2000

by PNN Staff

Why did the San Francisco Hilton and the Building Owners and Managers' Association (BOMA) contribute so generously to Earl Rynerson's Propostion E campaign?

Proposition E is an initiative that will be on the March 2000 ballot. It's main function is to cut public assistance checks by 85%. It mandates vouchers for housing and other services but does not ensure that these services exist. The proponents of this measure, themselves in the hotel business, have lied about the vacancy of hotel rooms in San Francisco. Everyone actually attempting to get shelter in San Francisco knows that there is a severe housing crisis, and in fact, no available single room occupancy hotel rooms.
The backers of this initiative; The Hilton Hotel, ( $1, 900.00), the Business Owners Management Association ( $2,500.00 ), The Marriot Hotel ( $1,500.00) and many more, seem to have a conflict of interest in regards to the hotel vacancy rate. They falsely claim there are 3,400 vacant rooms in San Francisco. What would they have to gain by disinforming the public about the real vacancy rate in San Francisco? What do they really have to gain by creating an inititatve that would empty all the downtown SRO's. Perhaps more hotels that they could buy? Perhaps more opportunities to gentrify the Tenderloin, making these once affordable neighborhoods permanently unaffordable to low income San Franciscans. This is the first in an ongoing series on Propostion E.

by Kaponda

But for the texture of their skin, Theresa and her Barbie were created in the same image of innocence. Before her velvety baby shoes touch the delicate carpet, the toddler and Barbie will have developed the kind of relationship that is reserved only for the most classical literature of romance. Like the rays of sunlight that seep through her candy-striped drapes onto the pink walls of protection, the tender solicitude of the toddler will warm the Barbie doll of her nursling until she and it are separated by natural forces. The toddler will pass through this state of candescene and will carry with her the sweet memories of an idyllic affair with a doll name Barbie.

Theresa Cruz is one of the millions of women, worldwide, who have been riding on that merry-go-round of fantasy. And like Theresa, the desires of so many other women have been to infuse their youthful passion of virtue into the hearts and minds of the babies to whom they have given birth.

"But the mother's yearning," according to a quote from George Elliot, "that completest type of the life in another life which is the essence of real human love, feels the presence of the cherished child even in the debased, degraded man."

The pink walls of protection of Theresa and other women like her will crumble under the pressure of their emotional separations; and, in particular, the separation between Theresa and her partner will ravage every part of her life, the lives of her four lovely children, the members of her family's lives, and the life of the partner from whom she attempted to separate. Theresa had become a victim of domestic abuse by her partner for over five years. The images of her youthful innocence had become numb to her and she had fallen into the grasp of the slayer of hope. In 1985, Theresa Cruz separated from her partner, patched up what remained of her loving heart, gathered her four sucklings and entered the ranks of single parenting.

It was the kind of fear whispered only in the darkness of secret caverns. After her separation, Theresa was stalked, beaten, threatened with a gun, cut with a knife and violated on every psychological, physical, financial and emotional front. She endured the kinds of major stressors discovered in a study published in the March 2000, edition of the Journal of Family Psychology. It states, in part, "Major stressors diminish parenting by resulting in more controlling, abusive and primitive behaviors, and less nurturing, spontaneous and parenting behaviors." Furthermore, according to the study, women such as Theresa lose their ability to "cope and balance the demands of their home and parenting."

She was driven to the kind of mood-altering, mind-boggling medication that has caused many people in the past to use the sought of judgment which results in bad choices. During her period of medicating, Theresa became addicted to the sedative prescription drug Xanax, as her condition and world cascaded into a state of desperation. She decided to share her problems with a confidant. The decision to confide in someone else would be a decision that would change the course her life forever.

His rage from hearing how, not only his friend, but any woman could be subjected to the type of torturous treatment could not be contained. He knew what to do, and he knew how it should be done. The demon in Theresa's life would soon be cast out by her friend. He would bring down the man who had abused her for so long by shooting him in his legs.

Four days later, Theresa Cruz was arrested and accused of assault and then conspiracy to commit murder. Theresa Cruz had become one of over 146,000 women who are in America's prisons and jails, seventy-five percent of which are mothers and, of that seventy-five percent, two-thirds have children under the age of 18. The Campaign 2000 JusticeWorks Committee estimates that approximately 250,000 children are currently separated from their mothers in prison. Furthermore, the phenomenon of mothers in prison is not unique to America. There are also 100,000 mothers is prisons throughout Europe countries, as well. In addition, the Social Health and Family Affairs Committee on Mothers and Babies in Prison revealed in a June 9, 2000, report, that the 100,000 mothers in Europe's prisons have over 10,000 babies from whom they are separated.

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It has been 10 years since Theresa Cruz was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. She is currently serving a life sentence. Experts who have covered her trial believe that her case points up the discrimination in the criminal justice system and how laws affecting cases involving domestic violence are either inadequate or underutilized.

Domestic violence is defined as the actual or threatened physical, sexual, psychological or economic abuse of an individual by someone with whom they have or had an intimate relationship, according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. In 1992, seven percent of American women (3.9 million) who were married or living with someone as a couple were physically abused; 37 percent (20.7 million) were verbally or emotionally abused by their partner or spouse. Each year women experience more than one-half million violent victimizations committed by an intimate.

Diana Block, an expert on domestic violence and an attorney with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, has been following the case of Theresa Cruz and women like her for years and noted to me that domestic violence laws do not adequately serve women who go before either the courts or the parole board in the state of California. I discussed Theresa's case with Diana.

"Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, D-L.A., introduced, successfully, AB 231," according to Diana, "a bill that directs the parole board to take into account a history of domestic violence when considering prisoners for parole. In the wake of this bill, along with Theresa's very good behavior before, during and after the crime, her past and present attitude, she should have easily been eligible for parole. However, the parole board in May of 1996 did not take into account the new law and denied parole to Theresa Cruz."

Furthermore, according to Diana, "The battered mother of five years and woman prisoner who has served 10 years of a life sentence had her conviction overturned by a federal appeals judge on the grounds that the original attorney in her case was grossly incompetent. However, after Theresa won her freedom through the appeals process, she was remanded back to prison after the state of California lodged a successful appeal.

On Tuesday, September 12, 2000, the California Coalition for Women Prisoners coordinated a rally and speak out at the Board of Prison Terms in Sacramento to draw attention to cases like Theresa's. Diana Block stated that there is a "de facto" parole policy in place in California and that Governor Gray Davis has gone on record as saying he would not agree to parole anyone convicted of any type of murder charge."

I asked Denise Schmitt, Public Information Officer for the California Parole Board, if there is, in fact, an existing policy of the parole board to deny parole to prisoners with murder-related crimes? According to Denise, notwithstanding Governor Davis' statement, "There never was such a policy." I then asked her why had the Parole Board disregarded AB 231 in May of 1996 when it considered the case of Theresa Cruz? The spokeswoman for the entire state of California's policies on liberty stated that she was "not familiar with AB 231."

The circuitous path of Theresa Cruz continues to be shaped by the expedience of political savvy. She and the millions of women who have been violated by both our criminal justice system and their domestic partners will probably always, as was expressed by Blanche DuBuois in Tennessee Williams', A Streetcar Named Desire, depend on the "kindness of strangers" for their daily survival.

During the week of September 25, 2000, Governor Davis reversed his de facto no-parole policy by following the recommendation of the Board of Prison Terms to parole a woman, Rose Anne Park, who had been incarcerated for over 15 years for a domestic-violence related murder case. I asked Diana Block what impact would this decision by Governor Davis have on cases which come before the Board of Prison Terms in the future?

"If I were an optimist, I would say it is a positive step forward and good a precedence. However, it is very unclear whether Governor Davis is using it as a token case, in order to take away the flood of criticism which assailed his no- paroled policy. Since he has agreed to this one release, which is very positive, we as advocates of women prisoners want to make sure that it is not a way of diverting legitimate anger."

"However," Diana continued, "virtually the same time as Park was given parole Theresa Cruz was denied parole. This implies that Governor Davis and the Board of Prison Terms are not changing their overall policy regarding prison terms. The Boar;d of Prison Terms' decision concerning Theresa was that she would have wait another year until her next parole hearing."

Cassie Pierson, Coalition for Battered Women in Prison, stated that the decision by Governor Davis did not address the issue of clemency, which is part of the duties of the Board when it meets. Cassie indicated that in the wake of the recent decision to let the Board of Prison Terms' decision to parole Rose Anne Park stand, that the Coalition for Battered Women in Prison will re-visit the files of many of its clients.

California Coalition of Women's Prisoner's (CCWP) raises public consciousness about the cruel and inhumane conditions under which women in prison live and advocates for positive changes. We promote the leadership of and give voice to women prisoners, former prisoners, and their families and publish a quarterlynewsletter The Fire Inside. For more information contact CCWP, 100 McAllister St., SF, CA 94102, 415-255-7036 ext. 4.

by PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITIONISTS

PHILADELPHIA (October 20, 2000) -- Today in Philadelphia, a jury came back with a not guilty verdict in the retrial of William Nieves, first arrested for a murder in 1992. Nieves will be 35 on October 31, 2000. Nieves, who has spent the past eight years on death row, except for the period of his retrial when he was held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on State Road, is a free man. The jury deliberated for about a day.

Nieves was granted a new trial in 1997 by the trial court in post-verdict motions, when his attorney, Jack McMahon, argued that Nieves' trial attorney had improperly advised him not to testify, against his wishes. The re-trial was delayed for over two years while Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Roger King appealed the trial court's decision and struggled to preserve the conviction and death sentence.

Nieves has steadfastly maintained his innocence. At the retrial McMahon again represented Nieves, and it became clear that the prosecution suppressed evidence in the initial trial.

Among the evidence was the testimony of eyewitnesses --including an informant the prosecutors themselves sought out-who identified the shooter as a physically large African-American male; Nieves is a Latino of medium size. Zealous advocacy and judicious evidentiary rulings from Judge Mazzola, who was assigned the retrial, resulted in Nieves obtaining discovery the Commonwealth had previously withheld. Despite overwhelming evidence that they had the wrong man, the prosecution persisted, withholding evidence until the last possible moment.

At one point prosecutors attempted to introduce traffic tickets from three years prior to the offense that purportedly placed someone named Nieves -- with a different date of birth -- in a vehicle similar to the one at the shooting. Judge Mazzola denied the prosecutor's attempts to introduce the traffic tickets on the grounds that they would not prove anything, but declined to comment on the fact that the prosecution had evidently held onto the tickets since 1992. McMahon, however, noted in argument that it was strange that the tickets had suddenly appeared, after eight years, halfway through the retrial.

Nieves took an active part in his own defense. He is well liked by other inmates on death row and has been helping out in the CFCF law library for the past few months.

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PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITIONISTS

United Against the Death Penalty

P.O. Box 58128, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: 215-724-6120 Fax: 215-729-6189

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by PNN Staff

The United Nations Plaza Homeless Project is comprised of dedicated homeless folk who are attempting to make change for themselves and other low income people who have been dealing with poverty and homelessness for several years without much help from the San Francisco city government, a city government who usually resorts to criminalizing homeless citizens rather than helping them. Check in for future development of this ambitious project.

Contact Manuel Morales at (415) 608-8406 pager ( 415) 208-8406.

by Liana Fabiani

It was one of those unusually hot days in San Francisco. It's rush hour and in addition, parking is absolutely terrible -(seems to be the universal gripe all around the city)-- but miraculously I get a spot right in front of the Community Center where a meeting of the Japan Town Task Force is set to start soon as I see people young and old stroll into the building. I sign my name on the sign up sheet and as I put the pen down I am given a HELLO MY NAME IS tag with a smile by a welcoming handsome middle aged Asian American man.

As I pass through the open auditorium-like doors and observe that the room has almost met it's maximum occupancy and most of the crowd consists of middle aged and senior citizens with the exception of a few of my zealous college peers. The environment is calm and comfortable as people take their seats and fix their eyes on the MC of the evening, a woman who represents the community organized and operated Japantown planning, preservation and development task force. She begins to speak informing us of the sessions introduction. Plans are then explained to us through a series of slides while representatives, hired by the JT taskforce, from BMS Design Group and Poret consulting narrate.

Through my observations during the meeting and interviews after the meeting I gathered that --The JT Taskforce, formed by a community of concerned and affected volunteers, has succeeded in launching their own idea of their communities redevelopment plan. The city has had plans to redevelop Japantown since the 1950's and the current redevelopment "leases" (I am not sure what they actually are) are close to their end. Japantown, very conscious and well organized, has rightfully stepped into the redevelopment process of their community. With the support from the mayors office and funding from SF's own redevelopment agency, the Taskforce has done their research and through their ideas and efforts of designing their own redevelopment plan, consulting support has been sought and contributed from Asian Neighborhood design, Chinatown community development center, BMS Design Group and Poret Consulting. They are now in phase 2 of their plan and funding for phase 3 is already in the works. Mrs. Mori, one of the tasks force coordinators informed me that while it was hard to find people of color in the consulting and design industry she feels like the companies that they have chosen to help design the taskforces' redevelopment plan are sensitive and understanding towards the issues of the community in Japantown. Can Japantown's answer to redevelopment work for other districts and communities in the Bay Area?

For more information contact:Japantown planning, preservation and development task force 415-346-1239
fax# 415-346-6703
email:jtowntaskforce@juno.com

by Twila Decker

INSIDE the city's Central Library in the heart of downtown, the homeless have become art.

Captured in mostly black and white by 13 photographers, including Tipper Gore, their haggard, downcast faces are symbols of urban sadness.

Browsers meander slowly through the popular exhibit in the library's Getty Gallery. Its title: "The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America." The exhibit's final day is today.

OUTSIDE, on the library's sidewalk, is the real thing -- more than 30 homeless people in soiled and reeking clothes who have been living in cardboard boxes here for the last two weeks.

On their way to lunch at Cafe Pinot or meetings, passersby dressed in pressed suits and heeled shoes step quickly around them to avoid their gaze.

"The real homelessness is outside the gallery. Right here in the streets," said Ted Hayes, an advocate for the homeless who sits next to his box and an American flag. "But it pains people, so they would rather not see it."

Hayes led the homeless people from skid row, where they usually live, to the 5th Street side of the library, in the heart of downtown's high-rise district, to protest the city's handling of those who live on the streets.

Hayes wants the city to call an emergency meeting to discuss homelessness. He wants the city to donate land and build facilities so the homeless have a dignified place to sleep.

Rather than coming up with real solutions, he says, the city corrals the homeless like animals on its outskirts, out of public view, in skid row, east of downtown.

"They have zero tolerance [for homelessness] in Bunker Hill, but down there in skid row, they overlook it," he said. "If it's illegal in one place it should be illegal every place."

So far, Hayes' protest has been largely ignored by officials. No emergency meeting has been set.

Police, who are on a first-name basis with Hayes from his many years of protesting, have given him only a couple of warnings.

Los Angeles library officials have not complained to police. They say they are sympathetic to the homeless.

"We have been in touch with Ted, and we're working with him," said Peter Persic, a library spokesman. "It has been a very positive experience."

Police Capt. Stuart Maislin said his department hasn't received enough complaints to warrant moving the encampment. Hayes also has promised that the library encampment is temporary.

"While some people may view it as an eyesore, it is not disrupting any business or any other activity in that area," Maislin said of the encampment.

It is illegal to camp on city streets or block sidewalks, but police are reluctant to throw people in jail for it.

Maislin said his department generally handles the problem by responding to complaints. If a business complains, the encampments are taken down. He said he would be thrilled if Hayes found a place for the homeless.

"I would love to be out of it forever," Maislin said regarding dealing with the homeless. He said he would be happy if they would "find enough shelter and convince hard-core shelter-resistant people to use it."

For years, Los Angeles officials have mostly looked the other way as the homeless congregated on skid row, building a ragged community with cardboard boxes and broken lives.

The streets, primarily around Industrial Way, are covered with foam cups, cardboard condos and people whose faces show more sadness than anything that could be captured on a gallery wall.

The location of skid row is constantly moving--pushed farther and farther away from the center of downtown.

But even some of the homeless say they are afraid to sleep there. Ernie Bell, 50, and his longtime companion, Yolanda Turner, 41, who spent the past couple of nights beside the library, are among those.

The couple came to Los Angeles a few weeks ago from Oakland, hoping for a new start. They were going to look up some friends and find a job. They couldn't find their friends or a job.

After spending all of their money, $319, on a motel for two weeks, they ended up in a box on Industrial Way.

Then they met Hayes and moved to the library to help his cause, and to get away from skid row.

"We stayed on skid row, but it's not suitable," Bell said.

"It's a pit," yelled Turner, rising out of her cardboard box. "I never saw so many terrible people in all my life. I slept with one eye open."

Bell and Turner say they hope Hayes succeeds, although they don't plan to be homeless for long. They want to find a way out, or at least a way back to Oakland.

Donna Bates, who likes to call herself "the downtown hostess," and her 11-year-old twin daughters, are also among those sleeping at the library. Bates said she and her daughters have been homeless for about five years.

She takes Trish and Michelle to school each morning, and then she spends the day begging for spare change. She often makes enough to pay the $20 she needs for a night for a motel room.

Bates, who grew up in Arizona, has her reasons for being here. She left behind a job as a card dealer at a casino and bad memories, including the deaths of her parents.

Bates says she realizes she could probably get welfare to support her daughters, but she doesn't have their birth certificates. She said she can't spare the money and the time it would take to get them.

When they sleep on the street she keeps a candle in her box for those times when they are frightened.

"This is real life out here," Bates said. "It's not a pretty picture."

by KaPonda

Hall Street was paved with the slippery vapors that had escaped the howling waters of the Chicago lakes. Its chill trapped every moist particle on my face, outlining my eyebrows and mustache with frozen ice. The 17-below-zero-degree temperature pierced the remainder of my huddled body. I had become the lakes of Chicago, and the lakes of Chicago had become me.

A stroke of warmth invaded my body as my feet plodded through the door of the small coffee shop. The coffee shop provided me the essential refuge necessary for the quality of life predicated of humanity. But no one inside sympathized with my condition, nor had anyone extended to me that unique bond between people during times of struggle. My senses were speared when the man inside the coffee shop demanded to know why I shivered in the corner of his shop. He was insensitive to the droplets of water cascading from my face. I was driven out from the cold attitude of the people of the coffee shop back into the cold streets of Chicago to compete against the forces of the lakes.

Did the man inside the coffee shop commit a quality of life infraction against me by denying me protection from near danger? I do not know. This is a question I should have asked Mark Slavin, press secretary for San Francisco City Attorney, Louise Renee, during an interview on Wednesday, January 26, 2000, concerning the funding and prosecution of quality of life infractions by the City AttorneyÌs office.

The budget of the City Attorney's office was increased by $250,000 to prosecute people caught sleeping in public, sitting on sidewalks, pissing in alley ways, and any other vital necessities of nature. The $250,000 is primarily for attorneys' salaries. A great percentage of those who are found guilty of these violations will be people who have been priced out of the housing market and forced to stay in shelters or on the streets, people with chronic drug additions, and people who suffer from some kind of mental disorder.

My editor, Lisa Gray-Garcia, and I had little difficulty locating the office of the City Attorney, as we stepped out of the elevator into the third floor hallway of the recently renovated City Hall building. We followed the placard which designated her office. Ms. Renee was not available, according to Mr. Slavin, He agreed to an interview on behalf of the City AttorneyÌs office.

"The 'Quality of Life' program is an opportunity for The City to bring people into the social service system," stated Mark Slavin as he informed us on how the District Attorney wrote a letter of authorization, deputizing the City Attorney to prosecute quality of life infractions.

I asked Mr. Slavin why there were no provisions to have money appropriated for defense counselors to represent people guilty of quality of life infractions? Mr. SlavinÌs response was that "The purpose of this policy is to direct people into the social service system." I had a hard time conceptualizing how these people would be adjudicated by a prosecutorial arm of the judiciary which states that its aim is to transition people into the social service system, since one agency is designed to bring legal action against for redress or punishment of a crime or violation of law, while the other agency focuses on providing assistance to disadvantaged groups.

"The City Attorney's office has experienced and long-standing attorneys," was Mr. SlavinÌs response to my inquiry concerning the extent of the training of the two attorneys, Nials Vignoles and Eileen Dicks, recruited from within the office of the City Attorney to prosecute quality of life infractions

In order for quality of life violators to experience an equitable judicial process, it is important that anyone who undertakes the prosecution of homeless people know that many homeless people who suffer mental illnesses are unable to access treatment. The prosecutor should also know that without permanent affordable housing, homeless people cannot successfully manage life-threatening health conditions, according to Mitchell Katz, Department of Human Services, citing findings from a recent study on homelessness.

One of the two alternatives given to violators of quality of life is pre-trial diversion. I asked Mr. Slavin to discuss the City AttorneyÌs expectations concerning diversion and how it will be funded? His answered sounded familiar as he stated, "The hope is that they will wind up in the social service system one way or another so that their situation can be turned around, and we can get people off the streets. He states that he believes approximately $16,000.00 will be earmarked for the pre-trial diversion program.

There were questions put forth which Mr. Slavin could not address. I asked him why are there no provisions for a defense counselor to represent violators of quality of life infractions? And how much research has been put into acquiring a building for homeless individuals as opposed to this program? Mr. Slavin stated that these questions were political in nature and would better be addressed by policymakers such as Supervisor Amos Brown.

As the interview came to an end, Mr. Slavin informed me that the legality of the quality of life program was being challenged by The Coalition on Homelessness, and that any further prosecution thereof was ordered to cease by the court, pending a decision, until February 18, 2000. The Coalition on Homelessness, according to Mr. Slavin, has lodged a lawsuit stating that the District Attorney's office had not properly delegated to the City Attorney the authority to prosecute quality of life tickets.

I found protection from the frigid elements which threatened me off the lakes of Chicago. It was only a matter of walking to the next building where compassion had not escaped the souls of the people inside. But the policymakers responsible for the quality of life program in San Francisco, like an iceberg, choose not to see the droplets of tears of humanity falling from the eyes of homeless people. As did the coffee shop owner, so, too, the policymakers of the quality of life program choose to force us outside of the realms of quality of life to be smitten by hostile elements.

The Coalition on Homelessness has stepped up its campaign against the City AttorneyÌs office's prosecution of so-called quality of life tickets by scheduling events on Wednesday, February 9, 2000, at 10:00 a.m., located at City Hall, Room 263, and Thursday, February 10, 2000, at 12:00 noon, located on the steps of City Hall on Polk Street.

The action on Wednesday, February 9th will feature public testimony to Board of Supervisors in addition to the presentation of 'Quality of Government' citations.

On Thursday, February 10, there will be a rally in opposition to the prosecution of quality of life tickets on the steps of City Hall, on the Polk Street entrance.

by Leo Stegman

In a case that will have a lasting and long term affect on public housing residents throughout the Western section of America, the United Sstates Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to reconsider its previous ruling upholding the drug activity provision of the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA). The first to be affected by its decision to uphold this provision will be elderly tenants. They are currently fighting the eviction process which is based on a family member and/or a guest being accused of unlawful drug activity. The defendants further states that they had not known about the activities of the family member alleged by OHA.

In September of 1999, United States District Court Judge Charles Breyer issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting OHA from evicting tenants from public housing for the drug activity of their guests or member of the household, even if the tenants had no knowledge of the drug activity that allegedly took place. However, OHA appealed the District Court's ruling. In February of 2000, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 2-to-1 margin, reversed the lower court’s decision and upheld OHA's termination of tenancy of the four defendants. With a seldom used "en banc" procedure, a majority of the 24 judges of the Ninth Circuit voted to withdraw the previous decision of the Court, which upheld OHA's "one strike" eviction policies. The case of Rucker v. Davis will now be heard by an eleven judge "en banc" panel.

The "one strike" eviction law arise from a 1996 election-year promise by President Bill Clinton to make public housing safer for its residents. He ordered Secretary Henry Cisneros to implement a policy of guidelines, procedures, rules and regulations to make it easier to evict public housing residents accused of criminal activity. That was referred to as "one strike.”

The Clinton Administration went a step further. Working with the Republican controlled United States Congress, the self proclaimed "new Democrat,” Bill Clinton signed legislation into law that gave the public housing agencies the statutory authority to evict public housing residents that they determined to be involved in criminal- or drug-related activity.

The March 1998 amendment to the existing Federal Statutes, United States Code Services, Title 42 Section 1437(d), establishes "good cause" for terminating a resident of public housing tenancy. The statute states:

Any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants or any drug related activity on or off the premises, engaged by a public housing tenant, any member of tenant's household, guest of other person under tenant's control, shall be cause for termination of tenancy

This law is at the foundation of the Federal " one strike" drug activity provision. it punishes innocent public housing residents for the alleged drug activity of their family members, guests or other persons considered under their control. Not one of the four residents in the case ofRucker has knowledge of the purported drug activity that took place. In the case of Pearlie Rucker, she was given a notice of termination of tenancy after her mentally disabled daughter was arrested for possession of cocaine three blocks away from her home. Willie Lee and Barbara Hill were given eviction notices after their grandsons, who live with them, were arrested for smoking in the housing project's parking lot. In the case of the fourth tenant, of Herman Walker , who is disabled, was ordered to be evicted after his caregiver came into his home with drugs and drug paraphernlia.

Public housing officials, judges, attorneys, tenants rights advocates, and public housing residents are all eagerly awaiting the decision of this case. It will establish the type of rights public housing residents have throughout the Western United States under the drug activity provision of the "one strike" eviction laws.

Many view the "one strike" law as being draconian, cold-hearted and evil. Others view the "one strike eviction" law and policies as an attack on poor folks in a bid to gentrify public housing projects. The Department of Housing was established on November 9, 1965, under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson. The objective was to provide affordable housing to all Americans . Many of HUD's programs provide low-interest loans to low-income, middle- and first-time home buyers. Other programs are suppose to assist low-income families and individuals in their housing needs.

Some feel that the Clinton Administration's "one strike" eviction policy is just the tool to redirect the resources of HUD to families making salaries closer to the median income levels. In San Francisco and the Bay Area, like most of the country, both rents and the prices of houses are spiraling out of control and out of the reach of even dual-income households. The purchase of a new home is out of the range of most families.

According to the Association of Bay Area Governments report, the median household income for both Alameda and San Francisco counties is approximately $67,000.The median purchase price for a house in Alameda County in July of 2000 was $340,000, according to Data Quick Information System . The median purchase price for a house in San Francisco County for July of 2000 was $470,000.

In a politically unstable economy, working class households in the Bay Area are having a harder time finding decent and affordable housing. The Clinton administration devised a federal plan to relocate the federal dollars to provided affordable and decent housing from the nations low-income households to moderate-income household which is tantamount to "Federally sponsored gentrification" of Federal public housing.

HUD's gentrification plan manifests itself in two policies: the Hope IV Rehabilitation Project and the"One Strike" Eviction statutes. The Hope IV Project is a Federally funded program which remodels, rebuilds and rehabilitates existing Federal public housing. During most of the project, the current tenants are relocated from their existing homes, without receiving an offer to move back into their old apartment. Remodeled and rehabilitated public government subsidized housing takes on a different character than the old housing. It has more middle class families.

The "one strike" eviction law allows the Federal Government to move out long term tenants, usually low income families, and replace them with moderate income families. Thus,the Federal Government is doing the same thing that gentrification does in urban areas. They are taking so-called distressed neighborhoods- in this case public housing projects- and are moving out the low-income families, remodeling them and replacing them with moderate income families.

A favorable ruling for the tenants in Rucker v. Davis will take away one tool from the Federal gentrification process, and help preserve affordable housing for low income tenants who are hurt the most in this nation wide housing crunch.

by Dan Luzadder

The Lowry Redevelopment Authority settled a lawsuit Tuesday with Catholic Charities and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless over housing for homeless families.

The agreement will guarantee housing for 70 formerly homeless families at two apartment complexes, while preserving efforts by developers to make existing housing compatible with new construction.

Monty Force, deputy director of the Redevelopment Authority, said the agreement also clears the way for housing construction projects held up by the lawsuit since last October to move forward.

"We're very pleased with the outcome," Force said. "We've been negotiating this for three years."

Catholic Charities and the homeless coalition sued in Denver District Court last year, alleging that the Redevelopment Authority was refusing to comply with requirements for housing for the homeless at the former military base.

A federal law requires that a portion of existing military housing at bases being closed around the country be used to house the homeless.

Force said disagreements arose over preserving low-cost housing at the base during the development of higher priced housing.

The agreement will allow the Coalition and Catholic Charities to place 30 transitional families in an existing housing unit on the former base, where 92 apartment units are now.

The other units at the Blue Spruce complex will be used for affordable housing, and for market rate housing, Force said.

A second facility, yet to be built, will provide 120 apartments, of which 40 units will be reserved, for transitional or formerly homeless families. The Colorado Homeless will hold title to both facilities.

Under the terms of the agreement, Catholic Charities and the homeless coalition can sell their interests in two other existing housing facilities to Lowry for $3.7 million. The two organizations will split that money, Charities officials said.

James Mauck, president of Catholic Charities, said they also were satisfied with the agreement.

"It was important to Catholic Charities to support and advocate for homeless families to have decent and safe housing," Mauck said. "A dispute over rights is always difficult."

by KaPonda

I am the mysterious product of a love supreme, nestled snugly within the creative bowels of femininity. My progressive footprints rest in the womb of humanity, as rhythmical contractions, driven by pants of excitement, prepare me for an uncertain future. A future, in an ideal life, that would open its gates as I am thrust forth from within. But I am wary also, because the grim reaper of prenatal existence, Barbara Harris, has waged a vicious war against impoverished mothers, denying them of their vested privilege of motherhood, and declaring me persona non grata.

Barbara Harris of Anaheim, conceived her campaign against poor, pregnant women in 1977, after having experienced problems with adoption. Traces of crack cocaine were discovered in the systems of her adopted children. She subsequently formed an organization, Children Requiring A Caring Kommunity (C.R.A.C.K.), based on the theory that the sterilization of poor women who use drugs would prevent birth defects in newborn babies. Ms. Harris launched an aggressive ideology, dubbed Project Prevention, which she proposed to offer poor women who use drugs approximately $200.00 to undergo any of a number of birth control procedures.

According to Ms. Harris, Project Prevent would eliminate excessive amounts of annual pregnancies among women who use drugs. She states, also, that her organization would prevent the numerous abortions and abandoned children. Furthermore, Ms. Harris states that Project Prevent would ease the burden of the foster care system. And, of course, her plan would create a decrease in drug-saturated births.

Barbara Harris has mobilized nationwide support for her campaign by making use of popular prejudices. Her destructive propaganda has incited hatred toward poor women in America at an economically critical period for women, as Congress has mandated states to transition them from welfare to employment.

The perfect child has neither been conceived nor born. Therefore, it is mean-spirited and insensitive of Ms. Harris to declare war on infants of a certain group of women because she discovered traces of cocaine in her children's systems. Researchers at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have stated in the book Your Child, "The unborn child has the capacity to sense the harm in utero, and that the workings of any baby's mind are, and will remain, inscrutable." It follows that the development of a child is much the same from one child to the next. But the way the child makes his way in life varies according to his education, environment and support structure.

According to a recent survey, nine out of 10 women are loyal and remain closely attached to their partners, as opposed to one out of 10 men who demonstrate that same faithful commitment. This statistic suggest a strong probability that many of the women who forfeit their reproductive virtues for Ms. Harris' quick cash will not only regret it themselves, but its impact will affect their partners to whom they choose to remain loyal.

There have been solutions already provided to address the concerns that Ms. Harris have raised. As Hillary Rodham Clinton noted during her visit to Kampala, Uganda on March 28, 1977, "Women constitute 70 percent of the world's poor. Based on research and first-hand personal observation by many people involved in government and politicsäaround the world, the single most important investment any nation can make...is the education of girls and women."

Organizations such as the Women's Economic Agenda Project (WEAP), Planned Parenthood, and even the Catholic Church have recommended investing dollars into programs that offer healthcare and drug prevention education to economically disadvantaged women. A recent finding by researchers has shown that every dollar spent on the front end of education and drug programs saves seven dollars on the other end. According to the chartbook, Health, United States, 1998, "A healthy pregnancy is directly associated with a women's healthcare education level."

To deny this is absurd. Ms. Harris should consider redirecting her economic focus by offering those same women a $200.00 cash incentive to attend some type of rigorous, intensive workshop over a two-week period. The overwhelming evidence proves that this approach would cause a drastic reduction in annual pregnancies and child abandonment. This is, undoubtedly, a humane and moral solution which would not only eliminate any hint of divisiveness, but also afford a greater number of chronically poor women an opportunity for a structured healthcare and drug treatment education. Thus, future research would show a decrease in infant mortality, an increase in contraceptive use (if needed), and healthier babies being born to healthier women.

Ms. Harris asserts that offering cash to women who use crack cocaine would cause a decrease in drug-saturated births. There is no evidence which suggest that defective births are the exclusive result of cocaine use, alone. According to Doctor Dean Edell, we should not use tests based on drugs a determinant for any social, political, economical, ethical or spiritual decisions because it is not a perfected science. Research has discovered that drug testing varies according to an individual's race. Drugs enter the pigment of ethnic groups, differently. As the cells grow, the drugs are deposited into the pigment. Traces of cocaine may appear in a black person using cocaine, but not in a white person. So, traces of cocaine may appear, let's say, in four black infants adopted at birth by a women from Anaheim, but may not be found in white children who may have been exposed to the same amount.

Birth defects have many causes, some of which have as yet been discovered. If both parents carry the defective sickle-cell gene, the baby would probably inherit the Sickle-Cell Anemia disease. Structural heart defects is the most common type of birth defect, which costs an average of $250,000 to treat. Chromosome abnormalities (including Down Syndrome) occurs with regular frequency, which requires an average of $451,000 to treat. Neural Tube Defects, including Spinal Bifida and Anencephaly, is also a birth defect which needs close scrutiny, which costs $294,000 to treat. In addition, there are many others that need careful scrutiny. Neither Ms. Harris, nor anyone else should arbitrarily single out any one group of women for what amounts to a breach human rights.

The breach had occurred. The cascade of water alerted me that the hour had arrived that would bequeath upon me the mantle of life, and usher me through the portal of reality. It is an event in which everyone involved will remember. Its success will determine who I am and what I can become.....

by Joseph Bolden, staff writer,

2000 is as important a year as 2001. In November of 2000 its time to get out the vote. I didn’t see the MTV Awards on Thursday and I’m hear-ing the usual adult (Oh Damn, I’m One) blab on its coverage, inart-iculate guests, too much T ‘n A on stage. Give Me A Break, MTV was and is made to shock people and its done its job again splendidly remember it was cre-ated expressly for shocking grown folks and is a creative outlet for a younger generation - to angry, shocked, adults single or with children Get Over It as for Rap/Hip Hop Its Here and Won’t Go Away.

Deal With Reality. Rap and Hip Hop is INTERNATIONAL, GLOBAL, PROBABLY INTERGALACTIC SPEEDING THROUGH SPACE.

If you can’t stand the message or music don’t listen. Rap been disre-spected, ‘dissed, banned, and people have been arrested for selling it, the powers that be tried to overide market forces, that didn’t work either so now what? If rap still pisses people off because of messages they don’t want to hear then it too still does its job as informing, warning inner city folk and those that care enough to listen that we’re all are being are getting fucked over! If my phrasing is raw this is as bad as it gets - darn it.

MTV folks, your turn to voice your opinion, views, likes, dislikes, out-right hate too. Many adults believe you won’t go to the poll, do your civic duty. “Actually they don’t want you to vote so prove ‘em wrong show ‘em your generation and ones coming behind you that your ‘gen knows the game.”

We will leap forward or stumble backward. Me, I want more political parties like Life Extension Party, Immortalist Party, or L5-Spacer’s Party.
The L5 or Lagrange Point between earth and the moon and spacer is for people who are willing to go into space to live on asteroids, planitoids, or H.O.M.E.’s (High Orbital Mini Earths) yet another future political party.
How about independant asteroid mining for fun and profit.

Had a good laugh, well this could be our future if a couple of guys get elected and there are seats open for the Supreme Court.
Call all Grrrrls, Girls, Women, and Wimmin think of your choices. Doc-tor’s being maimed, killed because of the abortion debate, embryo, or stem cell research and medical benefits of cloning. (grow brainstem, nervous system separate from bodies) then you have parts that cannot be rejected and not another human being and no creepy moral dilema.

Think of homosexuals being beaten up, killed for sexual orientation alone. There is no Gay/Lesbian/Transexual/agenda, the only agenda is to stop killing for being slighly different from so called “normal heterosexual lifestyles. The Eternal made all of us without errors, the only Biological Errors are in Peoplekind none of us are perfect, genetically speaking hu-manity are full of flaws.

In Coeur D’Alene, Idaho a American Mother and child attacked and beaten in 1998 by Aryan Nations guards outside the white supremacist group’s North Idaho headquaters is awarded $6.3 million thusday. Richard Butler says “You can’t stop us, This is nothing.”
“We have planted seeds.” Butler’s chief of staff, Michael Teague said “This does not stop the message.” (Mr. B. the message is dying, its been heard too many times its old, ugly, filthy, untrue and twisted most people know you are wrong - GET OVER IT., IS THAT REASON ENOUGH TO VOTE!!

BYE.

by Laura Clinton, Dee Gray, Chris Barrett and The Courtwatch staff

CourtWatch is an advocacy group for parents
who feel that they have been unjustly treated by Child Protective Services
(C.P.S.) and the Juvenile Dependency Court (J.D.C.). In addition to
advocating for these parents, we would also like to assist you in providing
more comprehensive services to your clients.

CourtWatch is designed to assist parents who are entangled with
C.P.S. and J.D.C. and feel as though they have been mistreated, regardless
of whether or not they wish to regain custody of their children. We are
committed to the belief that ALL people deserve to be treated fairly and
justly by governmental agencies and the legal system, without the use of
intimidation, threats, and/or being kept uninformed of their rights.

This group will serve to supplement the legal services provided by
your agency by further assisting individuals with documenting their
experiences and writing letters to the governmental agencies that they feel
are accountable for their mistreatment. We would work to combine advocacy
with support by accompanying individuals to court, and providing them with
a space to share their experiences with others.

We are also committed to making accountable C.P.S., the City
Attorney's Office, and all agencies that deal with parents. For instance,
this would include addressing the misuse of the term "social worker" when
it is applied to unlicensed child welfare workers in court proceedings/ court documents. It would also include a critical analysis of
the impact of false psychiatric diagnoses by unlicensed child welfare
workers as well as biased psychiatric evaluations as evidence for removing
children from their parent's custody and preventing reunification. In
addition, we want to see a thorough investigation of the statements and
motivations of those that report child abuse and enforcement of criminal
penalties of false statements.

We have synthesized the experiences of many parents who have
themselves been mistreated by C.P.S. and other governmental agencies, and
have drawn on their techniques in resisting their injustice (i.e.
documenting their experiences through letter writing, phone calls, writing
articles, etc.) as well as the advocacy experience of the staff at POOR
Magazine.

We hope that you will inform your clients about our services, and
that we can work together to provide the best services possible to clients
in need. Like you, we believe that everyone is entitled to fair, equitable
treatment within the legal system.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
(415) 863-6306. We thank you in advance for your time and continued
commitment to equality.

"[Every ] poor family comes with a [state] worker
who wants to take your kids away."
-Malcolm X

by KaPonda

The sun was like the glare of a raving pirate, sending
anyone who dared look in its direction in frantic
submissiveness. It lit up the morning skies at 24
Willie Mays Plaza like the winning hit in ninth inning
of the seventh game of the World Series. Willie Mays
appeared undaunted by its intense brilliance as he
displayed the calm persona which propelled him to
the title player extraordinaire.

It was the opening day at Pacific Bell Ball Park. The
Poor News Network staff attended the ceremonies to
inquire of the Mayor concerning his proposed plans
to redesign San Francisco’s shelter system. A press
conference had been scheduled for the morning of
Friday, March 31, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. The week
before, Poor News Network staff attended a canceled
press conference at City Hall. However, there was no
mention of a homeless plan by the Mayor at the
opening day ceremonies.

On March 21, 2000, the Coalition on Homelessness
requested information under the Freedom of
Information Act on plans related to any and all shelter
policies by any agency of City government. The
information was made available shortly thereafter.
The data included the Minutes of a number of
secretive meetings conducted by the Mayor’s Office
on Homelessness, the Department of Human Services
and the Department of Public Health.

These agencies of government made no attempt to
notify the appropriate service providers and/or the
Local Homeless Coordinating Board, the official
governmental body created to "ensure the
accountability and oversight of the proposed system
of programs, policies and services" of local homeless
programs. The Coalition on Homelessness, during its
analysis of the information. discovered some scathing
facts concerning the proposed shelter plan.

The City’s plan (hereinafter, "the plan") mandates that all
people attempting to access the shelter system would
contact an "Access Team" for assessment and intake. They
would be screened for General Assistance, and then
referred to the "Coordinated Care Team" for a shelter bed
which would be paid out of their checks.

The Access Team would become the only intake point. All
initial referrals to shelters would be done by a Mobile
Access Team, which would assess and do an intake on all
homeless people.

After an initial assessment is done, the information would
be passed on to what is termed a Coordinated Care Team.
The Coordinated Care Team coordinates a person’s case
plan by working with case managers at the shelter. This is
probably the component of the plan out of which payment
for shelter vouchers will be tallied.

The next process in this newly proposed plan would see
homeless people sent out of downtown into a 250-300-bed
shelter which would be constructed in the Bayview
District.

The goal of this plan would be, "A system-wide intensive
case management plan." Assessment of anyone being
directed to a shelter (ala Mayor Rudolph Giauliani, New
York City) would be mandatory. This proposed plan
would eliminate the lottery system currently in place in San
Francisco. Shelter residency would no longer be dictated
by fair game but by source and amount of income.

The entire plan is scheduled to come on line in October of
2000. It will disrupt a lot of good policy and create much
more turmoil in the already chaotic homeless and
low-income communities. Homeless, SSI and PAES
graduates will be put into "master-leased SRO" hotels.
These are hotels which currently housed people without
tenants’ rights.

Like the bright sun at Pack Bell Park, the newly proposed
shelter plan is a formidable challenge for anyone. The
proposed shelter in the Bayview District would probably
see many men detoured to its accommodations. However,
can a plan composed without the entire team of San
Francisco really serve the people when the heat is on?

by PNN Staff

New York- In a sharp rebuke to the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, federal officials have decided to bypass city agencies in handing out millions of dollars in government money to those who help the homeless. The mayor said the change was motivated by politics.

U.S. Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo said the change is necessary following a federal court ruling that found city officials demonstrated a pattern of antagonism and acted with "retaliatory intent" against a nonprofit service provider that had criticized the mayor. The provider eventually lost $2.4 million in federal funds.

The change means the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will distribute federal money directly to those helping homeless people, rather than using the city as a middleman.

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is acting in the best interests of homeless people in New York City, to ensure that the most qualified homeless assistance programs get our funding," Cuomo said Tuesday.

Giuliani accused Cuomo, a Democrat, of playing politics, noting his support of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate bid and that a regional HUD director under Cuomo, Bill DeBlasio, was recently named Mrs. Clinton's campaign manager.

To miss the connection, "I would have to be extremely naive, and I'm not," said Giuliani,who is expected to seek the Republican nomination to run for Senate. "There's no question that Andrew Cuomo runs a major league political operation."

Giuliani, however, said the city can't fight the change.

"I don't think we can," he said. "It's their money."

Last month, a federal court found that the city downgraded the performance of Housing Works, a nonprofit group that operates two houses for homeless people suffering from AIDS, mental illness and drug addiction, because of the group's public opposition to the mayor's AIDS policies rather than its effectiveness.

The lower rating prevented Housing Works from receiving $2.4 million in federal funds to cover three years of operating expenses for the two residences. The city has appealed the ruling.

"This fully vindicates what we've been saying. He has been using the process to reward his allies and punish others," said Charles King, co-executive director of Housing Works.

Giuliani denied he had any political interest in punishing Housing Works.

Later Tuesday, at a state Democratic Committee holiday party where Mrs. Clinton spoke, Cuomo's wife, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, stood up and bragged about what Cuomo had done, saying: "Just a few hours ago, my husband pulled up the gauntlet."

She went on to criticize Giuliani's homeless policies and added: "Next time Rudy, pick on someone your own size."

Judges have temporarily stopped Giuliani's plan to evict homeless adults, who refuse to work, from city shelters. POOR magazine staff hopes that Cuomo's action will also impact all of King Giuliani's archaic anti-poverty measures, such as his recent act of ordering police to arrest homeless people who refuse orders to move from sidewalks.

If an upcoming election spurs this kind of event, maybe there should be an election every day in America. Thank-you Mr.Cuomo!!

by Barbara Huntley-Smith

Suddenly, there was the sound of a key in the lock, the voice behind the door saying; “Sorry, we forgot that you were still here.” Those words jarred me back to reality. There I was in the lowest level of the court house complex, in a darkly lit room, with gray walls mimicking the plight of all its visitors; adorned with strategically located brown wooden benches. In this depressing setting, overwhelmed by the events of the day, I had fallen asleep, my eyes caked with tears.... unexplained tears. The voice was that of the Officer assigned to discharge those prisoners who have been sentenced in cases heard that day. In my case, the sentence was “Freed.” Slowly I arose from my hard wooden bench, and made my way outside.

The smell of wet earth from fresh fallen rain and gray skies, as gray as the walls which surrounded me all day, greeted my tired unkempt body as I made my way to the bus stop. At the bus stop I became aware that I had no money for the fare. An older woman also waiting for the bus, began an exchange with me. “Where are you going? she asked; “Evanston,” I remarked. “These buses are so slow in coming,” she continued. Then out of the corner of my eye, I observed a White Suburban van, its driver frantically waving toward us. I remarked to the woman, “I believe there is someone trying to get your attention! She said; “O! that is my goddaughter, she is going into Evanston, she will take us both there. We boarded the van and during that ride,I reflected on the events that brought me to this place.

It was an unusually warm Autumn Sunday afternoon, I remembered standing at the oversized window on the Eleventh floor of the Holiday Inn Hotel, gazing out at the dramatic splendor of vivid colors of yellow, orange, red, and dazzling shades of blues, as the sun brilliantly took its position in the morning sky. .

Eleven days ago I was homeless in a new town, unsure of my purpose, but was able to obtain sleeping accommodations at it’s only homeless shelter. Feeling secure, I would now seek to engage myself in my routine when in a new area. Returning to the shelter that evening, I was informed that there had been an error, I could not remain there any longer, not even

for that night. Bewildered, I stood with my bags as if seeking divine intervention.

Standing there, I noticed a black compact car. Its blackness seem to speak to my dilemma. I began a one-sided monologue with this car. “Who is your owner?” “Are you going to be taking me home with you?” In the heat of my monologue, a man and woman walked toward the car, then abruptly stopped, and inquired of me; “Were you put out?” “Yes” I replied, “Do You have a place to stay?” they chimed in unison, “No!” I responded. They huddled together, then turned to me and said, “My Cousin lives upstairs, she is the caretaker of the property, she may be able to give you a place to stay tonight.

Entering the dimly lit living-room where the family was gathered, my eyes downcast like a child lost in a store, I said, “hello my name is Barbara.” Immediately a woman gasped, “my Lord she is Jamaican,” to which I concurred. “What has happened to you my dear?” That statement is so cultural, that had it not been for the fact that I truly needed a place for my bags, I would have left right then. It was for good for me that I remained silent and allowed the moment to pass, because her next words were, “my dear whatever it is that has brought you to us I will try my best to help you,” in the same breath she asked, “are you hungry?” “Yes” I replied, in minutes I was feasting on a delicious sandwich with some refreshing fruit juices.

After the meal, she reminded me that she could only provide a night’s stay as she was accountable to the Proprietors. While the conversation was in progress I noticed that there were five young men in the room, my first thought was they were visitors, but would soon understand why my host was so adamant on my staying one night, these young men were her sons. My two rescuers now gone, but before leaving had offered me advice, and dollars for the next day’s meal. As bedtime approached, I was taken across a small hallway to a door which after it was opened, revealed my true resting place for the night.

The room was dark, the only light was the reflection from the street light which streamed through it’s only window. In the middle of the floor were several paint containers large and small, recognizable by the odor which greeted me. A ladder extended to the ceiling formed the central decor of my abode. Emersed in thought of my new accommodation, as if to interrupt my thoughts, my host said apologetically, “this is all I can offer you tonight,” as she handed me a blanket, sheet and a pillow. Sleep came quickly. The instructions I received at bedtime, was the motivation for my being up at the sound of dawn. “I should be the first to use the bathroom,

have things properly stored in the room, then I could enter the kitchen where my host would be.” It was our moment to discuss this cultural perception. It is perceived among some Jamaicans,that being in the United States with all the privileges available, it would be a disgrace to be homeless. The implications were, “my situation was all my fault.”

After explaining my purpose as I saw it then, she relented and with a wave of her hand intimated that she understood. She made me lunch, reminded me that my bags can only be stored there for a day and I left. It was a half a mile or less to the Lake, the sun was not yet up on this cool crisp Fall morning, so I began walking in that direction. Arriving at the Lake, the sun was just splitting the horizon where the expanse of the Lake and the sky seem to become one. I found a large rock and sat there drinking in this perfection of gold, and blue, as the first hot rays of the rising sun hit my face; my eyes seem unworthy of beholding such radiance. Hours passed, the sun now high in the sky as students began passing by, on their way to the university, all having a planned day but me. Having pondered my morning, I began walking to the center of town and was startled when I saw the numbers of my former home address 1717 above a Church.

It was Wednesday, therefore I thought this was a direct invitation to attend that church. Having had many unexplained situations happened on my journey this was rather a tame conjecture. At six o clock, I was present at the church. As the meeting progressed I scanned the audience looking for that person who would be my guide to the next stage of this odessy, there was nothing. Leaving the church my thoughts were mixed. I was quite sure that something would happen in my favor. Walking, and thinking that I had made the promise to my now former host to come and retrieve my bags, now what am I going to do.

As these thoughts were being turned over in my mind, a big white Caddillac stopped at my side. Looking at this car the passenger’s window began to roll down, and the driver franticly motioning me to come closer. The driver was an older Black Woman. Leaning toward the passenger side she asked: “Can I give you a lift somewhere?” I cannot remember a time when I gave my life situation in two minutes flat. Then there was a click, as she motion me into the car saying, “honey you need to be in the Holiday Inn tonight.” I gave her directions to the house where my bags were being kept, and we were off.

The Caddillac came to a stop at the very spot I had that one-way monologue with that other black car. alighting from the car I raced up the

flight of stairs leading to the front door of my former host. The door opened and she greeted me with concern, but I was able to put her fears to rest pointing to the woman waiting to take me to the Holiday Inn. The Young men took my bags and escorted me to the waiting car. My bags safely inside the trunk of the car, we drove around the next block to the Holiday Inn. The Bellhop and my Good Samaritan took my bags into the hotel and deposited them at my feet, as the woman went to the registration desk. The Bellhop got his instructions and was off, while I was given specific instructions by my Good Samaritan. “Do not leave until I come to get you, I want to hear more of this amazing life you’ve been experiencing,” and then she was off.

Morning came and I waited for the call telling me she was on her way, but the call which came was from the desk, informing me to come and have my computerized door key updated. I was surprised, but thought she was truly a God-send, and wanted to help me another day. This situation continued for eleven days.

It is now Sunday the eleventh day of my stay on the eleventh floor in room eleven -o- one. It’s six o clock in the evening, oddly enough I was not called to update my key that day at the appropriate time, which I had thought was an oversight, when the call came. On the elevator ride down I felt in every fiber of my being that I was in for something but not in my grandest imagination could I have seen myself being interrogated by two of the city’s detectives. Of course true to her word “do not leave until I come again,” my Good Samaritan was present. I was taken to the Police Station and charged with “defrauding the Inn-keeper”

The following morning a rainy dark day, with peals of thunder which seem to burst through the thick darkness of the sky; as flashes of fierce, frightening lightening greeted me. Semi-handcuffed, two Police Officers tried to ease my fears, as I was driven to my court hearing.

by Kaponda

As I gazed at the jack-o'-lantern perched on the sill, a subdued splendor draped the skies of San Francisco. Shadows of dusk cleaved to the beautifully designed, legendary mural of the Women's Building. There was an uncanny sense of intrigue in the illuminated auditorium as I prepared to report on the debate on Propositions K and L between Debra Walker and Emilio Cruz.

In 1986, San Franciscans approved an initiative ordinance governing office space construction. In effect, the measure restricts the City to a total of 950,000 square feet of office space approval. Propositions K and L purport to amend the 1986 initiative ordinance making changes in the laws governing new office development in San Francisco. There were widely divergent attitudes between Debra Walker and Emilio Cruz toward this premiss. and the amount of restriction on office space was the proposition advanced for discussion for the remainder of the evening.

Like a scene from a Halloween tale, voices shrilled frantically across a thick darkness that had besieged the auditorium. The contenders were undaunted by the flight of light and agreed to commence the discussion.

Debra Walker, an artist and one of the many people who assisted in the formulation of the language of Prop L, began the debate by explaining what would occur in the event both Props K and L pass. "If both measures pass, then the one receiving the greater number of votes will become law, that is the measure requires 50 percent, plus one vote to pass." That explanation sounds logical, right? Wrong!

The debate had officially begun when the Mayor's Economic Development Director, Emilio Cruz, painted a different scenario of what would happen in case both Propositions K and L passed. His scenario involved a directing measure that would go into effect if something exists in one of the Proposition that is not in the other.

I knew at that instance that I was in for a treat because there is language already written in the Voter Information Pamphlet which was prepared by the Department of Elections and governs any eventualities. The language, according to the Pamphlet, reads, "Propositions K and L appear to conflict with each other. If both measures are approved by the voters, and if the two measures do conflict, the one receiving the greater number of votes will become law."

Emilio did agree with the assertion made by Debra that the Planning Department did nothing to mitigate the out-of-control development by multimedia companies, but did not think that the solution was "planning by initiative." In fact, a lot of light was cast on Prop K by Debra Walker as a result of in-depth investigation into some of the people that would benefit if it were to pass.

The first beneficiary, according to Debra, would be the darling of developers, the Mayor himself. He would benefit because Prop K creates a growth czar who is appointed by the Mayor for a ten-year term and is accountable to no one. His primary function would be to target areas for new office development. However, the Mayor's delegated authority retorted that the new position would be modeled after the City Controller's position and provide some independence to the new czar.

Another flicker of insight into the beneficiaries of Prop K involved the grandfather clause of Prop K, which exempts "any development project that has filed an environmental evaluation application, a building or a site permit application, or a request for a Zoning Administrator's determination...no later than 5 p.m. on August 9...provided that appropriate environmental review of the development project is complete by December 31, 2000."

As the darkling debate slipped into its first 30 minutes, neither Debra Walker nor Emilio Cruz appeared rattled by any of the assertions made by the other. It was at this time that the proponent of Prop L, Debra Walker, began to expound on the advantages of Proposition L. "Proposition L has been put on the ballot to save at-risk businesses that are seized upon by loopholes in Prop M. It defines live/work lofts as offices and housing and requires developers to make 10 percent of their lofts affordable. It empowers residents to determine the future of their neighborhoods through the planning process. Proposition L encourages a diverse economy."

Emilio Cruz stated that Prop L is a double-edged sword. But the language of Prop K which appears enshrouded in a cloak of mystery, according to Emilio "could have contained some things that he would have personally like to have seen that is not therein."

A splendor of light streeked across the entire auditorium amid a huge ovation. The remainder of the debate occurred under the light without tricks or dressing up language to disguise its intent.

I spoke to Debra Walker about the debate and asked her why was she fighting so tenaciously for Proposition L?

"I think we are pretty much united in wanting to make sure that what growth happens doesn't wreck and displace what is already here. I've been out there at meetings, neighborhood and political groups getting input from people. An overwhelming majority of the people support Prop L.

There are 7.5 million square feet of real estate under construction in downtown San Francisco and over 2 million square feet of office developments in the industrial areas that are displacing already that have been approved under this administration. It also includes a million square feet of live/work space that is suppose to be housing and is being occupied fully as office. It is everywhere and coming to your neighborhood, soon!

Five million square feet that is under development have been approved as office and two million that has been incorrectly classified or allowed that is supposed to be industrial businesses but is actually office."

I then asked Debra what changes she would like to see immediately if Prop L passes?

"I would immediately like the Planning Department to call the live/work units housing if Proposition L were to go into effect so that we could immediately get affordable units out of them, and that they can't be occupied as office only. It also will keep them out of some of the neighborhoods that they are impacting so drastically. It also will immediately call office dot.com proposals 'office.' So those too will be assessed as to their affect on the neighborhood... and fees from developers to pay for affordable housing, child care and schools -- a lot of the stuff that these developers have been allowed to take a big pass on. So, immediately as soon as the election is verified and Prop L wins, those things will go into effect."

I asked Emilio Cruz about the artists and small businesses that have been displaced by the multimedia industry?

"We clearly need to address that situation. We cannot do a lot about those that have already happened. But what we do need to do is to put in the moratoriums and controls to protect the neighborhoods. But we also need to do that in a way that we also have the ability to build elsewhere so we can build more of downtown and keep the economy moving while protecting neighborhoods with moratoriums."

An observer at the debate, Tom Harriman, shared his thoughts with me as well. "I am clearly for Proposition L because after a great deal of reading and thought I discovered that if we look at the voting record of the Planning Commission over the last six years, we see a strong bias in their voting pattern in favor of large developers. As a result communities no longer have a say in what is constructed in their neighborhoods. I feel that communities should have a say in what is built in their neighborhoods, and they do not have that right now. San Francisco is an interesting place because we talk about community involvement but we are not doing it."

by Ann Anh

It hadn't taken very long, perhaps a moment......I
was standing there with my mother, a Cambodian
refugee, as she lowered her eyes to an unknown place
in the room, and within a second I watched my
mother lose her spirit...forever .

My mother was not lazy and and she never thought
she would need any help, but in fact, she did, due to
serious a illness and no healthcare or benefits she was
on welfare, and without it she and I would starve.

My mother had received welfare until the welfare
reform bill was signed which caused, among other
things, the end of food stamps and disability benefits
for countless legal non-citizens, like my mother.

My mother had worked for years as an attendant to a
disabled woman whose family didn't have the time or
love in their hearts to care for their own mother. My
mother also worked as a babysitter, janitor, cook, and
maid until she was so ill from a serious lung infection
that she could no longer get out of bed. My mother
worked until she could no longer move, but that is
not what broke her spirit. therefrom."

It was a strangely sunny day when we walked into the
food stamps office and the eligibility worker told my
mother and I that we were going to be cut off from
receiving benefits, "and besides, isn't it time you got a job,
Mrs Anh,..."

I was reminded of that hurtful day, four years ago, this
Monday when the Supreme Court refused to review
Congress's 1996 welfare overhaul. One of the famous
quotes from Congress at the time was, " The national
policy with respect to Welfare and immigration is
self-sufficiency, Immigrants who come to live in the
United States should not depend on public resources to
meet their needs"

Since then, Congress has backtracked a bit and restored
benefits for several groups of immigrants. They include
those who are disabled and blind, those over age 65 and
under 18. Lawyers for the cities of Chicago and New York
went to court seeking to have the food stamps and other
benefits restored to all legal noncitizens. They maintained
that the policy amounted to discrimination against lawful
residents in violation of the Constitution's guarantee of
equal protection under the law. The 7th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Chicago disagreed, ruling that Congress has
broad power to set rules for immigrants and non citizens.

My mother died last year, I am not sure what finally killed
her physical body, but I do know what killed her spirit.
And I do know that her need for help had nothing to do
with her lack of "self-sufficiency"

by Tabeson for PNN

"They said--freeze! You're all under arrest...

Arrest that soup, and those bagels...

And those bags of bread..."

Keith Salvage, poet (an excerpt)

"We'll be on the steps of City Hall in a silent vigil....for as long as Mayor Brown's orders for the arrests remain..." Sister Bernie, San Francisco.

Though community support to end the intense political harassment and senseless attempts to criminalize grassroots organizations like Food Not Bombs (FNB), who feed the working poor and homeless, keeps growing, the San Francisco Police Department has stepped up its low level warfare against anyone serving food at the UN Plaza. In the wake of Mayor Brown's re-election campaign, his police forces have arrested thirteen FNB volunteers since October 20, 1999, while enforcing even tougher restrictions on the group's ability to serve hot meals to the homeless at the Civic Center.

Here in San Francisco, FNB has a ten year history of confrontations with the SFPD. Food Not Bombs is a non-violent, direct action group that has served hundreds of thousands of free vegetarian meals to hungry people since 1988. "Over the years we have been arrested at least 1000 times," admitted Sasha Vodnik, a loyal volunteer with FNB. "We have also created a community forum to talk about the root causes of and solutions to our society's economic disparities."

Throughout the last seven weeks the SFPD resumed persecution of FNB's free meal gatherings, resulting in five more arrests. On Friday, October 10, 1999, at precisely 6:00 pm, police task forces ambushed the hungry crowd and two FNB volunteers in the process of distributing free bagels and fresh fruit juice to the tired hoard of low-income and homeless people at the UN Plaza.

Following the October 22nd National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality rally between Mission and 16th streets which led hundreds of marching protesters to City Hall stairs, some fifty SFPD officers in full riot gear and heavy duty armaments marched in just before the commencement of the FNB's free community vegetarian meal; two more volunteers were snatched and taken into custody.

Keith Savage, a notable poet and fellow homeless comrade of mine, had just received his FNB ration for that day and was shaken down at the scene by the invading San Francisco police sqauds. They condemned the bagel he held and his bowl of hot soup was also arrested.

The next series of arrests occurred on Tuesday, October 19th, during a demonstration for the release of political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, a national outcry rally at Union Square marching from Market Street to the UN Plaza which later prompted a stay against the journalist's scheduled execution. Two additional FNB volunteers were arrested following that event while handing out hot soup and bread to hungry homeless people at the Civic Center.

"I'm talking about the soup...

that Food Not Bombs soup...

I had some in my hands...

yea, I had some in my mouth..."

"....and so,in front of city Hall...

upon the balcony---What do we see? Willie...

Willie Brown--the Mayor of this town...

He says--yes, arrest those bagels plus that soup...

and take them up in a single scoop...

away! I say, take it all away...

you shall not feed the homeless...

or a pigeon in this town...

not while I'm around...", sang the poet, Salvage.

Since a long time before Willie Brown became mayor of San Francisco, going back through three of his predecessors, handing out lunch bags and hot meals in public and park places to poor hungry citizens and strangers alike was an established Food Not Bombs trademark. The group served dinner to the poor and the homeless, uneventfully, until the mayor assumed his office some four years ago; he quickly denied FNB permission to serve food.

"We are close...we are very close." These were the last words of Board of Supervisors president, Tom Ammiano, at the December 8th hearings of the finance and labor committee.

The hearings were held to consider San Francisco's long history of confiscating food distributed by Food Not Bombs.

"It is not only a question of permits; it is really a political question, that no city official has yet fully addressed." Speakers at the hearing made it clear that the public should not be sidetracked by rhetoric that complicates the main issue, which is that charitable food servers like FNB be allowed unfettered access to feed the working poor and starving homeless citizens of San Francisco.

"Those laws could be amended, both local and state laws," Mayoral Candidate Tom Ammiano said, on his way out of the session. "Until it is resolved, I want to continue working on this issue." There was no action taken from the committee hearings.

by Tiny

Not Being Heard is standing inside of a beautiful bright blue sky with a shimmering sun that drips blood, and runs down the sidewalk and onto your feet as you stand next to humans that are laughing and talking and thinking about regular things like jobs and school work and friendships and family while you beg someone, anyone to help you out of this homeless shelter this jail this evistion court..this police car..this welfare line..this low wage job... this situation... this terror....dealing with struggles on top of struggles inside of other struggles tucked under rent checks and phone bills and towed cars and lost jobs that breed yet again more struggles - sufferring so deep and so endless that you canít breathe - - Not Being heard is to sit in jail next to five other inmates eating a wonder bread sand-wich as they wonder whatís wrong with.. them.... and gladly giving up because it is easier than going on...

Being heard is to dream that you will be listened to - perhaps understood... consulted..questioned and therefore recognized for the miracle of surviving through poverty..through hopelessness....surviving.... through not being heard.... Lisa Gray-Garcia

Thick gray fog descended on the POOR Magazine team of poverty journalists as we jumped off the 14 Mission towards Moscone center, the site of the National Association of Broadcasters. “Who gets access? “ Who Gets Heard” our brown, black, pale yellow and bright white hands clutched our handmade signs proclaiming our right to media access, the broadcast airwaves, and jus’being heard.

Our first encounter was a staged piece of street theatre in collaboration with Media alliance and “los Cybrids” a group of digital performance artists known for their radical art on race, class and gentrification.

“Hey Sweetheart, show me your breasts....yeah you, with the sign” Renee Garcia,played the role of Howard Sternum, as one of the representatives of “the National Association of Brainwashers”

The role of Eddie Fritz, CEO of The NAB was played by John Leanos repleat with bulging thighs and spontaneous regurgitation, Praba Pilar and Mario Zapp played the roles of corporate females who aided and abetted the evil white men in their mass media control along with a representative from Billionaires for Media Mergers.

And then.......Who gets Access ? Who gets Heard? suddenly the poor folks seized their rightful access and took down the “Corporate Fat Cats” landing them in a squirming pile on Howard street.

After we seized the mike, staff writers, Leroy Moore, Kaponda, Leo Stegman, Joseph Bolden, Anna Morrow, Barbara Huntley Smith, Liana Fabiani, Will Steel and myself began to speak truth to power,i.e., the handful of companies that control the airwaves.who arrived in limosines and Yahoo! taxicabs spitted out bunches of corporate media moguls as we the unheard and independent media, requested a voice; “What do we want?.... Access - When do we want it?...... now!!!”

The POOR Magazine staff was followed by Janine Jackson, program director of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and Andrea Buffa, Executive Director of Media Alliance, who summed up the NAB’s tactics in an analagy to another far too powerful lobby group, “ The NAB is just like the NRA- but instead of lobbying for guns, they lobby to to keep the airwaves out of the hands of the public”

After our official press conference was finished the POOR staff embarked on their next form of “Media in Action”. We attached our press badges ( which stated that we were POOR Magazine reporters!), walked past the police barricades and into the polished floors of the Moscone Center North. “We are reporters-let’s report!!!” We murmured in unison

As we descended onto the the convention hall our first encounter with access denial was a whisper into a hand-held intercom by a security agent wearing a stiff blue polyester suit. “Five sketchy looking characters just entered the building...”

Undaunted we proceeded...through the shimmering chrome, glistening formica and floor to ceiling posters of PAUL HARVEY and DR LAURA. to the hall where Colin Powell would be speaking.

“You can’t come in without press credentials” A blue suited security man in conjunction with a tan suited woman were shaking their heads in a collaborative no!!

“But we have press credentials...” we all held up our badges.

“No....you need the press passes that we issue - you have to go downstairs for those”

“ OK” Once again we went down the escalator to another deeper escalator into the bowels of the Moscone center - we passed the signs and banners- lunch counter and slightly curious attendees and beyond a red velvet curtain into a long cement hall which would be our final destination.

“ What publication are you from?” Another tan suited security woman queried me on who we were as three other women and a Tommy Lee Jones/CIA-like NAB official huddled in the corner while shooting furtive glances in our direction. Meanwhile several reporters from NBC, MSNBC, CNN and ABC darted past us, picking up plastic badges hanging on sporty green necklaces. At one point the Tommy Lee Jones man walked in and out and when he returned he was followed by a San Francisco Police Officer, who unbeknownst to me was almost arresting one of our reporters who made the crucial mistake of taking a picture of the SFPD officer”

“We are from POOR Magazine....here are our press badges” I enunciated my words- savoring each consonant - intent on her hearing every syllable.

“But I don’t know that Mag-a-zine....” She shook her head as she spoke in much the same way all the people who have ever turned me down for an apartment, welfare payments, a job or a loan have done.

I was tempted to say - well you do nowwwww...but instead I continued, very seriously, very calmly, just like a game show host or a lawyer. “Well...we can go on-line right now and you can see our news service”

“OK” She relented quickly, guiding me swiftly to the back of the room to a small computer

After waiting for several painful minutes she printed a few pages of PNN and we walked to the front of the room. As she stood over the registration table shuffling through my forms the huddle formed once again, eventually motioning to my tan suited lady to come into the huddle. The huddle members all looked quite relieved, shaking their heads and chuckling, and as I inched nearer to them I heard them tell her, “Colin Powell has finished- give them passes......”

by HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK

HONOLULU (AP) _ Police opened a homicide investigation Saturday after the death of a homeless man found injured in Waikiki.

The 48-year-old man was discovered shortly after 6 a.m. in an alley near Seaside Avenue by firefighters responding to a small rubbish fire, police said.

Firefighters found the man lying unconscious about five feet from the fire, which burned his wheelchair. The man died a short time later at The Queen's Medical Center.

The man had head and facial wounds, and police said he appeared to have been beaten.

The man was well-known to Waikiki beat officers, who believe he may have been sleeping in the alley.