That’s Not Care... That’s a Crime!

by Ace Tafoya/PoorNewsNetwork Community Journalist

Promise me everything, and give me nothing

Give with one hand

Smile and Grin; then take Back with somebody’s else Hand

Prop N! My Friend, No! No! No!

Help, House the Homeless! No

Help Cripple the homeless, and throw them out not off the streets

An excerpt from Contract Law(Lies) By A. Faye Hicks PO’ Poet Laureate/POOR Magazine

On the corner of Van Ness and Market St. last Monday afternoon, I saw a disturbing figure. A figure of a person lying on the street with a yellow blanket pressed tightly over their body. "Hell!," I said as I was ‘shocked and awed’ at the sight!... This country is spending billions of dollars on an unnecessary war. Billions that can make a difference in services all over the country.

I was part of a demonstration on Thursday, April 17, 2003 at the Next Door Shelter sponsored by the Coalition on Homelessness, POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights), POOR Magazine as well as many other agencies. Supposedly a model shelter for the city of San Francisco, Next Door which has a capacity of roughly 250 beds, was handing out eviction notices to clients in response to Proposition N or Care Not Cash initiative last week "I don’t like them (the eviction notices)," JoAnn Sanders a homeless advocate said to me at the rally. "I’m not sure if they are warranted. It’s amazing that the major politicians (Gavin Newsome, Willie Brown) plant their platforms on the backs of the poor and homeless."

Roughly 50 – 70 people turned up to speak out and let their voices be heard on the corners of Geary and Polk Streets. Even eggs that were thrown from across the street in our direction could not deter us from our protest.

Ed Willard and Marisa Franco from POWER led the people and the chants on the streets of the Tenderloin. We marched from the Coalition on Homelessness on Turk Street to 1001 Polk – Next Door Shelter. 

"Shelter Bed and $59

That’s Not Care –

That’s A Crime"

We want to let the City, Department of Human Services (DHS); the Board of Supervisors know what they are secretly doing behind closed doors in reference to Prop. N is not acceptable. "I think it is wrong giving out eviction notices to people who are on GA (the city’s welfare assistance program). This is only the early stages," Darrell Godbay from Shout said to me at the protest.

Reps from POWER have three simple demands for DHS, Trent Rhorer and the other co-horts: NO EXPULSIONS OR EXCLUSIONS FROM SHELTERS; HOUSING NOT CUTS AND NO FINGERPRINTING IMAGE MACHINES AT THE SHELTERS.

"People who most need the services (from the city) will be displaced," Garth Ferguson, a member of POWER said to me at the rally. A. Faye Hicks of the Po’ Poet’s Project of POOR Magazine let her lovely voice come through strong on a beautiful piece of poetry she recited. I tried to get a few comments from people who live at that shelter, but they uttered silence. "We aren’t going to put our fingers in your damn machines," warned Juan from Housing Not Borders. "The real crazies are the people like Trent (Roher, DHS). The war is here on the floor!," MC from Caduceus Outreach Services said at the podium.

Postscript;

After protests from the city’s poor and their advocates The Next Door Shelter later rescinded the eviction notices- and at this point the effort is to overturn Prop N through the courts and The San Francisco Board of Supervisors- To get involved in this effort call POWER at 415-864-8372. To read more about Prop N resistance scroll down this page and read Economic and Racial Cleansing #101