by Connie Lu/PoorNewsNetwork Media intern

Joseph Bolden, staff writer and photographer for POOR Magazine/PNN,
and I exit the Fruitvale BART station and after some aimless wandering in the multi-cultural, multi-generational neighborhoods of East Oakland we arrive at San Antonio Park, which was where the 3rd Annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival was being held.

I look up at the brilliant blue sky. There is not a
single cloud. The air is cool with a light breeze
that gently sweeps over the lush green grass where I
am sitting in front of the main stage. The stage is
decorated with a huge purple banner that says
"Malcolm X" written in yellow and outlined in green. There are several stands and booths surrounding the
outer edge of the park with bold, colorful posters and
pieces of art translating the words and images of the Great Malcolm X , a civil rights leader who was murdered in 1965.

The day starts with one of the MC's and performers from the day, Josh Jones explaining that the festival is being held in honor of Malcolm X and his great civil
rights accomplishments. The festival is also
dedicated to Yuri Kochiyama, a friend of Malcolm X and
political activist, who was involved in the civil
rights movement and became a member of Malcolm X's
Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). The theme
of this year's 3rd Annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival
was "Women's Voices Against the War" because of how
our country's current situation with war is affecting
the lives of many women and their children.

Another MC introduces the next band to
perform, the Oakland Highschool Jazz Band. The variety of
instruments being played directly reflects the rich
diversity that make up this band. There are Black,
Asian, and Latino musicians playing different
instruments together. The next
band is The Josh Jones Ensemble. The style of
this band is very mellow, yet strong. Their music has
a jazzy flavor with a hint of funk. The lead singer
has a powerful voice. Her voice echoes with a deep
passion of soul as she sings the climax of the song,
followed by the intense electric guitar solo that
keeps my head nodding to the funky beat of the
drummer.

Throughout this wonderful day there were many youth and elder poets and speakers including The Black Dot Artists Collective, Idris Ackamoor,India Cooke and many more. One of the highlights for me was Rhodessa Jones, an actress,
singer, and writer who began her presentation by reciting an excerpt from a play by
Eve Ensler called "Vagina Monologues" which was based
upon several interviews from a group of diverse women.
Jones recited the excerpt and expressed the emotions
of the vagina by saying, "My vagina's
angry". The monologue itself is dramatically
delivered with passion. At first I wasn't sure how to
interpret what I was hearing, but as Rhodessa
continued speaking I realized the monologue was
addressing the pain, anger, and power of women.

As I walk across the grass towards the sidewalk to
leave the festival, I felt enriched not only with the art, images and words of the featured artists but with the dream that my generation would definitely not forget the important legacy of the great leader Malcolm X.

by CLive Whistle/PNN

As I walk toward City Hall I ponder on the notion of the Homeless audit done by the San Francisco Controllers office which will be presented today in front of the Health and Human Services Committee of The SF Board of Supervisors. I tried to understand the idea of being audited as a community. I knew the homeless audit wasn’t supposed to be a bad thing but somehow it still made me feel strange, and I wondered if someday just to be fair, the SF controller could do a Homeowners Audit…..

"You know it’s a shame that we’re living in one of the richest cities in the country, and we have to stoop to making criminals out of poor and homeless people," L.S. Wilson from The Coalition on Homelessness was speaking to the crowd of activists, poor folks and press gathered in front of City Hall to protest anti-homeless legislations proposed by Gavin Newsom and Tony Hall as well as support the positive legislations proposed by Chris Daly as well as the most interesting thing of all, "the Homeless audit" – an audit that was done to assess the most efficient way to provide services for houseless San Franciscans

"In a few minutes members of the health and human services of the board of supervisors will hear items from the community proposal... these items were endorsed by over 40 community organizations working with poor and homeless people on a daily basis. These ideas were birthed from years of bi-weekly or monthly work groups, counseling, or community meetings, as well as critical examinations of practices in other communities. It builds upon improving the system we have in place, it also strengthens the inclusion of input from those who are impacted mostly and therefore are most knowledgeable, staff who will implement them, homeless people who will live under the decisions that are made. These proposals focus their recommendations on improving the effectiveness of accountability of existing service delivery systems and decision-making processes. We call on the city to address homelessness in a comprehensive manner by implementing the continuum of care plan so many of us worked on."

There were several more advocates and community folks that spoke, The last speaker was public defender, Jeff Adachi who referred to some of the statistics gleaned from the audit, "Its ironic that we’re here on such a beautiful day to protest some of the ugliest legislation that has come before the board in recent times. As somebody who has practiced in our court system as a public defender for the last 15 years, I will tell you that locking up homeless people is no solution. According to the report that was issued yesterday by the controller’s office, out of City Hall, the city spends $30 million dollars of your money every year to lock up homeless folks. If today’s anti-homeless legislations are passed you are going to see that number triple."

After Jeff spoke we marched into City Hall, all of us "homeless folks" who were the proud owners of our own audit. Notwithstanding my pondering I realized that considering homeless folks were already considered a thing instead of a people, that maybe this audit wasn't so bad cause– we might as well have statistics to back up our oppression, then maybe we can fight this fight for civil and human rights with a little more power.

The Homeless Audit...

CONTROLLER’S AUDITS DIVISION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Results in Brief

In the six months from
September 2001 through
February 2002, members of
the Board of Supervisors
introduced 31 pieces of
legislation, made 17 requests
of the City Attorney for
legislation, and made 41
additional requests of city
departments related to
homelessness.

Although the City and County of San Francisco (City)
makes available a wide spectrum of well-delivered services
for its diverse homeless population, the City has not yet
developed an effective, unified strategy for dealing with
the issues related to homelessness in San Francisco.
Homelessness is a major problem in San Francisco: The
homeless population is large, many citizens feel that the
problems connected to homelessness have gotten worse,
and political strife about the best ways to deal with
homelessness hinder the ability of the City to manage these
issues effectively.

Over the years, the City has spent
millions of dollars to address homelessness; however, the
City has not been able to ensure that this money has gone
where most needed. Additionally, the City’s methods for
working with the homeless population have been
inconsistent because different elected officials have
favored different approaches to assisting the homeless. As
administrations have changed, the City has not maintained
policies or planning information related to homelessness.

Moreover, unlike some other major United States cities,
the City has not worked with nearby jurisdictions to
approach homeless-related issues regionally.
If the City is to establish an effective system of services for
homeless individuals, the City will need to ensure that the
system contains three elements that inform and reinforce
one another: policies that include overarching, shared goals
and a strategic plan for accomplishing these goals, services
tailored to different types of clients and their varying
needs, and data that describes the clients who use
particular services, the resources used to provide those
services, how well the services work, and the needs that
remain unmet.

Ideally, to serve clients well and to avoid
wasting resources, the City should supply the right
amounts of the right services. In a good system, these
elements strengthen each other and provide the means to
assess the system’s effectiveness. Specifically, the City’s
policies for the system should determine the services
provided and the types of data collected. Data gathered
about the system and its clients should allow the City to
evaluate its services and to determine or reevaluate its
policies.

The Mayor’s Office on
Homelessness estimates that
15 to 20 percent of San
Francisco’s shelter clients
are seniors, and, according
to the City’s Continuum of
Care Plan, 25 to 30 percent
of homeless people in San
Francisco are families.

However, the City’s current policies provoke much
disagreement among decision makers, and its Continuum
of Care Plan for the homeless is not useful as a strategic
plan. This plan cannot guide the City’s delivery of
homeless services because it lacks the support of key
stakeholders as well as specific, measurable steps and
outcomes. Because stakeholders do not have common
goals for the City’s homeless services, nor do they agree
on a useful plan to implement the services, the City cannot
measure its effectiveness in assisting homeless individuals.

The current structure for delivering services has
fragmented among city departments and various parts of
the Mayor’s Office the authority, responsibility, and
information for the system. No department or agency is
accountable for the system as a whole.

The City also lacks an effective means to collect data
related to homelessness. Currently, the City does not
collect and track data in a manner that provides
comprehensive statistics about services, assessments of
service quality, or data on service funding.

Some of the
reasons that data collection and analysis is difficult in San
Francisco are that the City has a decentralized system for
accepting and tracking individuals who request services
and that no coordination exists among the various service
providers, which must collect and report data to the City.

This absence of coordination creates an administrative
burden for provider organizations, makes extremely
difficult any citywide analysis of service delivery and
provider performance, and does not serve clients well.

Thus, the City’s homeless services lack support from good
policies—which specify goals—and good data—which
shows needs. In addition, according to the information we
gathered, the City’s homeless have more unmet needs for
some services than for others. More specifically, the City
currently funds enough overnight shelter beds to
accommodate all single adults who seek them, but the City
lacks sufficient shelters or shelter beds for homeless
families. Families typically wait three to six months for
space in a full-service shelter. Further, the City does not
fund enough mental health or substance abuse services to
meet the demand, which comes both from San Franciscans
who are homeless and those who have permanent housing.
Finally, a shortage of transitional and long-term housing
exists for all segments of the homeless population, and few
of the homeless can afford "affordable" housing.

For those

whose incomes are sufficient for affordable housing, there
is not much to be found. For the past three years, San
Francisco has created an average of 1,333 fewer units of
affordable housing per year than its population needs.
To determine the needs of different types of homeless
people, we looked at the services available for families,
seniors, veterans, youth, and undocumented immigrants.

We found that the City funds a wide range of services that
appear to be delivered well by highly dedicated city
employees and staffs of non-profit provider organizations.
These services form a continuum of care, from emergency
or front-end services that help those in crisis or immediate
need to transitional services that stabilize homeless people
to long-term services, which include permanent housing.
Services vary in duration and intensity, allowing the City
to make available services with different outcome
expectations that are appropriate for different populations
of homeless people. However, there are people who may
choose never to participate in the City’s range of services.
Policymakers should realize that it will remain an ongoing
challenge to decide how best to respond to these
individuals.

The key policy body in the City’s response to
homelessness should be the Local Homeless Coordinating
Board. However, to be more effective and efficient, the
Local Homeless Coordinating Board needs to have fewer
members, and needs to be empowered and staffed to play a
central role. The City’s key implementation agency for
homeless services should be the Department of Human
Services.

Finally, city departments generally have procedures in
place to ensure that the programs they fund are functioning
adequately and in accordance with their contracts. The City
includes in its contracts with providers many contract
monitoring tools, such as performance measures and
extensive requirements for progress reports, but the extent
to which city departments actually use the data they
receive is unclear. Moreover, the City could more widely
use tools that ensure the efficiency of homeless services,
such as performance measures focused on efficiency as
well as contract provisions to pay providers based on a cost
per unit of service delivered. The City also cannot ensure
that it is purchasing the most efficient services because a
lack of competition among providers for many services to
the homeless causes city departments to award many
contracts without receiving competitive bids.

Key Recommendations

This audit was not intended to determine how to solve
homelessness in San Francisco. Rather, this report
recommends how the City can improve its system for
planning, delivering, and evaluating homeless services in
San Francisco. The City should act on all of the
recommendations presented in this report, including the
key recommendations outlined below. A complete list of
recommendations may be found in Appendix A.
To improve delivery of services to homeless people, the
Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s Office should:
·

* Reduce the size of, empower, adequately staff, and
comply with the advice of the Local Homeless
Coordinating Board.

*Increase the staff of the Local
Homeless Coordinating Board from the current one
position to three full-time positions: a policy and data
analyst, a grant writer, and an administrative assistant.
·

* Designate the Local Homeless Coordinating Board as
the lead body for policy advice and oversight of
homeless issues in San Francisco, and designate the
Department of Human Services—which is represented
on the Local Homeless Coordinating Board and has a
Division of Housing & Homeless Programs—as the
lead agency for implementation of that policy in the
delivery of homeless services.
·

*Submit all proposed legislation, budget actions, and
ballot initiatives related to homelessness to the Local
Homeless Coordinating Board for review and comment
before adoption of any new measures. Except in
extraordinary circumstances, policymakers should
abide by any measures they approve for at least the
next budget year.
·

* Decide how best to allocate the increasingly limited
funds the City uses for homeless services, based on
prioritized and realistic goals developed by the Local
Homeless Coordinating Board. San Francisco has not
had, and likely will not have soon, enough money to
provide sufficient shelter and housing to meet the needs
of San Francisco’s homeless.

·

*Formalize and sustain a relationship with policymakers
in other Bay Area governments to see how San
Francisco can participate more actively in a regional
approach to homelessness.

*To improve its effectiveness as a policy advisory body, the
Local Homeless Coordinating Board should:
·

* Advise the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s
Office about whether to redirect or further restrict the
City’s cash aid to homeless people, and whether the
City should strive to fund more services to provide
homeless people with money management and
representative payee services, where clients have their
rent and other bills paid for them.
·

* Investigate if there are means, including grants, to get
more non-City funds that the City could use to add
capacity in family shelters, full-service residential
treatment programs for families, and mental health and
substance abuse treatment programs.
·

* In collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Housing,
set realistic numerical goals for the creation of housing
units affordable to low- and very-low income people in
San Francisco, and specify which city departments are
responsible for seeing that specified numbers of units
are created by specified dates.
·

*Compile and analyze the data collected from service
providers by city departments.
Finally, the city departments that contract with homeless
service providers should:
·

* Coordinate with one another to ensure that contracts for
the same or similar services include standardized
service statistics, units of service, and performance
measures, including measures of service outcomes.
·

*Work to implement promptly the federally required
Homeless Management Information System that will
link all service providers and track client data.
We conducted this audit according to generally accepted
government auditing standards.

by Joe B.

I don’t know what to say.[Like that’s new Joe]

I’ve got an economic windfall, breathing room besides my regular monthly check which is still worrisome, because of D.H.S. Department of Human Services non breach but stinging.

"Just making sure we’re on the same page" hold up of money already paid to work program participants.

Enough about that it only means one has to find alternative means of funding POOR.

As for myself besides having business cards made up for a one-person business for house sitting, writing science or speculative fiction, radio voice over work, and on-line investing.

I pretty much know my options are not as limited as I once thought.

I might try buying and selling real estate in San Francisco mainly because I still want to live here even though its treated poor folks badly it would be home base for me after traveling the globe and maybe off-world?

The last thing but probably most pleasurable would be first writing screenplay, producing, and directing Pornographic film.

The distribution and on-line process someone else will handle.

Folks these are all things I’d like to do to keep myself sane and healthy for the next few decades that is if 2012 is only another year and not special because the Myan Calendar stopped there thousands of years in the past.

I look forward to 2010, ’20, ’30 and beyond, hopefully my other half bake plans will be evenly cooked by the time those years loom closer.

Here is my business, there will be a number to call as soon as I get a phone or place ads in newspapers in S.F. and across the Bay Area.

I do worry about taxes but if my business becomes viable then I won’t mind paying them isn’t that part of being American, excuse me American of African descent.

Now below the business I’m struggling to get into below and if other House sitters can give me friendly suggestions please do – I need all the help I can get.

HouseCare-Pro Price range:$25 per day or $100 a week for 1 bdrm. apt, small House.

4 to 3 bedrooms, $50 to $100 a week,

$5,000 a week for 20 to 40 rm. Homes.

$25,000 by the week or $100,000 for

50 to 100 rm Mansions

Prices are negotiable.

Non drinker, smoker,

drugs (unless its aspirin & vitamins)

Not a party animal, Boredom, works for me.

For Joe only my snail mail:PO Box 1230 #645

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

This column was written to inform people – some who laughingly are suppose to be running this yet to be land of milk ‘n’ honey that ‘PO folks have their own agenda’s just as the power full have theirs.

Ours may not be on as grand a scale, there are more of us learning to withhold our money, votes, be disconnected from power grids, sharing or barter for equal goods, wares, and low-mid-or high tech items.

Poor folks do think out-of-boxes – we have to, our continuing survival and evolution depends on it.

If I, a city boy and man born and bred have to move to the country to survive I’ll learn what mountain folk did to live and survive if it comes to that.

I’m betting it won’t, but just in case that’s what "roughing it" in the outdoors without mobile homes, cell-digital phones, palm pilots, but a bowie knife knapsack, and sleeping bags are all about and originally for.

I don’t miss cable or satellite TV or radio all that much.

See ‘ya, survival lesson’s like curing meat, making candles, weapons, churning butter and if I can get a Crane’s Corp’s wind up radio in case batteries no longer made, - most importantly find a few good men and women if worst comes to worst.

I’d like to die happy with grandkids and old friends surrounding me… Bye.

by Lisa Gray-Garcia and Ashley Adams

"This county is taking my mother’s property and evicting us illegally." Scott Sloan’s salt and pepper ‘fro glistened in the 9:00 am glare while he addressed POOR Magazine and DAMO staff – the only attendees of an emergency press conference held outside the Alameda County Courthouse on a bright morning in May. POOR Magazine staff in conjunction with Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization were present to report, support and advocate for the Sloan family – a low-income African-American family who have lost their disabled Grandmama and all their property to the precarious world of the Alameda County Guardianship Program.

"I live in L.A," Miss Moore, Mrs. Sloan’s daughter spoke next, "but I’m up here to lend support because everything they’re doing to my mother is wrong, like the way they evicted my sister out of my mothers house, they told her they were gonna fix the house up then she could move back. Soon as they fixed the house up they told her she was out, she had to go, had to find her own self a place to stay. No compensation, but she just had to go."

Four of Mrs Sloan’s seven adult children, several grandchildren and their extended family stood silently beneath the massive steel and concrete structure of the County building that wielded arbitrary control over the legacy of Mrs. Beatrice Sloan

Beatrice Sloan as the single parent of 7 children worked full-time as a dishwasher for thirty years to come up and out of poverty and buy property for her and her family. After endless sacrifices she bought and maintained four houses, which mostly housed her large extended family. Then she became ill and the county of Alameda seized control of her estate. Now her family faces homelessness and she is held captive in The Excell Nursing Home, a board and care facility in East Oakland.

The Sloan family have been trying to get justice for their grandmother ever since she was placed in Conservatorship. One by one Mrs. Sloan’s properties have been sold out from under the family without their consent to "pay" for the extremely high fees charged to her estate in the nursing home and have faced an endless number of mysterious surrounding the "loss" of her family assets.

"We’re trying to find out what’s going on with her and why the county wants to take the conservatorship of her, Charles Woods, Mrs Sloan’s grandson in law who has lived with his wife Javelyn and father in law Scott Sloan and has just received a 30 day eviction notice from one of Mrs. Sloans’ houses related some of the confusing bits of information they have been told by the county officials, " the county told us; we can get Conservatorship of her person but not her property; and soon as the county got control of the property they started selling the properties.

If they had liens-tax liens on her property there should’ve been liens on the bank account. She had no liens on the bank account that means she had no liens on the property but this is what they were telling us – the tales they were telling us.
Charles Woods continued, " I’m just here to speak for my father-in-law’s behalf .

Since Mrs. Sloan has been in the care of the Alameda conservative she’s been neglected, and abused at the Excell Nursing facility . The county conservator’s care more about her property than her well being .." Charles went on to relate the families recent attempt to visit their grandmother at Excell, who on other visits has been found in her own feces, with burns and bruises on her body and/or so drugged up that she is unable to move or speak, this last time they visited – they had to deal with a new shock, she just wasn’t there at all – and in true form, the family had to file a missing person’s report with the Oakland police department just to find out that Mrs. Sloan had been taken to Alta Bates Hospital.

"We just want to make this situation right.." Charles shook his head after this last statement, as though he was shaking off the impossibility of it all

The court day to-be bustled officiously around our small press conference; $300.00 suits, deep bronze and ruby red designer shoes, glistening leather briefcases dangling off of bejeweled hands. The "law" at their fingertips, judges and lawyers buzzed by, ready to take what little assets and/or dignity folk might have had left or like in the Sloan’s case, remove what small trace of equity and assets remained.

"How many properties did Beatrice Sloan originally own?" POOR staff inquired

"Four."

"Does she any of them now?"

"Only two – sort of."

"How is that set up, does she actually own them, is she on the deed, or is she…?"

"She is the sole owner. She’s on the deed… no one else."

"Then how is Alameda charging you guys $2000 dollars rent and evicting you?"

"Because they can that’s what they’re doing." They’re getting back at us for fighting them for what they’re doing ...They are actually stealing the property." Scott Sloan finished by looking angrily towards the court house

"What is the reason for the thirty day notice that you’ve just been given right now?"

Scott answered emphatically, "No reason, they gave us no reason, Oakland don’t have to give you a reason to evict you – at any given time they can evict you. You don’t have to have a reason, this is the only city that don’t have to have a reason to evict you."

The POOR staff, many of us victims of those no cause evictions ourselves, chimed in together, "There’s no just cause at all."

Before the press conference was over we asked the Sloan’s what they would like to accomplish at today’s hearing

"We would like to take conservator of person so that we can take care of our mother and grandmother in the way she deserves to be taken care of "

9:25 am The Hearing

The Sloan Family and the POOR Magazine and DAMO crew of media advocates, Ashley, Isabel, Jewnbug, Charles, Leroy, and Tiny entered the Alameda County Court building. One by one we were screened and scanned for weapons and unnecessary pieces of metal or paper , including the POOR Magazine poster boards, which they told us were prohibited in government buildings. For a minute, we all thought we were at the airport, as these facilities are not much different from each other, both cause stress.

Once we arrived in the court room The court clerk gave a run down of court procedures had asked to make sure everyone had seen the video on Conservatorships. Scott Sloan said that he had not seen the video, and the man said he would show it to him. We all wondered in shock, Why has Scott Sloan not seen the video when his mother has been under the county’s conservatorship since 1996?

"All rise..The honorable Judge William McKinistry presiding"

The Sloans looked towards the bench in disbelief. This judge was different than what the court papers said. They were expecting to see Judge Harry R. Shepherd, instead the judge was William McKinstry. McKinstry is the judge that the Sloans have been dealing with for a few years regarding the conservatorship of Beatrice Sloan, a man who the Sloans have seen on some of the transfer of deeds and deeds of sale of Mrs. Sloans property, a man who the Sloans believe has his hand "in the cookie jar" so to speak. .

Judge McKinstry, an older white man who entered the room quickly and had a habit of tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy and then emitting a short laugh at his own remarks quickly called the Beatrice Sloan case. Mrs. Sloan’s son, Scott Sloan, grandaughter, Richalda Williams, grandson-in-law, Charles Woods and POOR media advocate, Lisa Gray-Garcia (aka Tiny) all walked silently toward the front of the courtroom. Connie Rutherford from the Alameda County Counsel, also joined them. She was in place of an attorney that has been on the Sloan case through the County Counsel. Mary Lou Griffin, the current conservator did not get up from her seat and Alfred Fisher, another player in this complicated drama, entered the court room and sat down in the audience...

After introductions were made to the judge about who was present. The family stated their case, "We are here to take over the conservator of person"

"Well, I am afraid you can’t do that today- you can state your objection to the county taking over conservator of person which they are filing for, but you would have to file a formal petition to the court with your objections to their conservatorship and as well you would have to file a petition to take over conservator…"

"Your honor this family cannot do these legal documents themselves- they need a lawyer appointed to the case" Lisa Gray-Garcia, brought up the fact that this family desperately needed some legal representation.

The judge replied that it is not required that an attorney be assigned to the case and that the best advice he could offer is the family should contact the Alameda County bar Association

"Well what about the fact that Mrs. Sloan is being abused by the care facility she is in" Lisa implored.

"I am not able to deal with an elder abuse case but the family should contact the County Council’s office about that"

"W have made several calls to them and they never follow through on our complaints" Richalda Williams spoke up

" Well I am afraid that you’ll have to take that up with them – they are in court today maybe Mrs. Rutherford could talk to you today"

After a few more issues were brought up by the family and the advocate from POOR
The judge bounced around impatiently in his seat and switched out of dialogue mode and into judge-speak and set a date with the public defender present who was allegedly there representing Mrs. Sloan for July 13th court hearing and informs the family that they can file objections or petition to become conservator of person by June 20th \

The case ended without dealing with the health of Beatrice Sloan which is in jeopardy, especially if she goes back to the Excell Care Center.

After the hearing the whole family, POOR staff, Connie Rutherford of the County Counsel, Mary Lou Griffin, and Alfred Fisher filed into the hallway "to talk"

The family and their advocates confronted the county officials with facts regarding the negligence of the conservatorship, and the misuse of the funds the County received from selling two of Beatrice’s estates. Mary Lou Griffin had a difficult time with eye contact. She was constantly fidgeting with her hands, shifting her stance, and avoiding the eyes and faces of those addressing her.

Connie Rutherford was there to offer support to Mary Lou but she refused to answer any questions pertaining to the Sloans’ case, She did state that the Sloans have the right to petition for both the conservatorship of person and estate. To petition for conservatorship of estate they have to be bonded which is dependant upon the value of Beatrice’s estate. The odd thing is when asked about the value of Mrs. Sloan’s estate, Mary Lou and Alfred Fisher claimed they had no idea how much her estate is worth….

One of the POOR staff members asked why the baby of Javlyn and Charles Woods had lead poising from 588 55th street when two properties were sold to ‘supposedly’ finance repairs on the others…no one really answered… the subject was quickly changed.

It was about at this point that Connie Rutherford called for a close to the adhoc meeting. … the County Council team seemed slightly "shook" from having to spend 20 minutes telling the truth…

If you are an attorney willing to help the Sloan Family or have any more information for them call POOR Magazine at (415) 863-6306

by Leroy Moore

Michael Manning

Greener Pastures Lie Within

New York, New York, the Big Apple. The City that doesn’t sleep is the home of a story full of worms sluring around day by day trying to escape the feet of man-made oppression. In the middle of city lights, Broadway and the history of Black Harlem is the dark injustice of victims of police brutality, laws that lock up homeless people and a dim beaming light trying to live and find the healthy juices of this big apple; the Manning family. Born in the Bronx on December 2nd 1969. How funny, graduating from an institution named after a man that raped this country, Christopher Columbus High School. Although life in the Bronx is the temptation of inner city ingredients i.e. drugs, alcohol and gangs Michael stayed clean and never had trouble with the law in fact from the age of 15 to 18 he served as a member of his neighborhood civilian patrol with his closest friends. They were responsible for the arrest and capture of a burglar. He also played little league baseball and basketball for the police athletic league, which he has trophies.

Like many older Black families, Michael was surrounded by love from his grandmother, ants, uncles, nices, nephews, cousins and two brothers and two sisters. However growing up in the Bronx of New York is not an easy task for anybody and the Manning family had their share of battles with poverty that led to a search for greener pastures of employment, lower rates of street violence and safety.

In 1992 Michael, his girlfriend of 12 years and her three children packed up and moved to Pennsylvania in hopes of a better life. He landed a job as a line cook at a resort for a while. Michael’s mother told me that Michael’s craft is cooking. "Oh, yes he can cook!" His mother wrote in a letter. But he took a job in an Envelope Corporation. This is where Michael’s life changed forever. One day at work Michael was just stocking the selves when a forklift ran him over leaving him with severe spinal damage, nerve damage, carnal damage and daily chronic pain. In the words of Michael, "My disability has put a sizeable struggle on my life, mostly I feel helpless and ashamed at times when others have to do for me what I once was able to do myself." Recovery was slow but Michael went through physical therapy and graduated with the aid of a cane but he still has chronic pain.

It seemed every time Michael’s life came together, the dark sky would open up and release a bolt of lightning.

Defending My Brother, Michael Manning

Defending himself

In a life or death situation

Blink of an eye

Cane was kicked to the side

His life was on the line

Michael’s heart was racing

Knife slicing the air

Baseball bat cocked

Ready to swing behind him

Two against one

Hands cut up, blocking

His smooth brown face

Revealing tender flesh

One took off the other fell

And Michael stood tall

Defending himself

In the Halls of Justice

The Judge & Juror vs. Michael Manning

Two against one deja vu

Michael, poor, Black and disabled

Judge, upper class, White and disabled

Juror not of his peers

Don’t need hard evidence

When the Juror and prosecution

Is playing pocket pool with the Judge

Read the verdict

No Justice

14 to 30 years on self defense

Juror ruled first degree murder

The only witness, a lying drug dealer

Called lazy & not contributing to society

Limping back and forth with no cane

Accused of faking his disability

Institutionalize isms kidnapped

Hurricane Carter, Earl Washington Jr.

Mumia Abu-Jamal and Michael Manning

But the shackles are slowly unlocking

And the TRUTH is blossoming

Michael Manning’s story is common

Among Black disabled and non disabled men

In the US Justice System

Don’t just sit there

Innocent brothers & sisters

Are locked up in prison

Join the Manning’s family campaign

For justice and freedom

His family is struggling for media attention

Write letters to political, Black and disabled leaders

Organize the Black Panthers, the Black Caucus,

The Black Radical Congress & Black Churches

To lead Michael Manning and our brothers and sisters back home

We have to be the Harriet Tubmans of today

Make our own Underground Railroad

Burn down prison plantations

And start working on the people of color

Reconstruction of US Justice System

We must love and defend each other and ourselves

By all means necessary

I am here today to defend my Black disabled brother, Michael Manning.





To get involved-Go on the internet at www.michaelmanning.homestead.com

by David Smith, Tiny, Leroy Moore

How I remember

By David smith and Tiny

Soft - that's how the aluminum cans felt to my hands as I picked them up from the streets of West Oakland so I could sell them for change to buy food for myself and my three younger brothers….

Hard -that's how the floor felt to my cheek when my head hit the floor…after my older cousin beat me down and knocked me and my brothers out the house…

Cold -that's how the seats of that abandoned car felt when we had to sleep on them…

**************

Soft -that's how gentrification was for the developers who evicted us, demolished our old house and put up a steel fence where we used to sleep

Hard - that's how my rap lyrics feel as they hit people's ears with the truth…

Cold- that's how I feel sometimes when I remember everything…..

Uprooted- but Still Growing

By Leroy Moore

In a place where Black fists covered the sky and people felt protected, empowered and helped each other, now lays vacant souls, boarded up homes and a sense of loss eating away at the community, the birthplace of the Black Panthers, Black power and Black entrepreneurs. This place is West Oakland, CA. USA. In the heart of Black is Beautiful and Black activism lives a new generation that's been kidnapped by outside forces i.e. City Hall, gentrification, developers, artists etc. Now that the defenses are down the growth of domestic weeds, i.e. drugs, alcohol, billboards and corner liquor stores have entered into the vacant souls and into the homes of West Oakland.

This ex-Black utopia has one of many black roses that have and are now struggling for air, food, shelter and all other nutrition that humans need to survive. This black rose gave birth to four off springs; boys, however the rose like many in the community lacked strong roots to take care of the family. The roots\family were dug up by domestic fertilization i.e. drug abuse , gentrification, and Mayor Jerry Brown’s 10k Plan.

Infested with the poverty insects of unemployment, environmental racism, poor health, lack of access to health care institutions and social services and the disappearing act of ownership in the community have increased the risk of disability and homelessness. The four offspring, Tony, Cornell, Jerry and David were all touched by some type of disability. Due to the infected environment of this family, the black rose and its offspring had to go without food for days at a time. The house that this family lived in was a mirror of what has happened in the community. With no help in sight, the machine of the City with the deep pockets and maps of the future of New Oakland fired up their gas chambers and bulldozers and landed on West Oakland. The switch was turned on and the developers went to work. The machine of the 10K plan of Jerry Brown landed on David’s home completely cutting the roots of this Black rose.

Scattering for salvation and survival, this family turned inward for scarce resources by stealing from each other. Big Brother, the city, and their agencies i.e. Child Protective Services, (CPS) waited for the destruction of this family and at the last minute added the last straw that severed the beautiful but struggling black puddles of the rose from its stem. CPS came into the house with guns drawn and the parents were arrested and the three remaining sons were snatched from their environment and placed separately in-group homes far away from West Oakland.

During this time the only hand that half way reached out to the three boys were the hands that were in the back pocket of Brown’s 10K Plan. Some times your enemies become your last hope of survival especially here in the U.S. Just like the Black Panthers were eliminated by the U.S. government and other institutions that work together i.e. police departments and banks etc. and now are asking for justice for Black Panthers in prison. David’s family has been separated and driven to the brink of extinction from the people who have half-heartedly tried to support him, the artists that are invading West Oakland. However David’ family is not an episode of the 1970’s sitcom Different Strokes, the nice to do artists and the White upper class families from Livermore and Pittsburgh hit the reality of reconstructing the roots of a Black disabled young man. David’s roots have been plucked so much that his faith in the so called system has been clouded with insecurity creating a wall that has blocked out others that might reveal sun for the young seed of talent buried within him. The rest of his brothers’ roots have been blowing in the West Oakland winds with no stable foundation or garden of services and advocacy for years.

David finally made his way back home with his relatives in Pittsburgh, CA. but it was a dog-eat-dog life in this house. David was an easy prey with his disabilities. These relatives ate up his monthly Social security check and threw him out. They had no clue or didn’t care that this type of stealing would put David in the red in Uncle Sam’s eyes snatching his only source of income from him for years.

Once again this strong disabled Black youth returned to the deserted streets of West Oakland with some assistance from the new artists that have invaded West Oakland. There is a diamond under this haze of David’s life name Julie. She has rallied activists and organizations around David’s case. Most important during this time David’s roots were replanted and the food of the earth, his new friends and advocates in the Bay Area have provided water to his inner talents and sunny personality that has been dying to appear on the stage of life.

Today David’s battles are far from over. With help from Julie and others, David has gone head to head with the disability services from reclaiming his disability benefits to finally sleeping under his own roof in a transitional housing program in Berkeley, where he can call home for now. There are questions still unanswered! Where is David going to transition to? Throughout his twenty years, David has been in and out of schools. Will the disability services system provide a road to real independence i.e. education that will lead to a successful and empowering paid work environment? Will David receive counseling for all the years of abuse? What about his family and his mother who is still living in West Oakland with no support services to deal with the cycle of poverty that wraps around her like a zipped up sleeping bag.

Can you believe David has been through all of this and he is only twenty? No youth should have had their roots up rooted and plucked for years.

Growing up Black, disabled and poor does not equal three strikes.. it gives us strength to deal with the racism, disabilism and classism to blossom through oppression and live with our colorful images.

by Tiny

Words like Verbs

fly

Institutions are per-turbed

liars are dis-turbed

her mouth and heart a flutter

until time and corporate lies

STOP

MArie re-sists

De-sists,

IN-SISTs!!

until she Gets

Jus-TICE!!

Community organizer, columnist, teacher, Mother,

daughter, grandmother, poverty survivor, creative vision of the goddess

by Willie Warren

I once joined a group,

On a Summer of ’93 day;

We challenged City Hall,

And whatever came our way.

Food Not Bombs we were,

Rebels for all to see;

One guy matched my cool,

He was only five foot three.

Shaved head and dark eyes,

Short legs and little hands;

Big heart and eye glasses

Doc Martens and plaid strands.

Known then as the Hobbit,

Cook and drove regularly;

Dubbed as a pillar of strength,

I saw him as J.T. .



When I left Food Not Bombs,

He stayed on at their side;

Saving their face and character,

Until he felt someone lied.

Slowly drifted away from them,

Like the flight of a dove;

Leaving behind partnerships,

And the loss of a love.

Pushing forward with his wound,

To an office without suits;

Got a job different from,

Early years and Vallejo roots.

Helping people fight back, .

When a landlord becomes a jerk;

Showing people protective ways,

And Eviction Defense Network.



They say that time heals wounds,

But they never say how fast;

Challenging his inner strength,

Placing his wound in his past.

His defending caliber had grown,

Through hardships and distortions;

His reputation had empired,

Up to gigantic proportions

Time passed on as usual,

And gave our lives changes;

He saw his vision created,

I saw better salary ranges.

In between our work schedules,

We’d meet and all would see;

A little guy saying, "Yo Willie,’

A big guy saying, "J.T.."



Maybe we’d have a few minutes,

But then, we’re on our way;

Staying in touch was easy,

But meeting had gone astray.

Again, time passes as usual,

Leaving one no worse for wear;

He had grown a few inches,

And I had grown gray hair.

Switching jobs, he got lucky,

His income suffered no pause;

The Coalition On Homelessness,

Drafted him to a greater cause.

Involvement in other groups,

Is where he found his proof;

In 2000 he started one,

It’s called Right To a Roof.



To write this poem about him,

Takes vibes of a straight shooter;

Unknown to him I wrote this,

At his desk on his computer.

To get this info correct,

I had to see him in action;

I joined his group to help keep,

City Government’s ass in traction.

He definitely shows leadership,

In homeless endeavors and such

He’s a humble Vallejo guy,

And thinks he talks too much.

His birth name, James Tracy,

He’s cool and will always be;

A roaddog, partner, and brother,

And always my homey, J.T

.

by Jewnbug

Born in Mississippi

Afrika Europe mated

Pharaoh Jim Crow decided division regulated

Passin Moses down river

Life savin

Butterscotch baby. passed vanilla.

Until wool of lamb knit sweater

Hot Hot summer days kissed flesh wit caramel sweetness

Passin Moses down river

Cumin ashore 2 Los Angeles

Changes names in courtroom

Hopin 2 forget

Tha brotha that had his black back

Tha children who attacked midnite mysteries beauty

Tha white moma who held her baby 2 her womb only 2 have Bank of America

Cum chargin wit accounts of racizm, lynchin, burnin, murderin!

Tha Dad who he can only wonder bout.

Passin Moses down river

Passin basketball wit brothaz 2 take shots 2-git game

Rejected tha Golden Chyle

N played wit him cuz he ran streetz witout fear

He ran… so his mind… a tyme capsule could jus b still.

Pushed down, pulled up, sent away, welcomed, rejected.

Torn worn pants lookin fo da needle, thread, hands.

Seventeen not on no magazine

Emotions blinded pre-frontal cortex thinkin

Pulls trigger blastin pain

Passin Moses down river

Black Panther on U.S.A most wanted list

Mentored by George Jackson

Martial arts, laws, sports, universal struggles, victories

history, herstory, ourstory

studied intensely. Not acceptin lies.

Questions 2 cum betta undastandin givin birth 2 effective truth

Challenged prison administrations

Advocated 4 prisoners unity 2 combat oppression

His heritage, His experience r credentials 2 learn 2 teach

Chained innocence in San Quentin 6 case…released

Passin Moses down river cums ashore a Revolutionary!

by Staff Writer

Hello People, Folks

My Mom is my Ancestor

I am a Poetess,

But first of all, I am Cora Lee’s Daughter

Cherished from the womb

Even during the Baby Boom

A country-city girl

My mother was a King, a hero, a survivor

Bred & Born in Georgia, Macon County

Me, I was born in upstate New York

As a Traveler

In a Barn, by a Mid-wife

On a Farm, a Modern day plantation

Name’s not important!

I learned small town values, Hella, good

That sustained me

In Large City Ghetto’s

Hovels, boroughs, projects, Fancy Hotels

And Cardboard Boxes

All from this Lady, my mother,

A Resistance Warrior

Corn bread, Ham hocks, Collard greens, Sweet potato

Loving Mother, Warm and Tender hearted

My Mother was a Hard Working, God loving,

Gospel singing, Giants, Willie Mays , Baseball Fan

Living from Crop Season to season

Travelling up and down the Eastern Sea Board

From upstate New York to Miami Beach, Florida

Left KinFolks and said Westward Ho!

Came to California in a old Hooptee

Took 3 months

Stopping at Churches and Missions along the way

4 children and My step-father the Driver

We had Honor back then

Knew how to be a Brother, a Sister, A Friend

A Good Neighbor

Sharing from beginning to end

Through Thick and Thin

I Remember my Mama

In the Bean field, The Potato field

Sending us to school to learn our A B C’s

Keeping the Camp Fire’s Burning

We did not know much about city living

In fact, I didn’t know much ;of anything

Except a Mother’s Love

If we did without

It was with Style and Grace

No Complaints

Doing without was no disgrace

As I sit here reminiscin’ Life going on bye

I have Strength and Courage

Instilled in me!

For times of sorrow

And times of joy

Although I shed tears, I Radiate Joy

When I am Low I remember my Mama

I feel a warm soft glow

I look forward to all the treasured tomorrows

Of the wonderful care, Mrs. Cora Lee King

Bestowed on her Middle Daughter!