The Blood is on Your Hands!!

by Tiny/PoorNewsNetwork

“No justice No Peace”, voices tumbled out of the non-descript tenderloin office-voices belonging to houseless folks – poor people –economic justice advocates – low and no-wage workers…..

“No Justice No Peace” , dark corners of empty concrete filling with human struggle,
as a coalition seeking justice, members of The SF Day Laborers, The Coalition on Homelessness, POOR Magazine/PNN, and many more – marched from the POWER office to City Hall…on Tuesday September 16th . It had been months – months which tasted like years – time dripping by like a million leaking faucets time spent fighting very wealthy corporate interests with million dollar media campaigns. who used poor and houseless folks for political gains – Today was the day – the jig was up! The gloves were off – we would play their game no longer – by any means necessary – the people would be heard – Proposotion N – the Gavin Newsome lie to the voters of San Francisco which pretended to “solve the homeless” problem – but in fact did nothing but make the lives of poor people poorer by reducing their workfare wage from almost nothing ($345.00 per month) to really nothing ($59.00 per month)- “No!!” we shouted- today we would fight til we were heard –even if it meant shutting down the San Francisco board of supervisors meeting-with all we had left-our voices!

“We’re going to shut down City Hall until they listen to the truth” one of the Community Journalists at POOR/PNN said to me as we stood in the doorway of the POWER offices in the tenderloin (People Organized to Win Employment Rights) preparing for the battle.We, the poor folk who would be directly affected by this racist, classist legislation were, In the tradition of Martin Luther King and |Gandhi planning a peaceful act of civil disobedience if the board didn’t do the right thing and kill the legislation.

“I am a new mother of a little girl, I am participating in this civil disobedience because I want to be proud that I am a San Francisco resident, I want her to be proud that she is a resident of San Francisco….”Anonymous freedom fighter

“ We are only asking for the Board to do the right thing – stop messing with the poor”
Willie X/POOR/PNN

“Proposition N separates the poor and gives them no choice to live…”
Lafeyette Ricks/POWER

“My name is Donna Gates, I have written every candidate for mayor in San Francisco- to give them ideas on how to solve homelessness in San Francisco – none of them have written me back….

“ We are here today to demand that the Board of Supervisors kill proposition N- San Francisco voters were fooled by the racist lies that Gavin Newsom told by spending millions of dollars… the board of Supervisors has to take a stand and do what’s right” Steve Williams,POWER

The day of resistance commenced in the board chambers. The people waited patiently as hours passed and then the political grandstanding by the board supervisors began- eventually the board voted to kill Proposition N- but in so doing they voted to table yet another form of prop N- ie Prop N lite a collaborative legislation between Supervisor Tony Hall and Gavin Newsom – at this point the people responded –our voices were heard - with an action of civil disobedience we created a “die-in” which effectively shut the meeting down for over 30 minutes.

“No Justice No Peace-We’re here because the blood is on your hands” while the people chanted we enacted the death of housless and poor people impacted by Prop N, Prop M and Prop N-lite in the board chambers…which would be and is the real result that would occur if any form of proposition N is passed

Outside the chambers of lies – justice hovered – protecting us – listening to us – after what seemed like a very long time, Board president Matt Gonzalez – agreed to meet with us and figure out what the next step would be – there were no arrests – the people were heard- and now the struggle continues….