Anti-Eviction G. Wells

by Joe B.

An Anti-Eviction Protest For Grace Wells

Its Saturday, July, 27, 2002.

An eviction picket will happen in front of long time resident Mrs., Grace Well, 85, quietly fighting to stay in her adopted City and neighborhood.

It could be for her, a final stay before enjoying peace, with the Eternal, old friends, loved ones on infinities shore where everyone lives a stress-less existence in mansions of foreverness.

On its face its a greedy landlord out to make tons of cash.

But as Kaponda would tell me "Don’t jump to conclusions, reason it out, get the facts straight, then write your news item without bias."

Up early, brain and belly starved for food, of water and after washing then brushing sleep from body and teeth leave a still warn bed for Poor’s office.

After saying hi to Lisa, pick up my assignment from a hard copied email along with a PNN POOR NEWS NETWORK
sign showing are support; so much for the objectivity factor.

I rush to my S.R.O.(Single Room Only or Occupancy) for extra tapes, batteries in case the interview is longer.

The number 6 bus heads toward Divisidereo and Page Streets, there’s a feeling of something missing but Ignore the-back-of-mind-nag sensation concen- trating on Mrs.

Wells and her concerns. This means not being late.

The strategy:leave early, interview Mrs. Grace Wells, protesters and be back at St. Anthony’s in time for lunch.

10:46 am just off the bus, at the Divisidero & Page intersection sitting on a street curb as a NBC-3 news van passed drove by me.

Besides light blue skies and clouds only threatening a brighter day dripping sunshine.

On both sides of this quiet street are black lettering on daisy yellow signs boldly insisting "Don’t Evict Grace Wells"

A quiet area, trees lined up neatly on both sides of the street its it would be difficult to know anyone was fighting eviction.

Most cars are parked row on row with only a few slanted toward traffic.

It’s so bird chirping, adult and child strolling, walking, toddlers in their carriages, bike rider’s breathe-glistening-clean-air-surreal–quiet here.

Walking down the street I found the building where Mrs. Wells for now and hopefully later will still live.

Mrs. Wells lives in a two story dwelling called a flat with another next door neighbor number 910 to the left of Mrs. Wells I don’t know who lives there.

Mr. Ted, Gullicksen, of the Tenants Union with a friend are making protest signs with blue, black and other colorful magic markers. Mr. Gullicksen tells me NBC-3 and other news crews will be interviewing Mrs. Grace Wells in her residence. Mr. Gullicksen, and another person they I’ll interview first.

First is Mr. Arnold Cohn. Who began telling me about a scam by owners.

AC:"The Capital Improvement scam; I live a Marina Cove and Presidents of Marina Cove and Lombard Place have been targeted to have to pay multi million dollar Capital Improvements on the landlords building-and if someone would want to look into the detail of this how the city’s own laws have been violated and yet the rent board has approved these capital improvements petitions.

Its somewhat of a detailed story that would take more than just a conversation, on a sidewalk, in the morning.

PM:"Well…"

AC:"But if you have the time sometime, and you want to make…"

PM: "I may not have the time but I know but there others who may.

Oh, I need your name."

AC:"My name is Arnold Cohn C-O-H-N and my telephone number’s 567-4856. And then the other person from Lombard Place is named Laraine Kal or Cal-Cagney [if I’m in error spelling Ms. Laraine’s last name, sorry] her telephone number is 345-8529.

We are the ones… or We can arrange for people to give you complete details on this "capital improvement scam and to summarize it what it means is there’s a loophole in the rent control law that as wide as a two ton truck and that the a landlord has to do is spend money.

Whether or not it improved the building, it could only be gold platting the building but if the landlord spends money, the tenants have to pay for that’s in essence."

This is not the end there is more Mr. Cohn wanted to say.

PM:"Detailed invoices?"

AC:"And cancelled checks, for the money they’ve spent.

Well, the landlord for Lombard Place merely submitted one cancelled check and one bill from a contractor that in now way can be verified and the rent board accepted that; and it say right in the rent boards rules and regulations they are suppose to have detailed bills and cancelled checks."

PM: "Sounds like there’s money being made under the table."

AC: "Something really scandalous there."

PM: "Thank you very much,I think I will be able to get other people on this."


The Second Interview is with Mr. Ted, Gullicksen, of the Tenants Union.

By this time another news crew has gone inside for an interview with Mrs. Grace Wells. Here is what Mr. Ted Gullicksen had to say.

PM: "Gullicksen, I got to say this right, Gullicksen, Gullicksen. I have think of seagulls."

TG: "Exactly."

PM: "So what has happened so far?"

TG: "What’s happening here is that Grace Wells is 85 years old, has lived in her home for thirteen years and lived in this neighborhood in over
forty years is being evicted under the Ellis Act from her home here by an out of state landlord who owns a bunch of rental properties in San Francisco.

Who would like to convert Grace’s three unit apartment building, into one big single family home-mansion we call it.

So that this landlord who’s affiliated with Zephyr Reality can turn around and sell the building to some rich person and they don’t care what will happen to grace.

They just ‘wanna turn her home into a mansion and sell it and make lots of money."

PM: "Make more money, so its all economic."

TG: "All economic, they don’t care whatsoever about Grace and where Grace will go. Grace is disabled, she has social security for income, its here sole income.

There’s absolutely no place that Grace can go in San Francisco. So will be thrown out of her home with nowhere to go."

PM: "Thank you, very much."

TG: "Sure." My Third and last interview is with Mrs. Grace Wells in her home at 908 on Divisidero and Page Streets.


Mrs. Grace Wells is small, brown black woman and frail sitting across in hair chair.

I want to be as gentle not tiring her because yet another news crew will be interviewing her again.

PM: "I don’t know what to ask you, the news teams already asked most of the questions; I was going to ask you about relatives if you got any letters, telegrams, from other people, relatives, friends, that heard about this and trying to help sending money orders or something like that?"

GW:" No."

PM: " Oh."

PM: "Should have a campaign towards that."

PM: "I’m with Poor Magazine, I guess we’re a news paper too.

Newspaper and the internet and also a hard copy book that comes out once a year ‘cause we don’t have enough money."

GW: "Here, San Francisco?"

PM: "Oh, we’re based in San Francisco but our reach is kind of… a, global, we’re on the net too."

GW: " Oh, yeah."

PM: "I can’t think of any questions to ask. I’m suppose to be…"
Ed, taking photo’s of Mrs. Wells, and the house helps with more confusion.

Ed: "I can’t believe Joe is speechless, I’m not making you nervous."

PM: "No, not you, I’m thinking about my grandmother, I’m thinking about my mother and I’m thinking about myself… And all I can think of is a Co-op where people actually own the building-in-common.

Ed: "I don’t know Joe, that sounds like Communism

PM: "Social Capitalism that’s what I call it."

Ed: "Good for you there you go."

PM:" But I hope you keep fighting this and as long as many people start
knowing about this because this has been happening to other people and its not gonna… your not the only one. And it seems they want to get rid of the elderly first because you know more history, you know some secrets, and its elderly first then the single ones, then they get rid of families and before you know it; its just a bunch of empty buildings. That’s my take on it.

PM: "Has anyone else been moved out?"

GW: "No, the landlady, it was just the two of us lived here. The landlady lived upstairs had passed and then they bought it. It was just the two of us."

PM: "That’s another thing gotta have more people."

Ed: "Yeah, well I’m gonna go outside and take a couple more pictures."

PM: "I think I’m done, I’ve done Gullicken and someone else."

GW: "Thank you."

PM: "I want them to pay, I want them to pay a whole lot because you’ve been a great tenant and its just money, greed, they have enough money. Its just greed."

G.W: "More money, I guess that’s what keeps the world turning."

Ed: "Yeah, but it shouldn’t be you know, it should be something from the heart. We’ll do our best to keep fighting for you so, nice to meet you."

PM: "Bye."

GW: "Bye."

With that I leave quiet, frail, Mrs. Grace Wells with no place to go if she’s forced out of her long time residence. I’m glad the other media showed what some outside owner was displacing to hoard more dough than they need. Two of Poor’s newest interns have picket signs talking to each other. Andy, is tall, well mannered, and curious.
The young woman standing is a petite, red haired, heart faced, her eyes darting everywhere. These two standing still seem to vibrate and blurred to me or is it my energy level is a notch or two lower than their’s.

Outside Mr. Gullicksen is on a bullhorn speaking up for Mrs. Grace Wells.

"Does everyone have a chat sheet?"

Just so people know… I think everyone knows why we’re here but what’s happening is we have a woman here.

Grace Wells is here, 85 years old, has lived in this home for thirteen years, has lived in this neighborhood for three decades.

She’s being evicted by an out of state landlord.

A woman by the name of Junk Croucher who owns a bunch of a bunch of apartment buildings in San Francisco and is evicting Grace under the Ellis Act.

She wants to turn this three unit apartment into a mansion. She wants to turn this into a mansion so she can sell it for multi million dollars to someone wealthy who doesn’t care what they buy or where Grace ends up.

Grace is disabled, her only income is social security, she has absolutely no where to go.

This is an eviction that we want to stop and if you look around the neighborhood you’ll see signs in various windows saying "Stop

This Eviction" The neighbors have been rallying behind Grace and calling the landlord and saying "We Don’t Want People Like You Moving Into Our Neighborhood, We Don’t Want People Like You evicting a woman like Grace Wells who are a basic component of the neighborhood."

People who have made this neighborhood who are now being kicked out in the name of Gentrification.

" It was now I remember the slight nagging something.

I have left the Poor sign at home laying comfortably on my bed in my apartment.

I left my brown leather backpack so I’d have to return to the protest.

I went to the bathroom, then my room, drank some water, picked up my sign and back on another number 6 bus to the protest.

It was over by the time I got back.

Ed is leaving, I was about to hop on a bus to get back to St. Anthony’s for a free lunch but Andy, myself and the young woman [her name escapes me momentarily] are going to lunch at …
again [the name of the restaurant escapes me momentarily]

The food, smoothy, bread and butter is both a solid and liquid ambrosia to a starving, thirsty man and was worth the walk down a [street/avenue who names yet again escapes me momentarily]

I’m beginning to feel like the former "Quantum Leap" guy with his Swiss Cheese Mind as he travels within his own lifetime.

After the meal we separate soon I’m on a bus going back to Market
Street.

I realize the sign from Poor Magazine is in the restaurant I forgot the name of.

I’ll get it back if I can but for now I’m full, no longer thirsty and my assignment is now over.

I hope Mrs. Grace Wells keeps her residence until ultimate peace finds her and not thrown out on hot or cold streets to die alone, in pain, with no one to comfort and watch over her. Bye…