The View From Here

Making Meadowview

Sacramento's Meadowview neighborhood came to prominence as the place where police shot and killed Stephon Clark. CapRadio spent a year listening and learning about this diverse and surprising place that exemplifies neighborhoods across the country.

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Episodes

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Episode 1

The Newcomers

October 10, 2019

A large community of Pacific Islanders lives in Meadowview, attending Christian churches and public schools. When members of the Tongan community were becoming active in gangs, elders brought them back to their roots, teaching them Polynesian dance.

Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento Police Officers Association Collection, 1996/033/025

Episode 2

Foot Patrol

October 17, 2019

Meadowview residents still talk about their love for Officer Dan Ware, one of Sacramento’s first black policemen. He often patrolled by foot. As a coach, he was a role model for young boys. But he also had personal battles with the department.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Episode 3

The Man Of Meadowview

October 24, 2019

Teenager Lamajhe Miles wants to be a professional football player one day. And he has the talent. But without a bed to sleep on, poor grades and bad influences all around him, all he has is his will.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Episode 4

Healing From The Crack Epidemic

November 7, 2019

Rolanda Wilkins grew up in Meadowview and lived through its crack epidemic in the 1980s. Now, she dedicates her life to empowering neighborhood girls, some of whom may be working through residual effects of the crack epidemic’s “lost generation.”

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Episode 5 | Coming November 21

Welcome To Margaritaville

Margarita Chavez has the best house on the block. At least, that’s how she describes it to all who come to visit her in Detroit Park. She wants all of her neighbors to feel that same pride in their home.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Episode 6 | Coming November 27

Stepping Up To The Dais

Mai Vang has always been a trailblazer. She is a first generation Hmong-American and the eldest of 16 children. As a young adult she started a non-profit to give political voice to her South Asian community. Now, she’s a school board member.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Bonus

Bonus Episode: Why Move To Meadowview

October 31, 2019

We’re excited to share the next episode with you — which we’re still producing. In the meantime, we’re going to share a few snippets of other stories we’ve gathered during the past year CapRadio has been in Meadowview.

Stories

Courtesy of Harriette Turia Davis

Dancers Remember Zombie Hut, South Sacramento’s Now-Shuttered Tiki Nightclub

October 16, 2019 | Steve Milne

Before closing in 1990, The Zombie Hut brought Polynesian-themed food and entertainment to South Sacramento. Now, some of the restaurant and nightclub's Polynesian dancers reminisce about their time there.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

The Meadowview You Never Knew

October 10, 2019 | Pauline Bartolone

After the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark, Sacramento’s attention focused on his neighborhood of Meadowview. But residents say their community is misunderstood — that it’s not a hotbed for crime, but a haven of cultural diversity and hope.

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About

How do people solve problems when the odds seem stacked against them?

Thousands of people in the south Sacramento neighborhood of Meadowview live this question every day. Meadowview may be where police shot and killed Stephon Clark last year. But it’s also home to little league fields bearing the names of beloved cops; a place where Sacramento’s newest immigrants get a promising start, and community members work tirelessly to improve prospects for the next generation. 

Join CapRadio’s The View From Here podcast as we follow the protagonists of this diverse suburb that’s moved beyond white flight. You’ll hear stories of people working to overcome the residue of the crack epidemic, teaching Polynesian dance to at-risk teenagers, fighting for public schools in turmoil and more.

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