2003

by TJ Johnston/PNN

Last Friday, March 21, a parade of protesters against the war marched by me at the United Nations Plaza. Having joined similar processions since the bombing of Iraq, I decided not to let this parade pass me. By this time we walked past City Hall, our parade ran into a moving, riot-geared detour.

Near Grove and Gough, one of the marchers called out for us to turn back to Franklin: SFPD and Highway Patrol were cutting us off. We did so, but as I made it to the sidewalk, the blue centipede surrounded us. I figured it would be at least a late night for me, assuming I would be released hours later. It was already 6pm and I wondered if I would be able to walk the dogs that night.

The stretch of Franklin cordoned off included the San Francisco Opera. Outside a venue that sees heightened theatrics, the unfolding events carried an unexpected mundanity. A bullhorned officer announced that all 200 of us were under arrest: the charges were going to be blocking traffic and failing to obey a dispersal order. Funny thing was, most of us were on the sidewalk and we never received such an order. The cops knew as much.

The cops' faces at once displayed resentment and boredom. We whiled the next couple of hours, talking, singing, playing music and chanting for the cops to let us go (one implored our release "in the name of Jesus").

Not only was my timing bad, my ill fashion sense was sure to implicate me as I wore Bloc Black. I fished a card printed by the ACLU out of my pocket. The card included tips on how to comport yourself in a detention/arrest situation. There was a Middle Eastern looking woman beside me. I asked if it was OK to read it aloud, as it might actually be helpful.

The converted school buses weren't enough to carry us: double-length MUNI vehicles were also required to transport us. We were patted down and Polaroided. Our belongings were tagged. Plastic handcuffs bound us.

I wondered what the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant would be like. As it turned out, we were being herded to a detention facility on Pier 27. On the Civil Disobedience Special, female arrestees were placed in front of the bus, males in back. I hadn't experienced this gender segregation since elementary school. Cheers greeted our departure.

We hit the Embarcadero around 9:30pm. The makeshift holding facility reminded me of an air hangar or the set of a Jerry Bruckheimer production sans aesthetic value. We were corralled behind iron partitions. The cops seeked for individuals with the Polaroids as their guides. I was struck by the absurdity of giving my tame so they could tag my stuff: didn't they think of writing it on the photo, too?

Corrals were set up on opposite sides. Those waiting to be called for processing and those being processed (meaning the cops were running a check on them). I weighed the balance of giving them my ID or going "John Doe." If I gave them my driver's license (not that it's required here), the paperwork would be speedier as I have no priors. Not volunteering my name meant a lost weekend in custody. As my cuffs were cut, I told a cop I was carrying my ID in my wallet and presented him my license. I was escorted to the opposite corral for more "hurry up and wait."

There we waited for our names to be called. A small group ran a pool. Each person chipped in a dollar. The last person released was supposed to win the pot. I had nothing to contribute, so I wasn't interested in the outcome. Waiting to hear my name, yet another constable announced that if they catch us protesting again in the next 48 hours, they wouldn't cite us but throw us in jail. We collectively groaned at this blatant intimidation tactic. We were already there for constitutionally protected activity and they compounded it with bogus charges.

I strategized about not getting caught next time, or at least joining an affinity group (as most of my fellow detainees were). Then my name was announced. Just like "The Price Is Right," I came on down. I left the pen, went to a table at the back where my citation and ID waited. The slip contained the vital stats from my license; the numeric designations of my charge, name and badge of arresting officer (for the record, Officer Baretti 175) and my court date (about five weeks from now). I signed it, gathered my stuff and exited. I didn't feel defiant or triumphant as those who left to cheers. I was more annoyed for forfeiting an evening for a glorified traffic ticket.

I spotted an assembly of the newly sprung. Some people from the National Lawyers Guild handed out paperwork I desired. With a fresh citation as my guide, I copied the information and my contact info. In exchange, they gave us their number and that of the County to check the status of our case. By then, they heard enough particulars of this mass arrest to expect charges to be dropped (as well as a class action to be filed).

A pizza was brought and I scarfed a slice before the pie disappeared. Dinner provided small comfort, less than not having to pee the entire time. Like a fool, I asked if anyone was going to my 'hood and expected an affirmative. That meant another bus. Still, I walked away from the ferries and into midnight.

by Staff Writer

Welcome to the 2007 POOR Press Catalogue!!!

This catalogue features the amazing work of graduates of POOR Magazine's Digital Reisistance Program.
In this program, very low and no income adults and youth are given the opportunity to create a book from start to finish, beginning with creative writing, narrative essays and poetry and then progressing to graphic design and layout publishing and promotion. Since its inception, POOR Press has allowed over 46 youth and adult poverty scholars to publish books of artwork, poetry and short stories, sharing their extremely valuable, but all too often ignored, experiences, views and opinions with the world.

Check out our latest books and find out about them from the authors on The POOR Press Authors Page

To order any of the POOR Press publications (books and CDs) with your credit card or by mail click here to go to the ORDER FORM.

by Joe B.

I’ve been told that I’d piss persons of other than heterosexual orientation off if they read my stuff.

While I argue about being ambiguous about one’s orientation if not lying is being less than truthful making a sort of game that can be as emotionally damaging because the truth was shrouded and not clear in the open.

Example if a woman is Bisexual or strictly Lesbian
and the straight guy who’s already told the truth of his orientation doesn’t know because the lovely woman decides to be ambiguous never telling him the complete truth that’s were ambiguity becomes a cruel joke.

Because "S" guy falls in love then when woman see’s that not wanting to hurt him then tell the truth about herself.

I know "S’ jerks on fault. That’s what I mean blame victim for being human.

That’s why when I go into chat rooms I let cyber folks know my real orientation so as to rid myself of the rejections.

[While I’m at it, I’m so bad doing the dating adds
adultfinder.com/personals I input so much info that it may scare women away especially the medical and Philosopher’s Stone part.

But if I’m going to do the online thing I want no deceptions or be deceived].

I’m "Hetro Lost in San Francisco, and straight women out here?" or words to that effect.

If there are no emails to JoeGntleM at askjoe@poor magazine.org I’ll just try again being patient, persistant as a slow steady turtle has its advantages.

I couldn’t get my email off the site to change it so its up there looking pathetic even though I’ve told the truth there.

Well, that’s it; except please order my book ASKJOE: Holding up the World.

I say truth out, get rid of shallow surface people who already rejecting me let go 1000 no’s keep the 1 or more yes’s.

Folks, you don’t have to deal with heart ache, the "phrase "move on" is for such situations.

I’ve thinking of fiction, science fiction, and speculative fiction.

But there are always works that seem to be forbidden like a world without men, women, pets, mono racial survival and multi racial extinction.

Or what I’ve been thinking What happens when and if applied science found ways of ridding the world of same sex love?

Not by torture, killing, or sending folks into other dimensions or worlds but through genetic, hormonal, and brain chemistry.

The Place Anywhere: It could be a San Francisco in a parallel universe.

Imagine if you will scientist’s, researchers did find the answer say nothing and pre-born embryonic children are delicately operated on as soon as they found telltale traits leading to Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Bisexuality, Trans-gendered, Hermaphrodite or sexual confusion between them all.

I would be a slow extinction without genocidal consequences because children wouldn’t killed only changed in orientation.

What about gay adults and children?

They’ll find it more difficult finding same sex partners over time and the ones who do wanting children will have them and their children will grow up all of them at some point under doctor’s care and operation on as embryo’s.

Of course someone finds out but after 30 to 40 years its too late to correct this secret non lethal extinction of a people.

The last BI, Lesbian, or Homosexual dies of illness, accident, or old age.

And same sex orientation people are extinct in that city and all over the planet.

Ok, its only a short story, but just in case same sex folks should still be aware of ideas like these floating around.

My story would be similar except a heterosexual who’s ambivalent about this controlled pandemic could just let happen so he creates a genetic bomb that doesn’t kill only works subtly in people making a few same sex orientated and are in the genes of generations to come ensuring both same sex and opposite sex orientations continue.

I don’t know about you but the idea of a heterosexual man, the villain of 20th and 21st century being the savior of all those who’ve at time despised, ridiculed, and made to look sad and ridiculous, for hating and killing different "S" orientated people.

To turn around in a supreme effort universal love and understanding save the very people his fellow ‘hetero’s has tortured, killed, and who’s lives made miserable.

I don’t know if same sex folks would hate me because of the premise of making a straight man hero or the way of ridding the world of them completely can be seen as possible in the first place? Bye

PS What do you think folks?


Any ideas for other stories?

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Leroy Moore Jr. /Illin and Chillin

In this month, Women History Month of 2003, my disabled sisters of color voices are once again muddled or is it nobody’s listening to their beautiful voice, art and activism in this critical time. Early this month Gov. Gray Davis apology on the history of California in sterilization era that included an overwhelming number of Black women but the article goes on to say that there is a lack of information connecting California Gov. to the large number of force sterilization cases. I wonder have our state government ever read Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts, who researched and wrote on this topic of force sterilization on Black women. According to KPFA, after the first day of the so called war on Iraq, women and elderly has filled up hospitals, some will have to live with war inflicted disabilities.

What about disabled women of color artists, writers and advocates? Oh, they are out there in full force but once again their voices are muddled but growing strong daily. Locally Patty Bern, Noemi Sohn and Mariana Ruybalid are putting their beautiful and strong voices out there in their own way. On February 13, 2003, San Francisco Women Against Rap in conjunction with Fearless Words held a showcase of digital stories of survivors of sexual assault. Patty Bern, a revolutionary disabled woman of color put together a digital story in which disability, sexuality, dehumanization\violence, transformation and healing are understood as social and political phenomena as well as an individual process. I felt proud to see my disabled sister of color artwork in the mix of other women of color stories. This proud feeling continued to grow when my friend, a disabled Filipino, poet, activist Noemi Sohn told me that she is working on her first chapbook of poetry due out soon. I am blown away by the focus, determination and the words of Mariana Ruybalid, a spiritual, beautiful soul that forms this disabled Latina who will be coming out with her first full length novel in July of this year and found a publisher on her own.

From my research, the mother of the Black Disabled movement, is Mildertte Hill of London England. Hill helped start The Black Disabled Movement in the UK and is the co-founder and has been the chair of the Black Disabled People Group in 1990. In 1993 Hill formed the Black Disabled Women’s Collective and help edited the first book I found on Black disabled people entitled Reflection: Views of black disabled people on their lives and community care . We can’t forget the mother & daughter team, the Dunhamns, in New Jersey that started the New Jersey Minorities with Disabilities Coalition. Last but not least our own San Francisco Bayview Columnist and Black Panther, Kiilu Nyasha who reminds us the injustice in the prison system and this racist country we live in. When I see Kiilu roll up to the mike in her stylist wheelchair, at rallies I feel like I’m not alone. Kiilu, one day I want to sit down with you, listen, learn, take notes on how to organize people of color with and without disabilities. You are something else! Please teach me! So to honor my gorgeous disabled sisters of color in Women History Month of 2003 I dedicate this poem to you. Black in this poem means all women of color.

I'm Beautiful


(For Black disabled women)

I am fucking gorgeous

with my brown smooth skin and my shaved head!

Oh yeah my body is slammin

with my long thin legs, firm tight butt and young breast!

Mmm mmm mmm I know I'm fine!

My green eyes stop traffic.

Mick Jaguar wish he had my lips.

High check bones, dimples and my thin eyebrows.

Yheap, I kissed myself in the mirror!

Although I'm the finest thing on this earth,

many people think I look like a freak.

I'm shock!

They don't see my beauty!

My legs are twisted inward.

My speech is slow.

How can any man or woman pass

me without noticing how hot I am?

I should have a date every day of the week.

You don't know what you're passing up!

Mondona, Janet Jackson, En Vogue & The Spice Girls

stand in line behind me!

My beauty goes deeper than what you see.

My mind is beautiful!

College and street graduate.

I'm dying for a stimulate conversation.

You can't ask for anything better!

Strong, intelligent, beautiful, independent,

Black disabled young woman.

But you can't deal with me!

You'd pass me by for what?

It's too bad you can't handle me.

Am I too much for you?

If you can't say it than you

need to stop starring at me!

I know what you're thinking!

"She is fine but............
If only..............."

But I don't need you to tell me

what I already know.

I'm beautiful from the inside out and outside in!

I'm beautiful when I drag my feet

across the street!

Everything about me is beautiful!

God damn I'm drop dead gorgeous

and you're ugly, stupid, and narrow-minded

and a waste of my time!!

This poem is dedicated to all the Black disabled women who have been over looked by the Women Movement, the Black Feminist Movement, the Black Gay Movement and the Disability Rights Movement. You're BEAUTIFUL. Fuck that you're Fucking Gorgeous!

by Staff Writer

Published by POOR Press 2003 ©

Excerpt from The Houzin Project Introduction....

In the Houzin Project , youth, adult and elder poverty scholars from the Bay Area and beyond, through first-person narratives, community journalism, poetryjournalism and visual art have linked the "causes" i.e.; gentrification, displacement, racism and redlining with the "effects"i.e.; eviction, houselessness and the criminalization/corporatization of poverty. These linkages are rarely made when the issue of Homelessness is bandied about by mainstream media, legislators and even the majority of formally educated, institutionally recognized, "scholars" who are asked to speak, write or theorize on the issue of poverty and homelessness.

In the Houzin Project we attempt to strip away the myths of homelessness’s origin, ie, to link the causes of modern day Colonialism (displacement) with its effects. To accomplish this we begin by exploring The Diasporas or what we call the Original Evictions of native peoples, indigenous peoples, poor women and children, poor elders and youth, working-class and communities of color from their land and their neighborhoods.

We examine the role of the artist as default gentrifyer, paving the way for some of the most focused and concentrated gentrification or “clean -up” efforts, such as Venice, California, Oakland and New York, which, after the redevelopment road is paved by the artist, in marches the real estate developers and anti-poor people mayors like Jerry Brown (Oakland) and John Gonzalez (San Jose) and then suddenly , as if by magic, “crime” rise in these areas, or more simply, the media coverage, police reporting and profiling of crime rises. As well, we look at how the economic oppression of communities of color happens through racial and classist banking policies like the redlining of the Bayview Hunters Point district of San Francisco, and how those covert and overt policies lead to economic desta bilization and houselessness of poor folks......

My Tio lived down the block

Until The Strangers came

My Auntie lived upstairs

Until The Strangers came

I lived in my house all my life

Until The Strangers Came

And then we didn’t live

Anywhere

an excerpt from My Friends Lived Next Door - a poem by Lydia, 14, Gentrification survivor in The Houzin Project

by Joe B.

Hi folks, you know by now it takes me time to try something new, get out of a comfort zone.

Like the slowly boiling frogs dying in comfort.
I do tend to move when heat starts getting a little hot.

I was told about dating online and that folks my age in their 40’s and up it is difficult without the face to face plus down loading material.

Being in a decade or more relationship makes one set in their way however unlike slowly boiling frog I have to jump out of the pot away from the flame into the pond where the other frogs are metaphorically speaking.

So far I’ve joined two online date sites to find a match while learning Ballroom, Salsa, Meringue, and tap dance for dancing for the fun of it.

Now the hard part.

After sighing up, wrote about myself in my profile, what kind of person I am and who is supposedly a match for me.

Economically, physically I tell the truth about medical and the job situation.

The photo of myself is too large and has to shrunken to fit size needed.

Still have problems trying to shrink it to the correct size.

If I get some help that’s cool except them seeing where the photo’s going but other people online have their pictures up its only fair to have mine up there too at least to get all the people who’ll automatically reject me on looks alone out of the way.

I do believe in getting the bad press out of the way first and have ones that really want email, call, and give me a chance.

Women, men trying to find suitable partners to talk, link up, kick it with, or long term relationships.

Dating, to be on our best behavior and yet not really being our true ourselves until both of us are comfortable enough to let more of our true selves shine through.

Dating women online gives me the shivers not knowing what kind are reading the words, what preconceived notions held, if they’re sharing it with other girlfriends having giggles or outright horse laughs on people writing them.

Maybe this is a physical record of my electronic dating and if married or not will have taught me about myself and others.

What do you women, wimin, wymyn, Grrrr Cyber Fems really think?

What have your experiences been?

Were you disappointed or pleasantly supplied "uh surprised?

More on my dates if I ever get my photo shrunk in a size the web date sites want. Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Last Sunday’s Oscar Show I missed mainly because its too much like sports in that its, tedious, long, and most of all,many of the films featured I haven't seen.

Even though Michael Moore praised the Dixie Chicks in his "Fiction" speech the Dixie Chicks/Bush thing means nothing to me.

Then I get an email on the DC/B thing and what started it.

Ms. Natalie Maine, one of the there DC’s made the comment causing all the hubbub in Lubbock, Texas.

A Republican State Rep. Catherine Ceips introduces a resolution last Wednesday call on them to perform for South Carolina troops and their families.

I don’t know, it seems that the group being from the same place as Selected President’s from can say whatever they want but when Ms.

Natalie Maine back tracks apologizing. It is the wrong tack.

As for the troops that’s plain personal pique on C. Ceips part, sounds like a she's got personal problem.

My Editor and boss has said "Being from L.A. all publicity is good publicity."

What occurs to me is if they're going to sing for the troops they might as well inform them what’s happening in the states, repeat what they said about the ‘Pres., and expand on it.

If C. Ceips is so thin skinned about what people say about the 'Prez Chicks True or not think of what kind of problems she’ll have as more and more hip hop, rap, and mainstream entertainers say what is really on their minds.

What’s she (Cieps) trying to do, use the "Entertaining The Troops" as code for placing Dixie Chicks in harms way?

Backing up, saying sorry we’ll be good little girls is not this real band they or one of their member have devalued themselves.

So Texas radio bans their songs, ladies you’re in good company all banning does is make more folks check out your stuff.

The world isn’t Texas and even though some family and friends may turn their back on you this will pass as for now all of you must do your music, speak out but no more wimp outs as women love saying of men.
It does not feel good being on the other end of W-word does it?

Remember the feeling when voicing your views.

That’s why most men, women, youth, and young adults say nothing its safer letting other people catching the flack.

The next fem rock group may say something more outrageous, not apologize, take a few hard hits for year or more and come out of it stronger for going through the baptism of public outrage and fire.

The Dixie Chicks apologized and still get flack for what one of them said.

So it seems the best thing is don’t take back what was said and move on people may not forget but they have lives and cannot stay on one subject too long unless its really unforgivable.

This is why some guys say don’t apologize just keep going, bare up, and deal with it.

Actually men have learn apologizing only leads to more conversations about what?

About why apologizing means nothing without action behind them and then not doing the same action again.

Movies have gotten so high 8$ or 9$ that going to them really is a challenge.

Between video or dvd movies this problem is solved at least when using the library instead of video/dvd rental stores.

All I need now is a VCR/DVD/TV combo and rare
outings at Walk-in/Drive-in Movies and most of my entertainment needs.

If lucky we’ve already celebrated and after the walk or drive-in movie celebrations can begin again.

Like food I do enjoy 2nd’s 3rd’s, 4th helpings which reminds me, remember: eat food because water can only fill one so much.

Dating is difficult for me but with patience, laughter, and women with minds and bodies relaxed less tense good times are easy regardless whether there is sex or not.

I have to say that incase people were wondering.

Until this Slaughter ends be well people…. Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Staff Writer

A POOR Press Publication 2003©

What is a Poverty Hero

What is a hero? What does it mean to perform an act of heroism? Or, to live your life heroically? In Greek religion a hero was a famous
person who after his or her death was worshipped as quasi-divine – noblemen who were valiant fighters. In classic English literature heroes were created as mythical warriors capable of bravery and gallantry. In American literature, Hemingway defined the code hero- as a man who lives correctly following the ideals of honor courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful and always painful.

In our society many people judged by these classical standards have been heroes and heroines- Dr King, Mumia Abu Jamal, Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks to name a few, enduring and overcoming great odds and achieving great things- but at POOR we have developed a new kind of non-traditional literary hero – the Poverty Hero– the Poverty Hero has also withstood overwhelming obstacles – and achieved great things – but from another lens – in other words – the obstacles might be multiple evictions – homelessness and gentrification- welfare dependency and institutional systems abuse, racial and economic
profiling , incarceration and assault –the heroism could be surviving a life lived in poverty -through an existence fraught with misery and
suffering- the Poverty Hero could be a mother on welfare who has
successfully raised her children – an Abuela in Mexico who borrows the electricity of Sony Corp to power her Tijuana shanty village – a
houseless person who creates art – an elder who is fighting an illegal eviction- a homeless child who helps her mother care for her siblings, in other words, The heroism of survival itself through these great odds.

54 full color pages – with original line art by Ken McGhee-
The Poverty Hero Anthology itself is a work of art

by Joe B.

Last Sunday all day I had a feeling of missing something but couldn’t place what.

I had begun Thursday and Friday placing emails on two or three electronic dating service.

This seems to be an ongoing disaster considering my inexperience webbing around the net.

So after eating a meal in St. Martin De Porre’s or Porre?

Taking a bus to Golden Gate Park to clear my head thinking of what to do with the rest of my life.

To the restroom then sitting listening to nature I remember how much I missed being here.

As I was leaving I saw drawn artwork left near a garbage can.

"That’s so anyone can pick it up."

The voice came for a man with a shopping cart, plastic bags on the side and inside cans and bottles.

Trying to set the sketched art straight I soon let it sit where the man left so the sun shone on it and somebody might pick it up.

The Moniker "San Francisco Betty" is the name.

We walked, talked about our jobs he a "Grateful Dead" sound engineer past and current and loving the outside enjoying speaking with people as he recycled bottle, cans, and glass.

He tells me about the A. P. Style Book "every writer should have one, its online or in book stores."

I thanked him for the information.

Offering me a beer which I turned down.

I have 1 wine, 2 bottle, or glass minimum when in bars or dance clubs that’s rare because of economics.

I’m trying to find both dance and non dance bars where straight women and men hang out.

I know a few women will go with friends for a night out to have fun not particularly looking for anyone to connect to.

ust my luck straight women with friends really want to have fun among themselves while in the hottest dance clubs gay men, women, and orientations other than boringly straight hood up.

The ongoing joke is straight men don’t get it an are left out in the cold.

My answer to that is:

find the regular "S" bars with both "S" men and women so I won’t feel so isolated and odd.

Have to constantly remind myself normal is a misnomer like gays in a 80 to 90% "S" city would feel just as odd that’s why in every city there was a sub now main thriving gay culture.

All I have to do is find these Islands of "S", mark these places just as online "S" folks are kicked out of online chats because of what was done same sex and other ‘diff orientated folk is the backlash and also online age difference.

I can cut the search down a lot by having reader mainly females above their early 20’s guide me to where you are.

Its funny some complain about not finding men and yet an arbitrary rule of S. F."s politics is not to date men from the same city!

Maybe it works for them but pretty soon guys tend to move about too to the point of moving out of the city.

The baby shower! I missed the baby shower, sorry June I know you told me when but missed the whole thing. That’s what being alone does to one sometime.

Leaving the city. I will probably will be alone for a while yet but between Yoga, some dancing, using being alone as learning process.

Still I’d like to travel a bit rounding out my rough edges, be out of the country for a few years returning slightly better and self assured less needy of a woman’s voice, natural form and sensuality.

I believe women are mad at men because they themselves mirror them and though they know they can give, take, safe, nurture life they know also men can to when raised by loving parents single or traditional two family unit.

I can imagine a world without women. I wouldn’t want to live there in that barren land even if immortality were mine it would terrible kind of lonely hellish existence.

A world without men women say would peaceful, quiet, less strife and stress but I think after awhile it too would become as barren, bereft of rough humor, male artistry, vision, imagination, closeness.

Face it SAPHO’s and Amazon’s at least the ones who’re happy with Lesbian only won’t miss men one bit of course the ones with those now forbidden desires will hide, be shunned, or be hunted down either placed far away from them or killed because they remind others of the other sex.

Either world is HELLISH. But for women who chose world’s, places unmanned be aware there are reasons why there are two distinct sexes each are unique in their own way few are better, more intelligent, or more noble than the other but equally need each others weakness and strengths to coninue.

It may indeed be possible to quarantine one sex from each other if that happened I’d become a rebel because I will not be separate from my other half, that’s half my flesh, vision, nervous system, brain, soul, mind, life, and I cannot, will not live a half life that’s a slow, grueling, inexorable, dread, dried out life.

The wet, warm, fluidity is what I need cannot live without.

Men, complex as Women, and women as exasperating, terrifying in their anger, love, hate, indifference living without ‘em would be a living death for me.

Yeah, I’m floating in this city unattached, alone in my shell, hold tears behind eyelids because we aren’t suppose to eyewet and have it seen.The Code Still Exsist is luckily I was never good follow most of the male or fem coding.

You know when you’re angry you say it too keeping an upper hand.

You know we are your mirror hurting yet holding back, you’ve learned our trick too now you know why we do it.

’Kinda went too far ladies that’s what bits of loneliness does drives one to face ones self and I do have a weakness, its funny its also my strengh.

Write if I’m made sense and even if not write anyway. Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Alex Cuff PNN Newsbrief Editor

Despite ex-mayor Rudolf Giuliani’s ingenious and humane policy of slashing services and housing to those in poverty to cure homelessness (the "if you build it, they will come" fear), the number homeless in NYC has risen by 16,000 and is currently over 37,000. The homeless population in New York City includes 12,000 mothers and 16,000 who are under the age of 18.

In a creative response to a court order, which requires the city to provide temporary shelter for anyone who needs it, city officials are considering the use of old cruise ships as a solution to the chronic housing shortage. The cost of acquiring and renovating the old cruise ships is undiscloses but 'officials' say the cost will certainly be less than that of NY real estate which is at record high levels. The homeless services commissioner and other ‘top aides’ took mayor Bloomberg’s private jet to the Bahamas to inspect the ships...

This isn’t the first time that New York has turned to inane solutions instead of subsidizing more housing: In the early 1990s thousands of homeless families were put on little-used jail barges in the East River. Last summer the city put homeless families in a Bronz jail where they spent 45 days until a court ruled the jail inappropriate for housing. In this there is an eerie, yet obvious connection between incarceration and homelessness.

In LA, they are skipping the facade of the cruise ship and putting the homeless straight into jail. On the day before ‘Thanksgiving’ more than 250 police officers swept the blocks bounded by 1st, Spring and 7th Streets and the Los Angeles River. Folks were arrested both on the street and in low-cost hotels around 5th street. LAPD claims the sweep had been planned for 2 months and was intended to catch parole violators but the raid came just 48 hours after business organizations complained that the high number of homeless people was threatening the downtown economy.

by Staff Writer

The goal of POOR Magazine's Poverty Studies Institute (PSI) is to examine the root causes of poverty and racism through research, critical analysis, activism and advocacy.

PSI is open to all people who are interested in working with, creating media on, or providing services for, communities impacted by or directly affected by issues related to poverty and racism (see below for tuition and enrollment information)

One of our current explorations include the examination of Individualism, Separation and Independence as it is also our belief as Poverty Scholars* at POOR, that these practices lead to the very harmful manifestations of isolation and separation which eventually can lead to and/or worsen houselessness, ageism, mental illness, etc rather than the notions of collectivism and interdependence, most often associated with non-western, indigenous cultures, which can prevent if not heal poor families sufferring from these issues. It is our belief that especially for poor families, these notions are harmful and often lead to the interventions/assault of families by racist and classist institutions and policies such as Child Protective Services, The Criminal (Un)Justice System, The Foster Care System, Welfare (de) Reform, and many more.

Teachers/Poverty Scholars at PSI use several forms of media as a tool for critical analysis. Our current media "reading" is a series of films that explore these issues..

The Following is a series of student analysis through Responses to questi ons by PSI on the Film; Real Women Have Curves.

Teacher/Poverty Scholar; Dee

Teachers Assistant; Alex Cuff

Sometimes We didn't have a Phone

By Intern/Poverty Scholar; Jewnbug

How does the film deal with individuation?

The Mother is against Ana going to college anywhere she wants her to stay close to the family and work. The Father would rather Ana go to school close by instead of New York because he has worked hard to keep the family together and New York is too far away. The family (grandpa, older sister, father, cousins) live together and work together. The oldest daughter Estella works very hard with her Mother making dresses. The Mother wants Ana to know the value of family and hard work. The father works with his nephews doing garden landscaping. Ana no longer is working at a place that makes burgers because of the conflict with the manager. Her mother has Ana work with her and her sister making dresses. She sees first hand the everyday hard work and struggle of making ends meet for the family that her sister and mother do. At the same time Ana is still determined to go to college with the help of her teacher (this part of the movie is similar to a part in the movie Stand and Deliver). Her mother wants Ana to stay with the family and to help with her sister's business and most importantly stay close to the family that the Mother goes as far as saying she's pregnant to convince Ana more and more the need for her to stay close to the family. Estella is older but still shares a room with her sister. They all use the same phone line and share the same computer unlike the boyfriend who had his own room and seemed to have his own laptop computer and is going to Europe and doesn't seem to be struggling with his parents in convincing them to let him go. Ana in the end makes the decision to go and receives her Father's and sister's blessing but not her Mother's. You see Ana walking the streets in New York by herself with a smile like Mary Tyler Moore.
I wonder if she will get really home sick and transfer to a school in L.A.

Well I think that it's a good and wise thing to share a bedroom, phone and computer etc. in the family. I never had my own phone line and sometimes we didn't have a phone. We my family don't even have a computer and we only had one TV in the apartment/studio/hotel and sometimes we didn't. My brother might of have had a small TV at one time but we all shared it. I can remember going to other people's houses and they would have TVs even in the children's room to me this was odd but then became something I was influenced to desire too because other children making fun of you and you not being cool really effects you.

Basically this movie showed a family's value in sharing and working together in order to survive but Ana getting an education can help the family survive but only if Ana goes to college with the focus in mind that this is for the family and how what she is learning can be applied. Also when you don't have the funds to go to college it makes it hard in getting a so called higher education and when you are offered a scholarship it's hard to pass up but I believe that more research could've been done to get her a full scholarship to a college nearby.

I could never leave to a place far away from my family I couldn't do it. I will never forget what my Daddy told me is that he stays here in SF because of me and my brother. I may live in another apartment but it is still close by to my Mommy and Daddy. My younger brother I wish he lived closer but we make ways to stay in contact with him. However it still is hard but he is a bus/car ride away.

Does the ending of the film conflict with what you learned at POOR or does it agree with what you learned at POOR regarding individuation?

POOR wouldn't like or agree with the ending because it doesn't translate interdependency. The ending does translate individuation.
Interdependency is a family no matter what the members consist of meaning even if it's a single parent home the family stays close and shares which helps build a strong family unit which to me is resistance to capitalism, nourishment and one of the best medicines for depression, poverty and learning disabilities etc?
Individuation is separation of the family members everybody out for them selves, wanting everything as your own and not sharing etc. Ana leaving off to college to another state without her Mothers approval is an example and in the beginning her not wanting to work at the factory with her sister and mother is another. Lastly and most importantly here's Ana in another state going to a top college with full scholarship but what about her Mother? What about her Mother and all she has done and does and is? This scene in the end angers me and is sad. I know that I have caused my Mother pain (not being respectful or patient) when I should be at all times and will apologize for it for a life time. Prior to me working with POOR my Mother and me was always in relations we never separated, in one way we still stayed close but we weren't as close as we once were when I was really young and I miss that. I gave in to the pressures of a society that I'm a outkast in. POOR enforces me and others to build a relationship with our family where we respect at all times and draw close to are family in the means of making a better life not pulling away to be so called acceptedwhen this world rejects our Mothers then turns around and rejects her children. Ana has rejected her Mother and probably doesn't look at it like that, but that is what has happened.

What would an alternative ending look like?

Ana stays home with her family gets a scholarship to a nearby college. She goes to school part time and sill works with her sister and Mother making dresses. She helps her sister Estella open up her own Boutique where they no longer are working as cheap labor/sweatshop for Bloomingdales. Estella is making her own clothing line with sizes that fit women of full figures to plus sizes and they are able to provide the family with Health insurance and the Mother no longer has to sew but still works with her daughter and shares her stories with the women that work there.

Lovin? Latina?s from Califas

The film depicts a family?s struggle to keep itself together for the sake of its economic, cultural, and physical survival
while battling dominant western cultural forces that promote its dismantling an d the individuation of its members. The
beginning of the movie depicts the protagonist, Anna, the youngest daughter, as a model of Western individuated success.
The opening scene shows her battling all the apparent obstacles to this success: she swi ftly ignores her mother?s whining
calls for attention as she marches to school on time, she takes a number of buses escaping her barrio home to get to an
elite high school in Beverly Hills, and she hides her poverty as she mingles with her wealthy schoolmates.

These seemingly positive strides are overwhelmed when Ana announces to her teacher that she must forego college
because she can not afford it. Under her matriarchial mother?s command, Ana?s family is initially understood to be the
enemy to Ana?s progress, unwilling and unable to pay for Ana?s college education.
As the movie progresses, this Western individuated model of success is subtly challenged. Ana begins to go to work with
her mother and sister at the dress factory that her sister owns. There Ana gradually learns to appreciate the ways in which
her family works to support each other. Her high-minded ideals of individuated, college-won, family-removed success are
humbled once Ana comprehends the great sacrifices and collective effort made by her family in order to keep itself intact.
Anna?s prior culturally enforced ideals of self-made success had obscured the great debt she owed to her family?s love and
sacrifice as well as her accountability to them.

The euro-centricity and class privilege of Ana?s model of success are exemplified in the character of her short term
boyfriend. He is a wealthy, upper middle class white boy who has everything given to him, desires creating an artificial
situatio n (teaching abroad) in order to understand suffering, and whose parents are nowhere in sight. Through his
character, the individuated model of success is seen to be a natural extension of his economic stability and white
individuated family model. A nna?s belief in this model is seen to deny her very existence as a Mexican-American, lower
class member of a strong family.
Ana is awarded a full scholarship to Columbia at the end of the movie (because Columbia loves Latinas from California-
de e) which she eventually takes in defiance of her mother?s wishes and her family?s needs. This decision symbolizes Ana?s
struggle between her two cultures. While she has come to understand the vital role she plays in her family- not as a "good
daught er" who must bear the burdens of her family at the cost of her own life (a Eurocentric definition) but as a privileged
member of a strong collective to whom she is accountable- she is also fed the dominant ideals which valorize individuation
and uprooting the family. The movie does a good job of demonstrating how difficult this decision comes to be for Anna so
that strongly individuated audience members aren?t on their feet cheering when she finally makes the decision to leave.

Many times, the movie does depict the family as an old-fashioned, sometimes backwards unit. Ana?s mother is
sometimes a caricature of an overbearing matriarch who is overly dependant on her family. This depiction easily feeds
notions that the family inhibits p ersonal growth. Many who have seen the movie come away believing that it is just another
right-of-passage film where the daughter must make the tough but ultimately correct decision to leave the nest and gain
her independence. I was a little upset that the movie didn?t spell out the problem of individuation. At the same time, I
understand that the movie probably had to be made the way it was to appeal to larger audiences.

As a final note I?ve experienced the same struggle Anna did in many ways- most immediately is this struggle over
research. Ana?s idealization of college is akin to my own idealization of research. Just as she believed that she would be
helping her family in some long term eventual way by leaving her family and becoming educated, I?ve believed that doing
research will in some long term, hopeful, eventual way help the people "studied". In doing so, Ana and I conveniently
ignore the present reality. The success we envision is removed, uncertain and ultim ately self-serving. Understanding this
took an initial leap in consciousness for both of us and a continual readjustment of values for me.

The end of the movie showed a newly confident and made-up Ana strutting down Times Square towards the end of a
corner. The scene is made to parallel the opening scene where she is slumped over and trudging down the LA streets
towards the bus stops to get to school. It?s interesting that at the end of the block where Ana is walking, a large travel bus
is waiting. The final shot is of the bus pulling away before a cut to the credits. It was my hope that the bus was containing
Ana on her way back to LA and that a second more of the shot would show that Ana was no longer standing on the corner.
But this was my hope and may not have been the actual ending. Ana?s choice to go to Columbia conflicted with POOR?s
teachings on individuation. In POOR version for Ana and Isabelle, the girls, if they must, go to school but to ones that is
close t o home so that they maintain their kinship and communal ties. The ending conflicted with what I have learned at
POOR because Ana decided to individuate and abandon her family.

An alternative ending would have Ana and Isabelle at schools close t o home maintaining their communal ties and their
familial obligations. It would also have a moral audit of the Columbia University California Latina Trust. The money would
be taken away from its individuating purposes and would be given to POOR Maga zine for expansion and accredidation of its
Poverty Studies and Community Building Programs. If I said anything more, I would just be stealing Ashley?s ending
because it was so good.

Revisiting this movie with my mother and being able to give her the handout of all the other interns? answers has given
an alternative ending to our conversation. She says that she has been thinking and rethinking her Westernized belief
system. We spent much of the last two days trying to dissect where it c ame from in her family and her education and also
how it had invaded out own family life. We also started talking for the first time about how this western model is hurting our
family. How do I not sound like a telethon or a really bad sitcom when I say- thank you POOR for helping to make my
family closer. Awwwwww!

Soy Como Soy

1. How does the film deal with individuation?

It portrays Ana's family struggling in East LA and it shows Ana struggling with the desire and need to be herself and to find her identity, and the dilemma and dynamics between the family but primarily the women. She wants an education, she doesn't want to be stuck in a sweatshop and feel obligate d to her family duties. She doesn't necessarily want to leave them but feels trapped. It is obvious that her family's beliefs do not coincide w/ individuation. Her household included three generations, plus her Tia and her primos. I believe it shows a c ontrast of Latin Culture and tenets, that are family oriented but not always healthy, and Euro-centric thought/individuation but did possibly have an underlying tone thought of individuation.

2. Does the film agree w/ what you learned at POOR regar ding individuation?

The answer to be truthful, is both yes and no. I suppose that scholarships aren't given with an exchange rate: i.e. allowances made for people to go to the best schools and yet be able to remain with their families at home (bum mer). So, I would say would say that unfortunately, a decision has to be made that may separate the family temporarily or perhaps forever, I believe it depends on the family's desire to be cohesive and healthy. what I have learned at POOR is, I feel, very valid and pertinent but then I must also look at Isabel's move/decision to go to Columbia University. I know it was a hard choice for her to make, but she is alright and her relationship with her mother remains intact even though they are geographically separated; it does not have to stay that way forever. I'm sure she will return or facilitate a way to live with or near her mother... Then again, what if she did indeed move to Cuba? Would that not be considered the product of individuation? I guess what I am saying is that there are many issues involved that contradict each other and the family's of Ana and Isabel will have to put forth the effort, love , and work to remain a family: to remain whole so that Euro-Centric values do not invade their familie s cultures or tenets. It does not work to just tell an adolescent or young adult, "No" and thus have them feel obligated to their families for the wrong reasons, to feel trapped in their love for their family.

3. What would an alternative ending be?

Shit here you go...what happened to the easy questions? I can think of many, but how about this one? Ana goes to Columbia for a year, maybe two and then transfers back to California (perhaps Berkley or Stanford) and is closer to her family, can see them, and still have a chance at good schooling. In the meantime: Ana has talked her sister Estella into pursuing better contracts and to start selling her own line of clothing. Estella gets a small business loan to get started, format, and present her new business. This enables Estella, their mother, and the women who are employed by her to earn a living wage. Then they create a additional line of clothing called "Real Women" for real women with curves. Ana's mother tries to be loving, but still can not be demonstrative and is still too critical of her daughters (although she now tries to listen once and awhile.) Her Grandpa is still at home with the family and they continue to have a beautiful relationship he live to be 99. Her dad still works hard but is not discontent in his decision to give his nephews more responsibility w/ the business (landscaping.) Ana majors in Literature and minors in Latin Anthropology/Cultures and becomes a renown Latina author. Her novels are of Latina/Latin histories, c ultures causes and life. "Soy Como Soy", her first novel is now a prerequisite for college in California high school classes. She is acclaimed for her ability to merge creative writing, poignancy, clarity, insight and humor without losing cultural or family values.

Sacrifices

Student: Mike Vizcarra

The theme of individuation is seen throughout the film. The main character, Anna, is torn between helping her family
or going off to college at Columbia. This is where the heart of the movie lies: the constant conflict of whether to contribute
to the family/community or be individualistic and be on your own.

The ending of the movie conflicts with what I learned at Poor. The begin with, Poor taught me that taking care of the
family is first and foremost. You have to make sacrifices to help out the family; sacrifices to the individual self. In the
movie, Anna as faces with staying with the family and helping her sister?s company or she could go to Columbia on a full
scholarship.

One possible ending could have been for Anna to not go to Columbia and stay and help her family. She also could
have applied to another local University and be closer to her family. If she went to all the trouble of going to Beve rly Hills
High, going to UCLA or USC would?ve been just as easy for her. Also, she would have been closer to her family and still
would be able to help her sister?s clothing company. That would be the ideal situation. If she could get a full scholar ship to
Columbia, why couldn?t she get a full scholarship to other colleges? Granted LA is not as cosmopolitan as NYC (Harlem), her
education would practically be the same from other prestigious schools in LA.

Cultural Expectations

Student(Teacher?s .Assistant): Alex Cuff

How does the film deal with individuation?
at first i thought the movie didn?t really deal with individuation. it certainly addressed the issue of
individuation on many levels. most obviously between ana and her mother, carmen. if ana and carmen?s relationship
was the only relationship looked at in the film, then i would have to say that the filmmaker wasn?t seeing the
issue of individuation, the situation from the mother?s point of view, at all. but although we are given a stronger
view and allowed to connect more with ana then her mother, other subtler aspects of the movie brilliantly offer the
audience a point of view other than ana?s.
1. the sister ? the role of estella?s charac ter was, to me, ambiguous. ana does toward the end of the movie
appreciate how hard her sister works when she borrows money from her father to pay the rent on the factory space
but i feel like the overall view of estella is negative from both the m other?s point of view (which provides
entertainment from the audience) but also because ana calls her business a "sweat shop" . . . i guess i wanted to
see more activism on ana?s part in at least discussing why she felt her sister?s business is a sweat shop. i mean
we know why she says that but what can she do, besides iron, to help that situation?

the women who work for estella ? the women at the factory certainly validate carmen and her cultural
expectations and ideas when ana comes to work for estella. again, although our (my, other individuated audience
members?) "pity" lies more with ana for having to work there and also to deal with her mother?s negativity
regarding ana, we see through the reaction of the other women, that ana is acting a bit spoiled. it also points out
the importance of family in the latino culture. one example being that the woman who gets married and moves to
mexico with both her mother and sister who had worked there with her. and another woman wh o tells the story of her
father?s death and the way in which she pretends he is alive and wheelchairs him out of the hospital cause she
can?t afford to pay the bills.

Overall i think that the film is depicting the young woman ana and her "pr oblem" being that her family is old
fashioned and doesn?t understand her. threaded thoughout the film is positive moments of her family life especially
with her sister, grandfather, and father ? but the film?s answer was that she just needed do what she needed to do
for herself regardless of her relationship to her mother. there were scenes that related the filmmakers cognizance
of the sensitive relationship between mother and daughter: on the bus she sees a mom with a crying daughter and to
me that was to show ana, and us, the sacrifices mother?s go through to have children. the situation with jimmy was
great in providing a contrast between the privileges and those that aren?t privileged. him on his ibook, with his
volvo, and with his plan on meeting her in europe.

Does the ending of the film conflict with what you learned at Poor or does it agree with what you learned at Poor
regarding individuation? the end of the film agrees with what we learned at poor regarding ind ividuation. we learned that
individuation affects non-european descendent family who now live in cultures, america in this case, that strongly promote
individuation. this is clearly an issue in this film.

What would an alternative ending l ook like? um, there could be a few alternatives....the most obvious is that ana?s
teacher could have helped her look into universities around LA or closer than NYC after he first witnessed the parents
reaction to him visiting at her graduation party. his role was definitely "teacher knows best" and we in the audience trust
him more since he speaks spanish (i know that sounds dumb but it is true.) another ending could be that ana does leave
for nyc but she takes the time to explain to her pare nts that with a prestigious university degree she will be more of an
asset to her family in the long run cause she will be able to earn more but that she?ll be back for xmas, holidays, etc. and
plans to move home after school or look into transferri ng down the line. another ending would have been that she helps
estella get her own line of dresses off the ground and figures out a way to rid of the nasty middle woman designer who is
selling her dresses for $500, $600. then she could go to colle ge after that or go locally while working part time with estella
and taking the pressure off her mother who has been working so long.

A Full Scholarship

By Student: Connie Lu

Ana, the main character in the film, is a young Latino woman in her senior year in high school. She is a very intelligent
student, who works hard. Her teacher encourages her to apply to Columbia University in NY, but she explains to him that
her family can?t afford to pay the tuition. Ana?s mother is a gainst her daughter going to college because she needs to work
to support the family. her mother forces Ana to work at her sister?s clothing factory. But Ana still wants to leave her family to
be her own "individual" person at Columbia University. She looks down upon her family and sees her sister?s clothing factory
as a sweat shop.

Ana takes the advice of her teacher and applies for college, despite her mother?s wishes. She ends up getting accepted
to Columbia University with a full scholarship and leaving her family. I thought her mother would come out of her room to
say good-bye to Ana, but it broke my heart to see a severed relationship between a mother and daughter because there?s
something so special about the bond and unity that is shared within a family that sticks together.

The ending of the film conflicts with what I learned at Poor because Ana leaves her family. She wants to pursue her own
future, education, boyfriend, and separate herself from her family. Her desire to become independent from her family fits
under the American individualistic mindset of our society. However, at one point in the film, Ana does improve upon her
individualistic ways and realizes how hard her family works to support each other, which brings her closer to her family and
makes her more willing to work at her sister?s factory.

Perhaps, Ana should have applied to a college and scholarship within the LA area, so that she could live at home and go to a nearby school, be close to her family, and support them financially.

When One becomes Many..

Student: Ashley Adams

In the film, the daughter, Ana, becomes individualized. She leaves her family in LA to pursue formal education in NY
even tho ugh her mother refused to say ?good-bye?. Ana leaves against her mother?s wishes, then the movie ends without
showing the viewers the flip-side of becoming individualized and how painful the process is for all involved?There are no
scenes of how Ana copes in NYC without any members of her family and there are no scenes of how Ana?s family and
especially Mother handle their day to day life without her in their home, in their city.

The movie shows what a working class inter-dependent family experiences as their daughter becomes individualized.
The ending of the film shows Ana walking down the street in NYC with a smile on her face. I gathered that the film was
promoting such decisions by the ending. Towards the end, I thought that Ana would not leave and I was surprised at the
outcome. Very much like Isabel.

The ending of the film conflicts with what I have learned at Poor regarding the issues of individuation. I have learned
that family and community are the most import ant part of survival, and one of the most anti-capitalist behaviors and
actions that one can participate in. When the ONE becomes a part of the MANY, the individual?s need shift from personal
gain to collective gain, which is the exact opposite of c apitalism and the truth about our existence is our interdependency.

Ana would choose to stay with her family in LA realizing she is a part of something bigger than herself. This decision is
make just before going to the airport to fly to NY. S he does not receive her mother?s blessing to leave home, so she does
not go. Instead she applies to UCLA and gets accepted with a full ride scholarship. She helps out with her sister?s factory
work when needed. Her sister, begins designing a dress l ine for ?real women that have curves?. The dresses are made in her
factory and instead of getting $18 for a dress that is sold in department stores for $600, she begins to sell the dress all
over the world via internet, for $300 each, and she gets a s many orders as she did as a contractor. Ana helps her with this
transition, as Ana helped her to see the slave labor, sweatshop conditions they were working with to survive. They, as a
family, changed the course of their survival by staying togeth er and helping each other actualize dreams.

Hospitale Generale..

Student: Andy Dellarocca

Individuation was certainly THE underlying theme of the film. The girl
wanting to leave, the mother wanting her to stay not just because she is
going to miss her, but because she wants her daughter to now give back, and
work for the family. A cultural struggle ensues, as the daughter is
prompted to leave for college (Beverly Hills culture) because "it is the
best thing for her", while her mother and father, do not want the family to
break apart (Mexican culture).

The ending of the film is not conclusive. What occurs- the girl living in
Manhattan -certainly goes against Poor's doctrine. However, the filmmaker
does not reveal to the audience whether she agrees that it is the best
decision. The filmmaker leaves her opinion intentionally ambiguous. The
focus of the film is the struggle between individuation and collectivism.
Therefore, the ending does not conflict with what we learned at Poor,
because at Poor we learned that the conflict exists. Poor, however, would
prefer that she stay at home. So Dee was mad.

An alternative ending, naturally, would be the girl staying ho me and working
in her sister's factory, laughing, dancing in her underwear, ironing
clothes, and talking with her friends about Jose's illegitimate child and
how he secretly dates boys, and how the alien on "Hospital Generale" falls
in love with a sock.

by Joe B.

It’s Wednesday, February, 19, 2003 usually, supposedly my seemingly one day off getting away from POOR Magazine’s constant Political stuff.

Not today, later day history is being made but all I’m thinking about is Yoga, and later the same night Latin Ameri-Folk Dancing which are at turns the Merengue, Salsa, and (yes, may have spelled the first dance wrong)
some Ballroom dance as well.

So far I’ve stuck with both classes Yoga being the easier of the two, the instructor and students know me as the guy most likely to drive the instructor crazy but I taking her words to heart "To take whatever positives learned in the class and build on them."

With the launching of POOR’s Book Release Party and precious little time I and others scurry about handing out flyers ads to people, organizations, and S.R.O.[single Residency/Room Occupancy] Hotels

Spreading the word as wide as we can.

Me, with two both classes on the same days at different hours the last thing on my mind is practicing the skid ‘uh-play on ‘houzin, first on this day of all days I had other plans which already have been back-burned enough
now again its on the burn again!

My my, all this on the same day plus my brother and sister in-law are at mama’s place.

I won’t be able to leave to see them before their gone again and they may not be able to be at the event makes real cool on the idea of performing this skit ‘uh play, I’m ‘kinda not ‘feelin it now.

Again a missed opportunity to visit KPOO radio station in the city, glad I had two and a half hours of sleep before going to a potentially historic "Ammiano For Mayor Kick Off Party" later on the same night.

If it wasn’t for a good friends invite I would not have known about it.

In San Francisco’s Plummer’s Hall on1621 Market Street.

And to think in a not to lucid state Mr. Ammiano called Ms. Alex C.

I answer and blearily call the man Tom, as soon as it came out of my I knew that was bad but its to late he probably thinks I’m an idiot; oh well at least its no worse than that.

Got to practice saying "The Honorable Mayor Mr. Tom Ammiano.

The food was good chicken on long, thin, sharp, wooden sticks, and plates, alcohol and non alcoholic beverages. By 6:07 or 10 pm. Mr. Ammiano Arrived.

Supe. Mc Goldrick first spoke about Amminano then Mr. Ron Dicks, Transplanted New Yorker spoke about a great ball player hounded out of baseball when he contracted HIV[Human Immuno- deficiency Virus]

Times ‘tickin by 6:41 I knew if I stayed any longer I wouldn’t be able to get home, do last minute, sprucing up, brushing teeth before taking Bart to City College.

I left with the positive mutual buzz around this political bash.

Though I’m not political I do who ever is the best candidate wins and that’s as far as it goes.

All the rest of I have no time to deal with.

My friend on the other hand eats up this stuff, loves it, cannot fault my buddy for it but to me its just to much stuff to always be looking up-at statistics, voting districts, facts, figures, and all the other stuff that goes on forever.

Its not that compelling or exciting for me as it is for my friend who eats, sleeps, dreams, the stuff daily making a career.

All the best but leave it at the job no long 'convo about it to me like "Billy Joel sings "I don't want to work that hard."

Its exactly why I do few news item because the story never ends there's always a backstory, review, quotes, it really never ends.

So I write colums beginning, middle and end or section them in parts but eventually there's an end to them.

How did politics evolve?

It probably began as the first chieftains, queens, kings, monarchs, princes, and leaders so much land and people they needed help with her/his fief, queen/kingdom(s), lands and advisers helped them to decide how to be leaders, draft, and enforce laws then it became a permanent fixture of leadership to have qualified advisers and eventually politics came to be.

I don’t trust the two party system its like a closed game and though it’s the only game in town.

One can get away from the town altogether and get along without all the excess crud getting dragged with it.

The personal is political but I’m A political will stay that way because my goal is way beyond elections every two to four years but is about the very essence of life itself and there are times all that goes beyond mere politics because without life itself politics is a game of tactics, advantage, popularity, and parties.

That’s another pet peeve, not enough political parties for the populace to chose from.

The Two party system is broken and folks should have more choices than picking form plan A or Plan B we need a mixing all the alphabets and numbers.

I made it to the dance club early and forgot about the historic ‘Pol bash.

My main goal is learning to dance better, meeting lovely women, dating regular maybe in my journeys finding my soul mate and living a slower, healthier life span. Bye Folks.

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by Valerie Schwartz/PoorNewsNetwork Community Journalist and Poverty Scholar

For the Poor People of the World

There is no respect

Living or Dead

Ode to the throes of the Poor,

lost and forgotten and not mourned

The homeless can not rest in peace….

……excerpt from "Barely in yo grave" by A. Faye Hicks, Po’ Poets Project

I have lost more than a few friends to homeless deaths, as a matter of fact it is almost too depressing to think for about very long because the body count is high. . I have known homeless people, friends and acquaintances who have died from things as varied as exposure/ hypothermia, heart attacks, seizures, blood poisoning, staff infections, Hep C, AIDS, alcohol poisoning, overdose, suicide, renal failure, diabetes, flesh eating disease, abscesses, pneumonia, and violence. I myself had quite a few close encounters with the Angel of Death while living on the streets of San Francisco. To say that I cheated death would be an outright lie. I was fortunately in the right/wrong place enough times to rob the death angel, boldly and forthright from taking myself and other people on the streets.. Most of these deaths are and would have been preventable. In 2000,the Department of Public Heath stopped counting homeless deaths and the study of homeless deaths. The DPH claimed that due to a shortage of funding, employees, staff, and a change of priority the study would end.

It's dreary gray Monday afternoon typical of January in San Francisco. I am standing at the cable car turn around at Powell and Market Streets as the people walk by to look and the diverse array of street vendors and their wares. As a woman stares out the second floor window of the GAP, people are getting ready to start the "Homeless Death Funeral Procession and Protest." We are dressed in black, some have their faces painted in the stark black and white death mask as this is a protest of a serious erasure of people by Dr. Mitch Katz of the DPH. Folks from Coalition on Homelessness, People Organized to Win Employment Rights, POOR Magazine and many more economic justice organizers are gathered here to demand that the Department of Public Health reinstate the annual homeless death study and to acknowledge the lives of the homeless we have lost here in the city. Clipboards are being passed through the crowd to gather signatures to endorse the reinstatement of the homeless death count as well as food for those who are hungry.

"Every year in San Francisco there are at least one hundred homeless deaths", said Machiko Saito one of the organizers of the event. According to statistics since 1987 more than 1,600 have died homeless here in San Francisco. The Tenderloin Times first started the tracking of homeless deaths in 1987 and even though they have folded, they started a monumentally important task: the death count of our city's homeless. The Department of Public Health started keeping track of the deaths in 1997-1999. Information from the Medical Examiners Office was used to create a database on sites of deaths, preventable deaths and information on deaths caused from intentional and non- intentional injuries. The tally was abandoned for 2000 due to lack of funding and the need in September 2001, for a study on "bio-terrorism" superceding the homeless death study.

There had been a "Community Advisory Board" that used and implemented this data for health outreach workers to hamper deaths and educate the public. It also served to create a database of what information was pertinent to creating solutions within the health and social systems of San Francisco.

There is a black plywood coffin and some flowers, from the side of them steps Madigan, a mental-health advocate, and a self described, "punk rock cellist." Madigan told the people how being present the march and "protesting and organizing is good for your mental health."

" We ain't gonna take this shit cuz people are dying!" said Garth Ferguson, a long time advocate for the homeless. He told us of how he "stumbled across a dead man" in 1987 and that was the beginning of the homeless death count that the Tenderloin Times carried the news of, the news that the corporate media would not cover.

Through the start of this homeless death count, the literal stumbling of Garth Ferguson, several things of major import happened. 1. The Mac Millan Drop-In Center opened thus facilitating a place for homeless folk that had been turned away from the shelters for being intoxicated which left them susceptible to hypothermia to get in from out doors. 2. A death prevention: an outreach team that combines outreach mental health, substance abuse and medical services to those at risk. 3. The "Substance Grievance Procedure" to help ensure that addicts who would be put out of treatment, receive other treatment rather than be put out in the streets with nowhere to go making relapse inevitable, especially after tolerance levels being lower from being in treatment.

"In the last six years I've lost fifteen people", said Delphine Brody. A member of the Substance Mental Health Workers Coalition, Delphine says, "People are dying due to a lack of access" and that when Prop N goes into effect "Chances are people won't be able to get into hotels on fifty-nine dollars a month. Ms Brody talked of how it was Dr. Mitch Katz of DPH that had made the decision to end the count and study of homeless deaths, "He thinks it is more important to fight bio-terrorism.

I didn't even want to try and think, it made me so very sad and angry to even try to count all those who have passed, that I have known, who have passed here in San Francisco homeless. Some weren't counted as homeless even though they most assuredly were. Some slept in their vehicles, other peoples rooms, apartments, basements, or couch surfed and those that sidewalk surfed the gritty pissy pavement of the city finding refuge in the slivers of cardboard, where they could. They were not legal tenants anywhere, but still not listed as homeless. Some had people give them addresses upon their death for reasons of burial, mortuary service, and in the end it all comes down to money doesn't it? They don't even have a paupers graveyard anymore, I'm not sure what they do with the ashes of the homeless. I know the morgue wanted six-hundred dollars to have my friend Tiffany's ashes sent to her mother in Oregon. I believe it is imperative that we have the homeless death study to help prevent these deaths that are so unnecessary and re-implement the education of harm reduction and the valuable information that can be obtained through this study and to acknowledge the people of our city in death and to pay homage to them.

Bianca Henry, an advocate of housing for the poor and homeless then stepped up to the microphone and said, "Every year we lose family to the street. Bianca brought to us the knowledge that the largest growing segment of homeless across our nation are families and that the conditions should be changed. Says Bianca, "Families are being left out, for the City to leave children on the street is not okay... It is not a crime to be poor."

"Bay City Love", an accapella trio of three African-American men then gave a beautiful tribute to those who have passed on our streets homeless. They started singing 'Down by the Riverside" in a three part harmony and then helped Madigan and Machiko in the chants and songs for the march.

The march/procession started to move up the sidewalk chanting and singing as we, in a number of what I would estimate at seventy people, went up Market to Seventh Street where we made the first of several stops to honor those who have passed away. On Seventh between Mission and Market we stopped and paid tribute to Teresa Guerra. Yolanda Catzalco of POWER spoke about Teresa, her friend who died in a shelter where no one called the paramedics for help until ten hours had passed and nothing could be done. "Teresa was one of the forefront leaders against Prop N...she took on the big one, she took on Gavin Newsom, ", said Yolanda. Teresa had been an advocate for the poor and homeless. She worked with POWER and fought for jobs and housing for people.

We then went to United Nations Plaza to evoke the memory of a personal friend of mine Cesar Cruz a very good, kind man. I had known Cesar since about oh 1993 or 94 when he first came to the Tenderloin he used to work at the Western Hotel and eventually became homeless and lived in Civic Center with his dog, "Bear". L.S. Wilson spoke first at the statue and the end of the Plaza at Hyde St., "Cesar was as much a fixture of this city as this statue...he was a leader of the U. N. Plaza homeless."

Another man spoke, an elder. He talked about how "Cesar was loved by a lot of the people here" and how Cesar had been instrumental in organizing the homeless, Cesar's generosity and how Cesar, a Veteran, had been a diplomat as a homeless person. The gentleman also said, " In seven years I've seen forty-nine people that I know pass" and followed with a message to the Mayor.. " F' you, Mayor Brown we are still here and more determined!"

From the Plaza we walked up to Mc Allister and Larkin to honor yet another homeless death, that of Trent Hayward. Trent was a talented writer, advocate, and a volunteer for the Coalition on Homelessness, Street Spirit and POOR Magazine. Allison Lum quoted a passage written by Trent to the DPH in regard to the fence that was put up on the corner of Larkin and Mc Allister, where Trent lived, houselessly, in which Trent said the DPH might as well put up signs that said, "Please refrain from dying on our property." The fence was put up because people had been camping out there and apparently dying on DPH property.

On the way towards City Hall I ran into an old friend that I haven't seen for about a year and a half, April. April informed me that while she was in treatment/program her lover, our friend, Dean Lockart died in front of the Post Office on Golden Gate and Hyde Streets last February 2002. I had known Dean since 1984, he was a gentle and good person. It is weird how things happen. I was just thinking about Dean and April not more than a week ago and wondering if they were still surviving out there and today I have my question answered. I couldn't help but get mad at myself for wondering about them as if perhaps if I hadn't thought about them maybe I wouldn't have had to know the truth and maybe Dean would still be alive. I am glad we did not go to Turk and Hyde for I would have broke down thinking about the loss of Mama, my friend and a friend to many, a vehicularily housed elder who died of a heart attack in her van, homeless. I am growing tired of the truth and that is: The city's poor homeless are in dire need of service and the truth is that I am sick and tired of seeing people die out there when it isn't necessary, not ordained, nor part of any divine plan.

Our final stop was at 101 Grove St. at the DPH's Public Health and Safety building. Outside on the steps and the entrances to the building the SFPD was present and informed people that they could not take in any signs placards or posterboards. I expected a search but they allowed us in and were actually pretty reserved. Mary Kate from Caduesus Center spoke before we went into the public meeting of the Health Commission. "I"m really sad that we are all here...what it speaks to is that here is a group of people here who care", "These lives do not have value, this is the message we are receiving", said Mary kate. She then added that if it was smallpox it wouldn't have happened, that it would have been addressed and taken care of. Before we walked into the doors she said, "Every life has value." Mary Kate then read the list of demands on the steps that the organizers, supporters, and the homeless were standing.

We are demanding that Department of Public Health work to:

1. Prevent Homeless Deaths

2. Count and Study homeless deaths within the Health Department

3. Re-institute homeless people's Over-site Committee to make recommendations for change

4. Adhere to existing San Francisco Definition of Homelessness in the study.

We then entered the building and went up the steps to the third floor where the Health Commission was meeting, we entered, perhaps forty people into the hearing room while others stood in the hall. Chanting and singing started, the gavel banged and banged, the chair said we would not be acknowledged. Wrong, it was he who was not acknowledged: for the tribute to our friends, loved ones, and citizens was louder than the gavel.

L.S. Wilson of the Coalition on Homelessness then approached the Chairman and the Health Commission. He stood at the dais and into the microphone he spoke clearly and loudly in behalf of those who have passed, those presently homeless, and served the following Summons Malpractice Lawsuit. The room quieted as L.S. read the summons to the defendant Dr. Mitch Katz. When he finished the chanting and singing resumed until everyone exited the room and went outside.

Although it was a serious and somewhat somber afternoon and at times sadly reflective: I had a sense of unity to come and that the tear in the fabric of humanity is being repaired slowly, methodically, and with love and with a voice that will not allow itself to be stifled or censored any longer. "We are still here and more determined."

by Joe B.

Saturday and Sunday, two hectic tiring days for a guy like me.

I messed up with finding a letter with keys to the office in the old union hall on 255 9th street in San Francisco.

I’ll start from Friday. I’m at friends home she’s saying she’ll be at Horrace Man Middle School to be a facilitator and speaker on how to en-power the youth.

Half what’s said left my ears as I’m ready to be home and crash before going out.

She came over looked at my apartment and helped turn my dirty place into a cleaner better place to live, I’m at her place thanking her by washing dishes piled up that day.

Though trying hard to get away from that chore. (Which I rarely do in my place I’m always washing something up at hers).

Saying yeah, understand I leave. Friday at work I’m reminded.

By Saturday before the day before POOR’s Book Release Party sleep made me stay in bed before practicing Yoga’s Cat, Dog, plank, and sun salute (there’s a name for it but don’t have the paper with me).

My phone rings again its my boss saying no one is here to help her all this work must be done before Sunday!

I didn’t want to go down there to help with whatever she has to do because the whole project seems to grow from a simple idea and get more complex as more ideas take hold.

I as part of the ‘Po Poets and author of a book was ready to let it all go without being published.

Looking longingly at my dented pillow, wrinkled sheets and warm inviting covers I moan a slow sigh and left the tempting sleep zone.

The phone rings, its my friend calls reminding me yet again about publicly speaking at that middle school.

This time the whole message gets through my alert brain but I tell her I’ll sleep some more then call her its 10:22 am.

My boss is the only one there, the door that was supposed to be open is locked shut.

I wait for someone to open up the auditorium door and also for a port-a-pottie with combination lock.

First the portable pottie with an engaging gentlemen and Mr. Earnest with a key to the door both were pleasant even tempered people to deal with and have an honest conversation with.

After we fiddled with the combination lock opening it a few times we’re ready for the auditorium.

Ashley and I helped place white butcher paper across the walls on the second floor covering all the walls.

I was Ashley with keen in-her-mathematical skills measuring out the width, length, and height as I help roll the paper out that really gets the work done.
As Ashley, Lisa, and I are placing a huge graphic or drawing of the "Poverty Hero" against the glass I’m push as hard as I can using yellow putty stick onto the widows.

Either the glass is old and brittle, the window pane is loose or I was forcing it too much whatever happened it shatters suddenly with most of the glass going outside.

Joe! You Cut? Lisa said, Ashley with a worried look or her face.

I’m looking saying "Yes, I’m cut" feeling a glass sliver inside and wiggling it to get it out or it’ll keep cutting deeper.

It really pooled out in dripping. "I think it’s a deep cut" I say doing a stupid automatic male response to pain as the nerves in my thumb screams its throbbing beat.

"It hurts so the nerves are working." (Where is all this dumb-brave-the-pain-crap coming from?

It keeps coming from my mouth unbidden because inside I’m saying I’m still bleeding! How far did I cut my self, was there more than one sliver of glass in my thumb?

Lisa or Ashley went to get bandages while washed out my thumb with soap and water in the men’s restroom.

The wound kept gushing maroon.

Lisa wrapped a paper towel over it which quickly turns crimson.

Towel after tissue after towel the same result a continuous crimson tide.

I’m getting a little worried thinking I really may have nicked an artery or vein!

I have band aids on and every three hours replaced them and my thumb continued to bleed soaking the band aid.

Soon the throbbing is less and red turns pink as pain lessens.

I made a joke about bleeding for my art.

Downstairs as soon as begin moving tables, chairs, electrical equipment my thumb begin to throb and bandage turning red.

The healing process is being interrupted I could to two things keep lifting things losing blood or lift a huge object and go home to rest.

While Lisa talks to people, Ashley and Marissa are busing I pick up the huge 8 or 10 foot ladder, place it where Ashley, Lisa, and Marissa will be able to place butcher paper and promote the even on the vast union hall wall.

Then I ask to leave. "Sure we can do most of this without you." Lisa says.

Its 12:30 that kills the nap I call My friend saying I’ll be at the even but I wasn’t clear where I was leaving so she stays in apartment waiting for me. "Sorry Ms. M. Villaluna for the mixup."

Taking wrong bus but find the place in record time, race upstairs to the 3rd floor 309 for the Youth Movements, (Youth Commission).

San Francisco’s Youth Commission is unique in that they are appointed by both the Mayor and Supervisors of San Francisco.

San Francisco Youth Commission The San Francisco Youth Commission was created in 1995.

As stated in the Charter, the Youth Commission was created to "advise the Board of Supervisors
and Mayor on issues relating to children and youth." The San Francisco Youth Commission bridges the gap between youth and government.

The Youth Commission plays a vital role in ensuring that youth have a voice in decisions and policy that affect young people.

The Above as stated is from the: www.ci.sf.ca.us/youth-commission.

Thing is, the pre and elder teens on the Y.C. have power to influence both the Mayor and Board of Supervisor’s on situations that directly involve youth San Francisco and ripples through the country to everywhere else.
take their power across this country changes will be made and not at slow pace.

If other pre teens and elder youth - oops this is where I have to amend the terms older and elder because Ms. M says its an oxymoron because they're all young people.

Logically speaking if 40 and older adults are old to youth in their early teens and 20's wouldn't late teens 18 and early 20 year olds seem as old to them?
Ms. M. is fond of saying "'Keepin It Real

But to a 12 year old Y.C. wouldn't a 18 to 20 yr. seem old to them too?

The Youth Commission began in 1995 if the youngest Y.C. lets say 12-13 he, she was at the time is by 2005 ten years older and is now 22 or 23 wouldn't the next group coming up see him or her as older/elder youth?

Even though most people would say their all young people younger Y.C.'s may automatically think older/elder and as their mentors.

I wonder if all the Y.C.'s had a private panal to dicuss this it would be very interesting who would be consider as an elder youth (oops, said elder again).

I don't know maybe the younger Y.C's can email me and tell me who they think as older/elder, to them adult allies or mentor's to them.

I'd relay it without revealing who said who they chose but the older/elder youth (sorry again) will finally not be under a blind
We'er All Youth Umbrella.

Ms. M. said to amend the the elder/older youth thing and I have but not exactly the way she wished but I only "'Keepin It Real, Girl, oh sorry 'um Young Mature Adult.

She'll hate me but I'm being just as real and logical as I can.

Its seems, if she really thought about it - she is an older/elder adult to younger Y.C's and a heaven forbid - a role model as well.

Meanwhile my friend sleeps or is preparing for her big day.

End-Pt. 1 of Facilitators & Books.

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by Joe B.

"It "Freak-in happened again! 7 intelligent, adventurous, creative people flashed-to-ashes. Mr. Ilan Ramon, a colonel of in the Israeli Airforce, First Israeli astronaut In Space
Dr. Kalpana Chawla, First citizen of India in space.
Col. Rick Husband, Lt. Col. Michael Anderson, Cmdr. William McCool, and Capt. David Brown, Laurel Clark.

"When I heard someone talk about it Saturday, February 1st it didn’t register.

The thought came "It must’ve been an empty shuttle tested for flight by remote control, it couldn’t of happened again?

There’s an emergency escape pod or pods for two or three astronauts at a time to glide safely to earth.

But I’m wrong, no escape pods, Mc Giver like glider kits that can be deployed at the edge of space along with one-time us emergency thermal suits for added protection.

I am glad I only heard and not seen as what happened but it will be displayed what happened it its awful entirety.

My own moment of silence was through out that day and Sunday at a new church I pray in.

The bare facts of the matter is no matter what humanity does to make it safe for us to become a space-faring race their will always be a cost but it shouldn’t take the best of our people in one blast like this has once again.

Maybe a combination of robotic probes, inexpensive, of-the-shelf-cheap one-time to multi-use Nanotech- nological solutions could be the 21st technological equivalent of 19th century canaries in the mine telling miner how dangerous gaseous build up that kills canaries but warns the miners.

That could be what Artificial Intelligence nano devices are for, the safeguarding of human lives in space, on a planetoid, moons, asteroids, comets, or on near worlds like mars, or reforming, regenerating, life on dead worlds for human eventual habitation.

Meanwhile poor and working folk are being crushed underfoot by rising taxes, longer jail terms, legalized death camps (State Penitentiary Prisons) where more and more innocent people are dying because of rush to judgement prosecutor’s and overworked defense lawyers.

Selected ‘Prez B Jr. does not pause in the face of ultimate heroism tragedy but continued talk of war which grounds our economy to dust.

That’s my reasoning.

Part 3 of Gay, Straight, & Women or GS&W will continue because one cannot keep this tragic accident upper most in mind or it’ll cause weeping, sobbing, jags for people I’ve never met but admire.

I cannot imagine what family and close friends, students are going through.

May all of them hurt less as weeks, months, and years go by although it will be a long rough process.

This could be too deep wound for many that may never completely heal.

Too much knowledge, applied science, personal courage, and sacrifice of these people and their families have gone into NASA to let the dream and reality of space exploration go.

But safeguards or A.I., robotics has to take up the slack where humans are too vulnerable.

There must be a way to fuse the above technologies in the service and safety of Peoplekind.

Any ideas about safety in space besides not going?

Not going isn’t an option too many human’s have died in the endeavor to end this venture.

How do we protect and proceed in space? Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

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For Joe only my snail mail:

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by Joe B.

Pt. 2 of Facilitators & Books.

Ok, I had left with a sliced thumb not knowing how deep the cut or if slivers of glass are still working their way through the cut.

Also I amended the older/elder

(actually I expound more explaining what I meant.)

Ms. M. won’t like it any better the other way but as 3rd editor she can have me not write it but if she does its because of her views not the actual reality of her
"We’re all youth" statement.

Off the bus racing to sign in, ask where to go, and if I’m on time.

I am a minute or two late so up 3 flights of stairs I go in room 309 Youth Movement (Youth Commission).

I don’t why I’m in there no longer a youth though invited by one and as I look for my friend I also listened in.

I was about self en-powered an how to expand that to those feeling their voices don’t matter because of their age.
(Been there, it’s a systematic withering of will when young people want to know more that adults wish them to and yet young folks as in every generation will take the reigns of leadership: problem with adults they want to control when power is given).

Like child prodigies racing with intelligence, passion, sensibilities, far beyond their contemporaries or older adults the pace of most adults and their own contemporaries out race what was once a set process.

Youth remake, redo, outrun adult processes and adults not understanding or in fear for their children’s fate and future try slowing their pace.

But youth will have their say, their way, in languages maybe unfamiliar to adults but right for them which the way of all constant change.

As an older invited guest my main job is to observe, learn, keep my mouth shut and mind open.

After that lunch and more teachers, T-assistants, students teachers and here I am an office manager/ columnist, soon-to-be-author not knowing what I’m doing here keeping my mouth shut, eyes and thoughts open.

Change the bandage again over a garbage can I’m about to race upstairs before going to the bathroom because Ms. M. Villaluna had no time for lunch

(being nearly late a facilitator because I didn’t go to her home and she waited until the last possible second – what can I say I almost mucked up her presentation but she knows my mind even if I didn’t).

So’s there’s some bladder strain it’s a deserved for almost messing up someone’s important presentation.

After getting the food on the table and later covering it with two napkins I race back as my bladder pounds full of bio poisons and toxins made within me.

Trying to be inconspicuous does me no good as Ms. M. has me sitting slightly across from near the podium where she's speaking from.

She wore faded bluejeans and a demure white top (blouse, skirt top, I don’t know I’m not into fashion for men or fem’s wear.

Usually she’d speed through but I’m glad we talked before and I suggested slowing down her words and not seeming to hyperventilate because of nervous excitement.

I didn’t want her to fail that’s another reason I didn’t want to be there if she flopped it would only be on her.

I didn’t want to be added pressure on her but here I am because she invited me there so like a fly stabbed on a pin I’m sitting listening closely.

It went well and in the question/answer session which she played in a game about how youth changed the world.

I believe because I was part of group 4 Ms. M. may have not given us points for being close to the age mark of individual young people creating change in the world.

Yeah, I get one question correct but some others that others on my team that was a year or two off wasn’t given points for being really close I blame myself because Ms. M. may have been still pissed at almost making her late and got back at me by making our make shift team lose bad.

When she picks me to speak on Adult Allies all I remember saying is "Sometimes you have bullshit adults on a youth(s) behalf, do a little stroking of their ego."

As one agrees and more eloquently expands on it I had to leave because my bus pass ran out and the walk would do me good because of the rich cake and ice cream deserts.

Stealthily leaving saying good by as Ms. M. is about to wrap up she had long since come into her own and I am just glad she thought enough of me to witness one of her many well known talents as Public Speaker/Facilitator.

Pt. 3 is on POOR’s Release Party during and its aftermath.

Hope I can get the last piece in by Tuesday. Bye.

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Poor Magazine or in C/0

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by Leroy Moore PNN/DAMO

Michael Manning is free at last! "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed!" Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote. This statement can be once again used today in the Michael Manning case in Pennsylvania. Although on December 26th 2002 Michael Manning was finally released from prison, after almost four years, Diana & the whole Manning family has demanded justice and freedom for Michael since 1989. Michael was convicted by a jury not of his peers for third-degree murder of Harry Bureley on September 15th, 1998 and was sentenced on November 13, 1998 to for 12-30 year in what many have seen as a clear case self-defense.

Michael served almost five years for what comes down to as a self-defense case and was tried by an all white Jury and an insensitive, racist, disabled, white, Judge, Ronald E. Vican who used Michael’s name and race in another case of a Black man. In 1998 the DA convinced the Jury that Michael was faking his disability and was the aggressor in the attack although Michael demonstrated how difficult it is to walk without his cane and showed cuts on his hands that he received trying to defend himself. To put the icing on the cake, the only witness the DA had was a well known lying drug dealer. Michael Manning had a clean record and never been in trouble with the law. Matter-a-fact in his younger days, Michael volunteered on a neighborhood youth police watch helping to deter crime and theft in his New York, Bronx community. For almost two years I have wrote about this case of self-defense of a Black disabled young man. Read Fighting to Stay Alive and Oh My Brother

After more than four years of building their campaign, almost single handedly, the truth of Michael’s attack and how he was treated in Judge Ronald E. Vican courtroom of Stroudsburg, Penn. was finally uncovered and Michael conviction was overturned in his appeal to the Supreme Court. Although Michael’s case was overturned nearly four months ago, on Christmas Eve he was still locked up because his bail and lawyer fees equaled over fifty thousand dollars. In a November 14th 2002 email from Michael Manning mother, pinpointed the issue. She wrote, "its sad to think that in this country a man’s freedom is measured by the almighty dollar sign." $50,000 for freedom of an innocent man! It doesn’t make sense!
In September I had the opportunity to visit Michael and his family. After seeing and talking to him and visiting his family, I knew our work would bring freedom in 2003. I knew two years ago when DAMO & Poor Magazine got involved with the Manning campaign that Michael will be sleeping in his own bed. On December 27th, 2002 Michael had a goodnight sleep in his own bed and rang in a New Year with his family.
Although Michael is free, the DA, Mark Pazuhanich, has threatened to take Michael back to court. Occurring to Michael’s mother and his lawyers, the DA has petitioned Supreme Court however they were told the chances of him granted his request is slim. Michael’s conviction was overturned by a majority vote of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the DA hasn’t been successful in his efforts because when he petitioned Superior Court for retrial he was denied. Plus Michael had an outstanding record as a role model to other inmates with shinning recommendation from prison administrators, guards and other inmates. All of the above elements point that this nightmare is over. When I finally heard Michael’s voice on my voicemail the day after Christmas, I looked over to the cover of Martin Luther King’s book, Why We Can’t Wait and realized that the Manning family and supporters demanded freedom and we finally got it!

For more than two years, I kept Michael’s letters and articles I wrote about his case and it taught me, if you really believe in something and stick with it you will see the fruits of your labor. As we enter a New Year the story of Michael Manning should encourage you like it did for me to dedicate yourself to the work of real progressive causes, organizations and be the voice of buried voices that are demanding freedom, justice, equality and to be respected!

Stay tuned for the words and wisdom of Michael Manning, himself! IT IS A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

by Joe B.

As a columnist at POOR Magazine going on 6 years she maybe right, most of the time either my address was written wrong, glitches in programs, electromagnetic storms or server mishaps, plus my own incompetence in this highly technical arena prevented many readers from responding in positive or negative ways.

[not one racy though demure pinup of a feminine fan.]

I truly don’t know if readers like, hate, or laugh at my work?

I’m just a guy doing what I can with words but some–times my written work shock its been called odd, crazy, experimental, Erotic garbage, to downright Pornographic.

I try not to offend anyone but as my 3 editors say I’m dialoging with myself.

As an intern at POOR Magazine, a year ago or more her name: Marissa Villaluna, at the time I don’t know if she’s a Youth Commissioner, was sworn in, or what.

I didn’t even know she was in college at the time.

She’s had a life of drama, abuse, former soldier, (She knows 10 way to kill barehanded!)

I’d like to learn those techniques before she away from my small orbit into the wider world.

She lived in Germany, Texas, other places, and visited Taiwan.

When her internship was up I thought I wouldn’t see her for awhile little did I know she lived closer to my bosses than to me but I was able to walk to her apartment when I found out where she lived.

As a platonic friend she taught me about some of her
Spanish/Filipino (Philippines) Heritage, food, and cultural esthetics, club dancing, and bars. (I don't drink and not a good dancer but now taking classes in Latin Ameri Folk Dance other dances and later tap I'm thinking of learning also.)

Its one of her outlets of a busy, hetic, stressful life full of political events, travel, dinners, and meetings through out the week.(The Woman Has To Have Some Fun After All The Dedication To Improve The Lives Of Younger and Elder Folks of all genders and Orientations).

I’ve said she lives her life at warp speed and that’s and me I’m trying to live as slow as possible.

Sometimes she sleep in her apartment or mine and I’ve had to wake her up because leaving without tell her really panicked her.

Because of a serious life threatening incident in Feb. of 2002.

To trust me, another male completely made me feel really special.

All that combat knowledge and she is caught by surprise by a battering boyfriend didn’t matter.

I told her once that I deeply appreciate her trust in me, it meant a lot to me.

She shrugged it off as no big deal so I wait until I'm home behind closed doors to let the flood overrun my eyelids.

There is respect, humor, friendship, deep gratitude, for her trust.

I gripe, groan, make an ass of myself sometimes she’s use to that.

She’s no perfect young miss herself even when she’s bored she’s a "Thick, Stunning young, woman who's already a political leader among the youth.

Like she says "She’s no leader of the future she’s one now."

I can only see her ‘Pol Star continue to rise.

"Mari has told me her friends don’t read my columns, that it’s a "B.S. Column."

Oh, well everyone has an opinion and as third editor she has squashed many a budding column by looking only at the title.

She has a habit of coming up with statistics to back up whatever she’s saying while pick out junk from the air and not deep research.

"You have no evidence, so your argument is a load of crap."

I fix that by not talking politics, sexism, racism, or any other ism’s for that matter because I’m not looking up stuff all over the world to back up every little detail.

That’s why I’m not into politics because it all changes everyday, month, and year and I won’t spend time tracking all the minutia down to make a point as she does.

I guess I’ll look for evidence and for once win an argument just as she used them against me.

I hope Mari’s friends tell her about this column that is about her.

I’ll write another if she’s not satisfied but she’s must write some of it herself… Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94109 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 PO Box

#645

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003 is the last hectic day.

Earlier Ms. M. called about rehearsal of the play which I still say is a skit but don’t tell Lisa that since she made it up and constantly complex it up with help from other ‘PO poets.

Its not participating in the play that’s the problem its adding extras like words, props, and not letting the basic thing be what it is.

This is why I didn’t have my script with me I had been practicing for two weeks then stopped because I see more directions, props, changes, more tweaking of the script until one page becomes five.

I’ve learned to reduce my work to its essence so I don’t have to work any harder than needed and I always warn new POOR Magazine Interns, ‘PO Poet’s to start reducing work because if you write a six or seven page short story; guess who’ll be reading it or sharing with others and don’t share too much personal stuff because its all "grist for the mill" in POOR’s way of working.

Few people listen and then when they come up with 4 to 8 pages and begin to read the poor snooks look at me sideways finally getting it but too late so I’ve learn to warn once then keep my mouth shut.

Again, Sunday I planned to sleep because I know tonight will be full of drama, nervousness, angst, and feeling of "What Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong"

I help Lisa again but not as much this time because most of the butcher paper, drawings and lighting are already set and I race back home to sleep.

Calling Ms. M. at 2:30 pm I said I’d be there by 3 and we’d be at the old 9th street I.L.W.U.(International Local Warehouse Union) local 6.

After taking a shower I leave later and when I get to Ms. M’s home she’s just finished taking a shower, hair, face wet.

Letting me in while she stays in her bathroom emerging only when her white bathrobe is tight and secure on her.

"I race over here thinking you’d be mad at me for being late but your not dressed."

"I’m mad at you Joe, really mad just plain mad she joked as I wait in another area while she changes into her clothes.

By 3:35 we both know we’ll be late and using her cell phone Ms. M. calls Lisa and of course she pissed "Where are you Joe?"

"We’ll be a little late, be there at 4:30."
"That’s not alright, why are you…?

I wasn’t going to argue while walking down the street on a cell phone.

"We’re going be there by 4:30, We’re On Our Way Now, we will be late.

"Lisa’s began getting loud but stopped going off the phone."

"Joe, you don’t talk to Lisa that way" M. says.

At when thinking of the late night Tuesdays when I had to double back after work and continue to work beside on the book because I wanted to get published too.

Then realizing what I’m writing is totally different what everyone is writing had nothing to do with the main theme of Diaspora, housing, but had to with life extension, android/flesh women, other worlds and sexually graphic material that I’m constantly told won’t do for POOR’s Publication so I save it somewhere else because I’m ‘thinkin really "S" Graphic Novel for another publication.

The book was done at least text wise but added to it is graphics and it nearly made me let the book go because there is more and more extra junk to do.

Later I found out people have to see pretty pictures then look at the text.

I concede but under duress.

Now the "being late thing I guess I wasn’t ‘feelin the book release party all that well even though I Lisa, Connie Lu, Willie, our ‘tech guy is working to wire the place for the stage and projector for Dee’s "Hands & Lester" ‘PO Cat’s speak back books.
my pigeon character’s Dee had graphics made of her cat’s with my pigeons in their mouths I decide not to compete with her cats even though my pigeons are more than they seem.(immortal, mind readers who gained other unique powers being in the home of a successful Alchemist who achieved) "The Great Work." better known as the "PHILOSOPHER’S
STONE"

Dee, Mother of Lisa, Co Owner of POOR Magazine’s likes cat’s better than pigeons as do I.

Its another concept but I won’t place my character’s to be constantly on the losing end because she’s my boss, editor and like cats more than pigeons.

I’ll have them recreated somewhere else where they can develop and shine in their own books.

I call my mother before meeting Ms. M. and she’ll be in if possible my brother and his wife had to go back to Chicago or somewhere else.

It’s a world wind kind of event with an author’s panel talking, reading from and about their works, Dee’s Cat story, vegetarian, meat, ice cream, soda’s a "The ‘Houzin Project Play" and upstairs live reading of stories by authors of the work.

And lots of mingling, selling of books, and afterwards I leave with my mother because I know the clean up will take all night and I’ve done that twice but not this night as me and mama head for bart and parts unknown.

On the same train our tech guy Willie and fellow author, poet, and D A M O
(Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization)

As soon as I’m in my mother’s, we talked, I cooked some eggs and tomatoes together for a late dinner, kissed mama good night going to that comfortable backroom foldable bed and instantly fell into a comfortable deep restful sleep.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Staff Writer

Please join POOR Magazine for the launch party of our newest project; POOR Press.. a project aimed at publishing the books of very low and no-income literary artists ..

This revolutionary event will be filled with music, dance, poetry, readings, a narrated slide presentation and the first presentation of The Eviction - a new play by the Po' Poets of POOR Magazine

Where: 255 9th street bet Folsom and Howard in SF

When: 6:00 pm on Sunday February 23rd

$1-20.00 donation (we are trying to raise money to print more books!!- please see below for information on how advertise in the POOR Press Catalogue)

Call for more info (415) 863-6306

* The new books are:

The Houzin Project; Words, Art and Resources on Eviction, Displacement, and Houselessness-

Featuring over forty youth and adult poverty scholars nationwide including The Po Poets of POOR Magazine (#2 in The Survival Hand-Book series of POOR)

The Poverty Hero Anthology

Story, myth and art on a new literary hero - The Poverty Hero - A collaboration between artists at POOR Magazine and Community Defense Inc.
(With original art by Ken McGhee)

The Po' Cats - Hands and Lesters Adventure Series on Colonialism, Travel and Indigenismo

By Dee, (with original illustrations by Marissa Kunz)

The POOR Nation

Selected works by Po Poet Laureate A. Faye Hicks

SNAG, A literary, visual arts magazine by Native American Youth

As well as the First releases by Byron Gafford, Marvin Crutchfield and Joseph Bolden (graduates of POOR's Digital Resistance Project!!)

See below for Catalogue Ad Rates

*****************

The POOR Press Catalogue....

Please help POOR Magazine, a non-profit, grassroots arts organization facilitate the publishing of radical literature, journalism and scholarship by purchasing an ad in our POOR Press catalogue.

The Catalogue will be distributed all over the Bay Area in bookstores, cafes, libraries and community based organizations!!!

Please help us get these unheard voices heard and be a part of this amazing Grassroots effort!!!!!

Ad Rates – (Sliding Scale based on budget)

1) two line 25 words or less "solidarity ad" $25-50.00

2) 1/8 page (small box or four lines/graphic)$50/75.00

3) 1/4 page (a little bigger box or graphic $75-100

4) 1/2 page (just a half page- do with it what you want!) $150- 400

5) Full page $500-1000.00

All ads in black and white- our "digital resistors" can design for you or you can provide camera ready art work

Please call POOR for more info (415) 863-6306

or email your ad to deeandtiny@poormagazine.org
or fax your ad to (415) 440-3241 and snail mail your check or money order to 1448 Pine street #205 SF 94109

This project was made possible in part be a grant from The Catholic Campaign For Human Development, The Friedman Family Foundation, Themis Fund of The Tides Foundation, A Cultural Equity Grant of The San Francisco Arts Commission, The California Arts Council, The Rainbow Grocery Collective, The SF Bayview, Raising Our Voices/Media Alliance, and all of our wonderful donors and community support members!!!