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by Kaponda
Images of the past six months rushed through my mind
as the bus hissed by the trees in its' wake. Garbed in
county-issued orange, my eyes penetrated the iron bars
attached to the bus windows which permitted a narrow
view of precious liberty. I gazed at the prospects that my
new environment could offer, while I considered the
resolutions I made during my grueling confinement at
San Bruno County Jail.
My body trembled at the notion of freedom, and its
responsibilities, as the bus barreled down the street
toward the Hall of Justice. Like a rush-hour commuter, I
would have to make a flawless transition to keep pace
with the larger society of which I would soon become a
part. That transition would require the support of
grass-roots organizations, local government agencies
and public shelters, since I had been alone in San
Francisco when I was arrested for attempting to toss
away a rock of crack cocaine in January of 1996.
The six-month old scent from my street clothes breezed
past my nostrils as the titillating Autumn winds gently
caressed every gland of my body. As I walked away
from the Hall of Justice towards my new beginning, I
bought a newspaper to learn the current topics and
nuances being discussed in The City. Welfare Reform
was the predominant topic of public debate during the
latter days of 1996, as it had recently been enacted in
August by the United States Congress.
Trying to understand the Department of Human
Services' General Assistance program was as hard as the
concrete floor on which I walked to get to the intake
window. Having been single and without dependents, I
qualified to receive General Assistance. As the intake
phase of the General Assistance process transpired, I
sensed that I was being drastically underrepresented. I
had neither been asked about my career interests, nor
had I been able to get support to find employment at
anytime during the interview process.
Meanwhile, the 104th Congress was passing legislation
that would address some of the frustrations experienced
by clients of the Department of Human Services. It
involved the devolution of federally administered
entitlement programs such as child care, welfare,
Medicaid and other programs into block grants to the
states, counties and local governments. On August 22,
1996, President Clinton signed into law H.R. 3734,
"The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996." The legislation provides
tremendous short-term benefits -- from career counseling
to financial support and employment training. There are
risks, however. Some beneficiaries could be forced off
of welfare before being adequately trained, although the
two- to five-year time limit expires.
Born out of the Welfare Reform legislation, the Personal
Assisted Employment Specialist (PAES) program of the
Department of Human Services (DHS) in San Francisco
was specifically designed by career counselors and the
Director of DHS, Will Lightbourne, to plot and develop
an employment plan for its clients. PAES provides its'
participants with job search assistance or anything that
helps get them ready to work, including educational
courses, job training, mental health and substance abuse
services.
Following a brief training program at City College of
San Francisco, which I was referred to by PAES, which
although intensive, left me lacking in the skills I needed
to succeed in todays highly competitive job market and
fell short of what I needed to realize my dreams to be in
the media industry, I was referred to POOR Magazine by
my PAES counselor, Lisa Brown. She explained that the
New Journalism/Media Studies program at POOR
Magazine was comparable to a four-year education in journalism at a prestigious university. In
addition, she reassured me that the Department of Human
Services would supply me with any resources necessary to
ensure that I have every opportunity to succeed as a
journalist.
I began to envision a career as a journalist dedicated to
reporting on the issues which were important to me -- civil
and human rights. POOR Magazine is a grassroots non-profit
organization which provides media access and education to
low and no income communities. POOR's New
Journalism/Media Studies program is designed primarily to
give voice to very low income communities by offering
extensive training in the media and multi-media industries.
In addition to providing journalism and media training,
POOR Magazine also champions the causes of other
organizations and service providers that advocate for
low-income and homeless people. One such cause that has
gotten the support of POOR Magazine is the concept of a fair
and open City budget.
The People's Budget Collaborative is the mechanism to
facilitate a fair and open City budget. Formed in 1998, it
provides a framework for equal access to the many services
provided by The City, including child care, health care and
living wage jobs. The People's Budget seeks to eliminate
traditional pork out of the budget by slashing fiscal spending
by a substantial amount. In December of 1999, City
Controller Ed Harrington announced that, "The entire
People's Budget of '1999 could be funded from an additional
$20 million revenue, alone." As was pointed out in an
editorial in the San Francisco Bayview, The People's Budget
emphasizes prevention programs and other long-term
investments which ultimately result in savings for the City."
A staunch advocate for the People's Budget, Riva Enteen of
The National Lawyer's Guild, was quoted in the San
Francisco Examiner as saying, "A lot of what we're talking
about is prevention....which results in cost savings. In
substance abuse programs, for every $1 we spend, we reap
$7 three years down the road."
I reviewed the proposed Fiscal 2000 People's Budget and
was amazed at how programs involving housing, health care,
mental health, substance abuse, living wage, community
journalism, social services and many, many more would
only require $106,922,900 from the people of San
Francisco, a fraction of traditional fiscal spending.
Community Journalism is one of the components of the
People's Budget Collaborative about which I feel very
strongly. It would immediately create 10 journalists positions
for low-income and homeless welfare recipients . The
training for prospective journalists would include an
extensive program in the media and technology industries.
Furthermore, it would create a "living wage job" with
benefits, for each "Community Journalist." As a journalist,
the participant would conduct extensive research and report
on issues affecting their communities.
I have navigated through the jungle of the Department of
Human Services to attain my current status of journalist. I
believe my voice and the voices of my fellow community
journalists should be authoring the stories that are written
about poor people in San Francisco. I have taken up, for
example, issues involving fires in Single Room Occupancy
hotels, the proposed San Francisco homeless voucher plan,
forced sterilization of Native American communities,
aggressive police conduct toward mentally disabled and
homeless people, "quality of life" violations , The
"C.R.A.C.K". campaign's effect on poor mothers and The
"living wage" coalition .
Its has been a long time since that bus ride from the San
Bruno County Jail. I no longer only peruse the newspaper to
learn about the issues affecting the Bay Area..... I am now
one of those people who make the news. | 
