The Bay

Willie McCoy had a hard childhood, but his dreams of making music professionally kept him alive until he was shot 55 times by Vallejo police in February after he was found unconscious his car. His death and the subsequent release of body-cam video of the police shooting has sparked protests at Vallejo City Hall, a new round of outrage different from the protests over police killings in 2012. Activists, the media and ordinary Vallejo residents are paying attention this time. With their help, David Harrison, 20-year old McCoy's older cousin, has mounted a police accountability campaign to get answers, information, and change. But he is learning that when you pressure the Vallejo Police Department and City Hall, silence and alternative narratives is what you get.

Willie McCoy had a hard childhood, but his dreams of making music professionally kept him alive until he was shot 55 times by Vallejo police in February after he was found unconscious his car. His death and the subsequent release of body-cam video of the police shooting has sparked protests at Vallejo City Hall, a new round of outrage different from the protests over police killings in 2012. Activists, the media and ordinary Vallejo residents are paying attention this time. With their help, David Harrison, 20-year old McCoy's older cousin, has mounted a police accountability campaign to get answers, information, and change. But he is learning that when you pressure the Vallejo Police Department and City Hall, silence and alternative narratives is what you get.

In February, Vallejo police officers shot a young black man 55 times after he was found unconscious in his car. Another was killed last year after an officer tried to stop him for riding a bike without a safety light. Fatal police shootings of Black and Latino men are drawing attention to the small, diversely-populated suburb of Vallejo, which has been largely ignored by most media and activists, until recently. There are protests and lawsuits; there are calls for investigations and resignations.

In a three-episode series starting Monday, The Bay will take you into the homes of families who have lost loved ones to fatal shootings by Vallejo police. We will visit contentious council meetings and examine how the city found itself in this situation — again.

The episodes will be released on August 19, August 21 and August 23.

Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local, Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February, Vallejo police officers shot a young black man 55 times after he was found unconscious in his car. Another was killed last year after an officer tried to stop him for riding a bike without a safety light. Fatal police shootings of Black and Latino men are drawing attention to the small, diversely-populated … Continue reading There’s Something Wrong in Vallejo →

In February, Vallejo police officers shot a young black man 55 times after he was found unconscious in his car. Another was killed last year after an officer tried to stop him for riding a bike without a safety light. Fatal police shootings of Black and Latino men are drawing attention to the small, diversely-populated suburb of Vallejo, which has been largely ignored by most media and activists, until recently. There are protests and lawsuits; there are calls for investigations and resignations.

In a three-episode series starting Monday, The Bay will take you into the homes of families who have lost loved ones to fatal shootings by Vallejo police. We will visit contentious council meetings and examine how the city found itself in this situation — again. 

The episodes will be released on August 19, August 21 and August 23.

Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local, Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m.  Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa.

A San Francisco native was shot in the Philippines earlier this month in what friends and family believe was an attempted extrajudicial assassination by the Philippine government. Brandon Lee became an activist through San Francisco State University's League of Filipino Students. Lee moved to the Philippines in 2010 to work as a paralegal and human rights advocate for indigenous communities in the Ifugao province in northern Philippines.

San Francisco has been the epicenter of activism for decades, and Filipinos are significant part of that history. Activist friends of Lee's are now asking for a moratorium on U.S. aid to the Philippines National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Guest: Faye Lacanilao, a San Francisco activist and friend of Brandon Lee's

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A San Francisco native was shot in the Philippines earlier this month in what friends and family believe was an attempted extrajudicial assassination by the Philippine government. Brandon Lee became an activist through San Francisco State University’s League of Filipino Students. Lee moved to the Philippines in 2010 to work as a paralegal and human … Continue reading Bay Area Filipinos Stand Up For Activist Shot in the Philippines →

A San Francisco native was shot in the Philippines earlier this month in what friends and family believe was an attempted extrajudicial assassination by the Philippine government. Brandon Lee became an activist through San Francisco State University's League of Filipino Students. Lee moved to the Philippines in 2010 to work as a paralegal and human rights advocate for indigenous communities in the Ifugao province in northern Philippines.

San Francisco has been the epicenter of activism for decades, and Filipinos are significant part of that history. Activist friends of Lee's are now asking for a moratorium on U.S. aid to the Philippines National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Guest: Faye Lacanilao, a San Francisco activist and friend of Brandon Lee's

More than 34,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area. There's not enough housing or resources to help them all. Some have friends or family who have been searching for their loved ones to bring them home, but finding someone who is homeless is very challenging. They're always on the move. They don't often have access to a phone. And even after finding that person, they might not be ready to go home.

In this podcast episode of The Bay, we'll hear from a woman who, through her long search for her mother, started a Facebook group to help others search for their relatives and friends that are missing and homeless. The group helped a Northern California family find their son who was homeless in San Francisco but not before learning that supporting him meant practicing unconditional love, patience, persistence and even letting him go.

Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED's Acting Silicon Valley Bureau Chief

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 34,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area. There's not enough housing or resources to help them all. Some have friends or family who have been searching for their loved ones to bring them home, but finding someone who is homeless is very challenging. They're always on the move. They don't often have access to a phone. And even after finding that person, they might not be ready to go home.  

In this podcast episode of The Bay, we'll hear from a woman who, through her long search for her mother, started a  Facebook group to help others search for their relatives and friends that are missing and homeless. The group helped a Northern California family find their son who was homeless in San Francisco but not before learning that supporting him meant practicing unconditional love, patience, persistence and even letting him go. 

Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED's Acting Silicon Valley Bureau Chief