Crosscurrents

When most Bay Area residents go to San Francisco International Airport, it’s so they can leave. But some unhoused locals are heading to SFO to stay. Reporter Erin Bump brings us the story of folks seeking shelter at the airport, and the people there who are trying to help.

Today: The story of unhoused people who live at the airport and the people who help them.

Today, we introduce you to the most recent Uncuffed class at Solano State Prison and get to know them through the songs they love. But first, we meet a boxer and the people who tried to help her redirect her emotions.

A story from the Uncuffed producers at the California Institution for Women about the people who helped a woman redirect her emotions.

Uncuffed's 2025 class at Solano State Prison just finished their training with the program. Get to know them through special songs that have shaped their lives.

Today, as an iconic San Francisco gay nightclub prepares to close... we hear from the owner of OASIS, some of the club’s biggest fans, and San Francisco’s Grandmother of Drag.

OASIS is an iconic San Francisco nightclub. The Drag show and cabaret venue opened on New Years Day, 2015. In a bittersweet bookend, they’ll host their grand finale party on New Years Eve, later this month. 

The host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds show, Jenee Darden, recently went down to the club in San Francisco’s SOMA District to meet with OASIS owner, D'Arcy Drollinger. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation.

When San Francisco’s OASIS drag club on 11th and Folsom announced it was closing its doors forever this January 1st, the news was met with a chorus of broken hearts and a lot of tears. 

OASIS has a LOT of fans. People that have found a little piece of sanctuary within the loudness of their parties and performances.

Here, members of the OASIS community share their favorite memories, what the space means to them, and what they think about the future without this home away from home.

Today, the lasting advocacy legacies of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Then, for perpetrators of domestic violence it can be hard to ask for help. And, motivation from Mom's love. Plus, a poem.

The Trump Administration has made life very challenging for immigrants across the United States. And that’s really been felt here in the Bay Area, where roughly a third of residents are immigrants. 

Many of the rights immigrants to the U.S. have are actually rooted right here in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The community there came together more than a century ago, to fight against government efforts to remove Chinese people from the country.

KALW recently held a live event focused on the history of one of the most prominent businesses for Chinese immigrants: laundries. It was called "The Anti-Immigrant Spin Cycle: Challenging A White-Washed History."  

The evening was hosted by KALW’s Executive Producer, Ben Trefny. And included David Lei, a board member with the Chinese Historical Society of America, Here’s part of their conversation, starting with David explaining the court case of Yick Wo v. Hopkins, and how it shaped the rights for immigrants in America today.