Armenians in the San Francisco Bay Area

Last updated

The Armenian community of the San Francisco Bay Area has an impact on some businesses, churches, and politics of San Francisco. An ABC7 News article from 2021 says the population of the Greater Bay Area is at around 50,000. [1]

Contents

According to the Census 2021 estimates, there are 3,000 Armenians in Alameda County (0.2% of the county's population), 2,700 in San Mateo County, and 2,700 Armenians in San Francisco proper (0.3% of the county). [2]

Historical features

Mount Davidson in San Francisco has been the subject of much debate among the residents of San Francisco as they have tried to weigh its religious role against its status as an historic landmark. In 1991 the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Congress, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the city over its ownership of the cross. [3] After a long legal battle and loss at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1997 the City auctioned 0.38 acres (0.15 ha) of land, including the cross, to the highest bidder. The decision to sell the land was challenged by two members of the group American Atheists, but a federal appeals court ruled against them in 2002 and the Supreme Court declined to hear their case in 2003.

Notable individuals

George Mardikian, a chef and restaurateur, in 1938, opened Omar Khayyam's restaurant in San Francisco, California, which was open for more than 40 years. [4] He was important in popularizing Armenian cuisine in the United States. [5] Mardikian was the founder of ANCHA (American National Committee To Aid Homeless Armenians). [6]

Schools and businesses

There is an Armenian school in San Francisco, Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School.

There is an Armenian/Lebanese restaurant in the Fillmore District area, La Mediterranee.

UC Berkeley offers a minor in Armenian Studies, focused on the language and culture of Armenians.

Intimidation of Armenian businesses and schools

Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School became a target for hate crimes as a part of numerous global attacks on Armenians. On July 24, 2020, the Armenian school was vandalized. [7] The school's alumni turned this hate crime into an opportunity for unity and stood together. They raised their flag high, danced for peace and covered the front of the school with a banner that read, "Armenians stand against hate." [8]

Two months after it was vandalized, on September 19, 2020, the school's sign was shot at. [9] Officers have been patrolling the area since the anti-Armenian graffiti, but no suspects were located and there were no injuries reported. [9]

An Armenian church was vandalized in San Francisco.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco State University</span> Public university in San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University is a public research university in San Francisco. It is part of the California State University system and offers 118 bachelor's degree programs, 94 master's degree programs, and 5 doctoral degree programs along with 26 teaching credentials among six academic colleges. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Diane Whipple</span> American lacrosse player and coach (1968–2001)

Diane Alexis Whipple was an American lacrosse player and college coach. She was killed in a dog attack in San Francisco on January 26, 2001. The dogs involved were two Presa Canarios. Paul Schneider, the dogs' owner, is a high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood and is serving three life sentences in state prison. The dogs were looked after by Schneider's attorneys, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, a husband and wife who lived in the same apartment building as Whipple. After the fatal attack, the state brought criminal charges against the attorneys. Noel, who was not present during the attack, was convicted of manslaughter. Knoller, who was present, was charged with implied-malice second-degree murder and convicted by the jury. Knoller's murder conviction, an unusual result for an unintended dog attack, was rejected by the trial judge but ultimately upheld. The case clarified the meaning of implied malice murder.

The Mission District, commonly known as The Mission, is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is derived from Mission San Francisco de Asís, built in 1776 by the Spanish. The Mission is historically one of the most notable centers of the city's Chicano/Mexican-American community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Square (San Francisco)</span>

Washington Square is an American park in the North Beach district of San Francisco. It was established in 1847 and is one of the city's first parks. The park is bordered by sidewalk cafes and restaurants such as Mama's (restaurant), Park Tavern restaurant and the Liguria Bakery as well as the Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Heights, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States

Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States. It is often referred to as Pac Heights. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the Presidio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Davidson (California)</span>

Mount Davidson is the highest natural point in San Francisco, California, with an elevation of 928 feet (283 m). It is located near the geographical center of the city, south of Twin Peaks and Portola Drive and to the west of Diamond Heights and Glen Park. It dominates the southeastern view from most of Portola Drive. It is one of San Francisco's many hills and one of its original "Seven Hills".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visitacion Valley, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood of San Francisco in California, United States

Visitacion Valley, colloquially referred to as Viz Valley, is a neighborhood located in the southeastern quadrant of San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Armenian sentiment</span> Strong aversion, prejudice and fear against Armenians or their culture

Anti-Armenian sentiment, also known as anti-Armenianism and Armenophobia, is a diverse spectrum of negative feelings, dislikes, fears, aversion, racism, derision and/or prejudice towards Armenians, Armenia, and Armenian culture.

Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School is a bi-lingual private K-8 school in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Mardikian</span>

George Magar Mardikian was a Turkish-born American restaurateur, chef, author and philanthropist of Armenian heritage. In 1938, he opened Omar Khayyam's restaurant in San Francisco, California, which was open for more than 40 years. He was important in popularizing Armenian cuisine in the United States. Mardikian was the founder of ANCHA. He is a nephew of Armenian revolutionary Krikor Amirian.

The Superior Court of California of the County of San Francisco is the state superior court with jurisdiction over the City and County of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protests against Proposition 8 supporters</span> 2008 protests against a former California law

Protests against Proposition 8 supporters in California took place starting in November 2008. These included prominent protests against the Roman Catholic church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which supported California's Proposition 8. The proposition was a voter referendum that amended the state constitution to recognize marriage only as being between one man and one woman, thus banning same-sex marriage, which was legal in the state following a May 2008 California Supreme Court case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesa Boudin</span> 29th District Attorney of San Francisco

Chesa Boudin is an American lawyer who served as the 29th District Attorney of San Francisco from January 8, 2020 to July 8, 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Department of Public Works</span>

San Francisco Public Works (SFPW) is a governmental agency for the City and County of San Francisco in California. They are responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and infrastructure. The department designs, builds, resurfaces and cleans streets; plants and maintains trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; designs combined sewers owned by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; designs drainage facilities; conducts sidewalk and roadway inspections, constructs curb ramps, provides mechanical and manual street cleaning, removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco. Public Works serves San Francisco residents, merchants and visitors 24 hours a day and seven days a week with a workforce of approximately 1,200 employees, as of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Justice Institute</span>

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is a conservative legal defense organization based in California. The group, founded by attorney Brad W. Dacus, describes itself as focusing on representation relating to "...religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties." PJI was declared an anti-LGBT hate group in 2014 by the Southern Poverty Law Center due to the group's long history of anti-LGBT rhetoric through its founder. The group also represents workers opposed to their employers' vaccine mandates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Breed</span> 45th mayor of San Francisco, California (born 1974)

London Nicole Breed is an American politician who is the 45th and current mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. She was supervisor for District 5 and was president of the Board of Supervisors from 2015 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Americans in California</span> Ethnic group, race and minority in California

African American Californians, or Black Californians are residents of the state of California who are of African ancestry. According to 2019 United States Census Bureau estimates, those identified solely as African American or black constituted 5.8% or 2,282,144 residents in California. Including an additional 1.2% who identified as having partial African ancestry, the figure was 7.0%. As of 2021, California has the largest multiracial African American population by number in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Kate Steinle</span> 2015 homicide in San Francisco

On July 1, 2015, 32-year-old Kathryn "Kate" Steinle was shot and killed while walking with her father and a friend along Pier 14 in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. She was hit in the back by a single bullet. The man who fired the gun, José Inez García Zárate, said he had found it moments before, wrapped in cloth beneath a bench on which he was sitting, and that when he picked it up the weapon went off. The shot ricocheted off the concrete deck of the pier and struck the victim, who was about 90 feet (27m) away. Steinle died two hours later in a hospital as a result of her injuries.

African Americans in San Francisco, California, composed just under 6% of the city's total population as of 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, down from 13.4% in 1970. There are about 55,000 people of full or partial black ancestry living within the city. The community began with workers and entrepreneurs of the California Gold Rush in the 19th century, and in the early-to-mid 20th century, grew to include migrant workers with origins in the Southern United States, who worked as railroad workers or service people at shipyards. In the mid-20th century, the African American community in the Fillmore District earned the neighborhood the nickname the "Harlem of the West," referring to New York City's Harlem neighborhood, which is associated with African American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in the San Francisco Bay Area</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

This is a list of protests that took place in the San Francisco Bay Area following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while in police custody.

References

  1. ↑ "Biden on Armenian genocide". ABC7 News.
  2. ↑ "B04006PEOPLE REPORTING ANCESTRY". U.S. Census Bureau.
  3. ↑ Egelko, Bob (2003-04-29). "Top court backs S.F.'s cross sale / Atheists lose appeal, ending 13-year battle over Mount Davidson". SFGate. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  4. ↑ Keraghosian, Greg (2021-08-16). "The amazing tale of the genocide survivor who changed how SF eats". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  5. ↑ Holt, Jane (1944-11-12). "Delights of Armenian Cookery". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  6. ↑ Sinanian, Vartkes (December 25, 2004). "Remembering A Legend". The Armenian Reporter. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19.
  7. ↑ "BREAKING NEWS: Armenian School In San Francisco Vandalized As Part Of A Series Of Global Attacks On Armenians. | ZARTONK MEDIA". zartonkmedia.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  8. ↑ Pena, Luz (2020-07-25). "'I'm afraid now for my son:' SF Armenian school vandalized with hateful graffiti". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  9. 1 2 "BREAKING NEWS: San Francisco KZV Armenian School's Sign Was Shot At Over The Weekend. | ZARTONK MEDIA". zartonkmedia.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.