2011

p nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Times" I wrote this poem in 2002 now its 2011 and I still cry out Brown Broken Bodies/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Times" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Times" bBrown Broken Bodies/b/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Here I stand!/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but Irsquo;m not Paul Robeson/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" surrounded by Brown Broken Bodies/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Brutality Bullets paints Blue on Brown skinnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Bruises oozingnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Brothers canrsquo;t run anymore/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Bones snap by the swing of Batons/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Four wheels equals wheelchairs/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Brown Broken Bodies are one thing/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but Brown Broken souls are deadly/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" No rehabilitationnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" now he is weak physically and mentally/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Manhood has disappeared/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Heads hang down low/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" He is still youngnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but he feels looks old/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Here I stand!/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" holding Brown Broken Bodies on my Back/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" while Broken souls fills up my heart/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" giving me a heart attack/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Wheelchairs, crutches, canes and schizophrenic minds/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" ex soldiers now are ex residentsnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" living on the outskirts of their communities/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Picking up faces from the ground/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but for what!/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to see more oppression/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to hear racist comments/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to feel systemic blows/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to stare down the burl of a gun held by a black blue uniform/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to beg for spare charge/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Mother nature looks better than manrsquo;s societynbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Here I stand!/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" with books entitlednbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Why We Canrsquo;t Wait Here I Stand/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but even on span data-scayt_word="MLK’s" data-scaytid="1"MLKrsquo;s/span and Malcolm Xrsquo;s B. day/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Brown Bodies are being abusednbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Going back in time so where is Harriet Tubman/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" cause wersquo;ve dug up Masta and now hersquo;s in the White House again/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Both George Washington George Bush are a lot in common/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Finishing the King Alfred Plannbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" James Byrdrsquo;s Broken Body didnrsquo;t create domestic war/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" But Broken Bodies in New York and Washington are being usednbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" to send more bodies into battle/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" creating more Broken Bodies and mindsnbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Here I stand!/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" shouting on an isolated island nbsp; nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" sending out an S.O.S. to the motherland/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Marcus Garvey I want to go home/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Even in Africa Brothers Bodies are Broken/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" A disabled world nation/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" and Irsquo;m their spokesman/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but the world wonrsquo;t give a mike/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" so I write with my brotherrsquo;s blood/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" They speak to me when it is quite at night/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" My book is a flood/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" of their wants, needs, anger and talents/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Brown Broken Bodies might be scattered all over the world/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" but their thought patterns are unified/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" fornbsp; a seamiest to sew together/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" creating a warm blanket, cradling and nursingnbsp; newborns/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" and covering cold Brown Broken Bodies/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" Leroy F. Moore Jr./p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'" 5\02/p p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 16.0px" nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;/p

p (photo: POOR Magazine family of span data-scayt_word="skolaz" data-scaytid="1"skolaz/span with span data-scayt_word="dignidadrebelde" data-scaytid="2"dignidadrebelde/span span data-scayt_word="artistas" data-scaytid="1520"artistas/span Melanie Cervantes and Jesus span data-scayt_word="Barraza" data-scaytid="4"Barraza/span and their revolutionary work in the background)/p p I used to be able to sleep there,nbsp; One of my street-residing poverty scholar of color brothers, Larry W.nbsp; looked up at me with confused eyes pointing across the street to the span data-scayt_word="Decolonize" data-scaytid="5"Decolonize/span (Occupy) Oakland site. In between talking to me he was talking to and with several hundred voices in his beautiful, traumatized mind. From a western psychiatric diagnostic perspective, he was a paranoid schizophrenic. From many different indigenous deep structure perspectives that i was raised with and actively follow, he was a listener and dreamer living with several forms of post-traumatic slave syndrome, racism and classism in span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="7"Amerikkka/span and we had been comrades since when me and mama were living on the span data-scayt_word="calles" data-scaytid="8"calles/span next to him./p p I cried with him, we talked about his mama and mine- and how they were both having some kind of time together and definitely would have some strong opinions about all the Occupations. And then I suggested that we talk with some folks across the street ( at the Occupation site) to get him one of the warm tents so he could sleep elsewhere in it. He vehemently refused, saying, I don#39;t trust those people, last week their help led to me getting arrested,/p p After a while Larry thanked me for listening and walked down the street away from Oscar Grant Plaza( formerly Frank Ogawa Plaza) shaking his head from side to side./p p I went to the Occupy Oakland/span data-scayt_word="Decolonize" data-scaytid="6"Decolonize/span Oakland with POOR Magazine family and saw many beautiful and transformative things such as food sharing, libraries and art-making bynbsp; Melanie Cervantes and Jesus span data-scayt_word="Barraza" data-scaytid="1050"Barraza/span from span data-scayt_word="Dignidad" data-scaytid="1115"Dignidad/span span data-scayt_word="Rebelde" data-scaytid="1339"Rebelde/span and others. We also had a very strange and disturbing series of encounters, where our family of poverty scholars ended up protecting/defending/ supporting the only elder of color who I saw that night from a physical and verbal attack on her person by several 20-something white span data-scayt_word="folx" data-scaytid="9"folx/span, because she had apparently said something insulting in a verbal altercation earlier that day in the camp. This was just one of many encounters we had that night rife with more span data-scayt_word="isms" data-scaytid="10"isms/span than i would like to mention.br / nbsp;/p p After still processing the experience with an unhealthy dose ofnbsp; my own Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), and hearing similar stories from the people of color caucuses that have been meeting at the span data-scayt_word="Decolonization" data-scaytid="11"Decolonization/span site in Oakland, i was filled with emotion and deep sorrow but i held back from writing anything about the situation because i was trying to honor the movement of peoples against the capitalist machine and i wanted to support the organic-ness of it all and not work to splinter or add stress to the fledgling movement. And then all of a sudden i realized that something else was happening. I was doing what people have historically done with and for people with race, class, gender or ability privilege, make excuses, not hold them accountable for their actions and by default, allow some very abusive actions to go un-checked, un-seen, and un-noticed. And by doing this, enable the abuse to continue, like me and so many of my sisters and brothers who have been abused by these kinds of violence for so long often do./p p Sadly , the actions of the majority of the white occupiers are to be expected ( not excused) as they are peoples born and bred on racist, span data-scayt_word="classist" data-scaytid="12"classist/span US media and values that teach the cult of span data-scayt_word="agism" data-scaytid="14"agism/span, separation, white supremacy,nbsp; angst and overall lack of respect for anyone who doesn#39;t look, act, move and talk like you./p p My brother span data-scayt_word="Muteado" data-scaytid="15"Muteado/span span data-scayt_word="Silencio" data-scaytid="16"Silencio/span, span data-scayt_word="PNN" data-scaytid="17"PNN/span reporter, poverty and migrant span data-scayt_word="skolar" data-scaytid="18"skolar/span spoke on a similar encounter the other night in Occupy span data-scayt_word="Sf" data-scaytid="20"Sf/span, where a span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="22"houseless/span person who had normally been sleeping where the occupiers were now staying, had self-marginalized himself to the actual street where cars were span data-scayt_word="wizzing" data-scaytid="26"wizzing/span by. When one of the well-meaning occupiers tried to move the guy, he resisted their attempts, which then led to a span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="27"po#39;lice/span encounter and the span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="23"houseless/span guy ended up getting arrested and span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="28"po#39;lice/span abused./p p I know its all very complicated because there are some span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="24"houseless/span folks involved in the occupations, but there are span data-scayt_word="alot" data-scaytid="30"alot/span of peoples who are not. Who have never experienced any forms of racism, classism or span data-scayt_word="ablism" data-scaytid="31"ablism/span. Whose consciousness#39; are just being awakened and desperately neednbsp; scholarship on racism, classism, span data-scayt_word="eldership" data-scaytid="32"eldership/span, care-giving, and humility./p p And are we, the ones who can barely keep roofs over ournbsp; babies heads and suffer serious acts of span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="29"po#39;lice/span brutality, racism,wage theft, border fascism and span data-scayt_word="criminalization" data-scaytid="33"criminalization/span every day the ones to bring this to them./p p Our family and extended family of poverty and indigenous scholars at POOR held a discussion at our indigenous news-making circle last night. Some folks were very much about the Occupy movements. One of our newest span data-scayt_word="skolars" data-scaytid="35"skolars/span and reporters, span data-scayt_word="Ayat" data-scaytid="36"Ayat/span, remains one of the twonbsp; span data-scayt_word="African-descedent" data-scaytid="37"African-descedent/span members of Occupy span data-scayt_word="Sf" data-scaytid="21"Sf/span - believing that this is a very important movement and we as poor peoples need to be at the head of it./p p Another POOR span data-scayt_word="skolar" data-scaytid="19"skolar/span believes like many of us, that we as poor peoples of color in struggle have been fighting this revolution for a minute and we span data-scayt_word="dont" data-scaytid="38"dont/span need to get in front of any other peoples movement to become legitimate./p p I#39;m not sure if i believe any other thing or the other. What i know is, this movement is growing, and new in it or not, the folks caught up in the occupations are not getting any more passes or unbridled praise from me for continuing to act in racist, span data-scayt_word="classist" data-scaytid="13"classist/span, span data-scayt_word="ableist" data-scaytid="39"ableist/span, or span data-scayt_word="ageist" data-scaytid="40"ageist/span ways. For continuing to perpetrate an odd form of gentrification, if you will, of activism, of organizing, of resistance./p p The occupiersnbsp; default gentrification isn#39;t just of land from us already span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="25"houseless/span occupied peoples on the streets, it is of media, space and resources. So many struggles continue to rage on around and in the streets and barrios where peoples have suddenly setup camps, acting like their set-ups are somehow different and inherently more important than anything before or after, histories and span data-scayt_word="herstories" data-scaytid="41"herstories/span of struggle and resistance movements seem to melt away like butter in a skillet, barely informing the current occupations, making them somehow ahistorical/p p Bob from the Coalition on Homelessness who has worked tirelessly for years trying to fight ongoing span data-scayt_word="criminalization" data-scaytid="34"criminalization/span and incarceration of poor peoples in SF was vexed by some of the special privileges given to the SF Occupiersnbsp; when he noticed special treatment being given to span data-scayt_word="OCcupy" data-scaytid="42"OCcupy/span SF from Ed Lee#39;s office while Ed Lee#39;s office refuses to budge on the Sit-lie law which incarcerates and criminalizes poor peoples for the sole act of sitting or standing while poor in SF. The long-time organizers at Coalition on Homelessness resolved the odd disconnect by creating a flyer that they will be distributing at the Occupy SF site to members that talks about the other fights waging for years in SF against poor peoples movements./p p POOR Magazine, which has been creating poor people-led,indigenous people-led media, education and art with a mandate of no span data-scayt_word="po'Lice" data-scaytid="43"po#39;Lice/span calls ever is in the progress of creating a hand-book b span data-scayt_word="Decolonizers" data-scaytid="44"Decolonizers/span Guide to a Humble Revolution/b which we hope folks in Occupations can use as guide to learn about working with all peoples, each other and all the other movements in need of their support and resources .br / nbsp;br / Finally, at least in the case of the Oakland site, the Oscar Grant plaza (formerly Frank Ogawa plaza) is named after a young African descendent father killed by span data-scayt_word="Po'Lice" data-scaytid="45"Po#39;Lice/span in span data-scayt_word="Amerikkkka" data-scaytid="46"Amerikkkka/span at the span data-scayt_word="Fruitvale" data-scaytid="47"Fruitvale/span BART station. And was launched with a prayer from span data-scayt_word="Ohlone" data-scaytid="48"Ohlone/span 1st nation peoples through powerful span data-scayt_word="wobyn" data-scaytid="49"wobyn/span warrior span data-scayt_word="Corina" data-scaytid="50"Corina/span Gould. This is sacred land and it is sacrilege if elders and children and indigenous and disabled and peoples of all colors are not respected, cared for or thought aboutnbsp; . And sadly, we as poor peoples and peoples of color must be the ones to check it when it doesn#39;t happen. Or, i fear, it will, like this movement, grow and increase and become solidified as ok./p

p emSeptember 12, 2011/em/p p The people who control the first level of information available to us, through our TV sets, billboards, and radios, are a select few. Rupert Murdoch owns Dish Network. ATT owns Direct TV. Comcast (now known as span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="XFinity" data-scaytid="5"XFinity/span) is run out of a corporation in Mexico City that owns the majority of cable networks around the world. These are just the major ones, the heavy hitters. If I didnrsquo;t mention any of the others, thank God that yoursquo;re not controlled by them./p p There are four major television networks. Letrsquo;s start slow with NBC. NBC owns 16 major media operations in television, film, and radio. Their parent is Sony Corporation. Thatrsquo;s why span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Telemundo’s" data-scaytid="7"Telemundorsquo;s/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="telenovelas" data-scaytid="9"telenovelas/span are similar in style to Japanese soap operas. This is why TV is all interconnected, across the world./p p Second off the bat is CBS, is the biggest crook of the bunch. They not only own the usual suspects, like TV and movie studios, but also CBS outdoors, which controls 90% of all billboards across the United States. They own movie companies CBS Films and Showtime, the cable movie channel that broadcasts boxing and special-interest sports. Donrsquo;t forget the gossip magazine, where we can learn all the background info on our favorite CBS celebs! span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="And...an" data-scaytid="1"And...an/span ecological lobbying group called span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="EcoMedia" data-scaytid="11"EcoMedia/span, that works to harness the ldquo;vast untapped span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="resevoir”" data-scaytid="13"resevoirrdquo;/span of advertising space, to partner municipalities and NGOs with ldquo;ecologically-mindedrdquo; corporations./p p Thirdly: Disney owns ABC. Disney also owns ice shows, cruise ships, snack packs..., and a bunch of other things too long to list in this article. Letrsquo;s just say our computer crashed trying to conduct research on the Disney website. Letrsquo;s just not forget ESPN and the videogame Aaron Stone, as well as Touchstone Pictures, and Disneyrsquo;s affiliate, the all-encompassing Nestle. Thatrsquo;s all wersquo;ll name at this time, just a bit./p p Last but not least. FOX, owned by Rupert Murdoch, a man who claims three citizenships: Australian, British, and American. This is the scariest man of the bunch, the biggest of the monsters in the group. Rupert Murdoch owns large portions of all print media in North America, South America, and Australia; all the major British newspapers; financial news from Barronrsquo;s to the Wall Street Journal; a ldquo;diverserdquo; communications group known as SKY; and Dish Networkhellip;This takes up a lot of homes in the United States and the rest of the world. Murdoch also owns the usual FOX, Star Cable channel, National Geographic Channel, and several more stations that Irsquo;ll leave span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="unnamed...except" data-scaytid="3"unnamed...except/span of course the ultra-conservative FOX news, lest we forget Murdoch controls how our histories and stories are shown to the public. Thatrsquo;s all Irsquo;ll say at this timemdash;donrsquo;t span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="wanna" data-scaytid="15"wanna/span get arrested!/p p Now you know who owns you. If you own a TV or computerhellip;these are the people who own what you see, hear, and taste, from movies to candy bars./p p This is Bad News Bruce, signing out./p

pPresently in S.F., there are 30 thousand abandoned units of housing. From this amount, we only need ten thousand to house all the homeless in San Francisco County.br / nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;/p p At 5:00 pm, on October 10th, Homes Not Jails are conducting a walking tour of these abandoned units that can be used to house families, elders and the down-trodden citizens who we call ournbsp; homeless population. This tour will verify, and bring to light, one-tenth of these, which cover a one mile radius.br / nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;/p p Come out October tenth to the Civic Center Plaza at 5:00pm. Some of these units will be made available for your occupation upon inspection.br / nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;/p p To you capitalists out there who say this will be a burden to you, It will not. This will give 3 million dollars back to the city of San Francisco, to be used for the growing list of needs being denied, due to the current lack of funding./p

p I was on the #5 Fulton bus yesterday, taking in the nuances of my race (span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ie" data-scaytid="1"ie/span: the emhuman /emrace): the gratuitous and over modulated cell phone conversations, texting, bad perfumes/colognes and the incessant foot tapping of a guy a few feet away, occupied by music piped into his ears via a pair of white plastic headphones.nbsp; I looked at my fellow passengers.nbsp; How many were unemployed, looking for work, looking for something?nbsp; How many were barely surviving?nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p Some folks entered via the rear of the bus with clipper cards while others entered with or without proof of payment.nbsp; Many of these folks are newcomers to the city (How can I tell? Irsquo;m a native with 47 years in).nbsp; They get on the bus with the air that the bus never existed until they arrivedmdash;and they connect, somehow, with others like themselves, creating a nice warm, insulated sense of community or community as they see it (in their own minds)mdash;at least for the duration of the bus ride./p p nbsp;/p p In many ways the city bus is a metaphor for the state of humanity.nbsp; Many have been standing a long time while others, just getting on, manage to get an instant seat.nbsp; Who gets to sit and who is willing to sacrifice their seat is the question that settles and crystallizes in the consciousness as glints of sun pass through the window.nbsp; Then the realization sets in:nbsp; I am sitting with the 99%/p p nbsp;/p p I began thinking about the Occupy San Francisco Protests, and other occupy mobilizations that have taken hold across the country.nbsp; The occupy protestors call themselves the 99%, as opposed to the 1% who control most, if not all the wealth in this country.nbsp; I watched footage of the protests on the news and took part in the Occupy March that converged on the headquarters of Wells Fargo Bank last week./p p nbsp;/p p As I marched I thought about the protests that took place nearby on span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Kearny" data-scaytid="3"Kearny/span Street 30 years ago, when elderly Filipino and other elders fought eviction from the International Hotel.nbsp; The fight was against the destruction of span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Manilatown" data-scaytid="7"Manilatown/spanmdash;which had fallen victim to unbridled capitalism, carving away at the Filipino community on span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Kearny" data-scaytid="5"Kearny/span Street until all that was left was the International Hotelmdash;which the owners wanted to demolish in favor of a parking lot.nbsp; And even before that, the Filipino elders, when they were young, organized actions and strikes such as the Delano Grape Strike and strikes against plantation owners in Hawaii./p p nbsp;/p p Itrsquo;s good that the Occupy SF movementmdash;part of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the 99%-- are jumping on board and realizing what our elders realized long ago, that the economic system wersquo;re beholden to is unjust and out of control.nbsp; But, as in the case of the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Muni" data-scaytid="9"Muni/span busmdash;just because yoursquo;re on board doesnrsquo;t mean that no one else has been on board before you arrived.nbsp; And why werenrsquo;t you on board sooner?nbsp; Could it be it was because you were occupied?nbsp; With cell phone, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ipad" data-scaytid="11"ipad/span, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ipod" data-scaytid="13"ipod/span, email, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cellphone" data-scaytid="15"cellphone/span, job?nbsp; Yoursquo;re not getting what yoursquo;re worth, you feel span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="gipped" data-scaytid="17"gipped/span out of that chunk of apple pie or piece of the stolen American rock that was on the horizon.nbsp; All this begs the question: What are you worth and who defines it?/p p nbsp;/p p Back to the #5 Fulton bus.nbsp; An elder in an electric mobility chair was on board with his 3 grandchildren and their mother.nbsp; It was a packed bus and the elder began the process of exiting, which was somewhat arduous because people on span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Muni" data-scaytid="19"Muni/span are reluctant to move, and, if they emare/em apt to move, find there is no where to move emto.nbsp; /emJust as the elder approached the exit door, his chair malfunctioned.nbsp; The elder started pushing buttons to no availmdash;the chair would not move.nbsp; The bus was immobile and the passengers sat, some snickering, impatient at the delay./p p nbsp;/p p As we tried to figure out the workings of the chair, all the people on the busmdash;at least 99%--got off through the back door and boarded another bus approaching from the rear.nbsp; There we were, an elder in a chair that wouldnrsquo;t move, his 3 grandkids, their mother and the bus driver and me.nbsp; 99% of the passengers emptied itself from the bus like proverbial rats from the sinking ship.nbsp; ldquo;Stoprdquo; I said, ldquo;Wersquo;re part of the 99% toordquo;.nbsp; But nobody heard, they were on the bus that was moving./p p nbsp;/p p Finally, after tapping, turning and twisting this lever and that, we got the chair to move manually.nbsp; With a few pushes we got it off the bus.nbsp; While on the sidewalk, we struggled with the chair.nbsp; We finally called the fire dept., which was, ironically, 2 blocks away.nbsp; The elder was an immigrant, likely from Eritrea.nbsp; His grandkids were beautiful, so was their mother.nbsp; We waited for the Fire Department to come as the bus pulled away.nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p It was amazing how quickly 99% of the passengers got off the bus.nbsp; Maybe it was because they were occupied./p p nbsp;/p

p/p

p Who is considered a great scholar? How is scholarship attained? How is greatnessnbsp;honored? And from what barometer do we assess this canon?/p p At POOR Magazine we have a very different notion of scholarship, who deserves it, hownbsp;it is attained and how it is used. We have established a new kind of scholarship, Thenbsp;Scholarship of Poverty. This scholarship has a new canon with new designations fornbsp;greatness. Survival itself, through extreme poverty and crisis, span data-scayt_word="houselessness" data-scaytid="1"houselessness/span, racism,nbsp;disability and welfare to name a few are what you need to qualify for poverty scholarship.nbsp;Conversely, a person who is formally educated with a Masters Degree and no povertynbsp;scholarship would be considered inexperienced and therefore should not be writing,nbsp;lecturing or legislating on issues that impact communities in poverty./p p The formally understood ldquo;signsrdquo; of scholarship such as writing, researching, critiquingnbsp;publishing, require an inherent privilege These signs afford people an ability to benbsp;integrated, heard and recognized. As span data-scayt_word="Trin" data-scaytid="3"Trin/span Min Ha writes, Writing, reading, thinkingnbsp;imagining speculating. These are luxury activities, so I am reminded, permitted to anbsp;privileged few whose idle hours of the day can be viewed otherwise than as a bowl ofnbsp;rice or a loaf bread less to share with the span data-scayt_word="family.”" data-scaytid="2"family.rdquo;/span/p p This was my truth, my struggle; I was a homeless child who had to drop out of school innbsp;the sixth grade to support my family. I did not have the time away from earning a loaf ofnbsp;bread, I did not have the paper, I did not have a computer, and more importantly I did notnbsp;even have the privilege of an organized life, as so many other people struggling withnbsp;homelessness, poverty, disability, racism etc. therefore these are the people who arenbsp;inherently denied a voice in the media, in the creation of legislation and academic scholarship. It is our goal at POOR Magazine to intentionally listen to, conceive of policynbsp;and reassign authorship to the folks on the front-line of the experience of poverty andnbsp;racism- the poverty scholars./p p nbsp;/p p span data-scayt_word="Español" data-scaytid="4"Espantilde;ol/span span data-scayt_word="sigue" data-scaytid="5"sigue/span/p p iquest;Quieacute;n span data-scayt_word="es" data-scaytid="8"es/span span data-scayt_word="considerado" data-scaytid="10"considerado/spannbsp;un span data-scayt_word="estudioso" data-scaytid="11"estudioso/spannbsp;de la span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="12"pobreza/span (great scholar)?iquest;span data-scayt_word="Cómo" data-scaytid="13"Coacute;mo/span senbsp;span data-scayt_word="obtenie" data-scaytid="15"obtenie/span la span data-scayt_word="beca" data-scaytid="16"beca/span?iquest;span data-scayt_word="Cómo" data-scaytid="14"Coacute;mo/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="es" data-scaytid="9"es/span la span data-scayt_word="grandeza" data-scaytid="17"grandeza/span span data-scayt_word="honrada" data-scaytid="18"honrada/span? iquest;Y span data-scayt_word="cómo" data-scaytid="19"coacute;mo/span se span data-scayt_word="mide" data-scaytid="20"mide/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="esto" data-scaytid="21"esto/span?/p p Ennbsp;span data-scayt_word="Prensa" data-scaytid="33"Prensa/span span data-scayt_word="POBREtenemos" data-scaytid="34"POBREtenemos/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="35"una/span span data-scayt_word="noción" data-scaytid="37"nocioacute;n/span span data-scayt_word="muy" data-scaytid="38"muy/span span data-scayt_word="distinta" data-scaytid="39"distinta/spannbsp;de span data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="40"las/span span data-scayt_word="becas" data-scaytid="43"becas/span, span data-scayt_word="quen" data-scaytid="44"quen/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="41"las/span span data-scayt_word="merece" data-scaytid="45"merece/span, span data-scayt_word="cómo" data-scaytid="30"coacute;mo/spannbsp;se span data-scayt_word="obtienen" data-scaytid="46"obtienen/spannbsp;ynbsp;span data-scayt_word="cómo" data-scaytid="31"coacute;mo/span se span data-scayt_word="utilizan" data-scaytid="47"utilizan/span. span data-scayt_word="Hemos" data-scaytid="48"Hemos/span span data-scayt_word="establecido" data-scaytid="49"establecido/spannbsp;un span data-scayt_word="nuevo" data-scaytid="50"nuevo/span span data-scayt_word="tipo" data-scaytid="52"tipo/span denbsp;span data-scayt_word="beca" data-scaytid="27"beca/span,nbsp;labr / span data-scayt_word="Beca" data-scaytid="53"Beca/spannbsp;de la span data-scayt_word="Pobreza" data-scaytid="54"Pobreza/span. span data-scayt_word="Esta" data-scaytid="55"Esta/span span data-scayt_word="beca" data-scaytid="28"beca/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="tiene" data-scaytid="56"tiene/span unnbsp;span data-scayt_word="nuevo" data-scaytid="51"nuevo/span canonnbsp;connbsp;span data-scayt_word="nuevas" data-scaytid="80"nuevas/span span data-scayt_word="designaciones" data-scaytid="81"designaciones/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="82"para/spanbr / span data-scayt_word="grandeza.La" data-scaytid="6"grandeza.La/span span data-scayt_word="propia" data-scaytid="86"propia/span span data-scayt_word="supervivencia" data-scaytid="87"supervivencia/span, a span data-scayt_word="través" data-scaytid="88"traveacute;s/span denbsp;la span data-scayt_word="extrema" data-scaytid="89"extrema/span span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="23"pobreza/span ynbsp;crisis, sin casa, el span data-scayt_word="racismo" data-scaytid="90"racismo/span,span data-scayt_word="discapacidad" data-scaytid="91"discapacidad/spannbsp;y el welfare span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="83"para/span span data-scayt_word="nombrar" data-scaytid="92"nombrar/span span data-scayt_word="unos" data-scaytid="93"unos/span span data-scayt_word="pocos" data-scaytid="94"pocos/spannbsp;son lonbsp;span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="95"que/span span data-scayt_word="necesita" data-scaytid="98"necesita/span span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="84"para/span span data-scayt_word="calificar" data-scaytid="99"calificar/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="85"para/span la span data-scayt_word="beca" data-scaytid="29"beca/spannbsp;de la span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="24"pobreza/span. span data-scayt_word="Por" data-scaytid="100"Por/span el span data-scayt_word="contrario" data-scaytid="101"contrario/span,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="36"una/span persona span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="96"que/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="es" data-scaytid="22"es/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="educación" data-scaytid="102"educacioacute;n/span formalnbsp;con span data-scayt_word="unMástery" data-scaytid="103"unMaacute;stery/span sin span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="25"pobreza/spannbsp;se span data-scayt_word="considerará" data-scaytid="104"consideraraacute;/spannbsp;sin span data-scayt_word="experiencia" data-scaytid="109"experiencia/spannbsp;y span data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="110"por/span lo span data-scayt_word="tanto" data-scaytid="111"tanto/spannbsp;no span data-scayt_word="deberia" data-scaytid="112"deberia/spannbsp;de span data-scayt_word="escribir" data-scaytid="113"escribir/span, span data-scayt_word="hablar" data-scaytid="114"hablar/span onbsp;span data-scayt_word="legislar" data-scaytid="115"legislar/spannbsp;en span data-scayt_word="asuntos" data-scaytid="116"asuntos/span span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="97"que/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="impactan" data-scaytid="117"impactan/span a span data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="42"las/span span data-scayt_word="comunidades" data-scaytid="118"comunidades/spannbsp;en span data-scayt_word="situación" data-scaytid="119"situacioacute;n/span de span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="26"pobreza/span./p p Elnbsp;exnbsp;span data-scayt_word="entiende" data-scaytid="121"entiende/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="signos" data-scaytid="122"signos/spannbsp;de la span data-scayt_word="becacomo" data-scaytid="123"becacomo/span la span data-scayt_word="escritura" data-scaytid="124"escritura/span,nbsp;la span data-scayt_word="investigación" data-scaytid="125"investigacioacute;n/span,la span data-scayt_word="crítica" data-scaytid="126"criacute;tica/span denbsp;la span data-scayt_word="publicación" data-scaytid="127"publicacioacute;n/span, span data-scayt_word="requieren" data-scaytid="128"requieren/span unnbsp;span data-scayt_word="privilegio" data-scaytid="129"privilegio/span span data-scayt_word="inherente" data-scaytid="192"inherente/span. span data-scayt_word="Estas" data-scaytid="193"Estas/span span data-scayt_word="señales" data-scaytid="195"sentilde;ales/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="permiten" data-scaytid="196"permiten/span a span data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="57"las/span personasnbsp;la span data-scayt_word="capacidad" data-scaytid="197"capacidad/span de span data-scayt_word="ser" data-scaytid="198"ser/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="integrado" data-scaytid="200"integrado/span,span data-scayt_word="escuchado" data-scaytid="201"escuchado/span ynbsp;span data-scayt_word="conocido" data-scaytid="202"conocido/span. Comonbsp;span data-scayt_word="Trin" data-scaytid="32"Trin/span Min Ha, span data-scayt_word="escribe" data-scaytid="203"escribe/span, span data-scayt_word="“escribir" data-scaytid="204"ldquo;escribir/span, leer,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="pensarimaginar" data-scaytid="205"pensarimaginar/spannbsp;la span data-scayt_word="especulación" data-scaytid="206"especulacioacute;n/span. span data-scayt_word="Estas" data-scaytid="194"Estas/span son span data-scayt_word="actividades" data-scaytid="207"actividades/spannbsp;de span data-scayt_word="lujo" data-scaytid="208"lujo/span, span data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="120"por/span lo span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="107"que/spannbsp;me span data-scayt_word="acuerdo" data-scaytid="209"acuerdo/span,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="permite" data-scaytid="210"permite/spannbsp;a span data-scayt_word="ununos" data-scaytid="211"ununos/span span data-scayt_word="pocos" data-scaytid="106"pocos/span span data-scayt_word="privilegiados" data-scaytid="212"privilegiados/span, span data-scayt_word="cuya" data-scaytid="213"cuya/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="inactividad" data-scaytid="264"inactividad/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="horas" data-scaytid="265"horas/span del span data-scayt_word="día" data-scaytid="266"diacute;a/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="puede" data-scaytid="267"puede/span span data-scayt_word="ser" data-scaytid="199"ser/span span data-scayt_word="visto" data-scaytid="268"visto/spannbsp;de span data-scayt_word="otra" data-scaytid="269"otra/span span data-scayt_word="manera" data-scaytid="270"manera/span span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="108"que/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="como" data-scaytid="271"como/span un span data-scayt_word="plato" data-scaytid="272"plato/span denbsp;span data-scayt_word="arroz" data-scaytid="273"arroz/span onbsp;un pan span data-scayt_word="menos" data-scaytid="274"menos/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="105"para/span span data-scayt_word="compartir" data-scaytid="275"compartir/span connbsp;la span data-scayt_word="familia" data-scaytid="276"familia/span ./p p span data-scayt_word="Esta" data-scaytid="58"Esta/spannbsp;era minbsp;span data-scayt_word="verdad" data-scaytid="131"verdad/span,nbsp;mi span data-scayt_word="lucha" data-scaytid="132"lucha/span, span data-scayt_word="yo" data-scaytid="133"yo/spannbsp;era span data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="59"una/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="niña" data-scaytid="138"nintilde;a/spannbsp;sin span data-scayt_word="hogar" data-scaytid="139"hogar/span span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="62"que/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="tuvo" data-scaytid="144"tuvo/span span data-scayt_word="queabandonar" data-scaytid="145"queabandonar/span la span data-scayt_word="escuela" data-scaytid="146"escuela/spannbsp;en el span data-scayt_word="sexto" data-scaytid="147"sexto/span span data-scayt_word="grado" data-scaytid="148"grado/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="66"para/span span data-scayt_word="mantener" data-scaytid="150"mantener/span a minbsp;span data-scayt_word="familia" data-scaytid="151"familia/span. span data-scayt_word="Yo" data-scaytid="152"Yo/span no span data-scayt_word="tenía" data-scaytid="153"teniacute;a/spannbsp;el span data-scayt_word="tiempo" data-scaytid="157"tiempo/span span data-scayt_word="lejos" data-scaytid="158"lejos/span denbsp;span data-scayt_word="obtener" data-scaytid="159"obtener/span unnbsp;span data-scayt_word="pedazo" data-scaytid="160"pedazo/span span data-scayt_word="depan" data-scaytid="214"depan/span,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="yo" data-scaytid="134"yo/span no span data-scayt_word="tenía" data-scaytid="154"teniacute;a/spannbsp;el span data-scayt_word="papel" data-scaytid="215"papel/span, nonbsp;span data-scayt_word="tenía" data-scaytid="155"teniacute;a/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="60"una/span span data-scayt_word="computadora" data-scaytid="216"computadora/span,nbsp;ynbsp;span data-scayt_word="más" data-scaytid="217"maacute;s/span span data-scayt_word="importante" data-scaytid="218"importante/span span data-scayt_word="es" data-scaytid="67"es/span span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="63"que/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="ni" data-scaytid="220"ni/span span data-scayt_word="siquiera" data-scaytid="221"siquiera/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="tenía" data-scaytid="156"teniacute;a/spannbsp;el span data-scayt_word="privilegio" data-scaytid="222"privilegio/span denbsp;span data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="61"una/span span data-scayt_word="vida" data-scaytid="223"vida/span span data-scayt_word="organizada" data-scaytid="224"organizada/span,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="como" data-scaytid="225"como/spannbsp;span data-scayt_word="tantas" data-scaytid="226"tantas/span span data-scayt_word="otras" data-scaytid="227"otras/span personasnbsp;span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="64"que/span span data-scayt_word="luchan" data-scaytid="228"luchan/span connbsp;la span data-scayt_word="falta" data-scaytid="229"falta/span de span data-scayt_word="vivienda" data-scaytid="230"vivienda/span, la span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="68"pobreza/span, la span data-scayt_word="discapacidad" data-scaytid="71"discapacidad/span, el span data-scayt_word="racismo" data-scaytid="72"racismo/span, etc. span data-scayt_word="Por" data-scaytid="74"Por/span lo span data-scayt_word="tanto" data-scaytid="75"tanto/span,nbsp;span data-scayt_word="estas" data-scaytid="277"estas/span son span data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="76"las/span personasnbsp;span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="65"que/span span data-scayt_word="siempresí" data-scaytid="279"siempresiacute;/spannbsp;les span data-scayt_word="niega" data-scaytid="280"niega/span la span data-scayt_word="voz" data-scaytid="281"voz/spannbsp;ennbsp;los span data-scayt_word="medios" data-scaytid="282"medios/span de span data-scayt_word="comunicación" data-scaytid="283"comunicacioacute;n/span,nbsp;en la span data-scayt_word="creación" data-scaytid="284"creacioacute;n/span de span data-scayt_word="legislación" data-scaytid="285"legislacioacute;n/span ynbsp;span data-scayt_word="beca" data-scaytid="77"beca/span span data-scayt_word="académicas" data-scaytid="287"acadeacute;micas/span. span data-scayt_word="Es" data-scaytid="288"Es/span span data-scayt_word="nuestra" data-scaytid="289"nuestra/span metanbsp;en span data-scayt_word="Prensa" data-scaytid="78"Prensa/span POBRE escucharnbsp;span data-scayt_word="intencionalmente" data-scaytid="291"intencionalmente/span,span data-scayt_word="concebir" data-scaytid="292"concebir/spannbsp;la span data-scayt_word="políticay" data-scaytid="293"poliacute;ticay/span span data-scayt_word="volver" data-scaytid="294"volver/span a span data-scayt_word="asignar" data-scaytid="295"asignar/spannbsp;la span data-scayt_word="autoría" data-scaytid="296"autoriacute;a/spannbsp;a la span data-scayt_word="gente" data-scaytid="297"gente/spannbsp;en lanbsp;span data-scayt_word="primera" data-scaytid="298"primera/span span data-scayt_word="línea" data-scaytid="321"liacute;nea/spannbsp;de lanbsp;span data-scayt_word="experiencia" data-scaytid="322"experiencia/span de la span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="69"pobreza/spannbsp;y el span data-scayt_word="racismo" data-scaytid="73"racismo/span,nbsp;los span data-scayt_word="estudiosos" data-scaytid="323"estudiosos/spannbsp;de la span data-scayt_word="pobreza" data-scaytid="70"pobreza/span (great scholar)./p

p nbsp;/p p strongldquo;They say the devil doesn#39;t sleep, neither ICE nor the span data-scayt_word="Po’Lice”" data-scaytid="1"Porsquo;Licerdquo;/spannbsp;/strong/p p It was 4 in the morning when I thought I heard one of my family members on her cell phone. nbsp;She said, ldquo;What? He didn#39;t make home last night. Oh my god something must have happened!rdquo; nbsp;At first I thought it was one of those nightmares that torments migrant families, the nightmare where ICE shows up and deports all of your family. nbsp;Unfortunately this time it was not a nightmare, it was a reality....This family member was talking about someone from our family who was detained./p p The fear and anger would not let me go back to sleep. We waited until span data-scayt_word="8am" data-scaytid="2"8am/span for the offices of the empire to open their telephone lines to ask the whereabouts of my family member. We soon found out that my family member was in the belly of the beast, aka ICE.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;/p p They took a son, brother, father, partnerhellip;a human beinghellip;a member of our community./p p A person I remember from when I was 14 years old. I was part of the Oakland Soccer Saints, a group of teenagers whose parents were migrants. nbsp;Many of them had two jobs to have enough to pay the bills and register their kids for a soccer team, to keep them away from the violent streets of East Oaklandhellip;.Parents who never had time to see their kids playhellip;.My family membernbsp;made sure he supported the team by donating his time, and being a good role model for the kids./p p nbsp;A criminal in the eyes of ICE./p p strongldquo;Rats and Criminalsrdquo;/strong/p p My family member tells us this is what they were called by the private security guards that take care of the prisoners in the detention centers in Arizonahellip;Also that in these facilities therersquo;s only two to three ICE agents, that their job is to register the new people who are being brought into the facility. nbsp;This is probably because is cheaper to hire private security companies./p p Another hypocrisy of the United Snakes of span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="3"Amerikkka/span is that supposedly migrant people are here working illegally, yet you can work in these detention centers for crumbs while you await deportation./p p ICE has more than 20,000 employees in 50 different states and 47 outside the United Snakes of span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="4"Amerikkka/span./p p While I was researching the ICE web page, a href="http://www.ice.gov/about/overview/" title="http://www.ice.gov/about/overview/"http://www.ice.gov/about/overview//a, I stumbled on information about the more than 85 detention centers in different parts of the U.S.A, which are all privately owned by corporationsnbsp;like Wells Fargo and GEO Group Inc., who are funding and making money off of incarcerating our people./p p GEO Group Inc., specializes in the management of detention centers in North span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="7"Amerikkka/span, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom./p p GEO Group Inc. has beennbsp;sued bynbsp;family members who lost loved ones in the hands of the detention centers they operate, for not providing proper healthcare. GEO Group Inc. employees have engaged in sex with some of the detainees, and in the contraband of illegal drugs. There have also been incidents were people disappeared, and the families or employees would not know the whereabouts of the detainee./p p These corporations and the people who own and run them are using our span data-scayt_word="migrante" data-scaytid="9"migrante/span people as a business. We the span data-scayt_word="migrante" data-scaytid="10"migrante/span are becoming the new slaves of the span data-scayt_word="21st" data-scaytid="11"21supst/sup/span century, where we getnbsp; persecuted and used to fill these new concentrations camps./p p It#39;s time to wake the sleeping giant and tell rsquo;em that the Amerikkan Dream is a Nightmarehellip;.nbsp;/p

p (Image is Attica prison 40 years ago this month ndash; Photo: AP)/p p On Feb. 10, 2011, I arrived at Attica for the third time during my 40 year incarceration. As soon as I entered the reception room, I heard a correctional officer announce to all the other prisoners: ldquo;What you heard about Attica is true. We donrsquo;t care what you do to each other, but if any of you touch one of us, we will put you in the hospital or worse hellip; Welcome to Attica!rdquo; Since being here, I am aware of seven prisoners who suffered a span data-scayt_word="beatdown" data-scaytid="3"beatdown/span by guards, and the superintendent here knows what is going on yet fails to curtail the level of violence against prisoners./p p In essence, Attica today is pre-Sept. 9-11, 1971, where prisoners are controlled by fear and terror. The only Black captain, apparently sent here for the purpose of overseeing the madness of Attica, is only capable of intervening when on site. As soon as he is gone, the guards return to their racist deadly antics. This is not to blanket all white guards at Attica as racist, but when there is an institutional culture of racism, fear and terror, it is difficult for a humane guard to not jeopardize his own safety; this includes the few Black officers in this prison./p p Why? One of the reasons is because these correctional officers, beyond the innate racism, fear another insurrection that will cause ldquo;state sanctioned killing,rdquo; as when former New York state span data-scayt_word="Gov" data-scaytid="4"Gov/span. Nelson Rockefeller ordered State Troopers and guards to open fire, massacring 41 prisoners and guards. Therefore, fear, terror and brutality are the measure of their false safety and security, none of which is a secret to the authorities in Albany./p p In September 1971, there was a vibrant progressive and revolutionary movement in this country. The prison movement reflected the span data-scayt_word="fightback" data-scaytid="5"fightback/span determination of young people believing they could create a better world. On the streets there was a movement, and in prison there was a movement. No such animal exists today, at least nowhere near the level of the late span data-scayt_word="‘60s" data-scaytid="6"lsquo;60s/span and early lsquo;70s./p p Then there were ldquo;Free Political Prisonerrdquo; campaigns going on ndash; the Free Huey, Free Angela, Free the Panther 21, Free the Soledad Brothers, Free the San Quentin Six campaigns that forged a national consciousness of span data-scayt_word="fightback" data-scaytid="7"fightback/span. No such broad political consciousness or campaign exists today./p div class="img alignleft size-full wp-image-23789" style="width: 230px;" a href="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Jalil-Muntaqim-2009.jpg"img alt="" height="230" src="http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Jalil-Muntaqim-2009.jpg" width="230" //a div span data-scayt_word="Jalil" data-scaytid="8"Jalil/span span data-scayt_word="Muntaqim" data-scaytid="9"Muntaqim/span in 2009/div /div p Hence, todayrsquo;s prisoners reflect the drug and gang culture, much of which includes functional illiterates. Therefore, correctional personnel are not worried about these prisoners fighting back physically or legally. Some of the largest gains of civil rights for prisoners were in the span data-scayt_word="‘60s" data-scaytid="10"lsquo;60s/span and lsquo;70s, when prisoners filed a multitude of lawsuits and had the assistance of progressive legal organizations. Today, the Supreme Court has severely restricted prisonersrsquo; ability to file lawsuits and win./p p The absent dynamic of a vibrant prison movement negatively impacts the capacity of prisoners to fight. Absent both community and legal support, in a confined repressive environment, prisoners can only be expected to survive and try and make it home alive. Attica, Comstock, Clinton and other New York state maximum security prisons suffer the same reality, all of which tells all of us of our collective failure./p p It is my sincere hope, on this 40th year commemoration of Attica, that New York Cityrsquo;s activists recognize what for many inside prison seems to be abandonment. That they will decide to recognize the work that needs to be done to help restore the capacity for all of us to fight back for freedom!/p p emspan data-scayt_word="Jalil" data-scaytid="11"Jalil/span span data-scayt_word="Muntaqim" data-scaytid="13"Muntaqim/span is deeply embedded in the hearts of supporters of the San Francisco 8 for his extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice on behalf of his brothers. We especially should heed his words. Send our brother some love and light: span data-scayt_word="Jalil" data-scaytid="12"Jalil/span span data-scayt_word="Muntaqim" data-scaytid="14"Muntaqim/span (Anthony Bottom), span data-scayt_word="77A-4283" data-scaytid="15"77A-4283/span, Attica Correctional Facility, 639 Exchange St., Attica NY 14011./em/p

p emOctober 3, 2011/em/p p nbsp;/p p emFor English, scroll down. span data-scayt_word="Sigue" data-scaytid="95"Sigue/span en span data-scayt_word="espanol" data-scaytid="97"espanol/span./em/p p span data-scayt_word="Yo" data-scaytid="73"Yo/span span data-scayt_word="siempre" data-scaytid="74"siempre/span he span data-scayt_word="vivido" data-scaytid="75"vivido/span en span data-scayt_word="lugares" data-scaytid="76"lugares/span span data-scayt_word="violentos" data-scaytid="77"violentos/span span data-scayt_word="donde" data-scaytid="78"donde/span se span data-scayt_word="oye" data-scaytid="79"oye/span la span data-scayt_word="violencia" data-scaytid="80"violencia/span al span data-scayt_word="diario" data-scaytid="81"diario/span. span data-scayt_word="Pero" data-scaytid="82"Pero/span me vine a span data-scayt_word="este" data-scaytid="71"este/span span data-scayt_word="pais" data-scaytid="72"pais/span. En San Francisco span data-scayt_word="yo" data-scaytid="83"yo/span no span data-scayt_word="escuchaba" data-scaytid="84"escuchaba/span de span data-scayt_word="tanta" data-scaytid="86"tanta/span span data-scayt_word="maldad" data-scaytid="87"maldad/span. Y span data-scayt_word="menos" data-scaytid="88"menos/span de span data-scayt_word="tantas" data-scaytid="89"tantas/span span data-scayt_word="matanzas" data-scaytid="90"matanzas/span, Como se span data-scayt_word="escuchaba" data-scaytid="85"escuchaba/span en span data-scayt_word="otras" data-scaytid="91"otras/span span data-scayt_word="ciudades" data-scaytid="92"ciudades/span span data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="93"por/span span data-scayt_word="ejemplo" data-scaytid="94"ejemplo/span en Oakland./p p Muchos asesinatos, robos y tantas cosas cada dia y crecen los asesinatos todas las semanas no hay una semana en paz, pero aqui en San Francisco de vez en cuando se escuchaban/p p asesinatos. Pero en estas ultimas semanas en el barrio de la Mission ha vido mas de tres asesinatos y nadie sabe porque pasa, pero en verdad ya me da miedo andar en la calle ya no sabe uno en que lugar esta la gente que solo quiere hacer maldad mientras aterrorizan a la gente./p p Y mas cuando uno a visto asesinatos en su pais. Como yo que vivia con miedo, salia a las calles de Guatemala solo por necesidad, porque muchas veces mire como los jovenes asesinaban a la gente en los autobuses y en la calle y no podia hacer ni decir nada por miedo a ser asecinada tambien./p p Una vez yo hiba caminando en la calle porque habia salido de la iglesia y de una hemisora de radio donde avia enviado saludos a mi familia. Hiba con rumbo a mi trabajo apenas abia caminado una cuadra para tomar el otro autobus cuando unos hombres me agarraron, me quitaron todo lo que llebava y me estaban lastimando con unas tijeras y otro me tenia con un cuchillo en el cuello. Llore mucho porque no tenia ni un centavo para irme a mi trabajo esa noche y era una hora en el bus y caminando jamas llegaria, pues tambien temia que me mataran./p p No tuve mas remedio que pedir limosna, es por eso que cuando vine a San Francisco yo senti una tranquilidad porque yo me sentia segura que aqui no habian rateros y menos asesinatos. Podia yo caminar en las calles sin preocuparme de nada./p p Pero ahora ya estoy asustada por todo lo que pasa en California, la violencia se esta apoderando de estas ciudades./p p span data-scayt_word="Aveces" data-scaytid="2"Aveces/span me span data-scayt_word="da" data-scaytid="3"da/span span data-scayt_word="miedo" data-scaytid="4"miedo/span y span data-scayt_word="tristeza" data-scaytid="5"tristeza/span saber span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="6"que/span span data-scayt_word="gente" data-scaytid="10"gente/span span data-scayt_word="inocente" data-scaytid="11"inocente/span span data-scayt_word="muere" data-scaytid="12"muere/span, span data-scayt_word="como" data-scaytid="13"como/span span data-scayt_word="fue" data-scaytid="14"fue/span el span data-scayt_word="caso" data-scaytid="17"caso/span de el span data-scayt_word="señor" data-scaytid="18"sentilde;or/span span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="7"que/span span data-scayt_word="fue" data-scaytid="15"fue/span a span data-scayt_word="cambiar" data-scaytid="19"cambiar/span span data-scayt_word="su" data-scaytid="20"su/span span data-scayt_word="cheque" data-scaytid="21"cheque/span de span data-scayt_word="trecientos" data-scaytid="22"trecientos/span span data-scayt_word="dolares" data-scaytid="23"dolares/span y span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="8"que/span span data-scayt_word="fue" data-scaytid="16"fue/span lo span data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="9"que/span span data-scayt_word="paso" data-scaytid="24"paso/span lo span data-scayt_word="mataron" data-scaytid="25"mataron/span. Los span data-scayt_word="hijos" data-scaytid="26"hijos/span span data-scayt_word="sean" data-scaytid="27"sean/span span data-scayt_word="han" data-scaytid="28"han/span span data-scayt_word="quedado" data-scaytid="29"quedado/span sin span data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="30"sus/span padres en span data-scayt_word="este" data-scaytid="31"este/span span data-scayt_word="pais" data-scaytid="32"pais/span./p p nbsp;/p p Ingles span data-scayt_word="Sigue" data-scaytid="39"Sigue/span/p p I have always lived in violent places, where you hear about violence everyday./p p Thatrsquo;s the reason I migrated to San Francisco, cause I did not hear about violence here, like for example in Oakland where there are a lot of robberies and homicides, and it seems every week the violence increases, and there is no sense of peace. In San Francisco now and then you hear about homicides, but these past weeks in the Mission three different homicides have occurred, and no one knows why. The truth is, itrsquo;s becoming scary to walk the streets at night. No one knows where the people who are looking to harm and terrorize you are./p p Itrsquo;s hard to hear about this violence, coming from a violent country like Guatemala. I lived, scared, in Guatemala. I would go out in the streets only by necessity. I witnessed how people would rob others on the bus, and you would need to keep your mouth shut, cause otherwise you could get robbed too./p p One day I was walking on the street. I was coming out of church, and went to a radio station where you can send shout-outs to your family. After this I started to walk towards my job. I walked a block, and suddenly two men grabbed me and took the little money I had on me; they threatened me with some scissors and a knife to my neck. I cried a lot that day cause I did not have money for the bus to get to my job, and by walking I would never get there on time./p p I had no choice than to beg. Thatrsquo;s why I came to San Francisco. I felt more tranquil and secure here, there were less robberies and homicides, and I could walk the streets without fear./p p But now am scared again by the violence that is happening in California and the violence that is running some of the cities./p p Sometimes it saddens me to know that innocent people die, just like the guy who was killed in Oakland after changing his pay check of three hundred dollars. They unjustly killed him and he left his sons and family behind in this country./p

p nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p strongspan class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="“Dicen" data-scaytid="3"ldquo;Dicen/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="5"que/span el Diablo no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Duerme..tampoco" data-scaytid="1"Duerme..tampoco/span el ICE o la span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Policia…”" data-scaytid="53"Policiahellip;rdquo;/span/strong/p p nbsp;nbsp;span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Heran" data-scaytid="65"Heran/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="67"las/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="4am" data-scaytid="77"4am/span de la span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="mañana" data-scaytid="79"mantilde;ana/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuando" data-scaytid="81"cuando/span en span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="mis" data-scaytid="89"mis/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sueños" data-scaytid="91"suentilde;os/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pense" data-scaytid="95"pense/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="oir" data-scaytid="97"oir/span el cellular de mi span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="familiar…cuando" data-scaytid="99"familiarhellip;cuando/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ella" data-scaytid="101"ella/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="repetia" data-scaytid="103"repetia/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="QUE”" data-scaytid="105"QUErdquo;/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="7"que/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="llego" data-scaytid="107"llego/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="anoche”….Ay" data-scaytid="55"anocherdquo;hellip;.Ay/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="dios" data-scaytid="109"dios/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Mio…algo" data-scaytid="111"Miohellip;algo/span le span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tubo" data-scaytid="113"tubo/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="9"que/span aver span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pasado….Pense" data-scaytid="57"pasadohellip;.Pense/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="11"que/span se span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="trataba" data-scaytid="115"trataba/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="esos" data-scaytid="117"esos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sueños" data-scaytid="93"suentilde;os/span o span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="peasadillas" data-scaytid="119"peasadillas/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="13"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="siempre" data-scaytid="181"siempre/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tormentan" data-scaytid="183"tormentan/span a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="nosotros" data-scaytid="185"nosotros/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="15"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tenemos" data-scaytid="187"tenemos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="familiares" data-scaytid="189"familiares/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes…" data-scaytid="193"migranteshellip;/span el span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pinche" data-scaytid="195"pinche/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sueño" data-scaytid="197"suentilde;o/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="donde" data-scaytid="203"donde/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="llega" data-scaytid="209"llega/span la span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migra" data-scaytid="211"migra/span y se span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="lleva" data-scaytid="213"lleva/span a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="toda" data-scaytid="215"toda/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tu" data-scaytid="217"tu/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="familia…" data-scaytid="219"familiahellip;/span. span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Desgraciadamente" data-scaytid="221"Desgraciadamente/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="esta" data-scaytid="223"esta/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="vez" data-scaytid="229"vez/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hera" data-scaytid="231"hera/span un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sueño" data-scaytid="199"suentilde;o/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="si" data-scaytid="157"si/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="121"una/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="realidad…..Mi" data-scaytid="59"realidadhellip;..Mi/span familiar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hablaba" data-scaytid="233"hablaba/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="unos" data-scaytid="235"unos/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="nuestros" data-scaytid="237"nuestros/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="familiares..por" data-scaytid="61"familiares..por/span mi span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="mente" data-scaytid="239"mente/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pasaban" data-scaytid="241"pasaban/span mil de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cosas" data-scaytid="243"cosas/span el span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="miedo" data-scaytid="245"miedo/span y span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="coraje" data-scaytid="247"coraje/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ya" data-scaytid="249"ya/span no me span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="dejaron" data-scaytid="251"dejaron/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="dormir….esperamos" data-scaytid="63"dormirhellip;.esperamos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hasta" data-scaytid="253"hasta/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="69"las/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="8am" data-scaytid="255"8am/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="17"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="71"las/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="oficinas" data-scaytid="257"oficinas/span del span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="imperio" data-scaytid="259"imperio/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="abrieran" data-scaytid="261"abrieran/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="143"sus/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="puertas" data-scaytid="263"puertas/span y span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="lineas" data-scaytid="265"lineas/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="telefonicas" data-scaytid="267"telefonicas/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="129"para/span preguntar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="161"por/span mi familiar y span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="su" data-scaytid="173"su/span localizacionhellip;enseguida se nos informo span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="19"que/span la MIgra span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tenia" data-scaytid="269"tenia/span a nuestro familiar en span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="145"sus/span garrashellip;./p p En span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="147"sus/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="garras" data-scaytid="275"garras/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tenia" data-scaytid="271"tenia/span a un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Hijo" data-scaytid="277"Hijo/span,span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Hermano" data-scaytid="279"Hermano/span, Padre, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Pareja" data-scaytid="281"Pareja/span a un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Humano…a" data-scaytid="283"Humanohellip;a/span un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="miembro" data-scaytid="285"miembro/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="nuestra" data-scaytid="287"nuestra/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="comunidad…" data-scaytid="291"comunidadhellip;/span/p p nbsp;A span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="123"una/span persona span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="21"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="recuerdo" data-scaytid="293"recuerdo/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuando" data-scaytid="85"cuando/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="heramos" data-scaytid="295"heramos/span los Oakland span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Futbol" data-scaytid="297"Futbol/span Saintshellip;un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="grupo" data-scaytid="299"grupo/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="niños" data-scaytid="301"nintilde;os/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuales" data-scaytid="303"cuales/span padres span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="heran" data-scaytid="309"heran/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes" data-scaytid="311"migrantes/span, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuales" data-scaytid="305"cuales/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tenian" data-scaytid="321"tenian/span dos span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="trabajos" data-scaytid="323"trabajos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="131"para/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pagar" data-scaytid="325"pagar/span los span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="viles" data-scaytid="327"viles/span y span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="133"para/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tener" data-scaytid="329"tener/span un span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="poco" data-scaytid="331"poco/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="dinero" data-scaytid="333"dinero/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="135"para/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="23"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="149"sus/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hijos" data-scaytid="337"hijos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="jugaran" data-scaytid="341"jugaran/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="futbol" data-scaytid="343"futbol/span y no se span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="pasaran" data-scaytid="345"pasaran/span en la span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="calles" data-scaytid="347"calles/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="violentas" data-scaytid="349"violentas/span de East Oaklandhellip;Padres span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="25"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="nunca" data-scaytid="351"nunca/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tuvieron" data-scaytid="353"tuvieron/span el span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tiempo" data-scaytid="355"tiempo/span par aver a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="151"sus/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hijos" data-scaytid="339"hijos/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="jugar..no" data-scaytid="155"jugar..no/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="porque" data-scaytid="359"porque/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="querian…" data-scaytid="363"querianhellip;/span. span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="si" data-scaytid="159"si/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="porque" data-scaytid="361"porque/span no span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="podian" data-scaytid="365"podian/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="163"por/span el span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="trabajo…" data-scaytid="367"trabajohellip;/span. mi familiar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="apoyaba" data-scaytid="369"apoyaba/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="donando" data-scaytid="371"donando/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="su" data-scaytid="175"su/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tiempo..para" data-scaytid="179"tiempo..span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="137"para/span/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ayudar" data-scaytid="373"ayudar/span al span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="equipo" data-scaytid="375"equipo/span./p p Un Criminal en los ojos del ICEhellip;../p p ldquo;Una ratardquo; ldquo; Un criminalrdquo;/p p Me cuenta mi familiar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="27"que/span asi les llamaban la Seguridad Privada encargados de cuidar los centro de detenciones nbsp;de migrates en Arizonahellip;me comenta span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="29"que/span en estos centros de detencion solo hay como cuatro agentes del ICE span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuales" data-scaytid="307"cuales/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="su" data-scaytid="177"su/span trabajo depende de registrar y meter a la base de informacion a los span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes" data-scaytid="313"migrantes/span nuevos span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="31"que/span van llegandohellip;.El tambien piensanbsp;nbsp;span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="33"que/span les sale mas barato alos duentilde;os de es estos/p p centros agarrar a seguridad privadahellip;. span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="35"que/span al ICE span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="37"que/span cobran nbsp;masnbsp;nbsp;span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="165"por/span la horahellip;/p p Otra Hipocrecia de Los Estados Unidos de amerikkka es de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="39"que/span supuestamente mucho de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="nuestra" data-scaytid="289"nuestra/span raza span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="esta" data-scaytid="225"esta/span aqui en los Estados Unidos De Amerikkka trabajando ldquo;ilegalrdquo; pero en estos centro de detenciones..Migrante raza puede trabajar adentro span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="167"por/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="125"una/span meseria, mientras esperan saber span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="cuando" data-scaytid="87"cuando/span seran deportadoshellip;/p p ICE tiene mas de 20,000 empleados en 50 diferentes estados y 47 en el extranjeron./p p Mientras investigaba la pagina de web del ICE a href="http://www.ice.gov/about/overview/"http://www.ice.gov/about/overview//a/p p nbsp;Me trompeze con la informacion de los mas de 85 centros de detencion en diferentes partes de la union Amerikkkana, lo cual son careceles privadas, Unas de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="73"las/span corporations span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="41"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="esta" data-scaytid="227"esta/span apoyando economicamente es el Banco de Wells Fargo, y GEO Group Inc./p p GEO Group Inc. se especializa en el manejo de Centro de Detenciones en Norte America, Australia, Sur Africa y Inglaterra./p p GEO Group Inc. en el pasado hacido demandado span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="169"por/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="familiares" data-scaytid="191"familiares/span de span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes" data-scaytid="315"migrantes/spannbsp;nbsp;span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="43"que/span han perdido familires en manos de centro de detencion span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="45"que/span operaban GEO Group Inc, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="por" data-scaytid="171"por/span no darle asistencia medica, y tambien span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sus" data-scaytid="153"sus/span empleados se han involucrado en relaciones sexuales con reclusos y el contrabando de drogas./p p Tambien habisto casos span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="donde" data-scaytid="205"donde/span estos centro de detenciones desaparecen a gente span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="139"para/span mantenerlos mas span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="tiempo" data-scaytid="357"tiempo/span encarcelados y cobrar y hacer mas span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="dinero" data-scaytid="335"dinero/span de los span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes" data-scaytid="317"migrantes/span./p p ./p p Estas Corporaciones y individuos span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="47"que/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="las" data-scaytid="75"las/span operan, los centro de detenciones estan convirtiendo en un negocio, y los span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="migrantes" data-scaytid="319"migrantes/span se han vuelto en el Nuevo exclavo del siglo 2000, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="donde" data-scaytid="207"donde/span son perseguidos y usados span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="para" data-scaytid="141"para/span llenar estas carceles mientras los duenos se enriquesen./p p El gigante tiene span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="49"que/span despertar y darse cuenta span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="que" data-scaytid="51"que/span el span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="sueño" data-scaytid="201"suentilde;o/span Amerikkkano es span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="una" data-scaytid="127"una/span Pesadilla../p p nbsp;/p p nbsp;nbsp;/p

p/p p embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="file=http://www.RBGTube.com/uploads/iDdSsja2nUSnYX3f2oEI.flvlogo=http://www.RBGTube.com/image_s/playerlogo.pngskin=http://www.RBGTube.com/Snel.swfautostart=falsefullscreen=truestretching=fill" height="367" src="http://www.RBGTube.com/flvplayer.swf" width="450"/embed/p

p span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="6"Krip-Hop/span Nation - Tell us the Hip-Hop scene in your country, Bogota, Colombianbsp; span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="22"Juako/span - In span data-scayt_word="bogota" data-scaytid="35"bogota/span span data-scayt_word="colombia" data-scaytid="36"colombia/span there#39;s a lot of talent. and its hard to overcome but with a lot of support and blessings of god everything could be possible. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="7"Krip-Hop/span Nation - nbsp;As a musician with a disability what is the number one struggle? - span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="23"Juako/span - The number one struggle as a musician with a disability is the access of my presentations because there#39;s no place for us. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="8"Krip-Hop/span Nation - What is your main message in your music? - span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="24"Juako/span - with my music, I try to inspire other people to overcome by expressing their feelings with art, express a message of energy and happiness. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="9"Krip-Hop/span Nation - Tell us why you teamed up with JAKE (another disabled Hip-Hop artist)? - span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="25"Juako/span - We are good friends and are music partners with him is prefect. JAKEnbsp; is a good person and excellent span data-scayt_word="M.C" data-scaytid="1"M.C/span. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="10"Krip-Hop/span Nation - I have realize that there is a lack of disabled women who are openly out there doing Hip-Hop. nbsp;Have you worked with or know any woman with a disability doing Hip-Hop where you are from? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="26"Juako/span - Well i have not span data-scayt_word="gotton" data-scaytid="38"gotton/span a chance to work with a woman and i don#39;t know any woman with disability who do hip hop. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="11"Krip-Hop/span Nation - What is the difference between Hip-Hop in the US and Hip-Hop in your country? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="27"Juako/span - I think the only differencenbsp; between hip hop in the span data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="2"U.S/span and my country is the language but the music is in our hearts. It is life and there#39;s no walls that can stop this movement. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="12"Krip-Hop/span Nation - nbsp;What are you working on now? nbsp;and share some lines of your hottest song span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="28"Juako/span - now span data-scayt_word="i'm" data-scaytid="39"i#39;m/spannbsp; span data-scayt_word="workingin" data-scaytid="40"workingin/span a span data-scayt_word="proyect" data-scaytid="41"proyect/span music call span data-scayt_word="comenzar" data-scaytid="42"comenzar/span de span data-scayt_word="nuevo" data-scaytid="43"nuevo/span (start again)span data-scayt_word="--APRENDI" data-scaytid="44"--APRENDI/span A span data-scayt_word="VIVIR" data-scaytid="45"VIVIR/spannbsp; span data-scayt_word="EXISTIR" data-scaytid="46"EXISTIR/span Y span data-scayt_word="SENTIR" data-scaytid="47"SENTIR/span SE span data-scayt_word="PUEDE" data-scaytid="48"PUEDE/span span data-scayt_word="LOGRAR" data-scaytid="50"LOGRAR/span SE span data-scayt_word="PUEDE" data-scaytid="49"PUEDE/span span data-scayt_word="ALCANZAR" data-scaytid="51"ALCANZAR/span A LA META MAS span data-scayt_word="DIFICIL" data-scaytid="52"DIFICIL/span span data-scayt_word="LLEGAR" data-scaytid="53"LLEGAR/spannbsp; EL span data-scayt_word="SENTIMIENTO" data-scaytid="54"SENTIMIENTO/span span data-scayt_word="ENCONTRAR" data-scaytid="57"ENCONTRAR/spannbsp; span data-scayt_word="INVENTAR" data-scaytid="58"INVENTAR/span Y span data-scayt_word="CREAR" data-scaytid="59"CREAR/span span data-scayt_word="MELODIA" data-scaytid="60"MELODIA/span NATURAL span data-scayt_word="QUE" data-scaytid="61"QUE/span span data-scayt_word="CUANDO" data-scaytid="62"CUANDO/span ME span data-scayt_word="CAIGO" data-scaytid="63"CAIGO/span ME span data-scayt_word="VUELVO" data-scaytid="64"VUELVO/span A span data-scayt_word="LEVANTAR" data-scaytid="65"LEVANTAR/span--- span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="13"Krip-Hop/span Nation - What do you think about span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="14"Krip-Hop/span Nation? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="29"Juako/span - span data-scayt_word="i'think" data-scaytid="66"i#39;think/span that span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="15"Krip-Hop/span Nation is a excellent movement it#39;s a good opportunity to show the talent without looking and discriminating the disability. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="16"Krip-Hop/span Nation has the POWER. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="17"Krip-Hop/span Nation - nbsp;Have you seen a disabled Hip-Hop artist in mainstream in your country if not why? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="30"Juako/span - i haven#39;t seen a mainstream hip hop artist in my country. span data-scayt_word="l've" data-scaytid="67"l#39;ve/span seen professionals, span data-scayt_word="athlets" data-scaytid="68"athlets/span with a disability, but i haven#39;t seen a hip hop artist because in our country there no opportunity to show this artist. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="18"Krip-Hop/span Nation nbsp;What can the USA learn from Hip-Hop in your country? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="31"Juako/span - The hip hop from the span data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="3"U.S/span can learn our style , our rhyme and we combinenbsp;our talentnbsp; we can make history. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="19"Krip-Hop/span Nation nbsp;What is your process in writing songs? nbsp;Are they all have a message or do u like to write party songs? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="32"Juako/span - Whennbsp; I write my songs i thinknbsp; in my episodes of my lifenbsp;my wrongsnbsp; and what i learned from. Sometimes my span data-scayt_word="happenies" data-scaytid="69"happenies/span make party music. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="20"Krip-Hop/span Nation- nbsp;What do you think about mainstream Hip-Hop compare to underground Hip-Hop as a person with a disability? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="33"Juako/span - I think that span data-scayt_word="colombia" data-scaytid="37"colombia/span is ready to see and hear hip hop from people with disability.nbsp; I#39;ll show on stagenbsp; that we could do thingsnbsp; like artists that don#39;t have disabilities and more. span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="21"Krip-Hop/span Nation - nbsp;How can people contact you and listen to your music span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="34"Juako/span - People could contact me by email span data-scayt_word="juak0517@hotmail.com" data-scaytid="4"juak0517@hotmail.com/span and hear and download my music free in this link a href="http://www.soundcloud.com/juako-mc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"span data-scayt_word="www.soundcloud.com" data-scaytid="5"www.soundcloud.com/span//aa href="http://www.soundcloud.com/juako-mc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"span data-scayt_word="juako-mc" data-scaytid="70"juako-mc/spannbsp; /a/p p span data-scayt_word="Krip-Hop" data-scaytid="55"Krip-Hop/span Nation - nbsp;Any last words? span data-scayt_word="Juako" data-scaytid="56"Juako/span - I dedicated my songs to people who wants to overcome in life and to my family and friends who likes my talent. Thanks to span data-scayt_word="KRIP" data-scaytid="71"KRIP/span HOP NATIONnbsp; for giving me the opportunity to show my music and my life to other people in other countries./p

p emEditors Note:/em/p p emJeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="114"Adachi/span, a mayoral candidate in San Francisco visited POOR Magazine#39;s Indigenous News-making Circle- Community Newsroom./em/p p emCommunity Newsroom at POOR Magazine is open to ALL candidates who would like to speak to the youth, adults and elders in poverty who are part of our family. POOR Magazine doesn#39;t endorse ANY candidate running for office in span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="148"Amerikkka/span/em/p p nbsp;/p p ldquo;If yoursquo;re for the status quo, then yoursquo;re probably not going to vote for Jeff Adachihellip;Irsquo;m someone whorsquo;s going to go in and shake it uprdquo;.nbsp; Moments before San Francisco Mayoral candidate Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="1"Adachi/span uttered those words to POOR Magazinersquo;s Indigenous news-making circle, the sharp pangs of an earthquake sent tremors through its office and throughout the city.nbsp; For POOR Magazinersquo;s indigenous and poverty scholars, having the foundations shake from underneath them is something that is experienced on the daily in the form of span data-scayt_word="houselessness" data-scaytid="3"houselessness/span, sit/lie laws, gentrification, removal and police terror in poor communities and communities of color.nbsp; Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="2"Adachi/span, smartly dressedmdash;sporting a campaign button on his lapelmdash;accompanied by his aide who was keenly aware of the clockmdash;spoke to our poverty scholars about how he was going to shake things up at City Hall if elected mayor./p p nbsp;/p p emPublic Defender/em/p p nbsp;/p p nbsp;ldquo;People who have stolen a loaf of bread, harassed because they were gay or homelessmdash;I have defended themrdquo; said Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="4"Adachi/span in regards to his work as Public Defender, adding,nbsp;ldquo;As a Public Defender you understand how a person gets to a certain placerdquo;. span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="5"Adachi/span has served in the Public Defenderrsquo;s office for over two decadesmdash;9 years as elected Public Defender (Elected in 2002, reelected in 2006 and 2010).nbsp; In a society in which the machinery of justice is dysfunctional, span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="6"Adachi/span has dedicated his career to the aim of social justice, working with poor communities to improve education and to give those with limited opportunities a chance to start over and reenter the workforce.nbsp; His Clean Slate Program has become a model program for helping people with criminal recordsmdash;roughly 2000 a yearmdash;turn their lives around and find employment and educational opportunities.nbsp; He started the span data-scayt_word="BMAGIC" data-scaytid="9"BMAGIC/span Program in span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="10"Bayview/span Hunters Point mdash;providing backpacks, literacy programs and school supplies for children most in need of them.nbsp; The programrsquo;s success has been duplicated in the Western Addition with the span data-scayt_word="“Mo’magic" data-scaytid="11"ldquo;Morsquo;magic/span program.nbsp; ldquo;My whole career has been dedicated to achieving social justice said span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="7"Adachi/span, citing that his office has helped 25,000 in his tenure.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="8"Adachi/span attributes much of his officersquo;s success to what he terms, ldquo;Participatory Leadershiprdquo;, which lets people most invested in the community help decide policy issues that affect the outcomes.nbsp; An example of this was the SF Retry Councilmdash;which he formedmdash; insuring there were formerly incarcerated people running the panel.nbsp; ldquo;We donrsquo;t do enough of this in governmentmdash;give people most affected by policies and programs the power to legislate policyrdquo;.nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p nbsp;emA new crop lost/em/p p nbsp;/p p Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi’s" data-scaytid="14"Adachirsquo;s/span grandparents came to San Francisco from Hawaii in 1890, settling in span data-scayt_word="Bernal" data-scaytid="16"Bernal/span Heights, surviving the rsquo;06 Earthquake before moving to Stockton where they farmed the land.nbsp; World War II shook the span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="12"Adachi/span familyrsquo;s foundation when they were given 48 hours to get rid of everythingmdash;bringing only what they could carrymdash;as they were ordered to relocation centers where they were then sent to interment campsmdash;span data-scayt_word="Adachi’s" data-scaytid="15"Adachirsquo;s/span mother to Gila River in Arizona and his father to span data-scayt_word="Rohwer" data-scaytid="17"Rohwer/span in Arkansas.nbsp; ldquo;They had a new crop that they lostrdquo; said span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="13"Adachi/span, remembering the stories related by his parents.nbsp; ldquo;My parents taught me that anybody at any time can lose everythingmdash;thatrsquo;s reality, it happens all the time nowrdquo;.nbsp; The experience of his parents and grandparents served as a catalyst in his struggle for social justice.nbsp; ldquo;They taught me not to be bitter about what had happened to them, to get an education and stand up for what you believe inrdquo;.nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p emThe best thing was the worst thing/em/p p nbsp;/p p I asked Mr. span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="18"Adachi/span, ldquo;What was the best thing you ever did, professionally or personally?rdquo;nbsp; He became introspective. Slowly he wasnrsquo;t the guy with the suit and the campaign badge and campaign talking points--none of that--but a human being who had connected deeply with another. nbsp;nbsp;ldquo;The best thing was the worst thingrdquo; he answered, looking down as if trying to visualize the moment and the emotions stirring through him at the time.nbsp; He recalled his first murder case, a case he lost in which an 18 year old African Descended man was sentenced to life in prison.nbsp; He recalled John span data-scayt_word="Tennison" data-scaytid="26"Tennison/span crying, declaring that he was innocent, that he was nowhere near the scene of the killing.nbsp; ldquo;I could always feel his (span data-scayt_word="Tennison’s" data-scaytid="28"Tennisonrsquo;s/span) presencerdquo; said span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="19"Adachi/span, who stayed with the case for nearly two decades, exhausting appealsmdash;putting up money along with span data-scayt_word="Tennison’s" data-scaytid="29"Tennisonrsquo;s/span mothermdash;which was used to file a petition in pro per (span data-scayt_word="ie" data-scaytid="30"ie/span: on his own behalf).nbsp; The result: The verdict was overturnedmdash;the judge issuing a 100 page decision finding that the prosecution and the homicide inspector--who later went on to become San Franciscorsquo;s chief of police--suppressed evidence.nbsp; After a settlement was reached with the city, span data-scayt_word="Tennison" data-scaytid="27"Tennison/span went to work in span data-scayt_word="Adachi’s" data-scaytid="25"Adachirsquo;s/span office as a clerk.nbsp; ldquo;The day he got out was one of the happiest days of my liferdquo; says span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="20"Adachi/span. As Public Defender, span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="21"Adachi/span has stood up to the police. Earlier this year he launched an investigation of illegal searches by police in SRO Hotels, finding that police had illegally entered single occupancy hotels by intimidating hotel managers and clerks to obtain master keys and falsifying sworn police statements. Said one Mission SRO resident who asked not to be identified, span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="22"Adachi/span is like Roberto Duran, he ain#39;t got no fear. nbsp; The experience of his family and their loss has given span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="23"Adachi/span insight and empathy when dealing with the fragile nature of human interaction and circumstances.nbsp; ldquo;If yoursquo;re not connected and you donrsquo;t feel the suffering and you donrsquo;t connect with it, then itrsquo;s not your sufferingrdquo; observes span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="24"Adachi/span.nbsp; ldquo;Thatrsquo;s what we do in society, we see a homeless person, and to us that person is invading our space.nbsp; Or we see a person without a home or a family without a home and we think, well, they should be out there working.nbsp; We impose our belief system on othersrdquo;.nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p emWersquo;re losing the heart and soul of the city/em/p p nbsp;/p p ldquo;We#39;re losing black families, Latino Families, Asian span data-scayt_word="familes…we’re" data-scaytid="48"famileshellip;wersquo;re/span losing the heart and soul of the cityrdquo; says Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="31"Adachi/span on the subject of gentrification.nbsp; Citing the fact that 12% of the cityrsquo;s residentsmdash;the same percent applying to childrenmdash;live in poverty, span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="32"Adachi/span recognizes the effect the bad economy has had on families.nbsp; Joblessness, lack of affordable housing for working class people and seniors and limited support for small businesses are issues that span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="33"Adachi/span plans to tackle if elected mayor.nbsp; He pledges that an span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="34"Adachi/span administration would take 40 million dollars from the general fund to invest in small businesses for women and people of colormdash;all San Franciscans who want to start or expand a business.nbsp; According span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="35"Adachi/span, small businesses are suffering and the city is notnbsp;doing enough to support them.nbsp; He gives an example of a woman who wanted to start a bowling alley who was assessed a $44,000 fee.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="36"Adachi/span says he would have deferred the fee.nbsp; In regards to housing, span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="37"Adachi/span says he would try to create 10,000 units of supportive housingmdash;utilizing buildings that are not being used--in a public/private partnership between apartment owners and program providers that render services.nbsp; He expresses his support for the Occupy movements in San Francisco and throughout the country.nbsp; ldquo;Banks have done nothing to alleviate the distress that homeowners have experiencedmdash;losing their homes.nbsp; I do support a tax on banks that choose to foreclose properties in San Francisco.nbsp; They should have to pay a fee a fine before foreclosingrdquo;.nbsp; One hot issue that span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="38"Adachi/span took on was the issue of pensions for city workers.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="39"Adachi/span and his supporters gathered 50,000 signatures to place proposition D on the ballot.nbsp; Prop D is in favor of what span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="40"Adachi/span calls, ldquo;reasonablerdquo; pensions that wonrsquo;t bankrupt the city.nbsp; According to span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="41"Adachi/span, pension costs have risen from 200 million dollars 4 years ago to 473 million dollars.nbsp; The costs are projected to rise to 829 million in 4 years.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi’s" data-scaytid="47"Adachirsquo;s/span plan would have city employees contribute to their pension costs.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="42"Adachi/span sees the issue as one of fairness, citing a police officer who earned more than the president of the United Statesmdash;516,000 a year and retired at the age of 56 with a $240,000 a year pension.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="43"Adachi/span says that this is not reflective of all city employees but says that when one looks at the rolls of the fire and police department, the top 100 employees of each of those professions earn $240,000.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="44"Adachi/span says that the issue has caused him vilificationmdash;being asked to leave a firefighterrsquo;s funeral.nbsp; Why?nbsp; ldquo;Because I had the audacity to suggest that higher paid city employees contribute towards their pensionsrdquo;.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="45"Adachi/span says that Prop D is a fair plan--it exempts lower paid employees, has a graduated percentage that people would pay; it doesnrsquo;t, says span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="46"Adachi/span, take anyonersquo;s pension away, or attack anyonersquo;s collective bargaining rights.nbsp; ldquo;Itrsquo;s just about making sure wersquo;re all contributing when these pension costs are going uprdquo;. nbsp;nbsp;/p p nbsp;/p p emYou Donrsquo;t know Jack/em/p p nbsp;/p p We also discussed his documentary on Jack span data-scayt_word="Soo" data-scaytid="49"Soo/spanmdash;Asian American singer, comedianmdash;who played Detective span data-scayt_word="Yamana" data-scaytid="52"Yamana/span on the sitcom Barney Miller.nbsp; He was fascinated by Jack span data-scayt_word="Soo" data-scaytid="50"Soo/span by the fact that span data-scayt_word="Soo" data-scaytid="51"Soo/span did not let his ethnicity limit his professional success.nbsp; The documentary ldquo;You Donrsquo;t Know Jackrdquo; tells span data-scayt_word="Soo’s" data-scaytid="53"Soorsquo;s/span story, bringing to light the fact that he was the first non-black artist signed to Motown.nbsp; I then asked him if he had a favorite quote.nbsp; ldquo;By any means necessaryrdquo; he said, ldquo;By Malcolm X, one of my heroesrdquo;./p

p iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7rytb9OHD50" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen/iframe/p

p (Image courtesy of span data-scayt_word="dignidadrebelde.com" data-scaytid="1"dignidadrebelde.com/span - created by Melanie Cervantes)/p p strongThese Streets Are Already Occupiedbr / Poor peoples, indigenous peoples in the struggle to take back out streets, banks, stolen lands./strong/p p We were there but we weren#39;t, John Williams, poverty span data-scayt_word="skolar" data-scaytid="2"skolar/span, skid row resident and a member of the Washoe Nationnbsp; whispered to me overnbsp; pay phone static./p p YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES the span data-scayt_word="tel-com" data-scaytid="3"tel-com/span pay phone warned us both. John was calling me from a pay phone in Skid row of Los Angeles, he and many of my fellow poverty and indigenous scholars who are currently residing in the cardboard hotels across span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="4"Amerikkka/span don#39;t have span data-scayt_word="cel" data-scaytid="5"cel/span phones, nor do they have lap-tops, or i-pads, or propane stoves which seem to be the norm for participants of most of the actions across the US./p p We saw them coming shouting this is what democracy looks likenbsp; so span data-scayt_word="alot" data-scaytid="6"alot/span of us span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="8"houseless/span folks who have been down here for years joined in but then after awhile it was kind of like we weren#39;t really wanted there in their occupation, John concluded./p p As I witness the power of the resistance over the last three weeks of all of thenbsp; Occupations (wrongly named cause these are occupied, stolen lands already) across the nation, my heart is warmed that people are finally standing up to bank theft and government theft, and yet i have heard and seen span data-scayt_word="alot" data-scaytid="7"alot/span of the same race and class divides play out that seem to play out everywhere in the US. In the intended lack of organization there is a default leadership that is mostly male, mostly white and/or mostly privileged, and isn#39;t clearly speaking of the already occupied, stolen indigenous lands that they are marching on and the deep struggle that all of us fighting span data-scayt_word="criminalization" data-scaytid="10"criminalization/span, span data-scayt_word="po'Lice" data-scaytid="11"po#39;Lice/span span data-scayt_word="harrassment" data-scaytid="12"harrassment/span, border fascism, span data-scayt_word="houselessness" data-scaytid="13"houselessness/span and span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="14"po#39;lice/span terror have already been dealt with for years./p p I know that i can go and speak in the general assembly about this - but, sadly like NYC span data-scayt_word="PNN" data-scaytid="16"PNN/span correspondent, Maria Lourdes and many of my fellow poverty, migrant and indigenous span data-scayt_word="skolaz" data-scaytid="17"skolaz/span at POOR Magazine, i can#39;t represent at the actions very much. span data-scayt_word="i've" data-scaytid="18"i#39;ve/span got three under the table hustles just to keep the very poor POOR magazine and my family ok. It is why we at POOR Magazine talk about the privilege of activism, media and art itself and why some people get heard and many people get silenced. It is why POOR Magazine#39;s span data-scayt_word="PeopleSkool" data-scaytid="19"PeopleSkool/span provides education, facilitation, BART fares, stipends for articles and direct emergency advocacy so thatnbsp; poor peoples in struggle can even work on organizing and create media./p p I amnbsp; very sad that protestors got their things seized the other night in SF, but i am constantly sad, shocked, depressed and overwhelmed when thousands of us poor folks who sleep, stand, sit, span data-scayt_word="covene" data-scaytid="20"covene/span or work on the street while poor/black or brown have been having our belongings confiscated for years without anyone caring or any mention on Democracy Now./p p My intent is not to splinter these powerful acts of resistance, but rather to help vision them as truly inclusive and revolutionary spaces for all peoples. If they are mostly white or privileged peoples acting and resisting, great. cause then maybe span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="15"po#39;lice/span abuses will finally get noticed, abuses of span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="9"houseless/span peoples will finally be seen, racism and apartheid can truly be recognized and acted on./p p So my hope is that the folks who do have the space, time or ability in their lives to show up and put their bodies in these acts of resistance,will truly understand that these lands are already occupied and have been occupied for hundreds of years as indigenous stolen land and that so many peoples struggling with deep poverty and racism are already there on the streets, right next to you./p

p nbsp;/p p/p p class="MsoNormal" ldquo;Who are you going to vote for tiny?rdquo; Friends and span data-scayt_word="FAFFs" data-scaytid="16"FAFFs/span (span data-scayt_word="fake-azz" data-scaytid="17"fake-azz/span span data-scayt_word="facecrak" data-scaytid="18"facecrak/span friends) alike continue to inquire as to who am I voting for in the upcoming mayoral candidate race in San Francisco. At each inquiry I wince internally, wanting to tell the truth, the whole span data-scayt_word="truf" data-scaytid="19"truf/span and nothing but the span data-scayt_word="truf" data-scaytid="20"truf/span, but with only enough time for a simple answer, I usually reply, ldquo;Irsquo;m not span data-scayt_word="sure.”" data-scaytid="1"sure.rdquo;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" The span data-scayt_word="truf" data-scaytid="21"truf/span is, I am in conflict. span data-scayt_word="Politricks" data-scaytid="23"Politricks/span and all of its insidious wrong-ness has struck again. The 2011 San Francisco Mayoral Campaign is a user-friendly, progressive, non-sexist, non-gender span data-scayt_word="conformative" data-scaytid="24"conformative/span pissing match. Its 2008 all over. In 2008 when brother in the struggle and span data-scayt_word="compa" data-scaytid="25"compa/span Eric span data-scayt_word="Quezada" data-scaytid="27"Quezada/span ran for the district 10 board of supervisors race up against brother in the struggle and span data-scayt_word="compa" data-scaytid="26"compa/span David Campos it was the same thing, and I was endlessly conflicted. How does one decide against two people so similar in values, actions and beliefs? This is no Rick Perry versus Paul span data-scayt_word="Wellstone" data-scaytid="40"Wellstone/span or Sarah Palin span data-scayt_word="verus" data-scaytid="41"verus/span Barbara Lee. For the record, I donrsquo;t believe in any national span data-scayt_word="politricks" data-scaytid="42"politricks/span between span data-scayt_word="demicans" data-scaytid="45"demicans/span and span data-scayt_word="republicrats" data-scaytid="46"republicrats/span, cause it NEVER includes poor peoples of color in struggle and we rarely if ever benefit, but rather play a dangerous game of voting for the candidate who wonrsquo;t hurt us as much as the other candidate./p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" But local span data-scayt_word="politricks" data-scaytid="43"politricks/span are decidedly different. If John span data-scayt_word="Avalos" data-scaytid="49"Avalos/span, Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="84"Adachi/span, Terry Baum orspan style=""nbsp; /spanLeland Yee were to win the mayoral race, I believe there might be a few tiny flickers of hope for poor span data-scayt_word="mamaz" data-scaytid="52"mamaz/span, poor peoples of color in this increasingly rich and white city. Or maybe not?/p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" I have witnessed both Jeff span data-scayt_word="Adachi" data-scaytid="48"Adachi/span and John span data-scayt_word="Avalos" data-scaytid="50"Avalos/span throw down for poor peoples and communities of color multiple times. Jeff as the public defender went up against a corrupt span data-scayt_word="po’lice" data-scaytid="53"porsquo;lice/span force when about their profiling and wrongly accusing of poor peoples of color who live in Single Room Occupancy hotels as well as multiple times supporting poor peoples in struggle, young men of color caught in the system, the issue of race and disability which was championed by POOR Magazinersquo;s own Leroy Moorespan style=""nbsp; /spanand endlessly through innovative programming in the work of his position as public defender.. I have witnessed John span data-scayt_word="Avalos" data-scaytid="51"Avalos/span stand up to the Twitter-sell-out when almost everyone else took the ldquo;dimerdquo; and stand up against the endless attempts by this city to criminalize public space and people for just being poor through the sit-lie lie and other deeply problematic span data-scayt_word="legislations" data-scaytid="90"legislations/span. I have witnessed Leland Yee stand up for poor women and children and I have seen Terry Joan Baum be on the front-line of as many protests as she could handle./p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" But in the end, like so many seemingly conscious candidates before them (Jean span data-scayt_word="Quan" data-scaytid="59"Quan/span and Ron span data-scayt_word="Dellums" data-scaytid="61"Dellums/span, both mayors of Oakland) I fear that once swallowed into the machine that is span data-scayt_word="politricks" data-scaytid="44"politricks/span, they would concede to span data-scayt_word="po’lice" data-scaytid="54"porsquo;lice/span force, eviction, span data-scayt_word="re-devil-opment" data-scaytid="62"re-devil-opment/span and other forms of corporate capitalistic government systems and criminalizing span data-scayt_word="legislations" data-scaytid="57"legislations/span which ultimately rule in span data-scayt_word="Amerikkkka" data-scaytid="63"Amerikkkka/span, such as the gang Injunctions and insane use of force used against the span data-scayt_word="Decolonize" data-scaytid="64"Decolonize/span Oakland camp under Mayor Jean span data-scayt_word="Quan" data-scaytid="60"Quan/span./p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" The one candidate I am intrigued by is comrade in the struggle for poor peoples, Cheri span data-scayt_word="Honkala" data-scaytid="65"Honkala/span from Mama Deersquo;s city of origin, Philadelphia, who is running for sheriff. She is running specifically as sheriff to stop the evictions by sheriffrsquo;s of thousands of poor families impacted by the foreclosure scams and span data-scayt_word="gentrifying" data-scaytid="66"gentrifying/span landlords. In other words she is using the office itself as a space of revolution./p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" span style=""nbsp;/spanI know we live in a capitalistic society that functions on a simulated democracy, I know this is our reality, so I will vote./p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" But I also have a challenge, instead of these really creative and clear-thinking folks running against each other in this post-colonial pissing match, why donrsquo;t they actually practice what is so often preached in every rally across Turtle Island, ldquo;Letrsquo;s come span data-scayt_word="together….”" data-scaytid="2"togetherhellip;.rdquo;/span And through the coming together reconfigure a different horizontal movement that gives reparations to stolen peoples and span data-scayt_word="pachamama" data-scaytid="68"pachamama/span and 1supspan data-scayt_word="st" data-scaytid="69"st/span/sup nation peoples, changes the use of public space into truly public and un-raced and un-classed, criminalized space, takes away these ldquo;occupying armiesrdquo; called span data-scayt_word="po’lice" data-scaytid="55"porsquo;lice/span, halts Gentrifying span data-scayt_word="legislations" data-scaytid="58"legislations/span and re-devil-opement and displacement of peoples,span style=""nbsp; /spanbrings art and spirit back to communities and so much morehellip; Then through all of this coming together, thinking together and being together of like-minded companeros, a new kind of post-political movement could be created which re-defines the tired and lying notion of US democracy into something like peoplopacy./p

p emSeptember 17, 2011/em/p p I let the weight of her words fall on my ears, feel it in my throat before I absorb them fully a breath later. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="1"Mesha/span span data-scayt_word="Irizarry's" data-scaytid="2"Irizarry#39;s/span words float in the air still: ldquo;For us poor disabled span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="3"LGBT/span [1] people of color, it#39;s a constant struggle to get our needs heard in the queer movement.rdquo; Yes. This is heavy business that must be acknowledged seriously by class-privileged white queers [2] like myself. Since Stonewall we privileged queers have only begun to absorb this information collectively, while before our eyes whole neighborhoods are at risk of displacement in the name of span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="4"LGBT/span ldquo;unityrdquo; and economic rejuvenation. Among those at risk of displacement are queer people of color (span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="5"QPOC/span) who are speaking up, while others are failing to hear./p p span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="6"Mesha/span span data-scayt_word="Irizarry" data-scaytid="16"Irizarry/span is the Executive Director of the span data-scayt_word="Idriss" data-scaytid="17"Idriss/span span data-scayt_word="Stelley" data-scaytid="18"Stelley/span Foundation and a disabled queer mixed-race individual. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="7"Mesha/span points out, generally, when a span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="8"QPOC/spannbsp;raises concerns about race or class within span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="11"LGBT/span forums, they are ldquo;deemed as victims or conspiracy theorists.rdquo; This is how race or class privileged span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="12"LGBT/span folks oftentimes shut out what span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="9"QPOC/span say, in favor of more ldquo;universalrdquo; interests. Such is the case for various span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="10"QPOC/span speaking up about an span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="13"LGBT/span Facebook group#39;s use of the violent and racist language of span data-scayt_word="gentriFUCKation" data-scaytid="25"gentriFUCKation/span./p p It all began this summer, when span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="26"Mesha/span and two other queers (of span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="33"Bayview/span and the Castro) joined a Facebook group called ldquo;Friends of span data-scayt_word="Gayview" data-scaytid="36"Gayview/span/ Homos Point/ Silver Tiaras.rdquo; They were tentatively interested in what sort of community the group had to offer. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="27"Mesha/span and her allies quickly realized that the group was composed of class-privileged span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="29"LGBT/span folks looking to buy homes and condominiums to get the jumpstart on gentrification in the span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="34"Bayview/span/ Hunters Point area. When span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="28"Mesha/span and others called members out on their unchecked, dehumanizing assumptions about residents of the span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="35"Bayview/span, implied meanings of words like ldquo;saferdquo; and ldquo;gay,rdquo; and disrespectful ways many were span data-scayt_word="unhumbly" data-scaytid="276"unhumbly/span moving to the neighborhood, they were aggressively shut out of the Facebook group./p p The Bay Area Reporter (an span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="38"LGBT/span newspaper) has published stories that demonstrate an aligned perspective with the owning-class residents of span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="42"Bayview/span/ Hunters Point. In an August span data-scayt_word="18th" data-scaytid="52"18th/span article, Tony K. span data-scayt_word="LeTigre" data-scaytid="53"LeTigre/span reports, span data-scayt_word="“Bayview" data-scaytid="54"ldquo;Bayview/span and the rest of District 10 ndash; Hunters Point, span data-scayt_word="Potrero" data-scaytid="55"Potrero/span Hill and span data-scayt_word="Visitacion" data-scaytid="56"Visitacion/span Valley ndash; is in the process of transforming into a safer, more accessible and stylish community, according to a number of local activists, residents, and real estate agents.rdquo; The reporter and many of the interviewees attribute District 10#39;s miraculous transformation to the influx of span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="39"LGBT/span people buying condos in the area. A third of our buyers so far have been gay, which makes sense, since the span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="40"LGBT/span community has that pioneering spirit, a condominium manager tells the B.A.R. ldquo;Buyers are receptive to the neighborhood.rdquo; What is implied here about the nature of span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="43"Bayview/span/Hunters Point as it stands today? Undergirding this depiction is an intensely homophobic, violent, and dehumanizing set of assumptions about the people living in these neighborhoods. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="44"Mesha/span and other span data-scayt_word="QPOC" data-scaytid="360"QPOC/span in the area are being erased from the equation altogether in such discourse, rendering an image of homophobic people of color blindly resisting the progressive advances of the span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="41"LGBT/span community as a whole. The conversation set up by real estate developers is one that pits the interests of policednbsp;span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="757"Bayview/span/Hunter#39;s Point residents against those of span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="895"LGBT/spannbsp;people, thereby erasing the existence of span data-scayt_word="QPOC" data-scaytid="997"QPOC/span in span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="1006"Bayview/span altogether./p p span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="59"LGBT/span real estate ldquo;pioneers,rdquo; like earlier colonizers of the West, are sweeping into the area on claims of superior social values, asserting that the span data-scayt_word="gentriFUCKed" data-scaytid="64"gentriFUCKed/span residents do not know how to foster the land or treat each other (especially span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="60"LGBT/span people), that these folks are just criminals and don#39;t deserve the budget crumbs they get, anyway. Members of the problematic Facebook group claim that Black people have always had an inherent tendency toward self-destructive behaviors. On the span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="65"po#39;lice/span murder that incited the legendary 1966 span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="61"Bayview/span uprising, one leader of the Facebook Group writes, ldquo;Itrsquo;s a shame that the young man was killed, but he was committing a felony and ran when he was caught. Anger at his death might have been appropriate, but destroying the healthy environment for the neighborhood was just insane. Such is the world when reason is gone and people refuse to take any responsibility for their actions.... This mindset is a sickness, and the part of the African American community that wallows in this has no chance of improving its lot and poisons the environment around them.rdquo;/p p I would dare to counter that the span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="67"LGBT/span folks moving into span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="68"Bayview/span/ Hunters#39; Point are participating in the destruction, more than the invented pathologies proposed above. Rather than further criminalizing young Black men in the span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="69"Bayview/span (i.e. Kenneth Harding, rest in peace), accusing folks of wrong-doing and advocating punitive backlash, white queers need to step up and say ldquo;nordquo; to violent Capitalist philosophies of imminent domain. Privileged queers need to advocate anti-violence as anti-colonialism, to stop laying claim to the totality of span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="75"LGBTQI/span culture, and to stop equating Black and other non-white expressions of gender and sexuality with criminality. This is an important step toward healing the wounds of homophobia and span data-scayt_word="homonormativity" data-scaytid="76"homonormativity/span [3], to name and question the assumptions we hold about what it means to be ldquo;gay.rdquo; As indicated by the ignorance people have shown about the very existence of queer folks in span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="70"Bayview/span/ Hunters Point, there is a lot of reworking to be done around how we define queer community and safety./p p As Tyrone Boucher, who writes the blog Enough Enough, writes in an article entitled ldquo;In Defiance of All That Splits Usrdquo;, part of creating whole communities means ldquo;every one of us gets to determine for ourselves when we are #39;well#39; and when we are #39;unwell#39; and to then ask for what will support us.rdquo; This is what span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="77"QPOC/span from the span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="79"Bayview/span are attempting to do, and we need to support their efforts. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="81"Mesha/span span data-scayt_word="Izarry" data-scaytid="88"Izarry/span asks that these privileged queers ldquo;don#39;t get so defensive...we#39;re asking for you to be responsible along with us. Let#39;s create forums to talk, so we can work out among ourselvesrdquo; the issues that have arisen. span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="78"QPOC/span from the span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="80"Bayview/span are not trying to be divisivemdash;they#39;re trying to expand span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="82"LGBTQI/span community, which I think is a really beautiful and positive step!/p p Queers know that space is important. We know it and define our own for survival. It takes work to make spaces feel and do right by us. My mom#39;s living room, a straight friend#39;s music practice space, the restaurant where I work, these all need to be nurtured to grow their potential as safe for myself and my queer community. With the right combination of communication and luck I#39;ve managed to feel good being my span data-scayt_word="genderqueer" data-scaytid="94"genderqueer/span self within them, while others still need work. span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="90"Mesha/span tells me that ldquo;homophobia was intended for indigenous land,rdquo; and there is a long history of gender non-normative people on this continent holding fast to their space. It is sacred. Spaces in span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="91"Bayview/span/Hunters Point have also been nurtured by span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="92"QPOC/span, for as long as each span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="93"QPOC/span has survived there, too./p p Some span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="99"LGBTQI/span folks have wide mobility to move from a space that doesn#39;t work out, while others have more limited options. It#39;s a question of what resources you have access to. Lots of span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="100"LGBT/span people (perhaps like members of the span data-scayt_word="Gayview" data-scaytid="102"Gayview/span/Homos Point group) might use money to get away, and others, especially poornbsp;span data-scayt_word="QPOC" data-scaytid="1160"QPOC/span, do not often have this luxury. This is why it#39;s such a tragedy that the tenuous spaces queers have set up in these neighborhoods are at the risk of destruction, rather than being honored and respected. Savannah Janenbsp;writes, in her essay ldquo;Is the Bay an Island?,rdquo; ldquo;Neighborhoods and other spaces created around identity are managed and policed, and span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="101"LGBT/span organizing has often mobilized concepts of place and space in ways that rhetorically map whiteness onto gayness.rdquo; What#39;s happening is a complex mixture of cultural appropriation, colonization, racism, and classism, in the case of this Facebook group, even if these effects are unintended./p p This is happening all around the Bay Area, all around the country and the world, too. Poor communities of color, and span data-scayt_word="QOC" data-scaytid="109"QPOC/span, are being colonized. Savannah wisely writes, ldquo;We need to create a new politic around space and place. One that does not conflate lsquo;The Bayrsquo; with radical queer movement culture, span data-scayt_word="cuz" data-scaytid="112"cuz/span for many folks living here, that just isnrsquo;t their/our experience. How do we both hold that The Bay Area has been a generative site of resistance and movement building, and of powerful queer and trans communities, while also holding the complexity of who has access to these communities (or wants to)?...Space is something we do. We construct it, and I think we have some shit to grapple with.rdquo; For white and span data-scayt_word="otherly" data-scaytid="113"otherly/span privileged queers like myself, there is plenty opportunity to recall rich histories of collective resistance to change our tack!!! span data-scayt_word="Mesha" data-scaytid="110"Mesha/span tells me, ldquo;White folks put their lives on the line during the liberation of slaves, even during the Civil Rights Movement, not just at Stonewall.rdquo;/p p We can mobilize against gentrification in span data-scayt_word="Bayview" data-scaytid="115"Bayview/span/ Hunters Point, and continue by expanding space for disabled, poor, and/or migrantnbsp;span data-scayt_word="QPOC" data-scaytid="1205"QPOC/span who live there. We can all be nurtured by this experience, all our lives can be made richer and brighter./p p emRo is a queer identified graduate of the mentorship program @ Race, Poverty, Media Justice Institute @ span data-scayt_word="PeopleSkool" data-scaytid="120"PeopleSkool/span/em/p p nbsp;/p p emSome terminology Un-Packed:/em/p p br / em[1]: span data-scayt_word="LGBT" data-scaytid="121"LGBT/span or span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="122"LGBTQI/span encompasses these terms: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, span data-scayt_word="Intersex" data-scaytid="125"Intersex/span. The acronym can be expanded infinitely to include other queer identifications./em/p p br / em[2]: Some people use ldquo;queerrdquo; to imply politically aware, counter-cultural, or shifting identifications associated with ways of being span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="126"LGBTQI/span. There are lots of other uses of the term out there too, but this is mine./em/p p em[3]: The span data-scayt_word="neoliberal" data-scaytid="132"neoliberal/span assimilation and normalization of span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="129"LGBTQI/span into more ldquo;respectable,rdquo; ldquo;nicer,rdquo; or digestible social categories for a straight or homophobic public. Many people argue that span data-scayt_word="homonormativity" data-scaytid="131"homonormativity/span has hurt the radical advances of span data-scayt_word="LGBTQI" data-scaytid="130"LGBTQI/span/queer activism./em/p

p bPNN-TV coverage of the Town Hall/b/p piframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/86nMCG8rDQA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen/iframe/p p Mama came out of the Fox Plaza post office in San Francisco with that look. You know the one, the- I#39;m going to get that MF who did me wrong, no matter what it takes- look.nbsp; Before I could ask what happened, she said with her deepest warrior wobyn tone, Get the number for the postmaster- someone#39;s got to speak back to this racist Sh@@#*t/p p When mama and me were houseless throughout my childhood into young adulthood, which was alot of our time in SF and Oakland,nbsp; i was made keenly aware of the ways poor people of color in AMerikkka were racialized and profiled for being poor and/or a person of color. It happened while shopping, while walking, while driving, while living. And it happened to me and my mama more times than i would care to remember. It never happened at the General delivery post office in the tenderloin. It did happen in Fox Plaza station four blocks away./p p There is a proposal to close this post office andnbsp; build out the Fox Plaza post office to accomadate the customers from this (Tenderloin) station, Acting general manager from the tenderloin post office spoke to at least 75 people who showed up for a town hall on the closure of the tenderloin post office which is the only San Francisco post office that offers general delivery service for over 1000 houseless people in San Francisco./p p When i got the call about the proposed closure of thenbsp; Tenderloin, Bayview and Visitation Valley post offices from a local activist David Welsh, i was completely thrown. We as poor peoples, landless peoples, disabled peoples, youth of color and elders already feel the hate of society on the daily through racist and classist profiling and exclusion, but moves like these are like a collective slap in the face. The message was clear, we weren#39;t important, we didnt matter. Landless, disabled, elders, poor peoples of color, Afrikan peoples, houseless peoples did not matter. On the contrary, stations that serve mostly white, middle class folks like the post office on Pine Street are never even mentioned. Is it just me or is the apartheid blatant?./p p We are keeping track of all of the comments in this meeting, nothing is confirmed yet, you will all have a chance to weigh in again.nbsp; One of the three oddly CIA-ish post office representatives who showed up at the town hall declared as people became more and more agitated in the meeting./p p The proposed closures is a direct attack on poor peoples of color, because they are trying to privatize the post officenbsp; like so much of government services. Jose Carlos from the postal workers union spoke to PNN We-Search Camp set up outside of the Tenderloin and Bay view stations after the notice went out to get the peoples version of this budget genocide lie, The union postal workers have been under attack for years, we are the only governnent office required to make bring in 5 billion a year, this is an attack on workers because we are a strong union and protected under a congressional law, which is why we are asking people to call their congress representatives and tell them how they feel, Jose concluded/p p There are roughly 12,000 seniors using this post office because they live in unsafe housing and can#39;t receive their mail at their residences, this will be a serious hardship on seniors, said poverty scholar and PNN reporter Bruce Allison/p p This is the communities life-line, when i was homeless it was the only way i got my GA check and letters from family, Vanessa Marks, life-long San Francisco resident said./p p I am 78 years old and can barely walk, if this post office closes, i will not be able to get my mail, Miss Landly, an African-American elder from the Bayview said about the closure of the Bayview post office branch../p p Oddly, in the flurry ofnbsp; powerful actions across the nations against wall street and banks, this life-line about to be destroyed, has seemed to get lost in the shuffle, the subtext seems to be, who needs snail mail, we are all on-line, we all use email, but do we?nbsp; and who is we? I guess its the same, hooked-up, e-connected, we that always seems to improperly speak for me and allnbsp; poor, landless, disabled, un-remembered, oppressed, peoples of color in Amerikkka./p p nbsp;/p