KQED's Forum

A vote to ban municipal use of facial recognition technology in San Francisco passed 8-1 by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The ban, the first for a major U.S. city, includes the county sheriff's department and city police but does not bar individuals or businesses from using the technology. City agencies will also be required to gain approval before acquiring automatic license plate readers or other types of surveillance technology. Critics of the technology say it violates privacy and is biased against people of color, while supporters say it is a useful tool for law enforcement. We'll discuss the ban and take up the debate.

"I was on a mission," singer, songwriter, and activist Ani DiFranco says of her commitment to music at a young age. Known for her unique brand of indie folk and feminism, Ani DiFranco's memoir "No Walls and The Recurring Dream" recalls her journey from a 15-year-old living on her own to life as a 90s headliner grappling with fame. We'll talk to Ani DiFranco about how her music changed the industry, her fans and herself.

The California economy – including the agriculture and wine industries--are likely to be hard hit by the U.S. trade war with China. The state exported approximately $16.3 billion in goods to mainland China in 2018--more goods than to any other country with the exception of Mexico. Joining us to discuss how the trade war is affecting California and the Bay Area is Sean Randolph, Senior Director at the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Jock O'Connell, International Trade Advisor for Beacon Economics and former staff advisor to the California Commission for Economic Development.

California Senate Bill 50 is the latest attempt to mitigate the state's housing crisis. And, unsurprisingly, it is controversial. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, is intended to spur housing development near transit and job-rich areas, and would override many local zoning laws. Supporters say the bill will provide a much-needed new tool to address the state's housing shortage. Critics say it's a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to address underlying inequality in the housing market. We discuss the bill, which heads to the state Senate appropriations committee on Thursday.

The Warriors and Sharks both made their Western Conference Finals. Forum will talk about the teams and what these playoffs mean to the Bay Area.

In 1933, when Chinese teen Jeung Gwai Ying escaped forced prostitution in San Francisco, she fled to the Occidental Mission Home. Since 1874, the home had offered thousands of Chinese women refuge and the potential of a new life. In her book, "The White Devil's Daughters," Julia Flynn Siler chronicles the home and the people who passed through its halls. Siler joins Forum to discuss the often overlooked history of sex trafficking in San Francisco's Chinatown.

On Friday morning, ten San Francisco police officers used a sledgehammer to raid the home of Brian Carmody, the freelance journalist who published previously undisclosed and salacious details about Adachi's death. Carmody is vowing to protect his source, as free speech advocates call the raid outrageous and possibly politically motivated.

"Face the past. Heal the future" is the tagline of Van Jones's new CNN series "The Redemption Project," which puts victims of life-altering crimes face to face with their perpetrator. The CNN political commentator and prison reform activist joins us to discuss the project, which explores punishment, forgiveness and restorative justice from the victim's perspective.

On this Friday before Mother's Day weekend, we'll talk with filmmaker and LGBTQ activist Dustin Lance Black about his memoir "Mama's Boy" a story that celebrates both his mom's love and her resilience. Black, who is best known for his Oscar-winning original screenplay for "Milk," was also instrumental in overturning Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage. But before Black was front and center in the fight for marriage equality, he was a shy kid growing up in East Texas. "Mama's Boy" digs into Black's relationship with his devout Mormon mother as much as it honors her ability to survive polio and poverty. Tell us: What do you realize about your mom as an adult, that you didn't realize about when you were a kid? What did your mom's life teach you?

Mark Zuckerberg's power is unchecked, unprecedented, and un-American. That's according to Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who in a New York Times op-ed Thursday called on the federal government to break up the company. We'll talk about whether Facebook should be split into separate entities and whether a breakup would address ongoing concerns about the company's failure to protect its users' privacy and security.