35th Annual Xicana Moratorium Day: Displace Gentrification, Not Our Hoods

Sunday, August 31st, San Antonio Park, East Oakland (Ohlone Land)

In 1970, over twenty-thousand Raza people filled the streets of LA to call for an end the War crimes in Vietnam that not only took a toll on Vietnamese lives, but also took the lives of Raza and other folks of color being disproportionately put on the front lines to die for this capitalist for profit country. Chicana Moratorium Day called an end to the violence and crimes the U.S. government was committing abroad, but also called for an end to the violence, crime, and inhumane conditions that Raza and other communities of color were experiencing in barrios and ghettos all over the U.S. at the hands of police, the education system, the prison system and other arms of this capitalist system. More than forty years later we gather to continue calling an end to the terrorist criminal acts of the U.S. Government over sees and here on our streets.

In 2014, U.S. military is no longer in Vietnam, but people of color continue to be heavily recruited into the military to take part in ongoing Western Expansion and its never ending greed for profit, power and land. Today, U.S. military forcers play a lead role in the destruction of land, economy and lives of people in Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Philippines, Guam, Egypt, Syria, and the list can sadly continue for much too long. While millions of people in the U.S. are homeless or have no access to quality affordable housing, food, health care, social services or quality education, all under the guise of lack of funding, an endless sources of wealth continues being poured on the daily into funding terrorist governments such as the Zionist killing machine of Israel, or into funding U.S. military operations to continue for profit wars around the world.

Today, Western powers play a predominant role in carrying out the displacements of Third World people’s not only from their home countries, but also the displacement and separation of families that have taken refuge here within the U.S. We could look at different places throughout the world and directly see the connection between displaced peoples and U.S. Involvement in this process. We could look at the Philippines as one of those places where the U.S. government and military has had its hand in taking over land, resources and has controlled its government in the best interest of U.S. economic profit since 1898. In 2014 the number one export from the Philippines is workers, particularly women, who often end up as low wage hotel workers, domestic workers and airport workers in the U.S. and in other nations across the globe. Filipino people flee their homeland due to the continual violence at the hands of the U.S. trained and supported military, the U.S. funded and trained counterinsurgency to the Filipino resistance movements, and U.S. funded and controlled puppet governments that work to keep Filipinos landless and living in extreme poverty.

When we move further west, we can see Palestine as another perfect example of displacement at the hands of this Government. Mainstream media constantly justifies the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people at the hands of U.S. trained and funded Israeli military, but how could you justify 80% of the casualties at the hands of Israel being civilians, most of which are children and elders? Let’s not forget the backyard of the U.S., Central America, where the U.S. has funded, trained and controlled both puppet governments and its military at many different junctures throughout the history of the United States. The U.S. has caused so much instability and violence that today the violence in Honduras is comparable to the violence in Iraq during the peak time of the War. This violence has caused thousands of children to flee their home countries and brave the dangerous trek up north just to have a chance at survival.

As Third World Survivors of Western capitalist expansion build roots in barrios and ghettos through out the U.S., this government continues to remind our people that our existence is a threat to the system that seeks to keep us as a disposable labor force. When we try to build roots and create beauty in our communities, this system will always attempt to destabilize and uproot our people or dispose of them when they are in the way of economic profit. In the last decade we have seen this destabilization and uprooting come in the for of gentrification that with it brings racist laws and militarization of our communities that work to build fear amongst our people and criminalize our communities as a way to push us out. San Francisco and Oakland are two prime examples of this gentrification.

When you visit the San Francisco Mission today – one of San Francisco’s most highly gentrified neighborhoods – its as if there was no semblance of a once predominantly Raza neighborhood with a rich culture. The Mission today attempts to continue profiting off of the beautiful Raza culture, but the city has brought in gang injunctions that criminalize brown youth that once lived there, no loitering laws that specifically target homeless people, and condos that have made rents skyrocket and make housing no longer affordable for working class families. Now white young professionals can enjoy the culture of the Mission, eat at fancy new restaurants, enjoy the fancy new clubs, and park their beamers at $5 an hour meters without having to fear that the people who once lived there will be roaming the streets. When you cross the bridge to Oakland, a very similar dynamic is taking place. We have seen gang injunctions, no loitering laws, proposed youth curfews, proposed stop and frisk laws and increased budgets for the police department who we know are intended to push out people of color from the streets and neighborhoods of Oakland. We have seen the condos and are seeing area specific plans like the West Oakland Specific Plan and the East Oakland Specific plan that attempt to “revitalize” and further develop areas to attract new residents that will bring with them more money and will attempt to displace working class communities of color from communities we have been long rooted in.

This long and ongoing history of displacement can cause anger and resistance towards this government, and for that reason, the U.S. has heavily funded their population control plan which takes the shape of prisons, detention centers, deportations, the heavy militarization of our streets, counter insurgency strategies here at home, and the heavy surveillance of its population. In September, Oakland plans to host and support the funding of the 9th Annual Urban Shield conference, a training for SWAT and Police agencies that brings together local, national and global law enforcement agencies with defense industry contractors to provide training and introduce new weapons and suppression tactics to these agencies that will later be used to further militarize our streets. Today prisons and detention centers have become for profit cages that force men, women and children to live in conditions that are so inhumane, that last year, 30,000 California prisoners engaged in sixty day hunger strike to demand basic human rights within these cages. Today the U.S. Senate mocks the humanity of our people by supporting new legislation that would reverse federal law that protects Central American children from deportation if they face the threat of violence in their home country, and calling that bill the “HUMANE Act.” This so called HUMANE Act would lead to the deportation of thousands of Central American children.

On the 35th annual Bay Area commemoration of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium Day we want to call attention to the displacement and gentrification we see in working class communities through out the country, but we also want to draw the connection of the different forms of displacement and terror that this country is causing through out the world. We still call for a Moratorium on the war against indigenous people, third world people, against our land and against what every community should hold as their treasure – the Children! We ask that you all join us this year as we celebrate la Resistencia and we stand collectively to honor the struggle that we must continue upholding now more than ever!

Join us for the 35th Annual Xicana Moratorium Day

Displace Gentrification, not Our Hoods

Sunday August 31st

5am - Sunrise

10am - 12pm: Aztec Dance hosted by Grupo Cuauhtonal

12pm - 5pm: Festival

San Antonio Park: Foothill Btw 16th and 18th Avenue in Oakland

What to Expect: Poetry, singers, bands, speakers, DJ, Dancing, Kids Activities, Free Food, Vendors, and Community

"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">Krip-Hop Nation (KHN): color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:IT">Hello One Son. color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">I came across your Hip-Hop color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">song, Janessa feat Tia off your EP, BRILLIANT for your daughter who has cerebral palsy but before we get to that your bio says you are Finau Entertainment CEO, Hip Hop Artist, Apollo Legend, Poet, Activist. Break down each one for jus & tell us how you continue in those she's today?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: Finau Entertainment is a label that me and my wife Seini spearheaded Finau is my daughter's middle name, I've released my five projects (A Poor Man's Testimony, The Voice: From Bama 2 Baghdad, Microwave Age, Canvas, and BRILLIANT) on this label. Helvetica;color:#222222">   mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">I color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">use the term Hip Hop artist, because I represent Hip Hop culture  color:#222222">matter of fact I Am Hip Hop and I use rap and spoken word as an artistic expression, some people don't look at Hip Hop music as an art form because nowadays artist settle with being simplistic so our music has become disposable. Helvetica;color:#222222">   mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">I always try to be poetic and give the listener something to digest after the listen, I also color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">enjoy performing spoken word because you can't camouflage there's no beat to hide behind it's all about your words. Apollo Legend comes from a successful  color:#222222">performance I did at the Famous Apollo Theater in 1997. I use Activist because I'm working toward a better tomorrow, I try to invoke change for the better through various means whether Hip Hop, Spoken Word, Interviews or Blogs I talk to the youth about the hidden hand that manipulate our ignorant, for every puppet there's a puppet master we get so caught up in color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">the show that we don't see the strings. Helvetica;color:#222222">    

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">I never heard your CD, Poor Man color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:FR">’ mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">s Testimony. color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">Tell us about that project & why was it well receive in Japan?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: To understand that project we have to flashback to 2003, when 50 Cent debut was highly Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">anticipated color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">I chose to color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">release A Poor Man's Testimony on the same day he mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">released Get Rich Or Die Tryin, I wasn't able to promote worldwide but for one month mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">regionally I mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">had my commercials run in conjunction with his on BET, MTV, and VH-1. The concept of the project started with the title color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">and cd color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">cover which was split in half with two pictures, one being dated 1555 showing myself as a slave in the fields plowing, the other picture was mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">that current time of 2003 showing me as a construction worker giving the concept of mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">as times change some things remain the same. The songs take your on a emotional roller coaster dealing with life struggles, and finding your way through the maze. One of the songs on the project was Lone Star Livin which I recorded for a soundtrack, that was the song that got the attention of playerzball Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">from Japan who interviewed me for his mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">Hip Hop site. It allowed me to expand my fan base and keep in contact with old and new supporters.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">In you other project, Microwave Age you dealt with Hip color:#222222">— mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:NL">Hop culture. Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">Can you expand on the meaning and message of that project inside and outside of Hip-Hop?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: In one of the lyrics from Crossroadz I said "We in the Microwave Age, where we want everything ready made" This is not only true in Hip Hop with the fast food rap you hear on the radio, it's true in society. Everything from your IPhone to using text terms (LOL,OMG) mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">deals with the Microwave Age concept, kids will complain that the internet is running slow, but they never had to go through the steps of writing and mailing a letter. As we advance in technology we lose certain color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">characteristics like looking a person in the eye and interacting with that individual. I felt the need to address my concerns as well as deal with the cause that effects us today. Helvetica;color:#222222">   

"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">Back to your song, Janessa, tell us story behind that song & how is Janessa today?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: When I was in Iraq, I wrote a poem about my daughter which eventually became the song Janessa. It was years later that I let my friend/producer Khalid Salaam (Green Tea Musik) Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">hear a ruff draft of the song, he composed the track and Tia and I collaborated on the hook. color:#222222">   mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">The song deals with her struggles with cerbal palsy and how she continues to color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">defy the odds I also color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:FR">touch color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">on the doctors color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">negligence at birth color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">which caused her to almost lose her life. My goal was to tell her story, and hopefully educate those who are ignorant mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">about people mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">with special needs. Today Janessa is doing well she still has the same everyday struggles, that's why I'm blessed to have my wife be a stay home mom to assist with her needs.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">As the founder of Krip-Hop Nation (Hip-Hop/musicians with disabilities) & a Black activist with cerebral palsy, I was touched that a father, Hip-Hop artist & a Black man had the courage to put that song out. color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">Tell us what kind of reactions have you received from that song?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: The reaction and support thus far has been good, especially with fans and people who've heard me perform the song. I've learned that oftentimes support comes from the ones you least expect.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">As a Black man in Hip-Hop with a daughter with a disabilities have that change the way you view Hip-Hop? mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">I asked because Hip-Hop especially mainstream Hip-Hop have a history of taking shots toward people with disabilities.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: Having a daughter with a disability not only changed my outlook on Hip Hop but life in general. My wife and I was young parents, and having a disabled daughter helped us to mature faster then most,  color:#222222">I also mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">think society as a whole is ignorant toward people with disabilities, I'm familiar with some of the lyrics that take jabs at people with disabilities or the comedians that often do the same, I'm definitely not a fan of that, but sometimes if you don't know you want show, so that's why I applaud you for your efforts with Krip-Hop Nation  color:#222222">we need more platforms to educate. Hopefully for those who have taken jabs in the past hear a song like Janessa, or learn about your movement and better Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">understand our plight.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">I always notice that disability national organizations/charities use a lot of famous Hip-Hop artists to push their cause or do a benefit but their efforts sometimes don mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:FR">’ color:#222222">t touch people with disabilities & don color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:FR">’ mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">t highlight the talents of people with disabilities that are doing things. color:#222222">  color:#222222"> "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">How do you see giving back to the disabled community including Hip-Hop artists who are disabled?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: I understand a mainstream mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">artist using there celebrity to bring more awareness to a cause my only thing is to make sure you're passionate about the charity and it's not just business as usual. mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">I think a person has to start within his or her means, if you know someone with a disability and you really want to help you can assist that individual personally. Also lack of monetary value isn't always a reason not to get involved, you can always volunteer your time.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: It would be kool if you do a video for your daughter color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:FR">’ mso-ansi-language:FR">s song.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: That is definitely in the works, but I want to be able to involve others who share the same struggles. As an independent label supporting my music color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">allows me the means to expand on the song with a visual expression to match the vocal expression. color:#222222"> 

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">What do you want people to take away after listening to the song, Janessa.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: I just wanted to tell her story, and hopefully touch those that can relate directly or indirectly and bring awareness, also to let people with a disability know they are not alone, or forgotten.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">Has your activism change because of you daughter & if so how?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: Due to my upbringing I've always been conscience and aware, color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">but my daughter having cerebral palsy definitely changed my activism because during the time she was color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222;mso-ansi-language:IT">diagnose color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">my wife and I where privates in the military, and mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">we experienced doors being shut when we was pleading for help, this taught Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">us a valuable lesson. color:#222222">   

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN:  color:#222222">From my research knowing that many times when fathers (Black color:#222222">… "Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">)find out that their sons/daughters might be disabled they nine times out of leave that relationship leaving the mother to rise that child, What is your advice to fathers especially Black fathers who just found out that their newborn has a disability?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son:  color:#222222">I would say there's a difficult road ahead but you and your wife (or mother of your child) don't have to take that journey alone, God will be with you and always get a second or third opinion. Do as much research to educate yourself Helvetica;color:#222222">  mso-hansi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">and try to reach out to others who might be dealing with similar situations. I recall not having a peer to talk too, none of our friends or family was dealing with a child with a disability that also made me and my wife bond even stronger, because it felt like no one else could relate to our struggle.

"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"> 

"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN: mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">Any words to the Hip-Hop community about disability & your views on it?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: Some people treat the disable like the outcast of society, like they don't belong. Compassion has become an afterthought only to be exercised when it happens close to home but we see the stares and hear  color:#222222">the whispers please mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica;color:#222222">  color:#222222">understand this, just because you're disable it don't exclude you from being a person.

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">KHN:  color:#222222">What is in your future & how can people get in touch with you?

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"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">One Son: I'm continuing to push my EP BRILLIANT which includes the song Janessa, you can reach me on

"Arial Unicode MS";color:#222222">Bandcamp: color:#222222">BRILLIANT, by ONE SON

July 14, 2014

On June 23, 2014, I entered Glide Church to participate in a free community meal.

On the way to the dining hall I noticed a flyer posted on the wall that stated the next morning at 8:30 a.m., vouchers for the Farmers Market would be available in Freedom Hall, first come first served. I returned the next morning at 7:30 a.m., with confidence that I would be able to partake in the morning breakfast that starts at 8:00 a.m. and still have ample time to stand in line for a voucher. At 8:00 a.m. the line began to move. After receiving a ticket for the meal and walking into the building at 8:09 a.m., all guests within hearing distance, including myself, were informed that all the vouchers had been dispensed.

Upon being seated for the meal, I noticed a poster on the wall in regard to making grievances about service or treatment in the free meals program. I recorded that information with my camera phone and tried my best to enjoy the meal.

For many years I’ve noticed that the trays the meals are served on are worn to the point of holes being in them, even including the segments where food is placed, which causes food to come in direct contact with the counter. I had the intention of complaining not only about the conflict regarding vouchers and their disbursement during a meal, but also the poor condition of the trays.

By the next morning the trays had been replaced with new trays with no holes.

I saw no point in complaining about the trays at this point and figured that I would just get the run around as per usual in any bureaucratic setting in regard to the vouchers.

July 29, 2014

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

Eminem vs. Nestle? Maybe, maybe not. But we all need water no matter how big or small we are.

Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe not only claims that water is not a human right, but has also been bottling water near Cabazon, California on the Morongo Indian reservation. California is in the midst of a 3-year drought and the driest spell in recorded history. It is a shame that water is being bottled for profit in such a context. Many California municipalities, including San Francisco, are considering drastic measures to address the drought, such as closing its few public restrooms and allowing green areas in parks to dry up if the drought doesn’t end by next year.

Of course, Morongo Indians have a right to bottle and sell water to whomever they wish, but it is particularly sad that they are selling water to Nestle, one of the companies that consumers have been called to boycott as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement in solidarity with Palestinians. The sadness is amplified when you consider the similarities between the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the US “Indian Wars.”

The Palestinians are and have experienced their own water shortages, as their water supply has been cut off by Israel several times in history. In 1988 Palestine sued and had their water returned.

And in Detroit, water rights are being refused poor people in predominantly black neighborhoods. As part of Detroit's economic suffering, the city has already suspended many needed public services including public transportation and nighttime police services. Suspending water has turned Detroit into a less-than-developed region in the most prosperous nation in the world. Detroit has literally had to appeal to the United Nations for help. Canada finally came to the aid of Detroit, but not before the Detroit Police used sonar technology to disburse a peaceful and lawful protest of the water shut-offs.

This is a call to rappers and conscious musicians everywhere to fight for all people's water rights. Without water there would be nothing: no weed, no food, no fans to support any artist of any kind (including Detroit-based rapper Eminem). In the spirit of Farm-Aid and other such charitable events, this is a shout out to concert promoters everywhere to help make the water flow and flow, maybe make some cash flow while they’re at it!

Co-madres/Co-editors Note: The following is the first in a series of Gentrification investigations for PoorNewsNetwork (PNN) led by the Youth Skolaz at Revolutionary Youth Media Education (RYME) Class at Deecolonize Academy. Deecolonize academy is a collaborative effort of Healthy Hoodz and POOR Magazine and Mama & Uncle Teachers/Poverty Skolaz Anita de Asis, Estrella Divina, Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Garcia, Muteado Silencio, all of the children's mama, daddy, uncle and auntie skolaz, Ancestors and Mama Earth

This Bill Has to Be Passed-

By Bentfoot/ PNN RYME Youth SKola at Deecolonize Academy

I am Bentfoot,  a youth scholar in the PNN RYME(Revolutionary Youth Media Education) class at Decolonize academy. Our class went to a rally on September 30^{th, 2014} at Oakland city hall in support of the legislation for Tenant Protection Ordiance

The Tenant Protection Ordinance is a bill that will protect tenants from being evicted and displaced because of landlord harassment or neglect of repairs.

When we got there we got to talk to two people, Nell and Lynn. 

Nell said,"there's a chance that the bill won't be passed," she explained the reason for that was because there was some landlords there who didn't want the bill to be passed because they wouldn't be able to harrass the tenants out of their house.

When we talked to Lynn and she went on to tell us about why she was there and that was because she was an intern of Merrit College for Just Cause and that they had helped her when she was in distress with her housing. For instance her landlord refused to repair her house for 21 years, to the point where she had a bunch of holes in her roof that let in water and he didn't fix the roof until she told him that her computer could be damaged.

Once we finished talking to Nell and Lynn we went into the City Hall Chambers. The stairs toward it was all imported marble stairs which cost thousands of dollars to make. When we went into the chambers it looked like they spared no expense on the room, which gave me a feeling of isolation and that i would be taken off to jail if i said anything.

In the end i left feeling that this bill has to be passed to prevent gentrification because my family and me has been homeless for about 5 months because we couldn't find a house because of how much houses has been raised to cost.

Protecting Our Future

By Ana Lapota/PNN RYME Skola

I Ana Lapota , an intern/mentee at Deecolonize Academy reported on the Tenant Protection Ordinance at City Hall in Downtown Oakland on September 30, 2014. The Tenant Protection Ordinance is basically helping homeowners not be kicked out of their homes by the government, since finding new housing is expensive.

Early today while at city hall I discovered that tenants are having their homes forclosed due to the government wanting their property. One person in particular named Nell says that she was kicked out of her home because Chase wanted it and that going to the bank wouldn't help either, so she became a renter. However, she used the knowledge she had to help others who were going through the same situation.

“They will say that they want to help you but they really don't” says another woman named Leanne. In Leanne's case she had troubles with where she was living because there were a lot of problems with her home. For example, she had a leak in her roof, yet her landlord didn't want to do anything until she told them that she has to continuously move her computer to prevent it from getting wet, and they only fixed her roof because they did not want to pay for her computer if it got damaged. Later on in the day while walking into the chamber you see marble floors and stairs.

You also see a huge spacious area leading up to the chmber with intricate artwork on the ceiling.

At the end of the day we leave city hall with the realization that if we do not want this to happen to us when we get older we have to do something about it, us as young revolutionaries have the power to affect the future and by demanding changes now our future will seem brighter than ever.

Chase (Bank) Needed my House More than i did??!

By Butterfly/PNN-RYME Skola

I, Butterfly, from PNN-RYME at Deecolonize academy. I went to support a protest about the tenant protection ordinance being proposed in Oakland. I found out that our voices are important and we need to fight for this because there is a chance that the legislation wont pass.

We interviewed Nell, one of the organizers of the action.  Some of her history with evictions is she lived in a house which the bank company Chase stole from her.  “Chase felt like they needed the house more then she did.”said Nell

She said,” I was really angry , but I also felt happy because I was very well supported so it was kind of a mixed feeling.”

In the end I want the law to be passed because me and my family have dealt with a housing crisis for over 4 months, and have been evicted before, that's why I think this law should be passed to protect families of color like mine in Oakland

I Don't Want to Live in Cardboard Houses

By Heidy Serrano/PNN-RYME Youth Skola

I Heidy Serrano an intern at Deecolonize Academy went to Oakland City Hall on September, 30th. We went to a rally for the support of the Tenant Protection Ordinance Legislation.

We interviewed Nell who informed us that Chase bank seized her home and that banks like Chase use the money of the poor people to take their homes.

" I was 25 years living in my house, the landlord never fixed anything,"  said Lynn an organizer with Just Cause Oakland we also interviewed  She and Lynn and many more people like the members of POOR Magazine are fighting for tenants rights in Oakland.

"Gentrification is displacing poor people out of Oakland. Poor people can’t afford to stay in Oakland because the prices keep rising and people living on fixed incomes from the government barely get anough to cover their rent. We only get 900 a month while the rents are going at $1,000 and above, " concluded Lynn.

. “I don’t want to live under a freeway or in cardboard houses.” -added Lynn.

We went inside of City Hall where it was quite grand with beautiful sculptures and marble floors that could house many houseless people; but instead they use the money on their fancy city hall.

In conclusion we are change the young people will create change for everyone. When elders can’t fight anymore we will be there to make change.

 

I have Been Evicted So Many Times

By Tiburcio Garcia/RYME-PNN Youth Skola

I am Tiburcio Garcia reporter for RYME (Revolutionary Youth Media Education) am reporting about how we (Deecolonize Academy) went to the city hall in Oakland CA on September 30th.

We interviewed a woman who went by the name of Nell. She spoke to us about how the legislation might come to pass but she was also was worried

 “There is a chance that it wont be passed” said Nell. After a few minutes of talking we went into the chambers of the city’s hall. The Tenants Protection Ordenance as it is called is a legislation that might be passed resides in side the city hall. The marble shone my eyes like dimmed stars in a very starry night.

The figures that were etched out of the marble were magnificent but the money put into them could’ve bought houses for a lot of people living in the streets.

 We went into the courtroom and I might’ev said the same thing about that sanctuary. The decision makers were the people in the high chairs looking down at you like miniature human Washington monuments I caught a few names like Larry Reid and Cibby Sehaf but the sounds1 were mostly jumbled.  

I believe that because I have been evicted so many times I think it should be passed to help the people who are in risk being evicted now

Landlords are Wrong

By Kimo Umu/PNN-RYME youth skola

I am Kimo,Umu I went to Oakland City Hall on September 30 to a rally and protest for the legislation in support for getting tenant protections. When we were there we interviewed a woman named Nell.

''There is a chance that it wont pass,''said Nell speaking about the legislation .

After the rally we went into the chambers. It was beautiful and it also looked very expensive I wonder where they got all that money. to make it so nice

 

My opinion on this is I hope this becomes a law because people are getting evicted all over the bay.I think it's wrong what the landlords are doing to all our people when we need housing.

 

As a Young Black Girl...

By Joyous/RYME-PNN Youth Skola

I. Joyous, part of RYME at Deecolonize Academy me and my classmates went to a rally in Oakland in support of the tenant protection ordinance,  we spoke to a lady named Nell,

“I feel bad about what happened to Oakland because of gentrification,” said Nell..She went on to say that she was so happy that the tenant protection is being proposed to the city council.

As a black girl living in Oakland I hope that this legislation passes

In the spring of 1994 my older sister told me about the EZLN (Ejercito Zapatista de Liberación Nacional also known as the Zapatistas) uprising in Chiapas and their declaration of war on the country of Mexico and how for thirteen days they held San Christobal de las Casas, the capital of the state. This Mayan uprising came on New Years day 1994, the day that the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect. NAFTA did many things, from relaxing environmental policies to removing Article 27 from the Mexican Constitution that provided land repatriation to indigenous people in Mexico as well as negative impacts on Mexican farmers who were affected subsidies for imported corn. Learning about the Zapatista movement changed my life; it was amazing to hear about their struggle to stand up to the government who had been ignoring the needs of Indigenous people for too long. It was an incredible thing because it happened at a time when the idea of armed struggle was considered something that would never happen again. I was a senior in high school at the time and had spent the last couple years reading about Third World revolutionary movements from the 1960s and had come to accept that revolutionary armed struggle would never happen again, that type of change was a thing of the past. But learning about the Mayan rebellion from the south gave me a new understanding of the world and helped me see that another world is possible.

Over the next few years I read the communiqués written by Subcomandante Marco the spokesperson for the Zapatistas and learned about their struggle and how they put their weapons down to negotiate with the government. During this time I came to understand how our histories were intertwined, as a Xicano living in the U.S. I definitely live a different reality, I have all the comforts that come with living in the first world, like housing, food and the right to an education as a youth. We do have one thing in common, our ancestors have been on this land since time immemorial and although we’ve gone through a process of detribalization my family has indigenous roots in Turtle Island. This commonality was something that many Xican@s here in the U.S. understood, and the Zapatista uprising became something of great importance in understanding their indigeniety as people whose ancestors had been through a process in which their indigenous culture was destroyed along with being displaced from their lands. The influence of the Zapatistas helped create a Xican@ Indigena renaissance along with a solidarity movement that inspired a dream for autonomous communities.

For many years after their uprising the Zapatistas the idea of autonomy was something that inspired people to dream about taking back indigenous lands as the Zapatistas had done during the uprising. The dream grew in the early 2000s when they removed themselves from the process of negotiation with the government that kept seeming less promising every day, the Zapatistas stopped making demands and instead created 5 autonomous Caracoles (Snails) with their form of horizontal self-government or good government as they describe it. Through these Caracoles the Zapatistas organized health clinics, schools, community banks and independent media projects and each has its own autonomous health clinic and primary and/or secondary school. The creation of these communities in 2003 helped fill a space in the imagination of XIcan@s of what autonomy could be like in a country where the government is trying to destroy your existence. This idea of autonomy in the Xican@ community has manifested in different ways, I remember going to Regeneración, a cultural space in Highland Park during the mid 1990s where Zapatismo was a guiding principle for the space. For Melanie Cervantes and me, it inspired us to create our collaborative Dignidad Rebelde, named after a phrase the Zapatistas made popular in their communiqués that emphasized the dignity they were taking back through their movement that inspired our use of temporary autonomous spaces where we come together with community and make art for the people.

More recently in East Oakland Poor News Network (PNN) moved in the direction of the Zapatistas and their experiment with autonomy and bought a small plot of land with a duplex on it. The name of this space is Homefulness, the house and land both needed some work but it was great start but most importantly the plot of land is big enough to expand on. The property was purchased through an equity campaign, which raised $134,000 that allowed for the land to be paid for outright. The idea of an equity campaign was seen as an alternative to a capital campaign, the difference being that through equity sharing, not tied to financial resources it will create a permanent and lasting solution to houselessness for families in poverty who have been displaced, evicted, gentrified and destabilized out of their indigenous lands and communities.
Homefulness operates as a sweat equity project that strives to provide permanent co-housing, education, arts and social change projects for houseless and formerly houseless families and individuals. Hearing about these projects reminded me of the Caracoles the Zapatistas have built. I had the opportunity to visit Homefulness during the ribbon cutting ceremony on March 6th, the day they officially unveiled the plans they had for the land to the community and threw a party to celebrate the occasion. I was lucky to have Tiny (one of the main organizers of the PNN) show me around and give me the history of the process they went through to acquire the land and how they were in the process of rebuilding the garage into a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) for Joe one of the PNN members. Tiny also told me about the work they were going through to build a series of 4-10 permanent housing units on the property, this was a way of making the most of the relatively small piece of land of building to create a community where poor folks are able to have a place to call home.

One of the things that differs from PNN’s Homefulness and the Zapatista Caracoles is that in hopes of creating something long lasting the group opted to buy a property rather than just take over or a piece of land that could be potentially taken away destroying all the work the group invested. This is something that has happened to other groups, an example of this is the South Central Farm in Los Angeles where community members came together on a piece of land to create a community garden and grow food for the community but was later displaced by the land owners and had to move outside of the city to continue their project. Through the “legal” acquisition of the property this situation is something that Homefulness is trying to avoid. Although there is an understanding of the relationship Homefulness enters with the government as landowners, this is something that under the current system of governance cannot be avoided in such a project.

At this point in time, taking over land and declaring autonomy is not something that is entirely possible to sustain over a long period of time, so PNN decided to create Homefulness as a way to have an autonomous space that can survive under current political conditions. I think of this as “inching” towards another way of relating to the U.S. government, as I read in one piece I found on their informational board:  
“We also imagine this as a first step, this inter-generational council will respect its elders so that leadership…will be returned to our indigenous communities of color like those of East Oakland to improve our situation and stop our dependency on the Capitalist system...Instead we look to a system based on self-determination and the power of responsible indigenous communities.”

This then is one of many steps toward creating a completely autonomous community, something that has no legal connections to the U.S. government, a place where people are able to exercise their right of self-determination when deciding their future. This is the dream for many indigenous people throughout the Americas, to have a place where they can determine their own future and be responsible only to themselves. This Autonomy is something that the Zapatistas have been experimenting for 11 years now and started sharing in 2013 through their Escuelitas in Chiapas where they have been inviting organizers, artists and educators to share what they have learned. Seeing what Homefulness is doing in East Oakland inspires me, it gives me hope that one day we will have many of these communities throughout Turtle Island.
 

July 14, 2014

Within the last year there has been a greater visible police presence all over the city of San Francisco. What was once tolerated and even considered part of the local culture, or ambiance, if you will, is no longer tolerated. This includes street vending street food and open marijuana consumption.

With the influx of Tech Boomers and rising housing costs, also came this new intolerance. No coincidence!

People who appear homely or otherwise not clean-cut white bread (with the exception of hipsters, of course, lest we forget hipsters snitched out “Detroit Red,” Malcolm X’s alter ego before enlightenment through the Nation of Islam) are randomly stopped and questioned by police, particularly those of color.

Complaining to the Office of Citizens Complaints is of little to no avail. We are left with little or no recourse other than taking matters into our own hands.

I suggest doing so by way of a camera stills or video whatever is clever! There is no law against taking pictures of police executing their duties, provided you don’t interfere with them doing so.

The best thing about having a smartphone is practically everyone has one and anyone for all intents and purposes can be a photo-journalist. Snap that $4it write that $4it post that $4it ! I suggest taking as many pictures of cops as possible in as many settings as possible!

Just remember not to get close enough to interfere with them or invade their personal space. For most of us, 3 feet is the general rule. Don’t give them an excuse, give them 9 feet or more. Telefoto lenses are an even better bet. If you intend to really be enthusiastic, it might behoove you to purchase a disposable camera because the technology to interfere with cell phones and other wireless devices exists. Trust and believe the police have it and will use it! In most instances during daylight hours, a flash is not needed and with many wireless cameras the flash will not operate in daylight.

It is important to also remember that cops often hide in the shadows, knowing they can and will be photograghed, making a telephoto lense a better option in many cases due to gaining a greater vantage point. Don’t be concerned about just taking their pictures when they are doing wrong, even if they are just walking or driving. Just know that you probably won't get a clear shot if they are in a vehicle because they are not in direct sunlight.

Don’t just stand there! Pic the police! Don’t forget to post it!

August 5, 2014

As I listened to the reports back from Gaza as Israel intensified its attack, my heart sank deep into my chest. I immediately thought of the Mamas and Babies/Children that are trapped in Gaza with no way to escape the terror that is the State of Israel. I then thought of my son who was at the Homefulness Revolutionary Youth Camp and felt so much gratitude for conscious programs like this that exist, so that our children can grow up aware with a revolutionary state of mind. The world needs what Homefulness is so graciously and unapologetically offering.

Lisa “Tiny” Garcia, Muteado Silencio, and Needa Bee came together with guest instructors from the Black Riders Liberation Party to create a camp which focused on Revolutionary Skills, aka Life/ Survival Skills, for our Black/Brown Youth. When we think of the skills needed to survive as a Black/Brown person in the world today, it goes beyond the mainstream and becomes very specific to our cultures and experiences. Knowing this all too well, Homefulness Revolutionary Camp brought it!

The camp provided skills in understanding systematic racism, environmental analysis through the perspective of race as well as science (the kids took samples of soil and water and looked at them in microscopes), basic construction, and healthy eating. All throughout the two weeks of camp, the Young Skolas recorded their data and reflections with journals, cameras, and digital recorders. Being a voice in media was a running theme in the Homefulness Camp. The youth were taught that they can and should create their own narrative, the one that they are seeing and experiencing themselves, not the one fed to them by corporate media.

Needa Bee provided healthy lunches that included lessons. The kids helped prepare their food, which included picking greens from the Homefulness garden and learning about the healing properties of the food they were about to eat. I don’t think they got around to it this summer, but Homefulness has in the past taken students to corner stores to gain skills in choosing healthy foods on a budget in your neighborhood.

Tio Muteado led the construction class. Each of the Young Revolutionary Skolas built their own planter box, gaining basic construction skills using power drills, saws, and geometry. Each Skolar then dedicated their box of freshly planted herbs to an ancestor.

Mama Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Garcia brought writing, journaliing and investigative journalism basics  through an investigative journalism study on Environmental Racism as well constant teaching on inter-dependence and eldership including "homework" to love and honor your parents, care-givers and cultures.

Perhaps the most important lesson and skill taught at Homefulness Revolutionary Camp was the prioritized ritual of morning prayer to call in and honor ancestors who guide and protect our People as we navigate this out-of-balance world which seeks to systematically destroy Black and Brown Babies. Homefulness Revolutionary Camp understands the urgency with which our children need to learn these survival skills which are not openly taught in schools or society, but need to be sought out and fought for.

Keeping with the theme of Building Our Future, the Young Skolars got to create scale models of the Homefulness Compound. This included gardens, a healing center, and a main house (all wheelchair accessible, of course!). The details on these models are incredible and really have to be seen to fully appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into them.

The vision of the Young Skolas was presented to us, their parents and community, in an epic presentation of the things they had worked on and learned. It was clear that these Young Skolas had a lot of fun while learning about some very serious topics.

Master screen printer Jesus Barraza donated his talents and was part of the closing ceremony. We made beautiful Homefulness posters which immortalized and captured the spirit of the Youth Skolars Revolutionary Camp Summer of 2014!
Knowing my son was a part of this camp this summer gave me some feeling of hopefulness as Israel continued and increased its siege on Gaza. One thing is for sure, these Young Skolas will make the positive, revolutionary change that is so desperately needed today.

Check out our interactive slideshow summarizing Homefulness Camp, complete with Bob Marley soundtrack!
 

All the Revolutionary Mama, Uncle, Brother & Auntie Skolaz who brought you the Revolutionary Youth Camp will be launching the Deecolonize Academy - For more information or to enroll email deeandtiny@gmail.com or call (510)435-7500 or (510) 355-7010 - Open House Saturday, August 30th- 1-3p at 8032 Macarthur Bl Deep East Oakland

October 7, 2014

POOR Magazine’s Newsroom this September was the first meeting I’ve been to with a youth leadership component. No matter what school a child goes to people have to be mindful of how they treat the children regardless of age or ability. I am thankful to spend time with youth from Homefulness, because the kids and the teachers at DEEcolonize Academy stand for unity and a family-orientated approach.

I told the story of a young girl who goes to Presidio Middle School to the youth at DEEcolonize Academy. When they heard how oppressively she was treated, they wanted to go to the school and talk to the principal!! They do not know the girl I know but they had the mentality to uplift someone to resist oppressive disrespectful treatment in middle school. It made me feel that this was a good subject to talk about because a lot of our youth are stirred the wrong way, but DEEcolonize Academy is the opposite: we encourage each other from the top down and from the oldest to the youngest.

There are a lot of studies about how humans learn things from the beginning of birth. Evidently, when you are a child you learn a lot easier then teenagers or adults. Furthermore, having a child in your hands, whether physically or emotionally, is a serious matter. I sincerely believe teachers, mothers, fathers, siblings, and various other influences can teach a child to perform different ways.
I have worked at the Youth Guidance Center, Girls 2000 in Hunters Point, and in pre-k. Usually problems form because of a teacher or outside environments. I thought I was really good with children until I started conducting classes and being an authority. In a classroom you have to learn every child’s behaviors and boundary points. When children look to a teacher they expect the teacher to know everything. Which is not possible, but to children it is. The reason why I am touching these subject matters is because of what a little girl in my hood went through with the mis-treatment of her teacher.

“I am intimidated and embarrassed, because math is difficult for me and the teacher made me feel inferior, because I wasn’t fast enough for him when I counted numbers.” said Errata, a young girl who has just started sixth grade at a local public school in San Francisco. Teaching a child with a domestic violence in their home life is serious, and Errata suffers massive stress disorder at the young age she is. The horrors of her past haunt her every day.

The teacher in math class tore her paper in half in front of the whole class. These are the exact things that hinder a child’s growth in education and every other aspect of self-development. A lot of people may think this is insignificant but I sincerely believe teachers like this must be evaluated. That one incident can either make her or break her, and according to Errata she is now more than ever scared to learn math because she felt like she was slow in the first place and now after this incident she is going to struggle with her confidence.

Children are master minds, and they are our future and I wanted to write about this because these small things get overlooked and a lot of people do not realize what effect it can have on a child’s growth and development.

Aug 5, 2014

PeopleSkool has made me feel independent and heard, by writing about things that matter to me and other people at POOR Magazine. In POOR Community Newsroom at the beginning of July, I expressed my trauma from the medical treatment of my cat.

They have welfare for children, but what about people who suffer from illnesses and keep animals to help make us happy? Not everybody has kids for the sake of happiness, but it's hard to take care of a child when you're disabled, at least speaking for myself. A lot of psychiatrists recommend animals to help people cope with tough things they may go through. For example, depression makes some people stay inside for weeks without connecting to the world, and other people give up on themselves. I go through hard times and my cat, Cinnamon, cuddles up to me.

I recently read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle and a lot of people expressed how they cannot find apartments that are pet friendly. I know for disabled people you can say it's a companion animal, and the law permits anyone with a disability to have a pet in their home. A woman in the article has a dog and nobody will accept her pet. They have a pet apartment list at the SPCA for people who do not have legally-recognized companion animals.

It's extremely hard to keep pets because of hospital vet bills. An exam for my sick cat was $1000 just for testing, not including treatment and other necessities. I'm crushed my cat might die because I cannot afford health care for my Cinnamon.

Something like this makes it extremely stressful, and it's not fair when someone may get a disability, and that is more than one check just to get your animal treatment. I discovered pet insurance, but they do not cover sick animals and it is around $60/month. They do not include emergency fees, lab testing, grooming, and a lot of things that need to be done by doctors.

They have health coverage for people, but animal coverage is also a must for welfare, because they pets are important assets for people like me, and a lot of people feel for their animals. It's a bad thing to get your cat or pet put to sleep. I would never do that and that was the suggestion the SPCA gave me. I took Cinnamon home and went to another vet that was a little bit cheaper, but I spent my whole paycheck on Cinnamon and I am only a temp position at my job. This is heartbreaking.

People need to realize that mental health is very critical, but an animal can make wonders, and so there should be subsidized coverage for pet care.

October 7. 2014

I have heard a lot about the Willie Lynch Speech before, but I never read it myself. I am a person who loves to read but all I read about is spiritual books or what people call self-motivation books.

I just read a book called The Golden Ticket. It was about a marriage when the woman almost died, and the husband went on a special journey, seeing images of his life, and what made him neglect his growth as a human being. The ticket he received was a new life after experiencing horror from his past, and being able to be a better husband. My point is he got a chance to change his life after his visions.

I read another book about the way Willie Lynch made a man into a slave in the West Indies and sent him to the United States. In his speech he taught a lesson on how to keep a person a slave for the next three hundred years. He made slaves hate other slaves simply because of a lighter skin tone, and he would do psychological things to limit their ability to one day become independent in our own country. I sincerely believe the tactics he used worked, but nobody can stop your progress as a person.

I talked about the Willie Lynch Speech because it proves why African people went through the most hell. Being that we were lynched, raped, trained by having women train the man to look worthless and non providable, because the slave master would break the women from looking to their husbands and instead to the slave master. A lot of youth today do not study these things for history.

Talking about the Willie Lynch Speech might seem far off a subject for direct student loans, but I thought about his determination to keep people oppressed for three hundred years. Student aid loans are a set up for our people to fail, and college teaches you to work for someone else rather than owning properties amongst ourselves. I sincerely believe we can work as one together, but I think this mental breakdown has passed three hundred years. Physically we are free but mentally a lot of people aren’t. Or it is hard to accept our history once we learn about the slaves, the Willie Lynch Speech. Even caucasians were brutally damaged. Irish people were calld ni... all the time when they migrated to the south. In college you go to school for money and end up in debt.

Another anecdote is now loans are going to be established like disability. Either you qualify and only get a certain amount for some years, but it used to last til you were done with college. I stayed in college for nine years, now they have it to if you fail classes twice your financial aid gets cut and you’re put out based on what they call "progress probation", coupled with "academic probation", and now they even cut your money if you are not enrolled in a certain amount of units (classes).

In news room I felt emotional, because all the youth are growing in a good direction breaking down the slave mentality and taking off mental chains from self, others, and from history. If they are making school so hard to survive, our youth might not survive through college but they may become victims in jail. That is why I stress school as a foundation because an elderly person told me someone can take everything from you but they cannot take your education and your spirit. Furthermore I think DEEconolize Academy has to prepare youth for every problem they may face as far as being stereotyped, classified, or even from homophobia.

I hope oneday we can be a nation that gets along and everything will be fair. Loans and money may hold me down but its okay. I believe in myself that I am making it no matter what. I hope the generation after me will see all of these variables and strengthen through positive learning.
 

In Landmark Decision, U.S. Patent Office Cancels Trademark For Redskins Football Team

By Travis Waldron June 18, 2014 at 9:49 am Updated: June 18, 2014 at 12:57 pm

CREDIT: AP

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has canceled six federal trademark registrations for the name of the Washington Redskins, ruling that the name is “disparaging to Native Americans” and thus cannot be trademarked under federal law that prohibits the protection of offensive or disparaging language.

The U.S. PTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a ruling in the case, brought against the team by plaintiff Amanda Blackhorse, Wednesday morning.

“We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered,” the board wrote in its opinion, which is here. A brief explanation of how the Board reached its decision is here.

“The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board agreed with our clients that the team’s name and trademarks disparage Native Americans. The Board ruled that the Trademark Office should never have registered these trademarks in the first place,” Jesse Witten, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said in a press release. “We presented a wide variety of evidence – including dictionary definitions and other reference works, newspaper clippings, movie clips, scholarly articles, expert linguist testimony, and evidence of the historic opposition by Native American groups – to demonstrate that the word ‘redskin’ is an ethnic slur.”

“I am extremely happy that the [Board] ruled in our favor,” Blackhorse said in a statement. “It is a great victory for Native Americans and for all Americans. We filed our petition eight years ago and it has been a tough battle ever since. I hope this ruling brings us a step closer to that inevitable day when the name of the Washington football team will be changed. The team’s name is racist and derogatory. I’ve said it before and I will say it again – if people wouldn’t dare call a Native American a ‘redskin’ because they know it is offensive, how can an NFL football team have this name?”

The Trial and Appeals Board rescinded the team’s trademark protections in a 1999 ruling that was part of a case filed in 1992. A federal court later overturned the ruling on appeal due to a technicality that the plaintiffs say has been fixed in this most recent case.

The team will appeal the case, according to a statement from its attorney, and it will be able to keep its trademark protection during appeal. Further, losing the trademark would not force the team to change its name — as the PTO pointed out in its fact sheet about the case, the Trial and Appeal Board “does not have jurisdiction in a cancellation proceeding to require that a party cease use of a mark, but only to determine whether a mark may continue to be registered.”

The absence of federal trademark protection, however, could limit the team’s legal protections to state and common laws when others use their name, so others can’t just start marketing new “Redskins” merchandise. Still, it could potentially cost the team — and, because of the NFL’s revenue-sharing model, other NFL teams — money. In the previous case, the team’s attorneys argued that losing trademark protections and the exclusive right to their brand would cause “every imaginable loss you can think of.” For that reason, targeting the trademark has long been thought of by opponents of the team’s name as the easiest avenue to changing it.

The team is confident that it will prevail on appeal.

“We’ve seen this story before. And just like last time, today’s ruling will have no effect at all on the team’s ownership of and right to use the Redskins name and logo,” team attorney Bob Raskopf said in the statement. “We are confident we will prevail once again, and that the Trial and Appeal Board’s divided ruling will be overturned on appeal. This case is no different than an earlier case.”

July 15, 2014

The shared principles of a Nation would be what drives the people forward (ideally, all of the people) to strive for collective objectives. Countries usually have shared principles which may not be shared by everyone, but the majority of the population usually share these beliefs, at least in theory.

The US has “shared principles” on paper, but I disagree that these are the true feelings of the majority of people inside the US borders. In theory, the political principles within the US system are Liberty, Property, and Equality. These “paper principles” are touted in the corporate media, in the schools and at the kitchen tables of many to the point where many actually believe these principles to be true. A closer look at these terms will show they are nonexistent to many, so let’s look closer…

Liberty

The word “liberty” has become one of them words that are drilled into our minds since elementary school. The idea of the US promoting liberty is repeated ad nauseum, but is there really liberty in US borders? And if so, for whom? First, in order to really determine if liberty exists, we need to take a historical review of the situation rather than looking at things now or whether we have a job, a house, or a bank account, etc. Let us look at the history of the US: if we do so HISTORICALLY, it’s an oxymoron to colonize a people and give them liberty at the same time, as people claim is possible with First Nations people. It’s either one or the other, and I doubt the First Nations people would call having their land stolen, “liberty.” Likewise genocide, they would probably argue it is also devoid of liberty.

The slave trade would also be seen as negating liberty to many, and rightly so: Buying and selling humans is more like a crime against humanity than liberty. It is the opposite of liberty.

For Chicano people, the fact that our ancestral homeland was taken in the US War on Mexico of 1848 and our subsequent colonization was also completely divorced of liberty. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the US omitted portions of the treaty which guaranteed protections under the US law for Chican@s. Land grants going back to the Spanish colonization were not acknowledged and Chicano people saw no liberty in the lynchings or Greaser Laws that gave a green like to Amerikans to “cleanse” their communities of Chican@s.

By examining the roots of the US, I think we easily see that liberty was not experienced by many in its founding. Now as the question was posed in the beginning: Liberty for whom? If we are talking about the colonizers and their descendents, I would say yes they experience liberty and have done so for hundreds of years at the expense of Chicanos, First Nations and Black folks.

Property

As I described above, when it comes to property Chican@s have been displaced since 1848. The essence of property is land. First Nation land has been occupied since the first settler stepped foot on these shores. African slaves WERE property. So historically, property has been most enjoyed by Euro-Americans at the expense of the oppressed colonized people.

Equality

Where to start. Well, for Chican@s historically at the time of our colonization (1848), we were not included in the idea of Equality. This was reflected in our land being stolen, in the lynchings, rapes and debt peonage we suffered post-1848. The same for Black folks and perhaps even worse for the First Nations.

What has changed?

Some today, whether Chicano or any other oppressed people, have been bought off in ways that erase not only our history from their minds, but current day oppression. They are bought off with high paying jobs, positions within the empire, or access to more of the exploited resources taken from other parts of the world. But are these US principles experienced by people like Chicanos? One way to test this is to, among other things, look to the courts to see how these principles are applied in the material world. Look to the prisons as well.

When we see states across the US passing fascist laws like Arizona’s SB 1070, where Brown people are potential criminals for their appearance, i.e. brown skin, those principles are thrown out the window. When the state, i.e. the police, can shoot and kill Brown youth, i.e. Andy Lopez of Santa Rosa, and it’s treated like a fender bender…. or take Oscar Grant, about whose case Obama instructed to “respect the verdict” when the police were found not guilty… All these episodes are a pattern of principles that are really playing out in the US.

First Nations people, like those on Pine Ridge reservation, don’t even have running water, and this is the 21st Century in the US. With all of this inequality, some in the cozy confines of their leafy suburbs probably believe that these principles of Liberty, Property, and Equality exist. They may exist for them but for many they are as elusive as the Chupacabra.

I believe that these values are important for understanding Amerika because how can you transform any phenomenon without first understanding it? In order to find out where the heavy lifting is needed in any political system, including Amerika, we must understand its strengths and weaknesses, its theory and its practice, so that we fully understand it psychologically.

Ultimately ANY principles that derive from oppression can never be fruitful to all people.
 

"Why would we bother buying this place if we can't get rid of them" , The voice was laced with disgust referring to the Gonazlez family who were sitting right there, huddled together in their abuelas tiny bedroom, while a group of spekkkulators took part in an illegal "open house" of their lifelong Mission Districit home. The Open house participants circled around the family like hungry hyenas assessing their prey. This sickening story of displacement and gentriFUKation of  Lisa Gonzalez, her teenage daughter, her elder disabled mama and her elder disabled grandma from their home of over 40 years was told between tears to the Community Newsroom at POOR Magazine last week.

"Jason Chan of Barbagelata Real Estate is completely bypassing the law and selling our apartment right out from under us," Lisa went on to explain that Chan, who has boldly ignored the legal requirements to offer right of refusal to tenants to purchase their own apartments is holding weekly "open houses"  right on top of her and her increasingly intimidated family.

Lisa's family are everyday people, workers, care-givers, mamas and daughters. living, practicing inter-dependence, humbly taking care of their elders and children like the ways of our indigenous ancestors. The Gonzalez family join the rank of so many of us humble peoples of color, working class folks, some we know, who have fought back like  Benito Santiago,  Diego Deleo, Kathy Galvez,  and Sabrina Carter , but thousands we don't, who are brutally and intentionally excised from this city because they don't fit the profile created of young, wealthy and child-less by Mayor Lee and the GentryTechNation

Lisa explained that her family single-handedly dealt with and superficially remediated a severe mold problem in their home because there was never any repairs made my Chan or the realty company even though they were notified.

"We have nowhere to go, my mother and grandmother have nowhere to go, this is our family home, this has been our family home for generations," Lisa concluded, fighting back a river of tears.

Lisa contacted the Mayors office who blindly referred her family to an over-worked landlord tenant lawyer who said he couldn't help them until, "they received an eviction notice"   leaving the family with no options but to withstand these continual, disrespectful and blatantly illegal "open houses" of their home.

POOR Magazine Revolutionary Legal Advocacy Project is actively WeSearching and advocating for the Gonazalez family to the extent that our humble resources allow as well as planning for an emergency press conference and linking the family up with comrades at Anti- Eviction Mapping Project. If you are a lawyer who can represent the family please contact us at (510)435-7500  

Daryle Washington is a father, a native San Franciscan and a hard working family man. He is also a victim of a racist employer who has jeopardized his ability to provide for his five children. According to Mr Washington, he is not the only one mistreated by this employer, Recology Corporation of San Francisco. There has been a pattern of poor training leading to the physical stress of long hours and injuries for garbage truck drivers, and the emotional distress of racial jokes and remarks (low-lifes and monkeys) as well as nooses placed in full view of Black employees. Mr Washington is speaking out on these injustices not only for himself but for the other employees subjected to this abuse. The racism evident in the company misbehavior appears to be at worst intentional, at best tolerated by management and the employees are expected to put up with it in order to keep their jobs. Here in his own words is Daryle describing his experience while being interviewed by Poor Magazine's 'street newsroom'.

Clearly Daryle is able to detail a pattern of harassment of employees of color, in particular Black employees, from improper training and racist jokes to nooses in the workplace and lack of time to recover from on the job injuries. Having lost family members to Klan activity in the South, he is both personally and historically aware of the extent to which some people will go to punish Black people who stand up to the system. Here are some closing words from Daryle:

As of today I have stopped action by DFEH & have obtained a right to sue letter & I'm moving forward with that. As of June 17th I have not received any money from Recology or their insurance company Corvel Corporation since April 17th. It is only by the grace of God that my landlord has not kicked me out on the streets & without loving family & friends I would have had many hungry nights. I am the father of 5 children & all I want to do is provide for them. I want justice, not only for myself but justice for the rest of the Black employees at Recology that have to work under the pressure of wrong & injustice & having to live in fear of losing their job if one speaks up. I want the City of San Francisco to investigate what's going on, since Recology is contracted to pick up San Francisco's garbage. I want a call to action to interrupt services until they make changes & correctly deal with the racial issues going on. How the company in the past & present treats some so-called minorities is not right & they need to be held accountable for it. Open up the books and let's see how many have not been given fair & equal treatment.

July 15, 2014

Many today are beginning to understand that within US prisons and particularly the SHU construct that torture is at the helm of this program. I would agree with this assessment, especially since I am being held captive in solitary confinement. However, torture comes in many forms.

Most understand the physical aspects of torture in US prisons, the beatings, the scaldings, gassings and of course the shootings. These are all part of the program but there are also other aspects of this experience with many are not aware of. There are also many psychological methods employed in the SHUs which serve no other purpose than to exercise cruelty or instill a sense of helplessness or hopelessness in imprisoned poor folks.

Perhaps the starkest example of repression in the SHU is the fact that we are housed in windowless cells. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to never be able to see the outside again, and everywhere that you looked was a concrete wall. There is no reason for building cells without windows except for repression. Likewise, not allowing us to receive contact visits also serves no purpose because cameras are watching our every move at visits and we are strip searched when we go to visits anyway. Up until a couple of months ago we had no bowl. For over 20 years people here have been eating soups out of old chip bags. Denying us bowls was not a security risk, rather it was used as another psychological blow to dehumanize us, which works to break our determination to resist.

There are just so many aspects that comprise the repression employed in the SHU. For those of us who write, read and study, our mail and publications are heavily censored. The slightest effort to speak in our interests as prisoners is used to censor mail. Your brother and sister both writing letters in the same envelope is often deemed “3rd party mail.” This is a reason for denial. A lipstick kiss on a letter or envelope will be denied, as is a letter with a spray of perfume on it. Any effort to remind us that we are still human is deemed “A threat to the safety and security of the institution” and denied to us. This is no security threat. It is simply meant to dehumanize us SHU prisoners. I say SHU prisoners because prisoners in other prisons are allowed these things.

Those of us who find ways to cope with being tortured in isolation and learn to draw are targeted by having our art labeled “gang activity” on the newly worded “security threat group activity.” ANy art which identifies one’s culture is seen as gang-related. I taught myself how to draw after being locked in a windowless tomb because I was tired of staring at the walls all day. I have since had my art refused to be allowed to leave the prison on different occassions because I was accused of violating some rule or another. Those of us who become successful via art are further repressed because of this.

I recently had some of my art shown at an art gallery and as a result some folks fromaa prisoners support group contacted me requesting to sell my art at an auction. Being that I rarely receive money from outside sources I replied. I usually give my art away to people for free, I even have a website where folks can download selected pieces of my art for free, but when folks contacted me requesting particular work I decided to reply and to discuss a specific price. For this I as written up and charged with “Unauthorized Business Dealings.”

So just so you’re with me, because I was discussing money for my art I was penalized. For those who do not get money sent to them they cannot purchase art supplies, i.e. pens, pastels, paper--nor can we get these items sent to us through the mail. So someone who attempts to discuss ways to sell art is written up. The ability to communicate is extremely chilled because most prisoner artists don’t even want their words to be misconstrued to be seen as discussing prices. What’s really horrible is that those who attempt to learn a craft and hustle for meager items like soap or toothpaste are penalized for it. The message is we will sit here and not just experience torture and sensory deprivation but then when we attempt to communicate for our sanity, our mail is censored, when we attempt to learn in order to keep our mind working and to change our behavior, publications are censored. And when we learn a craft and attempt to be able to obtain simple things like writing supplies, etc., we are infracted for it. Our captors send a strong message that we will sit here isolated in as many ways as possible in a concerted effort to break us so that we no longer resist, so that we capitulate in our efforts for human rights.

The outcome of this write-up that I received on March 9, 2014, was that I was banned from buying anything from the prison commissary for one month. So because I discussed a price for my art I was disallowed the ability to buy soap, toothpaste, or deoderant for one month. It’s important to note that here in SHU the prison does not provide prisoners with these items.

I was written up by Corrections Officer M. Shrewsberry and Sgt. R Achziger signed off on it. How they can come to believe that taking away my ability to purchase hygiene products for a month is a teaching method or rehabilitation, is beyond me. But this speaks to what is occurring here in this concentration kamp and what poor folks are going through in Pelikkkan Bay SHU. Even artists are repressed in the 21st century Amerikkka. I read that in Hitler’s Germany artists were also persecuted and art was confiscated. Well, my art was confiscated and I was also persecuted. Artists, beware of Pelican Bay SHU.

“When people are happy with their leadership and don’t demand change they deserve what they get.” – Barack Obama

Our alleged commander in chief has condemned us all with this statement.

Many of us are not happy with the US policy regarding Israel. And the only real thing we can do short of a revolution (in so far as our leadership goes anyway) is to show our displeasure through the voting process. We are at the dawn of midterm elections. Most Republicans by now know we are unhappy with them, and Obama is a lame duck, so it would seem an ideal time for Israel to start an unfavorable war. How is it possible to condemn a nation for war crimes and then send them in excess of $200,000,000 unless you approve of their actions to begin with?

In anticipation of unfavorable voting, republicans have already come up with a scheme to introduce “a third party." Obama seems to be more afraid of being accused of being a Muslim than he is in speaking the Truth about Israel, its war crimes and its outright acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.

After saying all of that, there appears to be a third ceasefire in effect regarding the current Israeli /Gaza “war.” Israel has an army, air force and navy. The closest thing Palestine has to a military is a police force. As a reminder to Barack Obama: The Boston Massacre was a historic moment in which a half black man led an angry mob standing up against occupying British Troops because one of the soldiers battered a young boy with the butt of a rifle for throwing snowballs!

This entire conflict began because Israel alleges that Hamas the democratically elected government of Palestine kidnapped and murdered three Israeli citizens, which Hamas staunchly denies. To its credit Hamas has agreed to every concession Israel has demanded since the last conflict, while Israel has broken several (to its discredit). Israel claims that by killing 1,830 Palestinians and wounding countless others it was defending itself using experimental tungsten weapons. Tungsten is the material the heating elements inside your toaster, toaster oven and electric oven that causes it to glow orange almost immediately. One problem with this is that Israel - in claiming to be a Jewish state - has exceeded its own law of retribution as cited in the Torah (old testament Bible) “an Eye for an Eye a tooth for a tooth” by 610 times! After the Initial 3 deaths, was Hamas expected to allow Israel to continue dropping bombs and launching rockets? As thuggish as many believe Hamas to be (and they may very well be right), Israel is far worse because they don’t follow their own laws! As per usual Israel uses the Jewish death toll after WWII as reasoning, and applies the slogan “never again." I agree never again! That should apply to all human beings. Genocide should never be the answer to any problem!

As it turns out Hamas did not kidnap and kill the 3 Israeli youth but rather an offshoot of Hamas. Israel even knew this to be a fact before this current conflict occurred.

For all anybody knows the 3 youth in question could have been spies for Hamas and the Hamas offshoots spies (agent provocateurs) for Israel who instigated everything for Israel. Otherwise everything seems to be far too convenient for Israel.

We will see how long the current ceasefire will last. In the mean time we should all continue to divest in Israel by boycotting the following corporations: Mcdonalds, Nestle, Sodastream, Motorola, Intel, IBM ,AOL ,Siemens, Keter, Curver, Contico, Coca-Cola, Outstanding, Danone, Starbucks, Eden, Jardin, Allibert, Jaffa, Tivall, Strauss, Volvic, Evian Shape and Actimel.