How a 1956 Raid Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights; The Volunteers Helping at Immigration Court

How a Pacifica Bar Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights The San Francisco Bay Area is known as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly areas in the country but it wasn’t always this way. Back in 1956, the beachside city of Pacifica was the scene of a police raid at a local bar, known to be friendly to the queer community. Hazel’s Inn’s owner, Hazel Nikola had her liquor license revoked and was arrested along with 90 of her patrons. As Ana De Almeida Amaral reports for the podcast Bay Curious, the raid would be a blueprint for law enforcement over the next 15 years. ‘Like an Angel’: Meet the Helpers Working at Bay Area Immigration Court For decades, San Francisco was home to was Northern California’s principal immigration court. Over time, advocates built around it one of the most extensive immigrant-defense networks in the U.S. a web of nonprofit legal organizations, volunteer court companions, rapid-response groups and pro bono attorneys who help immigrants find their way through a system where they’re not guaranteed legal representation. But the Trump Administration has closed the court and by the end of this year, thousands of cases are expected to be transferred to Concord, about 30 miles to the northeast, where the immigration court is only a couple of years old and the support infrastructure around it is still developing. Sergio Jaime Lopez knows the importance of building up that network. He once stood in front of an immigration judge himself and is now one of many local advocates who are helping immigrants navigate the changing U.S.  immigration system.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices