Nov 6, 2014
It's tough being poor anywhere in the world, but here in the hypocritically wealthiest and hypocritically most racist nation on earth it is particularly challenging. When those with so much more wealth flaunt it and those with white skin privilege pretend white privilege doesnt exist: that's when it gets especially challenging.
One of the greatest challenges is when other people of color put that oppression onto us.
This happened recently while pricing several items at Rainbow Food Co-operative in San Francisco, including one of them cheeses that doesnt have artificial hormones that could be used to make my now famous “Beast From the East Pizza.”
The cashier was one of the employees who I had numerous run-ins with in the past, especially while I was homeless. They would mostly harass me about how much time I would use in the rest room or how the restroom was messy when I got done.
In my own defense, I must say often I had to clean the toilet just to use it, that's why I took so long and the bathroom was generally left in the shape it was in when I arrived on other occasions.
Anyhow, on this most recent occasion I noticed through the corner of my eye this employee making signals with his head, indicating he wanted security to keep an eye on me.
Everywhere I went, security went. Needless to say it made me leave without gathering all the information I wanted and looking for another source for cheese and other items.
In the same week, on my way to Poor Magazine on Bart, I sat next to a well dressed white woman in a business suit with several expensive looking parcels. When she saw me sit she clutched the bag nearest me as if I wanted to snatch it from her.
I looked at her in horror as she clutched it even tighter.
Shortly before my train arrived she actually got up a moved to the other side of the circular bench. My train approached and I got up while shaking my head, so I could get on my train and leave that ignorance behind.
I ran into the same stupidity while shopping at Home Depot with my brother and colleague at Poor Magazine, Muteado Silencio, after security watched the items that were purchased be scanned purchased and bagged. Upon departing the store security abrubtly demanded a receipt.
Then on my way back across the bay, again while getting on Bart, I noticed a Bart employee of color eyeballing my fresh unbagged produced that I aquirred from the people's produce stand. He really looked at me hard as if he wanted to say something but declined to do so.
I definenately got the vibe that that wasn't the end of it.
Then lo and behold several stations later after boarding my train, 2 Bart cops get on and eyeballed me for 2 full minutes, which can seem like a lifetime when 2 people with guns are eyeballing you!
Eventually one of them mumbled some words into his communication device.
The other officer, apparently his senior officer, signalled for him to walk ahead of him almost as if to say “this guy isnt doing anything wrong,” which quite frankly shocked me!
We shall overcome some day but apparently not any day soon!