to come represent and learn to be educated more about, you know, not only african-american history, but your culture and your history -- stand proud and know about it. >> as far as parades are concerned, this one was relatively small -- one float and a few cars traveling just a few blocks down third street and finishing at the bayview opera house. along the way, parade followers enthusiastically joined in the celebration while demanding more acceptance and equality. >> we have to do a better job on coming together and working together and communicating better and loving each other. >> bringing the community together... >> supervisor london breed was the only candidate running for mayor who attended the celebration. she acknowledged the work of others before her. [ drums beating ] with messages of hope throughout the event, organizers say this is the first of many more parades to come in the bayview.

in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >> joining me now are our special guests -- ron davis, a consultant with 21st century policing, former oakland police captain, former east palo alto police chief, and he also served in the obama justice department. and sherri young, founder and executive director of the african-american shakespeare company based in san francisco's fillmore district. and, sherri, i'm gonna start with you. it has been a challenging year for people of color -- for all people of color -- in america, but your specialty is the arts, and especially shakespeare. and i was wondering, since the arts reflect our culture, if shakespeare was writing something about the way things are today, what do you think he would write about? >> he's already written it. "julius cesar" -- about power, of ruling. "romeo and juliet" -- teens falling in love. it's already been written. it's just how we present shakespeare that it adapts to the african-american culture.

and what we do is that we put costumes, settings, visual icons -- like we set "a midsummer night's dream" as part of a trinidad and tobago carnival... >> mm-hmm. >> ...with the beautiful feathered costumes and the music and the dancing. and when people see it that way, they're like, "oh, yeah. that does look familiar. oh, i know those characters." so it's bringing our culture back to us. >> so there really is nothing new under the sun? >> there is nothing new under the sun. even if you think there's something new, it's already been done. it just might be new to you. and that's what makes it an experience -- a cultural experience. so we have these programs and performances that we have a gathering -- like, we do an all-black production of "cinderella" every holiday season, and we sold out for all performances this past year. >> some people, especially young people, find the language impenetrable. what do you say to them about that? >> well, i'm gonna tell them they are not wrong. it's sometimes who's doing the acting that it's not getting delivered to the audience members. and it's not the audience's

fault. it's how the direction is done. it's how the story is told. and you can be a great actor and still not do shakespeare. we've had very young actors that had done it beautifully well. and it's our responsibility that you can understand that story. it is not the audience members. it's our responsibility. it's just like rap songs, you know? a good rap artist, you'll hear every lyric. you'll hear the beat, you'll hear the rhythm. you'll get the meaning and feeling. and some artists, it's like, "what did they say? i have no idea what's going on." >> so, you have to build a trust between the audience and the performers on stage. >> absolutely. absolutely. >> okay. now, since we're talking about trust, i'm gonna go over to ron, who has a long history in law enforcement. we've known each other for quite a while. you've worked at all levels, local and federal, and the trust is the number-one thing, i would imagine, in law enforcement. where are we right now with that? >> well, i think we're in a good place, although we're in a challenging time. and i think the lesson -- i like what my colleague, my friend, has said about there's nothing new under the sun, 'cause we've

been here before. and so the lack of trust in many cases between police and especially communities of color is long-standing. i think over the last eight years we've made a lot of advancement with law enforcement truly recognizing that we can't do anything without the public's trust. you're not gonna be effective in fighting crime, solving problems. and you have to earn that trust through actions. and so we do see right now there's a lot of division. there is a draw to pull us back to some of the practices of the '80s and '90s that contributed to the lack of trust. but i think the lessons that we have learned over the years is that we know that for every step we take forward, people are trying to pull us back, too. and we also recognize that we have to break that pull and keep moving forward, so i'm optimistic because i'm watching my colleagues around the country, here in the bay area, police chiefs, police leaders, pushing back, saying that we've seen what trust can do now. we've seen what happens when we have a stronger relationship. we see how crime goes down. we see what it's like if

immigrant communities trust us versus to fear us. we see what happens if people trust us with the awesome powers that they give us. so to now go backwards would be counterproductive to all of us. but we need to keep pushing that message, and if it's not gonna be at the national level, then we need to push at the local level. >> well, the tension is always between law enforcement on the back end after something happens and proactive law enforcement. and at this point, it seems to me that, at least at the national level, the emphasis on after it happens instead of before it happens. >> and that's exactly right is, one, we're not gonna arrest away the problems that we have. and looking at something after it comes into play is not very efficient or effective. and so the idea would be is that an arrest should be the last resort, not the only resort, and we should find out why things are happening. fix the problems in the community, work with the community. find alternatives for our youth. culture and understanding art and understanding the history. to me, it's kind of hard to not know who you are if you don't know where you came from. >> right. >> right? >> absolutely. >> if you don't understand and embrace the culture of our

own -- for african-americans, our own history, then you don't realize where you come from and what it means to be a black man or a black woman in america. and the more we get our kids understanding that, the more we can focus on the front end. we can make sure that our kids have strong education and opportunities. >> we'll talk more about that coming up, but right now we need to take a short break. more with out guests when we return. introducing the prime rib from jack in the box. with strips of prime rib grilled with peppers and onions and smothered in provolone cheese and i'm challenging you to try it, martha

it's on, jack. why are we whispering? try my new prime rib cheesesteak, part of my food truck series.

with crispy all white meat chicchicken strips, crunchy asian slaw, fresh cucumbers and a bold gochujang mayo. and i'm challenging you to try it, martha. it's on jack. gosh you smell good. try my new asian fried chicken sandwich. part of the food-truck series. >> my son, it is your time. >> it is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, "black panther." the film is one of the biggest budgets allotted for a super hero movie and features a predominately black cast. in hollywood, a director can toil for decades before being allowed to make a big-budget film like "black panther," but this is ryan coogler's third feature -- an amazing show business feat, but not a surprise to one of the film's stars. >> i am in this movie because i respect him and i admire his eye and his heart, you know? >> coogler grew up in oakland as

a fan of the "black panther" comic, and as a filmmaker, he didn't want a one-dimensional hero. >> at the heart of this film, you know, it's not about a super hero. it's about a king. you know, and that king is a politician. you know, he's a politician of a country that doesn't always agree. >> before film school, coogler worked as a counselor at san francisco's juvenile hall, where coworkers still remember him a smart, humble, and relatable. >> to get as far as it has been, i mean, he's exceeded, you know, what we thought was gonna happen, but it's awesome, you know? >> and during film school, he stayed in touch. >> sometimes he would send some of his cinema projects from school to me for my son to watch. >> the industry predicts "black panther" could become one of the highest-grossing marvel movies ever and may be one of the biggest money makers of any genre. but to comic book fan rafe chisholm, the film's biggest value is contained in it's message to young black girls and boys. >> you don't have to be in tech, you don't have to be in arts, you don't have to be in entertainment or sports, but you can excel at something.

>> welcome back to a special edition of "beyond the headlines." i'm eric thomas, here with our representatives from the bay area african-american community. marvel's "black panther" movie has been breaking records in the box office, and more than that, it's making a deep impact in our communities. saw it last night. it is impressive on so many levels, one of which is that a 31-year-old african-american director was given control of a budget this big. >> $200 million, i think. >> i know! and you're in the arts. tell me about that. >> i wish i had a $200 million budget. and being 31, too, it's incredible. but ryan coogler, he's done incredible things. and he started off doing "fruitvale." >> he did. >> and that was a shoestring budget. i heard that he was taping the cameras together to get those shots, probably illegally on the bart station somehow. but it's just sensational. that's part of the culture. you know, we're hungry for that. and because there's such an outward migration of black communities, there's like no place for us to really meet, to really see ourselves.

and when this movie came out, i still haven't seen it. i don't have -- i tried twice over the weekend. >> sold out. >> it's sold out. i couldn't -- i was trying to see it so i could have a detailed conversation without giving away any spoilers, and it couldn't happen for me. i mean, a movie is sold out so much, i can't get a ticket. it's like "hamilton." >> yeah, well, ron, you saw it and i saw it, as i mentioned a moment ago, and you have a portrayal here of a smart, wealthy african-american leader with technology that's just beyond everything. it's beyond the role models we normally see on the screen of people like us. >> yes, and it took it one step further. it didn't just have one black person who was intelligent and sharp. it had an entire nation, an entire community. and too often, you know, we focus on the exceptional versus the average. and that tells young black men and boys and girls that they are part of an advanced society and culture and that there's all

kinds of opportunities. so, for example, the director was in law enforcement. so you can be in law enforcement. you can be an actor. you can be a producer. you can be an athlete. you can be a student. you can be a researcher. and so i thought the key for me when i watched it -- by the way, it was a great movie... [ laughter ] >> right. salt. wound. rub. [ laughter ] >> my wife and i almost didn't get in there, but we ended up going to a second one 'cause it was sold out. but really, i just focused on it and i just enjoyed that the entire nation and society was advanced. so, you know, we don't always look at when someone of color does a great thing that they're the exceptional versus that that is reflective of our entire culture. >> also, and i think you will appreciate this, the bravest, toughest, most -- >> is a woman. >> are women. >> i heard. hey! >> a w his bodyguards are all women. >> it's true. it's true. >> and scary. >> yeah, and scary. [ laughter ] well, you're thoughts about that? >> well, i mean, it's true, but it's so important to see those

images because if we don't have those images for our young kids and teens, they don't know where they fit in this life. that's why a lot of the professions have been idealized for being sports players or rappers because that was all we saw. now we're seeing films, technology. we're seeing directors. and that's why african-american shakespeare, we do what we do, because i heard that we weren't supposed to do shakespeare. the first thing i was gonna do i was gonna do it. >> yeah, they wanted you to stay with black playwrights, correct? >> that's right. that's right. >> and why did you rebel against that? >> well, i mean, you have your august wilson, your lorraine hansberry, and there's always going to be a place for us, but we know that we have to expand beyond. we know that we can't just produce a black film. we have to produce a film that everyone would get into. and i did shakespeare because not very many of us were doing it. we're not part of that conversation. and there's a cultural competency about having some kind of global understanding of

history, of the arts, that we are not a part of those conversations where you go into the boardrooms or people say "that seems greek to me." that's a quote from one of shakespeare's plays. and it just expands our realm, and i want, you know, people of color to get part of that conversation and to learn something. >> and i'm figuring, if people get into culture and the arts when they're young, they see less of law enforcement. >> well, a couple things. i mean, one of the, like, gang recruitments is to find someone that is not connected to family, someone that is disconnected from culture, someone that is disconnected from the history. and you have a young person then searching for their own identity and searching to belong to something special. and if they don't understand their history or their culture, if they are from dysfunctional families, then, in many cases, the gang will provide that family. and so it does make a difference and it makes a difference -- when i was in the obama administration, if you recall, president obama announced the my brother's keeper initiative.

>> mm-hmm. >> the idea would be to bring things like culture and art to young men of color to give them opportunity, give them a place of fair and equal opportunity. >> right. >> you know, not a -- people always want to talk about hand out -- but a fair and equal opportunity for young people that are gonna work hard. but a part of that is understanding who you are and where you come from. >> exactly. more on that. we need to take a quick break right now. we're coming back to continue this conversation. ♪ ♪ with the chase mobile app,

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>> welcome back to "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. i'm eric thomas, moderating today's special roundtable show.

now, more than 1,000 african-american students were recently honored by san francisco unified school district for having great grades. it was a part of this year's black history month celebrations. abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez introduced us to some of these students. >> raven alyas is among 1,400 african-american students making the honor roll at one of the many public schools in san francisco. today, she will be acknowledged by the san francisco alliance of black school educators. >> i think it's important for us to acknowledge the people who are doing well, because then it encourages kids who aren't. >> students must have a 3.0 grade point average or higher to be recognized. maintaining that gpa helps students compete with others who are on track for college. >> it's very important that our students are exposed to and receive the messaging that you can do this and you can compete just like everyone else. >> linda jordan is the african-american post-secondary pathway manager, helping students find ways to get into

college. alyas wants to study chemistry. she's been accepted into two historically black colleges and universities, but is holding out for howard. another student being recognized today is zach fineberg. >> and i feel like it allows me to be like a role model and show other people that people who look like me are still capable. >> this year, 1,400 african-american students grades 3 through 12 made the honor roll. that's 200 more students than last year. the district has implemented strategies to improve outcomes and close the achievement gap among african-americans. still, the superintendent says there is always room for improvement. in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >> we're continuing our discussion with bay area leaders from the african-american community. here with me are law enforcement expert ron davis and sherri young from the african-american shakespeare company. and what's great about that story is it makes it cool to be

an achiever with grades, not just how high you can jump, how fast you can run, or if you can catch a football. your thoughts about the education and the value we put on it. >> you can't go anywhere without an education. it's just a flat-line, basic way that we start dividing different classes of people. and it's sad to say, but it's true -- without that education, you don't even get in through the door. although there's a lot of entrepreneurs coming up, but it's about the education for most of our black and brown kids that will stop them from being able to excel in any career path. so you have to have that education. and i remember when i was at lowell high school, i went to j. eugene mcateer at first, and i didn't want anyone to know i was smart. you know, i would try to keep myself under the radar because, as a black culture, we don't appreciate that intelligence. and there's a lot of smart kids that doesn't want anyone to know that they have intelligence like

that, and it's sad. >> yeah, it is sad. you know, in law enforcement, it strikes me that what i've observed over the years is when i was young, a high school education could get you into a police department. you can't get into a california police department anymore with that. >> no, i think you're right. the high school diploma of yesterday, now you've got to acquire a bachelor's degree. and just to show you value of education for many researchers and builders, you can determine how many prisons you're likely to need in the future by how many people are ready at the level of third grade. >> wow. >> and so it's a predictor of not criminality, but people's exposure to the criminal justice system. we know when kids go to school, likelihood of incarceration grows exponentially if they're in fact suspended or expelled from school. so there's a direct link between education levels and elected exposure, especially of youth of color, to the criminal justice system. and i was watching the clip, what stood out for me, they show the young people had computers and having teachers. so this has to be a conscious decision for our society, that having an educated community is

not only good for our economy, it's good for us also for public safety. we need to put more money into the cal state universities and less into cal state prisons. put more kids through college versus jail, and we would actually be a much safer community. so from a law enforcement perspective, when you see kids getting good grades, when you see graduation rates that are growing up, you know that you're gonna see lower crime rates, lower victimization rates, you're gonna see a healthier community. so, you know, this is the key. it's $50,000 to $70,000 to keep someone in prison. >> yeah. >> that's the tuition for a person to go to stanford or to harvard. my wife and i, we have three kids. one already got her college degree. one's now a junior at north western, and the other one started looking at colleges. and we want to make sure for them that this is not an "if i'm going to go" but "i need to go if i'm gonna be successful in society." and i would rather put my investment there than on keep building prisons and jails and arresting a bunch of young people for the lack of opportunities.

>> quick, in 15 seconds, what's this year gonna be like for african-americans? >> you know, i think this is -- i'm gonna borrow a phrase from the millennials, and i'm gonna get it wrong -- i think it's gonna be positive because all of us are starting to become woke. we're aware that people are trying to pull back. we're aware that services may not be there. but we're not standing for it. whether it's the never again movement, whether it is black lives matter, whether it's -- young people are now exercising their rights to demand a better future, and i think they're gonna hold the adults in the room accountable to do that. so i'm very optimistic. >> and you? >> i feel the same way. i think it's an exciting time. i mean, our young people are finding their voice, their empowerment. they're doing incredible things at such a young age. they have no boundaries. we were kind of told, "oh, we don't go into careers of the arts. you know, we do nursing or house, you know, cleaning houses." but now this -- our community now, they are believing that they can do anything, and they

have proof. they see it. >> they see it. and if they go to see a play, they'll see what they could be... >> absolutely. >> ...what society is right now. >> absolutely. yes. >> they can become fine, young actors, as well. >> actors, directors, designers. i mean, we all need those creative impulses, and the arts has all of those in the field. >> and we need good police officers, so sign up. >> absolutely. yes. we need good men. >> we are all out of time. thank you both, sherri young and ron davis, for the work you're doing. cheryl, back to you. >> for more information on how to reach our guests today, just go to our website, abc7news.com/community. we're also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs, as well as cheryljenningsabc7. and follow me on twitter @cherylabc7 thanks so much for joining us. we'll see you next time. ♪ ♪

on abc 7 news at 5:00, new questions tonight after a four-alarm blaze visible across the bay is that right night. >> and a major delay east bay commuters may face for the entire week. >> and reunited again, and it feels so good. after losing their home in the north bay fires, a big reason to smile tonight for a couple that's been through so

one night after flames tore through a north beach building, emotions running high tonight. the structure completely lost, and nearby business owners break down about the prospect of starting over again. >> this is our business. this is a kid to me. raise it, love it, build it. >> tough evening for the owners of the liquor store in north beach. >> i'm dion lim. >> and i'm eric thomas. tonight part of union street remains closed half that four-alarm blaze. >> let's get to cornell bernard. cornell, so many unanswered questions tonight. >> reporter: dion and eric, some sad news. we have learned this building has been red tagged by the city of san francisco. it is just too unsafe to occupy to