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The Bay

Displacing People for 'Progress' — the Origins of BART

Back in the '60s, BART was just a plan in the making. And located through its path were communities of mostly lower-income people of color. But thanks to a legal tool known as eminent domain, many in that community were forced to sell their homes or face eviction.
Alan MontecilloMaria EsquincaAzul Dahlstrom-EckmanOlivia Allen-PriceKatrina Schwartz
A BART train above two streets intersecting
A BART train runs along the tracks at 59th Street and Martin Luther King Jr Way in Oakland on May 14, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Back in the ’60s, BART was just a plan in the making. And located through its path were communities of mostly low income people of color.  But thanks to a legal tool known as eminent domain, many in that community were forced to sell their homes or face eviction. 


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