Reggie Pettus
Proprietor
New Chicago Barber Shop

On Redevelopment in the Fillmore

When we first started down here, it was all vacant because Redevelopment had come through and this whole area was blighted. They tore down all the buildings and it was just all empty. After almost 15 to 20 years, they built the Fillmore Center, then Safeway came in. We had a big struggle down here for a long time but we survived due to the fact that we had good, faithful customers. A long time ago, it used to be years and years back, we used to call it the Fillmore. Now we call it the "No More."

On African Americans in the Fillmore

As far as African Americans in this particular neighborhood, it's a dead issue. As far as my last count, I would say from O'Farrell Street all the way to the Marina, we may have ten African American businesses. Years and years ago, this whole area was all African American. I figure maybe after a couple years it might be "Some More."So you go from the Fillmore, to "No More," to "Some More," hopefully.

On His Promissory Note

This was a certificate of preference for the people and businesses who moved back into the rebuilt area. We had first choice to come back. We waited in vain for 20 years! When we did decide to come back, we couldn't afford it. It's signed by Justin Herman, the executive director of Redevelopment at the time. I keep it as a memento, because right now, it really isn't any good.