2012

Many people are aware of the microscopic society that we live in. 

With millions of cameras all across the united states, our every move is being recorded. The citizens were under the (false) pretense that surveillance cameras were put into place as an aid to the safety of the public, and to record any crimes being committed. However, with a rise in crime and low conviction rates, the people are starting to wonder if the true purpose of installing these cameras are to keep us safe, or to keep an eye on us. With that being said, there have been many theories coming to surface about the intentions of the powers that be, and one theory is the institution of slavery, not safety. The enslavement of a nation through the bio-chemical warfare of mind and population control.

According to studies, there are many forms of mind control, ranging from pharmaceutical, hard "street" drugs, the poisoning of our food supply as well as monarch, personality imprinting and electronic. Electronic is said to be the most effective because of its near invisibility and hard detection. We are mostly surrounded by antennas and wires broadcasting everything from radio and t.v signals to power plants, power lines and electrical grids. All of this effects our chakras, or "subtle energy systems" Could all of this be possible?

It is happening as we speak according to Elizabeth Adams, executive producer of "America needs To know" (www.americaneedstoknow,tv) and fellow comrade, sista Amy. In a POOR Magazine Q and A, these skolars share stories that puts a question mark behind the word sci-fi.

Q: What is mind control?

Amy: to clairify, it's called "Advanced Technology" that can be used to stimulate freqencies as electromagnetic energy to stimulate the human brainwaves, to manipulate the thoughts, behavior, and body parts by being able to attack the central nervous system. 

Elizabeth: In addition to that, when the "targeted" brain is manipulated, it can make a person do what they normally wouldn't do, like  commit crimes.

Q: So there's a connection between mind control and the rampant violence we see particularly in black and brown neighborhoods?

Elizabeth: Most definitely! The black on black, brown on brown crimes, the drive-bys  all of this are premeditated attacks on poor communities. I have at least 20 personal stories relating to this. Again, these are planned targeted murders, including Oscar Grant. This is why the u.s government is building more prisons, because they already know how many people they are going to put in them. These are demonic, satanic elite forces we are dealing with and they did not want blacks here in the first place. We were only brought here to be slaves, and we are still in slavery now. Before it was physical, when we had masters we took care of their homes, children, land and generated masses amounts of wealth for the slavemaster. Today, this is a new form of slavery. This is mental slavery, psychological torture, psychological bondage. Even a person of high intelligence can't  control their own thoughts once they have been targeted with this energy. For instance, you can make plans to do one thing, next you know you're rerouted and going in a different direction. It really screws you up.

 

Amy: To add to that, however, the elite society, the 1 percent are also targeting their own kind so it wont appear to be a psychological, bio-warfare based on race.

Elizabeth: They are already utilizing this technology in prison. A lot of inmates have complained of severe migraine headaches, not knowing that they are already guinea pigs of this illegal program.

Amy: With the prisoners, this allows them to legally perform human experiments with this advanced technology. They are able to implant chips into the inmates, using different mechanisms from dental surgery, to epidemic thermal injections. Cosmetic surgery, breast implants, our food supply and even our cosmetics all falls under this category.

Q: So these type of human experiments  are illegal?

Elizabeth: U.S senate bill 362 was  by sen. Joe Simitian,  signed into law by former gov Arnold schwarzenegger. the bill was created to stop the illegal implants of mind control programming technology in u.s citizens without their consent. The RFID chips, AKA radio freqency identification have been illegally implanted in citizens (here and in other countries) usually when people are hospitalized during a  surgical medical procedure, without their knowledge or consent.  The RFID chip is the size of a grain of rice, so small that the victim would not even feel it. The only way to detect it is by getting an X-ray done. Bill 362 also prohibits doctors and surgeons from implanting the RFID chip into patients without knowledge or consent. What that tells you is that they have been doing this all along before banning the chip a few years back, when schwarzenegger was in office.

Q: What about chemtrail planes?

Amy: Chemtrail planes are another source where bio-particles are released into the air for us to breathe in harmful chemicals.

Elizabeth: And speaking on chemtrails, Sen. Dennis Kucinich created a congressional house resolution bill-2977. Bill 2977 told the truth, and in english as one would say for the people to understand what the bill meant. Because the bill exposed too much of the truth, it was shot down. Kucinich then returned with bill 3616, the same bill but reworded. This time, the bill had passed and if you want the truth about it (the bill) don't read 3616, read bill 2977 instead. The city of berkeley has a large population of college students, some even from different countries, and there was a need to protect those students, thus creating a bill that bans chemical spraying. It is now illegal, making the city of berkeley the only city in the united states that has banned chemtrail spraying.

Q: How can other cities follow suit and proceed with the chemtrail ban?

Elizabeth: Speak with your congressional members.

Q: Now you said that you too was a victim. What goes on?

Elizabeth: hell, pure hell.

Amy: I was used as a sex slave by a San Francisco man named Jonah M. I had discovered his identity from a cell phone interception. Every since, he has targeted and tortured me with this advanced technology attempting to silence me. My former employer have been involved with the elite society as a private contractor of this technology as well. They deny that this operation exists because they don't want the people to know and understand what is going on. As a targeted person, when we get up every morning we are fighting. Our lives are no different than a soilder fighting in a war. We are steadily fighting to stay alive and survive these horrific crimes that are being committed against us that are destroying our lives.

Elizabeth: People who are sucked up into this technology are also known as human robots or human puppets.

Amy: And when Elizabeth speaks of human robots and puppets, she's only stating that for the fact that people are not aware of this technology and what it does to the human mind. We are being used as puppets, and we are constantly harassed by people who are not aware that this is even happening. They too, are manipulated with this programming, and the objective is to make the target's life a living hell.


Elizabeth: People are walking around wondering "I'm a good person, I work hard and I am dedicated to my cause, what's wrong?" They are doing everything physically right in their lives, but can't figure out why everything is still screwed up. I mean their lives are literally messed up. The person may be in the "program" and don't even know it. Me, I am a business professional. I'm supposed to be making a minimum of 100,000 to 120,000 a year. The last paying job I had was at 78,000 a year. But now I am a homeless woman, and even prior to this, my life was messed up and I couldn't understand why. I knew people were following me, and when I sent out emails to folks or resumes to employers, everything I sent out went straight to the spam box of those who i attempted to communicate with. With all these things going wrong in my life, I started to do research online. By typing in the fact that I was being followed and harassed, It was on april 16th, 2006 that I found out what was going on and discovered that I was a victim of the MK-ULTRA program. Once I found this out, all the pieces of the puzzle just fell right into place.

Amy: I would like to add that these electromagnetic shockwaves can penetrate through walls, cement or any other hard surfaces. Electromagnetic energy can attack the target on contact, and the victim will feel like they've been shocked without having any contact with any electrical outlets- it's more like a laser being beamed at your skull that sends radiation throughout your body and stimulates this kind of energy that makes your body feel like its on fire. When you try to tell someone about this, the first thing that they think is that you're dillusional or just plain crazy. This tactic is called the "No touch torture", and when the target is suffering, there is nothing no one can do to help the target whatsoever.

Elizabeth: I was doing some research online,I typed in "cia and mind control experiments" and there were 636 million websites on this topic alone. Now to the amerikkkan public: Are 636 million people dillusional? Do the research for yourself and you will be surprised at all the things that have taken place. A person will think its sci-fi, and yes it is science, but it's far from fiction...



For more info on this subject, log onto www.americaneedstoknow.tv. Also there will be an "Advance Technology Summit On Human and Civil Rights" The date is Saturday, October 13th 2012 from 12 noon to 5pm. The location is the Berkeley public library, 2090 Kitteredge st. 3rd floor conference room. Berkeley Ca, 94704. Contact person: Elizabeth Adams @ www.americaneedstoknow.tv

The lady’s hair is

Propped up

By much hairspray

Sometimes she highlights

It but it remains generally

Unchanged season after season

During her court TV program

Her robe is splayed

Over her legally

Riddled body

She is hard nosed,

No nonsense as she

Adjudicates on issues of

Great importance falling under

The category of small claims

Each side claims it is

Right and some cases

Are truly ridiculous

The judge has little

Time for excuses such

As not being able to feed one’s

kids or driving without a license

or insurance out of necessity

The judge is full of

Chastisements designed to

Make one look like a

Fool which makes for

Good TV

I got to admit, I sometimes

Enjoy watching the judge drill

Some poor guy who is totally

Outgunned

Millions of others

Enjoy it too

During a recent

Taping of her show

The TV cameras jerked

Up and down

The people in the courtroom

Looked about in a panic,

The lights on the wall

Swung like a pendulum out

Of control

An earthquake of some

Magnitude had disrupted this

Inner sanctum of televised justice

The camera panned

To the judge who looked

Up as if the roof was about

To cave in to the tremors

She scurried to the

Door like a

Rat

The real judge

Had arrived

© 2012 Tony Robles

Editors Note: Use the POOR Magazine Promo code to get $5.00 discount on Tx-click here for more info

Interview with Paul S. Flores, playwright of PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo

 

Poor News Network (Prensa POBRE/POOR Magazine), a poor people-led, indigenous peoples-led grassroots, non-profit, arts organization spoke with compañero Paul S. Flores,  about his latest play, PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo that is set to premier in San Francisco at the Lorraine Hansberry Theater on September 6, 2012. The play outlines the complexities of the human migration & the struggle to survive amidst systemic violence.

The plays central figure is loosely based on the life experiences of Alex Sanchez, a former gang member who now is the executive director of Homies Unidos, an organization that works towards ending gang violence, giving inner city youth alternatives to violence. Alex Sanchez, who was a consultant for PLACAS, migrated to the United States with his family from El Salvador during the US-backed oppressive & violent regime of the 1970s and remained in the Los Angeles area during the Civil War that engulfed that country until 1992 that left about 100,000 precious lives lost (~80,000 dead + ~20-30,000). The dilapidated infrastructure of the country that resulted from the war was not able to support the mental & social health needs in the lengthy road towards healing the people of El Salvador, from the traumas of migration & violence that lied ahead.

The oppressive history of colonialism & US intervention has played a role in destabilizing the lives of many in Latin America & commodifying Pachamama and her people into labor & capital. This is the reality of everyday life for many who are stuck in this go-between of surviving post-traumatic stress & making of a dollar.

Paul Flores, who has had a long trajectory as a community based artist, with experience mentoring youth, including gang members emphasized the optimism and realities of the precarious peace that exist today in El Salvador with the truce that was developed by the gang members themselves in the prisons of El Salvador.  The peace process which is in the works with global allies like Luis Rodriguez & Alex Sanchez attest to the need for economic support in the impoverished communities that gang members come from as Flores states, “Poverty breads violence.” In this bleak scenario, a glimpse of hope is being developed. Imprisoned gang members in El Salvador, have taken it upon themselves, independent of the government, to attempt to create a path of peace in order to heal from trauma that is a current reality in Central America.

The central character of the play, named Fausto is a former gang member whose family migrated to the United States from El Salvador, and has to have his tattoos removed as part of his probation agreement. The title, the word PLACAS, is barrio slang for tattoos, which is central to the play. Tattoos have different meanings particularly, as Flores states, “gangs offer support that families can’t,” because they serve as a support system for folks that can’t find it elsewhere.  

Tattoos, gangs & El Salvador have a very distinct history that has garnered extensive attention in recent years and has categorized the small Central American nation of El Salvador in negative light. At one point the government of El Salvador illegalized tattoos in order to curve gang violence, becoming a failed government policy, because it was a policy that demonized people who had tattoos but did nothing to provide economic security and alternatives to youth that were in gangs or in the path of joining one.

PLACAS sheds light to the precarious dance of survivance (survival + resistance = survivance) that not only Salvadorans have to go through but all oppressed, people of color and migration people, as well. The spirit of PLACAS can pave the way for gang members to create their own plays to express their own experiences and create their artworks that endures and represents their histories/herstories. The current peace process led by the incarcerated gang members is giving a voice to the voiceless, empowering our youth, & remembering our Ancestors struggles for dignity. By speaking even if their voice trembles, gang members are establishing a new road for social change in El Salvador that can set a new example of youth agency around the world.

Vinia Castro is an NDN/political hood pundit, first generation gringa whose DNA hails from the coffee fields of Panchimalco highlands in El Salvador (the coffee originally from Ethiopia). Currently, she is PNN’s Mayan scholar-in-residence & Bolivian analysis junkie.

A Public Emergency RYME - From TnT (mama-son due)

Get Involved:

SHUT DOWN MONSANTO MONDAY, SEPT 17th @ 6am- (Action goes all day)

Post offices were formed before the constitution was written.  They were made for the average person and were supposed to be run by the government…..not by Walmart or any private entity.

In 2011, though, Steven Greenhouse wrote a bill geared at bankrupting the post office.  This bill requires the government to secure 70 years worth of pension funding for each postal employee immediately.  In other words, in order to comply with the new law, the post office would have to come up with about 5 billion dollars.   This is as ridiculous as it sounds.

In order to do this, the post office says it has to close rural and small town post offices.  The government is planning to close offices in poor areas of major cities as well.  In San Francisco, the home base of this reporter, I heard that three post offices will be closing….2 in poor areas and one in a working class area.  There’s talks of closing other post offices also.  Visitacion Valley’s only post office will be closing if you do not write to the post master general.  Bayview’s post office will be closing, too.  This is an area with over 75% African descended people.  The post office in the Tenderloin, known as the Civic Center post office will be closed too.  This post office is used mostly by low income individuals, families and seniors. 

Don’t think you’re safe working class people!! Glen Park post office is also scheduled to be closed.  They are also selling the Berkeley post office.  Not closing it – selling it.  This is a landmark post office and Feinstein’s husband is looking to sell it.  The details are still being negotiated.  The North Beach office is also going to be sold. This will lead to the privatization of your post office.  Get ready to go to Walmart for your postal needs.

Please explain to me why Diane Feinstein cannot be charged with a conflict of interest?

I recently looked at the events schedule of a local paper and came across an event with the catchy title, “Indian summer:  A Day party on Treasure Island 09.08.12”.  Treasure Island, a place named after the Robert Louis Stevenson Novel, a place with toxic waste left by the navy, a place created from bay landfill; a place that is a stone’s throw away from Alcatraz island where the struggle of native people is carved in every stone, whose breath is felt in the soil--the place where native people launched their occupation to call attention to the genocide perpetrated on native peoples on turtle island, decades before the occupation of Wall Street.

It is through this lens that I looked at the advertisement, hatched by some marketing person no doubt, in need of something to do.  Much of these ideas/concepts are basically air weighed down with branding and marketing to create something supposedly tangible-but are, in reality, empty and, as my grandmother used to say, flatter than piss on a plate.

Marketing people are paid to conceive and mold ideas into reality from mere air, that’s where their alleged genius supposedly lay and is subsequently recognized.  But their job is an illusion.  What do they really do but take long lunches and extended vacations?  Have you ever tried to reach one of these folks on the phone?  You can’t because they’re not there.  They’re too busy, too important, and generally, too unhelpful to be bothered with annoying exchanges of communication outside of an occasional interoffice haiku.  I suspect the reason it is difficult to reach them is because they are busy ordering merchandise online from Banana Republic(an) or some similar outlet.  Of their ilk there is a serious glut—especially in San Francisco.  Let them get real jobs, like scraping pigeon shit off a park bench, I say.

Much of this branding takes place in San Francisco where the marketers brand the landscape in the way a dog marks its territory.  When I saw the advertisement for “Indian summer: A Day Party on Treasure Island”, I was not surprised.  The hipsters were marking their territory again and this time using tipi’s to do it.  There was to be music and “luxury tee pee’s” for folks to congregate in and listen to music.  The interiors of the “tee pee’s” looked to be inspired by the saintly folks at Ikea and Williams Sonoma.  And of course, there was to be “shuttle service” to get to this shindig from SOMA and the Marina(These folks always seem to have shuttle service, don’t they?)  Requisite hipster DJ’s (what’s an event without them?), covered in head to toe black—including adorable black shades to cap off their “coolness”-- were to be on hand to round out this event.

Word got out to the promoters of the event that folks in the community—native folk, people of color, conscious folk and the family at POOR Magazine—were not happy with this newest in a long line of celebrations/festivals—especially one so egregiously disrespectful to the native community.  2 folks came to our community newsroom at POOR Magazine identifying their selves as being connected to the event.  They stayed for the duration of newsroom and listened to our poverty and indigenous scholars voice their concerns about the overall tone of disrespect the event conveyed to our communities; how the use of tee-pees in the context of their event was highly offensive to native communities.  After much discussion, the two women--who identified themselves as representatives of the promoters of the event--then identified themselves as the promoters themselves.  I don’t know if they felt intimidated by divulging this but I felt it a bit disingenuous that they withheld this information to our family at POOR Magazine, who opened its doors in good faith and in hopes of an honest discussion of the concerns surrounding the event.  The promoters apologized for anything offensive that was contained in the marketing of their event.  They assured us that they would omit “Indian Summer” from the marketing materials.  They even confided that they had some “Native American blood” in them as well but didn’t indicate how much.   True to their word, they did likewise, adding the following disclaimer:

                        You may have noticed the we changed name and nature of the event from its' original Indian Summer theme.  We recieved many complaints about the use of Indian Summer, and realize how the term can be disrespectful to the Native American community.  It was never our intention to disrespect anyone or any culture, and we sincerly apologize for any hurt and concern it may have caused.   

On September 8th, let's come together to celebrate warm weather, beautiful surroundings, enchanting friends and musical excellence, and together, we can embrace the words from a wise medicine man:

"Native American isn't blood; it is what is in the heart.  The love for the land.  The respect for it, those who inhabit it; and the respect and acknowledgement of the spirits and the elders.  That is what it is to be an indian."

White Feather, Navajo Medicine Man

I appreciate that the promoters came to newsroom, listened to our concerns and made changes to their advertisements.  But the entire celebration begs the question, what and who is being celebrated?  I did not attend the event, but a friend of mine did and he told me he observed young white intoxicated males walking around in Indian headdress.  Where is the responsibility in all of this?  To many of us in the community, this type of so-called celebration reeks of entitlement and cultural disrespect by the very people who have gentrified our communities to where working class people of color can’t live in the city anymore.  This type of “celebration” is a kick in the teeth.  How is this honoring Indian anything? 

Many of these so-called celebrations are not about honoring our community or our history but of folks who are celebrating one thing—themselves--the so-called hip, the blank faced, the oblivious, the endless consumers and co-opters of culture and yoga mats.  It’s a frat party, alcohol fest whenever someone comes up with some goofball idea and the geniuses keep coming up with more ideas.  The one's that do the celebrating--the one's who act like nothing existed her until they arrived--a bunch of little Christopher Columbuses sipping on beer, sitting in the sun in search of a tan.  What is it you’re celebrating besides what you see in the mirror, whatever that is? If these folk had any clue at all of where they were at, they would have done the right and respectful thing which would be to cancel this trite and useless event that serves absolutely no purpose but to pad the resume of someone wanting to gain a foothold as an event promoter in the city.  Perhaps you should ask, what is it that we see when we see you.

At almost 75 years of age, there are very few things in life that surprise me anymore. However, I can say I was not only surprised by the allegations made against my comrade Richard Aoki, I was sickened. I should not have been surprised because I know that this government still has unfinished business with us, we Panthers, and being dead doesn’t free us from their need to persecute us and create chaos and mistrust among those of us who remain.

The San Francisco Chronicle, like most mainstream press, loves this shit. It was not so long ago when this administration found a way to try to destroy my comrades, the San Francisco 8, decades after several of them had been tortured and the case had been thrown out. The brothers were amazingly strong and eventually most of them have been able to go on with their lives, but at a great cost to all of them.

My comrade John Bowman’s death was most definitely hastened by the persecution (not prosecution, persecution). The SF Chronicle, at a very sensitive time in the case, produced a huge front page spread by a writer who tried to link the murder of a young woman, a totally unrelated occurrence, to this case. So the fact that the SF Chronicle was so eager to publish and sensationalize the garbage put out by this so-called author, Rosenfeld, with his “30 years of research,” is not a surprise to me.

Black Panthers John Bowman and Minister of Culture Emory Douglas talk outside the Party’s San Francisco office.

Because I have been around for a long time, I have seen that a number of people with books to peddle are capable of resorting to the most heinous acts of sensationalism in order to promote themselves and will do so with total shamelessness and disregard for others. The sickening part is that these scandalous accusations are targeting my dead comrade, Richard Aoki – Richard, who is no longer around to defend himself, Richard, a revolutionary to the end of his days, the littlest man with the largest stature I ever knew. Not one of his comrades, not one, mind you, has ever had anything but the highest respect and love for Richard Aoki.

My wife and I have read and emailed back and forth anything and everything we can get our hands on about the sources involved and listened as learned people shared their knowledge with us and have investigated, as much as we can, these scandalous, unsubstantiated charges leveled at our dead comrade, Richard.

Persecuted by the SF Chronicle the way the paper is now crucifying the character of Richard Aoki are the San Francisco 8, former Black Panthers charged with killing a cop more than 40 years after he died using evidence obtained by torture: Harold Taylor, Francisco Torres, Richard Brown, attorney Soffiyah Elijah, Richard O'Neal, Hank Jones, Supervisor Eric Mar and Ray Boudreaux. Here, they are celebrating the dropping of the charges against most of them, a victory won by the power of the people. The other two SF 8 defendants, Jalil Muntaqim and Herman Bell, remain political prisoners. – Photo: Scott Braley

Being nearly 75 years of age, and having been in the Black Panther Party from 1966 to 1974, I know a lot about this government. I know that the mission to spread disorder and mistrust amongst those of us who remain is alive and well and that now, as in the past, fools can be used as tools and pawns by them to foment chaos.

Why do you think there are political prisoners still locked up decades later? Elderly men and women now, still threats to the power structure. The best of us, so many, still locked away in dungeons or in exile, thousands of miles away from their people.

We may now be lawyers, businessmen, physicians, state representatives or businessmen. We may be old and ravaged by the sands of time; it matters not. We may be living relatively innocuous lives, or we may be community activists, or we may be dead. It does not matter – they must make examples of us. They must show the people we were under their thumbs and not serving the people, as we claimed.

Big Man and Terry Cotton display a banner honoring Richard Aoki at Richard’s funeral in March 2009. – Photo: Carole Hyams

It was only this past Monday and yet it seems like such a long time ago that Seth Rosenfeld’s “exposé” appeared in the SF Chronicle. My wife and I have been so busy since then that the days are gone before we know it!

The events now occurring around the feeble, incredible fiction Rosenfeld has put out there to promote his book (yeah, we know, 30 years in the making) at the expense of Richard Aoki’s name bring me back to years ago when I was one of several young Party members and we started publishing our newspaper. We found a way to do this because we realized that with the mainstream newspapers and media lying to the people, we needed to create an instrument of our own to tell our own stories in our own way – to tell the truth about ourselves and our communities and about the lying, racist, corporate criminals who controlled the media and were oppressing the people. To create a revolutionary tool which would wake up and shake up the world. And we did that.

Two close friends of Richard Aoki at his funeral in March 2009 are Yuri Kochiyama and Big Man. Like Richard, Yuri, a lifelong freedom fighter, built Black-Asian solidarity. Decades earlier, she had worked closely in Harlem with Malcolm X. On the stage with him when he was assassinated, she rushed to his side and comforted him as he breathed his last. – Photo: Carole Hyams

The Black Panther Party Newspaper became a paper with worldwide circulation and I was the editor for a while. We published articles which were based on our struggles and the day to day struggles of our comrades and the people we served in our communities. Stories where we talked about our fallen comrades and their killers. Where we talked about the war-mongering, racist, oppressive government of this US of A. Where we talked about ways in which we served our communities, educating people and each other. Young lives were ripped from us.

But we had a great newspaper; I have always thought so. We used that paper to communicate with each other and people all over the world. Now there’s email and Facebook. But nothing comes close to that beautiful, revolutionary paper. I still miss that paper to this very day.

But I digress. Being almost 75 years of age, I allow myself that privilege. And so, … Richard.

I have spoken of how I got to know Richard in the early years of the Party, how I learned of his internment, a young victim of America’s concentration camps for the Japanese, how he and his family were stripped of everything they had, but how he survived that and how he grew up on the mean streets of Oakland, how he learned to defend himself and how the Black Panther Party seemed to him the logical place for him to be.

Like me, he had been in the service. He knew about weapons, sure. He also saw that through education he could fight for equal rights, educate and organize his community. He never, ever stopped doing that. Never stopped fiercely loving the people. Never stopped speaking his mind. Never compromised his views. Never cared about saving his own skin. He was always out there, a fierce warrior for human rights, to the day he died.

Richard Aoki knew about weapons, sure. He also saw that through education he could fight for equal rights, educate and organize his community. He never, ever stopped doing that. Never stopped fiercely loving the people. Never stopped speaking his mind. Never compromised his views. Never cared about saving his own skin. He was always out there, a fierce warrior for human rights, to the day he died.

In early 2006, we were reunited at the West Oakland Library at the L’il Bobby Hutton event put on by Its About Time. We had not seen or heard from each other for decades. We were both pretty weak, him frail and walking with a cane after several strokes and kidney problems, and me just recovering from cancer surgery and several other chronic health conditions. It was so good to see him again.

At the last gathering of the Panthers before Richard Aoki’s death – the San Francisco premiere of the film “Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers” in January 2009 – are Panthers Big Man, Billy X Jennings, Richard Aoki and Ericka Huggins along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who narrates the film. – Photo: Carole Hyams

In later years, no matter how sick he was, Richard would find a way to come to almost every event. We never ceased to find joy in seeing each other, and we would laugh at the fact that, amazingly enough, we were still around.

There are many people now fighting along with all of Richard’s comrades to educate people and repair any damage that this irresponsible assault on his character may have done. You can bet that Richard is somewhere cracking up at all of this and especially at how much work this has created for his many comrades, his students, his professional peers and members of his community – all of whom remain devoted to his memory.

Richard never had us guessing as to where he personally stood politically. He never stopped condemning the real criminals in America, not ever. And he kept us entertained with his wit and intellect until his death – suicide, some call it, but he was barely alive and very tired and did not want to be kept around by means out of his control. Richard, who we loved, admired and who made it clear how much he loved us and, in particular, all disenfranchised, oppressed people.

We will continue to fight these atrocious lies, lies without evidence, lies designed to sell a book and to create disturbances, anxiety and suspicion amongst us all.

Because I am almost 75 years of age, I can say with the certainty of one who has seen many things: I know that Richard walked the walk, not just talked the talk, and he continued to fight for human rights until his death.

That’s Big Man on the right at a July 1968 demonstration in Oakland. – Photo: Pirkle Jones

So we will continue to fight these atrocious lies, lies without evidence, lies designed to sell a book and to create disturbances, anxiety and suspicion amongst us all. Richard no longer is here to fight these ridiculous allegations himself, so we must do so. After all, we owe him, big time.

Elbert “Big Man” Howard is one of the original six founding members of the Black Panther Party; he served as the first editor of the Black Panther newspaper and as party spokesperson. He is also, more recently, a founding member of the Police Accountability Clinic and Helpline (PACH). An activist, author and lecturer, he resides in Sonoma County and can be reached at bigman0138@aol.com.

I am the .000 25- the smallest number  u can think of in yer mind-

Didn’t even make it to the 99-

love to all of yer awakeninig consciousnessness –

but try to walk in mine… excerpt from I am 000.25 by tiny/Po Poets 2011

Occupy Was Never 4 Me

Occupy was never for me. I’m Pour’, I’m a mother, I’m disabled, I’m homeless, I’m indigenous, I am on welfare, I never graduated from a formal institution of learning, I have never had a house to be foreclosed on, I am a recycler, panhandler, I am broken, I am humble, I have been po’lice profiled and my mind is occupied with broken teeth, and a broken me. And I am a revolutionary who has fought everyday to decolonize this already occupied indigenous land of Turtle Island in Amerikkka.

I’m not hating. I am glad, like I said when it all first got started, that thousands more people got conscious. I am glad that folks woke up and began to get active. What I am not glad about is that in that waking up there was a weird tunnel vision by so many “occupiers” of the multiple struggles, revolutions, pain and deep struggle of so many who came before you, upon whose shoulders and already "occupied" native lands you are standing on.  This is what I have now come to realize is a strange form of political gentrification.

Like any form of gentrification there is a belief by the gentrifyers/colonizers, that their movement is different, new form, that it has little or no historical contextual connection to the ones before it. And that it owes little or nothing to the movements and/or communities already there, creating, struggling, barely making it.

And yes, race, class and educational access matter. I have heard from elders that a similar thing happened in the 60’s with the poor people of color movements raging on like Black panthers and Young Lords then suddenly the “anti-war movement” sprung up, driven by white middle-class college students and the political climate suddenly got large.

This ironic disconnect was never clearer than the way that houseless people, people with psychological disabilities existing outside, were treated, spoken about, problematized, and “dealt with” in the occupations across the United Snakkkes this last year

“We are very excited because the police agreed to come every night and patrol our “camp” because we have been having so many problems with the ‘homeless people’ coming into our camp”, said an occupier from Atlanta, Georgia.

 “It took us awhile to forge a relationship with the police, but now that we did we feel “safe” from all the homeless people who are a problem in our camp,” said an occupier in Oklahoma

“We have been able to do so much with occupy in this town, but we are having a real problem with “security”, its because of the large contingent of homeless people near our camp,” Occupier from Wisconsin.

City after city, occupation to occupation, in these so-called conscious and political spaces which were allegedly challenging the use of public space and land use and bank control over our resources and naming the struggle of the 99% versus the %1, were playing out  the same dynamics of the increasingly po’liced urban and suburban neighborhoods across the US.

The lie of “security” who it is for, the notion of “illegal” people and how some people are supposed to be here and some are not. Our reliance on police as the only way to ensure our community security and the overt and covert veneer of racism and classism alive and well in every part of this United Snakkkes reared its ugly head in all of these Occupations. In many cases the “occupiers” gentrified the outside locations of the houseless people in these cities. Taking away the “sort of” safe places where houseless people were dwelling outside. And yet no accountability to that was ever even considered by the “occupiers”

Perhaps its because the majority of the “occupiers” were from the police using neighborhoods, and/or currently or recently had those homes and student debt and credit and cars and mortgages and stocks and bonds and jobs. Perhaps its because Occupy was never for me or people like me.

In Oakland and San Francisco, the alleged “bastions” of consciousness there was a slightly different perspective. Many of the houseless people were in fact part of the organizing and then eventually, due to deep class and race differences, were intentionally left out or self-segregated themselves from the main “occupy” groups and began their own revolutions or groups or cliques, or just defeated huddles around the camp.

Several of the large and well-funded non-profit organizations in the Bay Area re-harnessed Occupy into their own agendas and helped to launch some of the huge general strikes and marches to support labor movements, migrant/immigrant struggles, prison abolitionist movements and economic justice.

In the case of the poor, indigenous, im/migrant and indigenous skolaz at POOR Magazine we felt we could perhaps insert some education, herstory and information  into this very homogenous, very white, and very ahistorical narrative and to the empirical notion of occupation itself, so we created the Decolonizers Guide to a Humble Revolution book and curriculum. With this book and study guide and our poverty scholarship and cultural art we supported other indigenous and conscious peoples of color in Oakland who began to frame this entire movement as Decolonize Oakland, challenging the political gentrifying aspects of Occupy itself.

POOR Magazine in an attempt to harness some of the energy and minds of this time towards the very real issues of poverty and criminalization and racism in the US, created The Poor Peoples Decolonization (Occupation) traveling from both sides of the Bay (Oakland to SF) to the welfare offices where so many of us po’ folks get criminalized for the meager crums we sometimes get, public housing where we are on 8-9 year long wait-lists for so-called affordable housing, the po’lice dept where all of us black, brown and po folks get incarcerated, profled and harassed every day not just when we “occupy” and Immigration, Customs Enforcement where any of us who had to cross these false borders, get increasingly criminalized, hated and incarercated for just trying to work and support our families.

But in the end a small turn-out showed up for our march, I guess our poor people-led occupations weren’t as “sexy” as other 99% issues.

Finally, in Oakland there was a powerful push to re-think the arrogant notion of Occupy” itself on already stolen and occupied native lands and became one of the clearest examples of the hypocritical irony of occupy.

After at least a five hour testimony from indigenous leaders and people of color supporters at a herstoric Oakland General Assembly, to officially change the name of Occupy Oakland to Decolonize Oakland, with first nations warriors like Corrina Gould and Morning Star, Krea Gomez, artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantez and so many more powerful peoples of color supporters presenting testifying and reading a beautiful statement on decolonization and occupation, it was still voted on that Oakland, the stolen and occupied territory of Ohlone peoples would remain Occupy Oakland.

So as the “Occupy” people celebrate 1 year of existence, I feel nothing. I am glad that elders are being helped to not lose their homes through foreclosure, but truthfully, that work was already being done by so many of us already on the front line of eviction, tenants rights, and elders advocacy.

So one year after Occupy was launched, while lots of exciting media was generated, massive resources were spent, a great number of people were supposedly politicized and the world started to listen to the concept of the %99, the same number of black, brown, poor, disabled and migrant folks are being incarcerated, policed, and deported in the US. The racist and classist Sit-lie laws, gang injunctions and Stop and Frisk ordinances still rage on and we are still being pushed out of our communities of color by the forces of gentriFUKation and poverty. So, I wonder, how have these political gentrifyers changed things for black and brown and poor people? Not at all, actually, but then again, Occupy was never really for us.

(To read the whole poem I am the 000.25 click here )

I have been in tha "Moe" since 1974, and with the exceptions of being displaced a couple of times, Tha "Moe" has always been home to me.

Back in the days, the sight of the 12 story concrete jungle may have been an eyesore to some, but when it came down to community, it was one of the best ones we ever had. It was the time of Matriarchs like CarolX, Ms. Brown, Clo b., Deborah Jean, Ms. Lee, Granny flannigan and Babs Dow. These Mamas played important roles in the hood- like community presidents, vice presidents, child care directors, housing assistants, regulators and in some cases, troublemakers. They held it down and made sure we stuck together no matter what the shortcomings may have been. But when the near-earthquake proof towers fell, little did we know that the history and traditions of "community" would crumble and fall along wit the stones.

Now, in the 2000's, the memories of the old days are long gone and replaced with nice looking townhomes, flats and private investors (McCormack, Barron, Reagan). SFHA gave "OC" a makeover (Hope iv). Although it wasn't exactly as the original tenants had mapped out, nonetheless most folks were ok with the overall outcome.

I moved back to "OC" after a temporary displacement in 2001. I was unemployed, single mama, and raising a family. Times were tough and a few other families along with mine would often band together, to scrape up "two's and fews" to make sure we made it from month to month. Early on we began to encounter these problems that were suspect when a few other families and I began to see bills for unpaid rent for months that were certainly paid. Granted, there were times when families fell back on bills due to loss of income, battling personal demons, or the slow process of the system, but every time one bill (who is bill?) was taken care of, here comes another mysterious "YOU OWE" bill pertaining to rent, a late fee or for minor house repairs that was done six months prior. As soon as the tenants brought this issue up to "ATTENTION" level, the employees at the property office had either moved or got transferred to a different plantation where the drama continued, and without retribution. Once again, myself and other tenants here are catching hell from those who run the property office.

From December 2010 I had struggled with my employment of 7 and a half years due to painful injuries and depression. In the year of 2011, I didn't work a total of 4 months. Per protocol, I communicated with the office, letting them know my situation and submitting documentation. The nice woman whom I first kept a strong line of communication with suddenly disappeared (word from other tenants is that she was fired under strange circumstances), and all my submitted paperwork was gone, except for the form my former employer faxed to them verifying I was terminated while out on disability leave. But let the manager tell it, I didn't go through these troubled times, I've been working and just stopped paying rent. That is not the case with me I am catching this hell because not only was my file mismanaged, but important documents vanished.

On several occasions I attempted to communicate with these folks at the office with some difficulty. To ask a single question required a appointment, and when I was successful in reaching staff, the only response I received was a notice to vacate, which was taped on my door by a strange lady who sped away on her bike before I could even open the door. After the bike lady's visit the folks at the property office refused to speak with me at all, other than advising me to speak with an attorney. Now I am dealing with the constant battle of rude, cocky lawyers who get away with not presenting proper paperwork, stalling the case for god knows what and perjury. This whole experience feels like an upgraded version of "Good Times" as they insult me with their smirks. I ponder on how messed up the world is that people like this who rule over our jobs and housing are able to treat peoples' lives with such contempt and with impunity. Now there is a wave of tension, anger, stress and mistrust when it comes to dealing with the "office". Tenants slowly ban together, unsure of who's who because there are eyes and ears living among us that are not on our side. The tenant meetings are small and the community spirit is damped, with the exception of the few that have faith in our struggle....

To be continued
 

In this

Day 2 of Healing the Hoods Weekend @ Homefulness opening ceremony included from above image Yoruba Chief Luisah Teish and in below image from left: Luta Candelaria, Corrina Gould, Luis J. Rodriguez, Tiny, aka Lisa Gray-Garcia, Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu, Mari Villaluna and Jose Cuellar. Photo Credit: Carina Lomeli/PNN

I am unable to find enough praise words that come from the deepest parts of my heart and soul in the one colonizer language i have been taught to express the gratitude i feel for the 2 day, cross-bay Healing the Hood weekend that happened this weekend, July 7th and 8th.So i will try to show u pieces of it.

"Our medicine is in us, it is with us in our minds and souls and barrios," said author and community healer Luis J, Rodriguez, to a crowd of at least 45 people who attended his morning healing circle on Day 1 in San Francisco. He told the group about his own experiences as a son, a father and a man of color, an indigenous man who is son of another indigenous man who seemed, as he put it, "to never show any emotion because it was so buried under so many layers of loss and struggle and codes of what men are supposed to be like". Luis sat with us, healed with us and spoke to us on both sides of the bay about his experience not only healing himself, but helping to bring the medicine of healing to other youth, adults and elders in struggle, in prisons, community centers, skools and organizations like POOR Magazine. He shared poetry, his writing and his soul with so many of us still living in plantation housing known as Single Room Occupancy Hotels (SRO's) projects and the cardboard motels, and then on Day 2 after a beautiful healing in our 2nd half of the day - he even showed us his belly, "I have several tattoes, he said, this is just one of the most important ones." After telling us that he rarely if ever has done this, he explained that this was an image of Coatlicue an indigenous image of great mother, Pachamama, called many different names in many different indigenous communties but that it always means our mother earth.

In addition to Luis there were cooking demonstrations by indigenous warrior wombyn, Ingrid DeLeon, Needa Bee, Luz Calvo,  Catriona Esquibel, and myself. On both sides of the bay trying to show indigenous peoples in diaspora across these false borders, and lands and struggle how to go back to our own knowledge, our own foods, our own mothers, off of Monsanto colonization of our food and as Luz and Catrona teaches on - how to decolonize our diets.

We went from food to a new teaching we are developing at PeopleSkool/Escuela de la gente @ POOR Magazine called Medicine from Our Mama- This weekend brought with love and scholarship and prayer and intention by Estrella Divina and Tanya Henderson and Earth Mother Iyalode  who skooled us on so many ways to heal ourselves that cannot be bought at Walgreens- but can be found in our environments, in our hoods and growable in our communities

We were blessed with the power, stories and work of youth warriors 67 Suenos who fight these false borders on Pachamama and brought their stories and helped bring so many others  Qi Qong and meditation by one of POOR Magazine's brothers - Aldo Della Maggiorra, a healer and poverty skolar, poet and drummer

Our opening prayer ceremony on Day 2 was a moment in herstory with dreams and songs and spirit brought by so many cultures, traditions and cultures, holding and embracing them all to honor where all peoples walk from and to, beginning with medicine from Ohlone warriors Corrina Gould and Luta Candelaria, followed by Pacific Island scholar, Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu, to power and words of  Yoruba Chief Luisah Teish, with words and spirit for all African peoples in diaspora and all peoples, to the beautiful flute of Jose Cuellar and then more medicine from our brother Luis J Rodriguez culminating in the beautiful danzantes;Kalpulli Coatlicue

All of this magic, this spirit, this love and this medicine was shared with poverty skolaz, youth, elder and indigenous skolaz from both sides of the bay and before each day was finished we closed with the first video shoot of Gheto Rider, a community ryme i started to help us heal our physical bodies from the many serious illnesses that are caused by our lives of not enough movement, too much stress, poverty, racism, violence and colonization. Poor bodies of color like my mama dee who never really moved her body because as  a poor wombyn of color who was never properly loved and always racialized and oppressed and only had access to cheap and colonized food and more stress and depression that any one body could handle.

There was also poetry and art and beats shared by Dregs1, Tony Robles, welfareQUEEN's, Po' Poets, Pamela Arrieola, Muteadoo Silencio, Mari Reprado, and so many more..
 
This weekend was for everyone, and this weekend was for my Mama Dee, my strong Black indian mama - for without whom there would be no me- who transitioned wayyy too young because in her very hard lyfe she was never healed.  this weekend was for her and all us poor peoples, indigenous and poor peoples of color who are struggling to stay alive-in this capitalist system controlled by corporations, perpetrators and plantations.

This Healing the Hood Weekend was brought to you by your poverty skolaz in residence at POOR Magazine, and co-sponsored by 67 Suenos, because we have been trying to heal our poor bodies of color in struggle for awhile and we knew it was essential to manifest our visions of a poor peoples-led,indigenous peoples led revolution. This is not the first and wont' be the last and we don't own healing just like we dont own land or dreams or voices or spirits or plants or medicine or love.. Healing happens everyday, just like pain and struggle and positivity and possibilities. But we launched this weekend  mostly to bring the beginning of spirit and medicine to the Pachamama community garden at  Homefulness.

 Please join us East Oakland neighbors, community and allies, Sunday, August 5th @ 12:30 for lunch and a community talk-story about what this we all want to eat and what we want to grow. Be this change, walk this with us, because without all you there would be no us.

The Amazing Medicine Poet, Healer, Father and Loco Hermano de Prensa POBRE!!!! showing his Tattoo of Aztec/Mexica goddess Coatlicue- @ Day 2 of Healing the Hood weekend @ Homefulness in East Oakland- photo courtesy of Rebecca Ruiz - compa de Prensa POBRE (To see Luis at the book signing and film screening events this week in the Bay Area- check the schedule out here)

My heart and eyes watched young Olympian Gabby Douglas with desperation. A  painful craving that reached deep into my overwhelmed, poverty-stricken and sorrow-filled soul.

From the first minute young, strong, beautiful and black Gabby appeared on the Disney production, known as the 2012 Olympics which I have affectionately re-named the PimpLympics, my eight year old son and I have been glued to the screen, coughing, hacking and guffawing through an onslaught of kkkorporate public relations lies from BP oil ( who destroyed the water of the entire Gulf Coast where so many young people of color live, fish and try to swim, McDonalds ( who makes so many of our poor young people of color at –risk of diabetes and heart disease with their fat-filled, GMO created food),  DeVry University (with its overwhelming quickly mounting tuition debt and seemingly easy access for so many young folks of color) and thousands of other corporations too many to mention, so we could  cry, scream, dream and root for Gabhy.

And then when Gabby won the first all around gold medal last night, I cried, deep, sorrow-filled and yet elated tears. I cried first for her mama, who raised such a strong, powerful young wombyn and was so proud right now,, then I cried for my mama, a young mixed race (African-Taino-Roma) girl who always wanted to be a singer, a gymnast, a long distance runner, but who never was cared for, or watched or even loved enough by anyone in the orphanage she was raised in to get that chance and instead was experimented on, hated, racialized and left. Then I cried for all the other young people of color and specifically young Black people (cause Race does matter), who I work along side, teach and learn from who don’t even think they can move their poor bodies of color enough to become the next Gabby Douglass. Who might, because of Gabby, dream that dream, if even for a day, and reach up beyond the intentionally limited choices ever offered to them.

So then, with a momentary, silly smile and a tear-soaked face, I went to bed. And then I woke up. And I realized, that they got me. Disney, Devry, Dow, BP and MickeyD’s hooked me in. It was Obama all over again. For a minute of critical thinking-less reality, I believed it. The Princess and the frog had been re-cast, this time using live characters. And I believed. I believed we could flyyyyyyy.  All of us , out of racism, poverty, the insane and disgusting prison industrial complex, racist occupying armies known as the po’lice and the plantation of Amerikkka. Meanwhile, the revolution of John Carlos and Tommy Smith, who I had posted about in the beginning of the pimplympics, floated down my face-crak timeline with the simple corporate ease of Zuckerburg getting another billion dollars for some nothing thing he just did.

Gabby is a beautiful young, dark-skinned woman, her mama is a powerful and strong single mama, who did an amazing and beautiful job. Everything that I know about their process to get this medal is based in determination and focus which all young people need and should gain strength from  Additionally, race and racism in Amerikkka is real, the lack of young peoples of color images that are positive is serious and the ways that poor children of color and adults are fetishized and portrayed as gangsters, thugs or just not seen at all is equally serious. My mama knew this when she sent my witegurl looking self out to rent apartments at 12 with a lie about how I was 25 and making $60,000 a year, because she, as a low income mama of color would be automatically seen as suspect and a “bad” tenant and not rented to when we were living in our car houseless in AMerikkka But the frightening thing is the narrative of the young Gabby Douglass was the narrative necessary to move the kkkorporate lies along. And in the US- her story was perfect in terms of bootstraps, Horatio Alger based capitalism perfection.

Poor people of color like me and my mama and all of the folks at POOR Magazine are told everyday that all we need to do is work hard, stop being lazy and we will get ahead. And yet so many of us, work so hard, are extremely focused and we still oddly never “get out” much less get ahead, whatever that even means anyway. This obsession with “productivity” hard work as defined by corporations and US capitalist values, has nothing to do with loving or caring for our ancestors, our elders, our mothers, our brothers and sisters incarcerated and in struggle and ultimately with our Mother Earth.

“Gold metals, you can’t eat those, the children in my Harlem neighborhood can’t eat those, said by John Carlos in 1968 when he and Tommy Smith, took off their shoes and showed their black socks and put their black gloved hands in the air for Black power, liberation, poverty and black peoples, poor peoples self-determined futures .

So then I go back, and think about the millions of dollars stolen by the London mayor and pimplympics committee from crucial government services like the funding of disabled people services pointed out to me by my brother in struggle Leroy Moore of Krip Hop, the ways in which EVERY single city who brings these large corporate sport events to their towns like the Olympics, the Superbowl and the World Cup immediately begins displacing, evicting and sometimes even killing their poor residents in the case of the ShackDwellers Union in South Africa facing rubber bullets when they refused to leave their shanty towns or the 400 poor people tenants, mostly of African and South Asian descent of East London evicted to make room for a 2012 Olympic stadium so vollyball could commence in shiny new corporate splendor.

Or the not –kkkoporate digestible Damien Hooper, aboriginal boxer who was stripped of his ability to compete because he made the brutal “mistake” of wearning a t-shirt of the aboriginal flag of this peoples.

So then I go back again to the beautiful and proud face of Gabby and Cullen Jones – one of the first African –Americans that I have seen in the Olympic pool- at least in my Olympic herstory. Go Wid yer baaad selves and even if you don’t get up at the end on your collective podiums and raise the black power fist or rock the African Peoples Unity flag on your t-shirts. I’m going to claim your wins back for the people. Your glory wasn't won for Dow chemical, your wins didn’t get me or Tiburcio or Tony to go to DeVry or think differently about the violence and murder of BP oil, or the sick food of McDonalds, rather you brought the spirit of hundreds of years of African peoples liberation into the eyes of the world for just one night and the Orishas heard you and the ancestors upon whose shoulders you were standing on heard you. And the thousands of poor young children of color saw you and felt you and for that one minute 45 seconds, became you. Ase’ Damien and Cullen and Gabby Douglas,- this mama is so proud of all of you.

Krip-Hop Nation (KHN) We have been friends for a long time but I’m not a father tell me as a Black disabled father what do you face in public.

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  Normally people would stop and stare when I would take my children out to the playground and play ball with them. I felt more concerned about my children’s feelings,being that I would be the only disabled father in the park and sometimes my children would be ridiculed, however my children dealt with it.  My mother was my mentor she taught me at an early age how to do most things with one            hand, cooking household cleaning and taking care of my younger  brother, so my children lived a pretty normal life.

Lee Williams: Surprisingly, I generally get favorable response, you know how I am…..I SMILE AND SPEAK TO JUST ABOUT EVERYONE I ENCOUNTER.  I think that after all of the years, since 1980, I found that it puts them at ease, because they have no idea as to how we, as a person with a disability is going to    respond…..Some of us are uptight, and might respond in negative fashion….not nessisarily because they are disabled…..maybe they just got a parking ticket……a smile and a warm ‘hello’ puts a different spin on meeting the general public.  My children, Grand, Greatgrand, and Great Greatgranies, keep a smile on my face all of the time…..The public generally admires that.

King Kaution: As a black farther being disabled in public I’m always faced with alot of answering questions from kids when they see me with my boys. Alot of men woulda gave up and leave it up to the mothers.. I get congratulated from the public cause they see I’m not letting my situation stop me from being involved in my kids lives .

2) KHN: color:black">Hey CoolV you are different from Keith Jones, Rob ‘Da Noize Temple and Lee Williams because you told me that you are looking after your   sister’s children and one have autism.  Tell us how did that change your life being a caretaker or a father like figure and has that played into your work in the entertainment field?

CoolV: Well 1st it demands more time because he requires a lil bit more attention because he has special needs but although they tag him as disabled he can do just about anything anyone else can just needs a love and encouragement. If you don’t believe me see the story called “My Name Is Khan” an autistic man who was so special he received an award from the president for all the amazing things he did. He has taught me the value of hard work because he tries extra hard also the how to forgive others. He is so caring and selfless in love he tries to help almost everyone. I got him when my sister found out she had cancer and neither her nor her husband was not able to take care of him and his other brothers. My mom & me raise these boys. The rest of the family chips in my older sister had them 1st and as they got older I felt they need to step in.  So in short they helped me go harder to set the example and also taught me how to forgive people. As for my life in the entertainment field I can’t just pick up and go when I want to and I have to be supportive to his needs.

3)   KHN:  Tell us about your kids and what do you want for them?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple: I have 5 children 3 girls and 2 boys, 11grand-children and 1 great grand-child, my oldest son Anthony, passed away in 2010 from complications due to sickle cell anemia.  My oldest daughter Yvonne was my right hand she took on that role herself, and would assist me with the things I might have trouble with, like cooking, household chores, braiding her sister’s hair and watching her when I would have to go out and gig.  I only wanted the best for my children.  This music was for my children to provide them a legacy to be proud of.  I never knew that I would be blacklisted my entire career, I chased this music dream and sometimes I missed those precious moments I could have shared with my children.  It was hard enough to try and make it with one-hand in the music business, but to be shut-down, silenced, a career totally eclipsed truly affected my children and how I had to raise them. Fortunately I worked in corporate America as well.  I was the first black disabled corporate accounting manager at Time Inc. I had to single handily, no pun intended, juggle corporate life and the music business along with family.

Lee Williams: Well, like most proud fathers, I pray that they will have the very

best of all good things.  We have a few phd’s in the crew and others  striving.  Wonderful people, my kids.

King Kaution: My kids are my motivation to live life to the fullest..i want them to be the best at whatever they wanna be. My oldest love video games and i taught him how to use the computer at age 3....same as my youngest who is 5 now and love basketball..my oldest wanna design games in the future ...they both like hearing themselves on the Mic...my big helpers like helping me get dressed to helping me record by clicking the buttons and putting my headphones on.... I want my kids to know that no matter your situation life still goes on

4) KHN:  As an artist/activist has your children been interested in your work and have they got used to other friends, musicians and activists with disabilities

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  Yes my children follow everything I am into.  They see the challenges that I had to overcome and they are proud of where w were able to make it in life despite the setbacks.  My disability has never been an issue with my children, I am sure they had those moments when they might have gotten teased at school about their father’s arm.  However they now look at my disability as a badge of honor, simply my uniqueness in this universe.  They are very excited about my involvement with the Krip Hop Nation.

Lee Willams: OF COURSE !!  I USED TO TAKE MY KIDS TO MY SHOWS, AND THEY PROBABLY KNOW MORE PEOPLE IN THE ARTS THAN I      DO NOW.  MOST OF THEM SING, ALL OF THEM DANCE. YEAH, THEY ARE MY BIGEST FANS.

King Kaution: i don't know too many disabled artist in mainstream...when

people see me with my kids they congratulate me for not giving up...

5) KHN:  Give us your outlook on mainstream view around Black masculinity and disability plus does that thinking totally change when people see you with your kids?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  I don’t think that there will be a fair outlook when it comes to the view that mainstream has towards the disabled.  The two issues disability and masculinity have to be addressed individually.  There was never an  issue of my masculinity, I found that I encountered discrimination based on the unknown, I don’t fit in, or that I want something from them or I deserve some sympathy because of my disability I just wanted my piece of the rock.  I only encountered issues of masculinity when dealing with the “ism’ and secret cliques in the music business where your sexuality and preference are more important than your talent.  That has truly affected my career and my ability to take care of my family.

color:black">  CoolV: I think it’s kind of sad how a lot of our young black men are raised by single parent household without a male figure yet go do the same thing to their kids that their father did to them as a child. I see it like this you have either two options...  You either hate it so much that it changes you and you try to be the best man and best father figure you can be or use that as an excuse and continue that vicious cycle and do exactly or worse to your child and plant that seed of hate for your offspring.  I think the perception of what most people think of black    men and kids these days are low so their expectations are low I hear it all the time of how most of our black men don’t take care of their kids and yada yada yada although some of it is true you can NOT make a general statement on our men because now-a-days I’m finding out its a lot of us.  The sad thing is their is a lot of people who just don’t understand kids with disabilities and are ignorant to just how amazing and special they are because they are to busy judging a book by its cover.  I usually get the wow factor and when they find out they are my sisters kids some are like wow others are looking like yeah I bet them are his kids which I laugh and think man we either got some strong genes or my sister must of been mad at me because truth be told we do look-a-like.  But I think our society have the wrong depiction of what a real man is anyway the heroes are the fathers and those community leaders who are fighting for better schools, education and to feed the homeless and who have opened programs to help our young men.

Lee Williams: Well, we, as a people, have always had that rep for our masculinity, and athletic ability.  Most people with disabilities do what I do….my children and I are generally  so involved with what we are doing that we hardly  notice….but you know that I dance, and I am an athlete  as well.  Generally,  people are surprised to know that I ski and race as well as several other events.

6)  KHN:  Rob, Keith and Lee you did a song with or bout your son.  Tell us about                             those songs?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  That song “Antonio’s Song” was written for my oldest son Anthony “Antonio P. St@ckz Temple, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 23.  I am still in a state of shock, we were really just starting to grow closer and gaining an understanding of each other. I got to record his first album on my record label, but he is not here to share it.  So there is some bitterness I feel that had I “made it” in this industry he would still be here, but no one gave me a chance, they just turned their back.  As I said previously, this music was for my children, to provide them a better life to help heal the world through song.  I know I could have been a better father, but I tried, I never gave up, I always believed in God and the gifts He gave me.  That song wrote itself through the tears, the heartache, the feeling of loss, my son whispered the words and the music to me

CoolV:  I thought about doing a song about my nephews but it doesn’t matter to me honestly its knowing I played a great role in their lives is all that counts.

 Lee Williams:  Lee jr.  wrote the song, and he wrote it about me.  That is what I told him, years ago.  No matter what, I would be there for him…..Rain or   Shine…..it took us a few years before we could do it without crying like crazy.  I love the song…I love him.

King Kaution: I’m waiting on the right beat to make a song.

7)    KHN:  What are some of the projects you are working on.

 Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  I am still on tour as keyboardist and DJ with the group Rapper’s Delight aka The Sugarhill Gang, the group is also in the studio working on a new album and the soundtrack for their new documentary “I Want MY Name Back”.  I am also working on the musical score for a new Black Broadway play entitled A Season For Love, I am working on music for a cookbook, The new Temple Dynasty CD, arranging and producing music for the legendary music producer George Kerr and of course the new Krip Hop/MWD CD to be released on my label this summe.

CoolV: Wow man you know how I am Leroy too many to name here Let’s just say I’m the founder of the Rated Next Brand #TRN which umbrellas a lot of companies in short I’m a small business and entertainment marketing consultant, promoter, public speaker, humanist, producer, event coordinator, promoter etc.  I wear many hats but my most proud is uncle/dad and Operation We Care and now the “M.A.D” movement which stands for “Make A Difference” program in short I feel instead of complaining what are you doing to make a difference? Ask yourself that question and if the answer is nothing then I impose another question what are you willing to do? We can all make a difference it doesn’t matter how big or small the contribution you make it all helps and it doesn’t always have to be monetary it can be time it all helps and counts in the end! Team Rated Next new website coming soon, a workshop tour with my boy Money Mike (Mike Minter) my partner from Money & Music Inc. where he handles the financial tips (He is amazing and one of the top financial advisors in the country ) also CEO of Minco Financial and I give the marketing tips. As for my track records let’s just say I work hard and have been in the industry for a minute and was just featured in Arizona Weekly.  Nominated and came in 4th place for the Shorty Awards this year for the best in marketing and have a couple of interviews with major publications my most proud one is Soul Train (I’m Honored) because I was a big fan but honestly I am honored with all my features or stories no matter how big or small the media outlet.  When a person thinks that much of you you got to be honored and humbled.  I am looking forward to the cover of special edition Wave magazine, my candid interview with Divas On Deck ‘s own ms B so GOD is good and there is a lot on deck just follow me on Facebook (official whistle or twitter @coolvsratednext to see what’s NEXT!) You heard the whistle!!!

Lee Williams:  Well, you know that I have an art gallery now, and my daughter Tique runs the spot.  I have done a few voice overs and of course, I do the art.  The rest of the time I am staying low.  You know that I just got out of hospital.

King Kaution:  b.a.r.z beats and rhymes original mixtape. King of the jungle mixtape ft comedian Dave Jones. Best kept secret mixtape...king and queen of Gunrule mixtapes... My documentary about music and my accident

 8)  KHN:  It is very hard to find Black disabled male role models in today                        society.  Do you think that there is room for Black disabled fathers                         to make it through all the isms in both communities, the hyper                        masculinity and bling bling on a bigger stage at father’s day and all                         year around for young Black disabled boys growing up now?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  I think the whole definition of role model has to be redefined.  For me The Most High God is the only role model.  What defines a father is shaped by their upbringing, how they view love, how they view women, how they view family.  Growing up in a single family home, my mother had to take on the role of both parents. My uncles, cousins and the male adults around me served as role models, I would try to emulate at least the better qualities.  I am just a father who just happens to be disabled that’s how I would prefer to be viewed, no GQ magazine look, no bulging muscles, no bling bling, those are but momentary things.  Running up and down the court or catching the ball or scoring the run for the team doesn’t make you a role model.  Will you be there, will you sacrifice, and will you be selfless will you really be willing to learn what it takes to keep your family together.  When the underground street movement Brooklyn House began, I was accepted as just a “real” dude an ‘OG”, I never tried to be a role model, if they saw something in me that was good, then let it serve as an inspiration.  I get that kind of respect from the streets today, just by being real, “real recognized real”.  If I had to point to one disabled person who influenced me it would be Stevie Wonder, he is an artists, musician, activists and father.

CoolV:  There is NOT enough support for men that are doing what they are supposed to do sometimes. It is hard raising my boys but what’s crazy is the school systems and communities do not have enough support for those that do I think that if we acknowledged the ones that did instead of so much drama there would not be as many dead beat dads.  It is hard for a black man to raise a kid disabled or not.  It’s tough but its extra tough because society doesn’t care and they have to work that much harder to provide that much more.  As for the black role models we have to 1st stop being so judgmental of each other and a lil more supportive and also give men more support when they are doing the right thing and we have to stop feeding into what the media tells us who and what we should be!

King Kaution:  If we had the support and men to step up we can inspire the

youth...i like to look nice and just cause we in a chair don't mean we

gotta dress like patients lol

9)  KHN:  You have sons and daughters are there any difference how they relate

                  to you etc?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  Well each of my children deals with me on a different level.  My daughters were first and when I separated from their mother they came and lived with me in New Jersey for 12 years and then returned to New York in 1986.  We have a great relationship because we did everything together. They had to sacrifice much from mom to mom, home to home as I tackled this music game, my daughters are my rock, I just discovered another daughter that was mine after 23 years, that’s a whole new chapter.  My youngest son is a         music producer and he is in the music business as well he is more like    my partner I began teaching him music when he was a baby, he will carry on the legacy.

Lee Williams: I know that the girls take great care of me.  They know how much I love and care for them.  They respect  me and no sweeter kids  will you ever find.

King Kaution:  I have two sons.  My oldest wanna see me get up...he helps A lot My youngest is catching on but does some things the way i do like using the mouse with my pinky lol

10) KHN:  If you feel comfortable tell how your dad dealt with your disability?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  My dad and my mom separated when I was child, although I saw my dad growing up, he died when I was a teenager, I grew up in a single parent home. My mother, who was also an entertainer, assumed the roll of dad.  My mother taught me how to cook, sew, clean house, karate, iron clothes, do the laundry and wash dishes.  She wanted me to be independent to do for self.  She knew there would be little compassion for my situation, so she prepared me to face the challenges of life.  My mother never wanted me to feel sorry for myself, or expect sympathy from anyone.  She built me to be self-contained and she wrapped her teaching in love.

CoolV:  Its no problem the truth is my father was a dead beat and although I love him and wish him well we don’t communicate because of his pride.  I never wanted to NOT have a relationship but some men will never own up to what they done or how they failed as a parent. We have been passed that for years but he has a different outlook on life then I and God gave him another chance with my brother which he did a better job.  Just wish I could speak to him man to man and he be honest instead of living ne denial which a lot of men do these days they don’t want to take ownership when they mess up and this have hurt our families, spouses, friends and even the way we perform our jobs.

Lee Williams:  Gee…I was quite up in years when we got together.  But he wanted to pick me up and carry me, and sometimes he did.  I am the eldest of all of his kids, but he wanted to baby me.  He loved my children to the max

King Kaution: Never seen my dad & I’ll cry till the day my heart stopped...he

stayed in the hospital everyday till i started moving ...he brought his friend pastor mcfall and Marvin sapp in to pray for my healing ....its working but my mom quit her job to take care of me

11)  KHN: Your family is so talented musicians and singers, as disable musicians what are you passing down about the music industry to your children?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  Family is everything, my family gave me love,    and those musicians I’ve played with all surrounded me with a wall of sound to enhance my playing.  My years in the music business are bittersweet.  By my own existence I state never give up, believe in yourself, believe in God most of all.  My children has seen the treatment and disrespect I have been dealt in this industry, and I try to caution my youngest son, who is walking in my footsteps, on the pitfalls to be aware of.  My children continue to be my motivation, the reason I keep on pushing on.

12)  KHN: On Father’s day what do you say to fathers?

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  Don’t be afraid to fail, for in your failure there is victory.  Love that woman, love that child, and don’t be afraid to cry.  Go that extra mile, I wish I had the wisdom then so that I would have really known how to bring my children closer and not lose them chasing my dream.  Cherish each moment with your children; never  take for granted that they will always be there.

CoolV: I say to all those fathers biological or not “Happy Fathers Day!” also to those that are NOT it’s never to late to make a difference and even if your son is grown if they got kids be a grand parent and turn your failure into a success story by helping the young men in the community because honestly the world need more dads!

Lee Williams:  Happy Father’s Day & Thanks again.

King Kaution: kids need us..interact with your kids..talk to them share how y'all feel tell them how much u care and show them...educate them outside of school.no matter what stay in their lives .

13)  KHN: Any last words:

Rob Da’ Noize Temple:  HAPPY FATHERS DAY…..

           
Lee Williams: Yea, thank you so much for the interview, and Leroy, go have a few kids.

King Kaution:  shouts to leroy Moore for the opportunity to share a part of my life. Cool v for sharing his story and giving me inspiration to never give up...pray for me

14)  KHN: How can people contact you?

 Rob Da’ Noize Temple  www.facebook.com/robdanoizetemple

www.myspace.com/robdanoizetemple

www.myspace.com/solidnoize

www.facebook.com/templedynasty

www.myspace.com/templedynasty

www.myspace.com/kriphop

CoolV: Google Me haha just kidding (I always wanted to say that in an interview) it’s like I said earlier add me on Facebook or twitter @coolvsratednext or just email me coolvbiz@gmail.com Leroy thank you from the bottom of my heart not just for giving me a platform to speak but for being an amazing brother, better friend and someone who always fights for others and show love I am humbled, honored and forever thankful and to all those that took the time to read about little old me I thank you and hope I wasn’t too wordy or boring you just heard the whistle ….....................Its Official!!

            Mr. Official Whistle “Cool V”

Lee Williams: CONTACT ME AT (925) 5656743.  THANKS AGAIN MY BROTHER.  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU DO FOR THE DISABLED COMMUNITY, AND THE COUNTRY IN GENERAL.  GOD BLESS YOU.

King Kaution:  follow me @IAMKINGKAUTION
Kingkaution@r2lrecords.com
r2records.com coming soon
kingkaution@gmail.com
Facebook King Kaution

Opt Ed – August 1, 2012

Safety for people with developmental disabilities is a critical concern. The most recent legislation, S-618 requiring school bus safety precautions for adult students with developmental disabilities is a small part of the safety conversation.

The continued lack of support for safe community long term systems has created a crisis for poor urban families with developmental disabilities who live in neighborhoods frequented with gun violence.

Brenda Gillison of Paterson explains although she can teach her younger children to lie on the floor when they hear the sound of gunfire, she cannot teach her 21 year old daughter with developmental delays to do the same. She also talks about how over the years her neighborhood has changed to violence. After a particularly dangerous night she said “because of my daughter’s limitations, me and my kids are going to die in this apartment.”

A large part of the problem in developing policy for poor, urban families with developmental disabilities is the long standing attitude that disability is worthy of safety nets, while safety nets for poverty is met with opposition. It would follow that poor families are being looked at only from poverty perspectives therefore the intersections of disability needs are not being met.

David Wittenburg of the Urban Institute in Washington, DC states “I have generally found, in news outlets and at research conferences, other programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and food stamps tend to get far more publicity in serving low-income adult populations than disability programs. As an economist, this is a very interesting phenomenon given the amount of money we spend on the two major Social Security disability programs, which include Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Disability Insurance (DI) —the expenditures on those programs are more than double the amount spent on TANF and food stamps combined. Yet when it comes to disability programs, we often think of them as separate, and a key question is why are we thinking of these programs as a separate component of the safety net? And I think part of the issue is, at least when these programs were set up, policymakers considered the population of people with disabilities somehow different and separate and deserving of cash support from other low-income populations.”

A recommendation for safe housing for families with developmental disabilities would be multiple housing agency partnerships with the Division of Developmental Disabilities. The partnerships would assist at risk families, who struggle with poverty and disability, for safe housing.

Families can no longer wait because they are in additional danger when they cannot teach their child with a disability to lie on the floor when they hear gunfire. Families can no longer wait because they need to be safe. Families can no longer wait because not to assist with both disability and poverty is unacceptable.

Jerome Harris of NJ is the Chair of the National Black Disability Coalition. He can be reached at www.jharris@blackdisability.org

I don't know if there's an easy way to say this .... It's not you, it's me.  We have had some wonderful times together.  We'll always have '08.

As I watch the campaign unfold I can't help but wonder how we found ourselves in this spot .... Again.  The spot where it seems, progressives are portrayed as "big government, wealth redistributing, morally flawed, everybody deserves a medal, anti-capitalism, tree-hugging punks.  Again. As we try to rail against the depiction I find myself disappointed and at times a bit dispirited at the seemingly repetitive nature of our futility.

 How is it possible? Is the populous that tuned out? Are we that tuned out?

Every Sunday morning I sit and click.  "This Week", "Meet the Press" and such with the same focus on absolutely the wrong things.  Watching questions being posed like they're in a game of T-ball.  And, if not for the devastation that would be the result of failed vigilance, it would be comical.  Comical I tell you.  With each stated claim of this nation's greatness, I marvel at the boldness of it.  However, strangely enough I sort of admire the dogged dedication and steadfastness of it all.

Think about it, what is there not to admire?  How else do you explain some of the fundamental stances? 

"Economic growth Is only stimulated through less regulations, less taxes and with these things in place capitalism and the private sector will be unleashed.  Thus, releasing a tidal wave of prosperity for everyone."   And people believe it!  Ha! I mean seriously, but hey maybe it's me.... That's why this is so hard for me to say to you ....

I fear we've grown apart ... You've changed so much that at times I wonder, "are you in there?".  I mean what happened?  We always had each others back when came to stuff like, the ability to eat, pay bills, get a good education and earn a decent pay.  We fought for that.  YOU fought for that and didn't flinch.  Amazing.  Now, it seems even you are starting to believe what they're saying about us.  Compromise is a nobel word capitulation is not. 

How did we let the education of our children, the safety of communities, the very people who are us become vilified and with little resistance?  How?  Why do we not seem to have that same doggedness and steadfastness that for all intensive purposes seeks to reinstate the gilded age of the robber baron.  Except, this time it's being done with compliance ... And I don't know anymore if you're with me in this fight.  Are you?  I hope you are .... I really hope you are.

The voter suppression, the union busting, the homophobia, the racism, the sexism, the ableism and, the unveiled attempt to paint America as "theirs".  You heard it, "Let's take 'our' country back."   So, when they sing, "Our country tis of thee...." who exactly is the OUR?  You know, I remember when this would happen in the past we would not only fight but rigorously push for the fundamental of our principles,  equality.  We don't fight together anymore, now it seems that you're scared that you'll have to actually stand toe to toe.  It's not the flinching ... it's the caving.  It's not the willingness to bargain.  It's not the pragmatic approach to problems.  It just seems at times that you are befuddled at their tenacity.

Equality in access to opportunity is no weak-minded spineless position to take.  It by its very nature causes us as a.country to at least need to come to terms with certain realities.  But more importantly, it offers endless opportunities to make the promise of this nation actualized. 

 I hope you understand .... It has reached a tipping point of sorts.

Keith P. Jones - Progressive

Advocate/Activist

The Po’Lice line was hard, boot to boot, helmuts to helmut, unmoving, bringing the threat of death with each gaze.. The opposing line was a circle and it was moving, with resistance. And strength and people power. We were mamaz, uncles, daddys, sisters and brothers in solidarity and. we wont stop fighting, we won’t stop walking, we wont stop speaking until this ongoing Po’Lice murder of our babies was over

These two lines were in front of the MUNI bus tunnel at 14^th & Church. at 6am on Monday, July 16, 2012 streets in  San Francisco which I have affectionately re-named (Stop and) Frisco due to the proposed Stop N Frisk legislation by Mayor Ed Lee. The line of resistance successfully stopped the MUNI buses from coming or going out of the tunnel for almost two hours.

“We pay you, and you kill us,” Tracey Bell-Borden, one of many justice fighters fighting against the ongoing police terror of our neighborhoods chanted as she walked back and forth in front of the po’Lice line.

“We are here to celebrate the anniversary of one year of my son Kenneth Harding Jr’ s murder by SFPD,” fierce mama and revolutionary freedom fighter, Denika Chatman spoke to the crowd of almost 100 people who gathered to honor Kenneth Harding and all young black and brown warriors who constantly face state-sponsored police terror for the sole act of being a young person of color in Amerikkka. Denika went on to relate the ways in which the MUNI transit police practice blatant racial and poverty profiling of poor peoples of color communities like the BayView and the Mission with a massive and unequal police presence on the buses of these neighborhoods.

“Our children are being stalked and murdered in cold blood by this ongoing police harassment and it cannot continue,” Cephus Johnson aka Uncle Bobby, Oscar Grant’s uncle and a powerful leader against police terror in the community walked the line, speaking, not stopping, with the truth.

“All of us are under attack, and this is murder, “ Toussaint Dubois, from Labor Black and Brown, walked the line with his real talk.

As we spoke, the police gangsters stood, eyes glazed as they are trained to do, as though we were animals they were taught to kill on sight, clutching and unclutching their helmuts, the threat of attack present and constant.

As I, a poor mama saw them, I shuddered, I tried to hold my head up, to not think of the many times my melanin challenged self faced their hate, because I am the daughter of a poor wombyn of color, because I am the child of a houseless and hated family, because we didn’t have the money to pay for a roof over our heads for most of our lyfe in Amerikkka. I shuddered as I walked, and yet I walked for Ramarley Graham, Oscar Grant, Kenneth Harding, Amadou Diallo, Annette Garcia, Idriss Stelley, Alan Blueford, Derrick Gaines, Rahiem Brown, and every single victim of this ongoing occupation called the police.

At approximately 7:30am the police occupiers shifted their stance, giving the final threat of attack. We, the people, the fighters for justice not JUST-us, moving with humility, peace and liberation, began to march, still chanting, still walking,  because we mamaz, daddys, uncles, sisters and cousins and community members won’t stop until THEY stop, the killing, the stalking, the harrassing and the profiling of our babies, our communities and our spirits.      

I remember the days when my mother would tuck me in at night with a sad look on her face, almost to a point of crying. I never did ask what was wrong because I had an idea, but knew that if I went further I felt I would’ve broken her. To this day I still don’t know what makes her sad. I only know one truth to her that I fear on the daily, the idea of losing her child.

As a survivor of the institutionalized system of foster care and group homes, I wish to point out the inhumane ways of brainwashing our young children of color into believing that their parents were horrible creatures’, as one therapist put it, that didn’t deserve to keep their children.

My mother did not have the mental capability to fully raise me in a “proper” manner. She had the physical capability to provide a home, food, and put me in school. But she had problems to deal with on her own. She had her ways of dealing with those problems, which was usually drinking.

The fact remains that many children get taken from their parents all he time due to poverty, forced diasporas, police brutality, and straight up racial profiling. 1.“Native American families feel the brunt of this. Their children make up less than 15 percent of the child population, yet they make up more than half of the children in foster care.”

This is a perfect example of assimilation in the united ‘snaaakes’ of amerikkka. Assimilation is a psychological way of stripping one’s identity from them. Many would say otherwise but to those who can empathize, you know the feeling During the days of forced assimilation
in the boarding schools, my mother was beaten, raped, and many other unspeakable deeds occurred. My mother struggled with that since she iived in the days of “kill an Indian, save a man” days.

I have been told many times that families, especially those in diasporas, need the right people behind them. We’re talking lawyers, doctors, and expert witnesses. My father was an expert witness for the Indian Child Welfare Act. He has saved many native children from what
goes on in the system. We need those who have that compassion and determination to save the children from the system or we change the system.

Now as a young single Lakota Sioux father and understand the fear of many parents that have been through what I have. I plan on putting my heart and soul into raising my daughter in a traditional and humble way. Maybe one day she may save a few children from the forced
diaspora of ASSIMILATION!

As part of Living Pimp-Free: The Revolutionary Change Session @ POOR Magazine held on Juneteenth Weekend 2012  all of the revolutionary participants of the session joined indigenous leaders from across Pachamama standing up for our Ohlone ancestors sacred burial ground at Sogorea Te (in Vallejo, CalifasAztlan)  and against the devil-opers from Greater Vallejo Recreation District who desecrated a 3500 year old shell mound to create a bike trail.

A Open Letter from Corrina Gould on Sogorea Te