Story Archives 2003

by Joe B.

Before Fiefdom’s, Chieftain’s, knights, squires, Duke’s, Princes, King’s, and the rest of royalty.

Warrior’s were the backbone, first and last defense of principalities and Monarchies.

As always they led rough, lusty usually short lives.

Loyalty meant giving up luxuries of merchants or even the poorest of citizens living in animals tents, huts of straw, mud, and wood or home hewn from solid rock.

War taught warriors that most leaders unless they were once warriors themselves don’t know what real battle and bloodlust fever or bezerker in do or die and in death and dying means in the of white heat of hell killing being killed by enemies.

Friends die by your side, in front of you taking someone else’s club, ax, mace, sword, blade, cannon ball, bullets, grenade, booby traps, tortured as a prisoner, escape and if they survive their physical and mental wounds.

Trying not to remember horrors survived to be Mr. Mrs. Ms. nobody but when he/she is or close friends, relatives are threatened the long buried profession battle weary warrior, soldier, military training returns until the battle is won or lost.

As for today’s military personnel with every kind of multi national co. ,quasi– paramilitary Intel.

Even before intensive training they know more from past, present and near future history.

Women too, a sisterhood so far back before warrior saw father’s, friends, son’s, brother’s, husband’s dead and dying and as nurses, and soldier’s in their own more than earned the right to question war’s cost.

When parent’s, female and male soldier’s question:

"Why The Fuck Are We At War, There Are Few If Any Advantages To It.

Government leader must scramble for excuses for if military men and women logically question all automatic assumptions some are accused of being Un-American.

There is pressure on all soldier’s whatever rank from buck private to five star general to follow orders yet when orders make no sense they do not have to be but iy must be proved in strict military fashion.

This is the genius of the military, now they must protect their country against a more dangerous domestic threat of an out of control President, his cronies, while watching out for real foreign threats within and without in America’s Sphere of influence.

The Military has vast experience fighting on two fronts though this time they may have to not fight, say no to the greatest concentration of civilian power.

Siding with citizen’s they have pledged to protect and not what seems a rogue government rattling sabers for a war not needed.

What can soldier’s do but obey unless like a police officer's blue flu they have a similar tactic of Khaki ooze (an ailment keeps military personnel in barracks, at home or anywhere else so far from frontline fighting that war cannot be waged at all.)

They probably have better plans than an non military type as myself to prevent all out war on another people’s foreign soil.

The full stories of soldiering has not been told and as long war goes on their stories will always be half told with secrets submerged.

American citizen’s need help from men and women at arms, their brother, sisterhood combined.

With citizen’s mobilization against the war could be the only way to stop ‘Prez B’s Juggernaut of
escalating Mass Destructive that will devastate both the Middle East and take both our domestic, foreign and economy to a bottom trashing whatever emerging applied technology to improve the health of all people’s for outdate, obsolete oil preserves.

I could be wrong but I think this is a turning point of our civilization.

Can we turn away from our destructive capabilities and toward creative ones.

Any country can kill from afar with bombs, poison gas, turning cities into rubble, neighborhoods into mass graveyards.

Let’s see countries with all types of planes military and domestic dropping bio and inanimate nano-probes that from blue prints rebuild and improve destroyed buildings with artificial intelligence which are harmless to humans.

the bio parts of nanites enter dead and broken bodies of citizens rebuilding, repairing, tissue inside out until the whole being is alive, well, and free of injuries.

The dead that cannot be helped are rebuild repaired whole so friends, relatives can bury them properly.

Until our country can take back life from death’s grip we are just more efficient killer’s that’s all.

Any questions, answers send them below and thanks for taking precious time to read my humble though mostly unseen work; it helps more you folks will ever know. Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street St. Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

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

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

415- 626-4405

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Leroy Moore Jr./ Illin and Chillin

The life, art, and writings of Horace Pippin can shed some light in our times of the so—called ‘War on Terrorism’ that we are forced to live in today. The strength and dedication of Mr. Pippin is a light from the past that follows our brothers and sisters onto the battlefields and in the airwaves of today. Horace Pippin was born in 1888 in West Chester, PA. but moved to New York as a child. At a very early age Pippin had a passion to draw, but had to leave school to help his family. The long, hard hours didn’t leave much time for drawing. He was known for his bold narrative paintings of war experiences etc. Horace Pippin’s paintings displayed the horror, pain, struggles of war and the life of African Americans during his time. His first major work, ‘The End of the War: Starting Home’ showed the horror he had seen in World War I. and at the beginning of WWII Pippin continued to stressed peace. “There was war then, but there would be peace again” was the message in Pippin’s painting, “The Holly Mountain,” which showed rows of white crosses marking the dead of WWI.

Horace Pippin was a corporal in the 369-Colored Infantry Regiment, which fought on the front lines of WWI in the Argonne Forest under French command. These were the first African American soldiers to fight overseas for the United States on the front lines. “As a boy I loved to make pictures, but it was World War I that brought out the art in me… I can never forget suffering and I will never forget the sunset… so I came home with all of it in my mind and I paint from it today.” Horace Pippin explained in his book about his life and art, Starting Home: The Story of Horace Pippin Painter and his papers.

Diving into a hole to escape a German sniper but he was unsuccessful. The sniper shot him in the shoulder with an exploding dumdum bullet. Every time Pippin tried to climb out, the sniper fired again. He remembered a French solider looking down at him and ten seconds later the solider was shot and fell on top of him in the whole. Pippin was not rescued from the hole until the next day. The doctors operated, attaching the shattered right shoulder to his upper arm with a steel plate. After the operation, Pippin couldn’t lift his right hand above shoulder level. He returned home and lived off his disability pension.

Horace picked up his drawing after the war as therapy for not only his arm but also his battle with depression. He used his left hand to support his weak right hand to paint. Although Pippin loved painting, it was painful for him. This could be one reason why most of his paintings were small pictures and took him hours and days to complete one painting. He didn’t paint for fame he lived an honest life. His later paintings dealt with how African Americans were treated poorly after they returned home as you can see in his painting, Mr. Prejudice, that he painted after WWII because he saw more discrimination against the next generation of young African Americans soldiers. Please look at these painting and get to know the art and life of Mr. Horace Pippin and ask yourself have we learned from the messages in Pippin's paintings

A little bite of history for our so-called President and the disabled & general public!!
By Leroy Franklin Moore Jr. Executive Director of DAMO
sfdamo@Yahoo.com

by Alex Cuff, Newsbrief Editor

by Jaxon Van Derbeken

San Francisco police officers improperly searched two girls last year and violated the rights of a 14-year-old boy they arrested, according to departmental charges that could cost five officers their jobs. The internal charges -- signed this month by Acting Chief Alex Fagan -- stem from a confrontation between police and three youth in Hunters Point that outraged the city's African American community. The incident occurred on Jan. 21, 2002 -- the national holiday set aside to honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. -- and led to an investigation by the Office of Citizen Complaints, resulting in the charges.

Charged are Officers Marcial Marquez and Adam Choy and Sgts. Sherman Lee and Walter Cuddy. A fifth officer has also been charged but remains unnamed and has not yet been served
with the complaint. The five officers will face hearings before the San Francisco Police Commission, which must determine what action to take against them.

According to the internal complaint, police were summoned by a report of a woman screaming as well as word that two African American men were seen taking guns out of a burgundy-colored
car near the Boys and Girls Club in Hunters Point. The complaint alleges that Marquez and Choy, after arriving at the scene, improperly searched two girls for weapons after ordering them out of the car at gunpoint.

Marquez searched a 12-year-old girl, who offered no resistance but wondered why she was being searched, according to the charges. During the search, Marquez allegedly groped her with his open hands. Marquez's search violated the department policy that specifies that such searches of girls be done by female officers and was "unnecessarily intrusive, " according to the charges.

Choy was also charged with being "unnecessarily intrusive" in his search of a 14-year-old girl.
According to the complaint, Jerome King-Brown, a 14-year-old boy, started to protest the treatment of his 12-year-old cousin. King-Brown, who is 6 feet tall, afterward needed 11 stitches to close a wound received when an officer kneed him into the concrete, the complaint
alleges. "Several officers descended on the juvenile," the charges state, "forcing him face-first onto the asphalt pavement, and handcuffed him."

The officers left the boy with a lacerated lip that was bleeding heavily, the complaint states.
No excessive-force charges were lodged against any officer in the handling of King-Brown.
The acting lieutenant at the Bayview station that day, Sgt. Lee, is charged with six counts of misconduct related to the follow-up to the confrontation.

Lee allegedly allowed an unjustified criminal check on
the
youths involved. He is also accused of abandoning the
investigation of the initial report of armed men, of
failing to
properly advise King-Brown of his rights under
questioning at
the station and of failing to see that King-Brown got
proper
medical attention.

Lee also allegedly did not respond to efforts by the
boy's father
to lodge a brutality complaint and did not conduct the
mandated
use-of-force investigation after he complained that his
son had
been brutalized.

Sgt. Cuddy is accused in the complaint of neglect of
duty for
allegedly failing to follow the department's rules
governing
juvenile suspects.

Witnesses have said -- and one police official has
confirmed
-- that someone at the scene asked the fifth unnamed
officer
why guns were pointed at kids. The officer allegedly
replied:
"As long as you people are here, we will act like this."

The specifics of the allegations against the fifth
officer were
not available.

A representative of the officers suggested that she
would
challenge the charges based on a failure to file them in
time to
meet a one-year of statute of limitations, which
normally
would have lapsed last January.

"We'll be looking at all aspects, including whether they
are in
compliance with the statute of limitations," said
Katherine
Mahoney, attorney for the Police Officers Association.
"The law
does provide exceptions, including cases involving
multiple
officers as well as for when civil lawsuits have been
filed. "

Mahoney declined to comment on the specifics of the
case,
saying she had not seen all the allegations against the
five
officers.

Police have said officers were compelled to restrain
King-Brown because he was shouting and cursing and
displaying a "violent demeanor" and ignoring repeated
commands to "get back.''

Police had cited King-Brown for delaying arrests, but
juvenile
authorities said the case had been investigated and the
citation
dropped.

Susie McAllister, the mother of the 14-year-old girl,
whose
family has sued the department, says her child still
fears and
distrusts police in San Francisco.

"My child was violated," she said.

Witnesses have said that during the searches of the
girls, their
screaming, crying mothers were ordered by police to stay
back.

McAllister said the whole department needed to change.

"The San Francisco Police Department has a bad
reputation,"
McAllister said.

"It is not going to stop with those officers -- they
need to redo
the whole structure of the Police Department and the
training."

She said the "few bad apples" reflected negatively on
the entire
department.

"It makes it hard on the community," she said. "Who can
we
trust and turn to in the time of need?"

She criticized the lack of excessive-force charges
involving the
handling of King-Brown.

"That's child abuse. . . . You don't need to use that
much force on
anybody's child," McAllister said. "You can't go around
grabbing, pulling on them, not giving them their rights,
ignoring their parents."

She said officers would not respond to the angry parents
at the
scene. "The officers refused to communicate with us --
we
wanted to know, 'What in the hell is going on here? Why
are
you treating our kids like this?'

"In turn, we got guns pointed to our face; we were told
if we
moved, we were going to be shot," she said. "In the
meantime,
our kids are screaming. They didn't know what they had
done
-- they were treated like animals."

Ishmael Tarikh, director of Bay Area PoliceWatch,
lamented
that officers were not charged with excessive force
against
King-Brown.

"I thought that allegation should have been sustained,"
Tarikh
said. "The underlying cause for them to ever interact
with
those people was bogus -- they had no right to get
involved
with those people that night, let alone taking a
14-year-old
and body-slamming him to the pavement.

"They acted like thugs."

by TJ Johnston/Community Journalist

On a drizzly Friday evening, I ambled my way to another antiwar demonstration, this one on scenic Sixth and Market
Street. Of course, not only did the venue of protest differ from the expected gatherings on Union Square or the Civic Center
Plaza, but the method was also atypical. Over 70 artists displayed their dissidence against the US's impending war on Iraq.
This resistance took form of paintings, illustrations, scultures, photos and video instillations. On December 6, the Luggage
Store gallery hosted an opening reception of "No War." The exhibit wil run until January 11.

Among the featured artists were Rigo '02, Rupert Garcia, Fernanda Steinmann, Claire Rojas, TWDCD, and Nome Edonna. The
reception's attendance easily numbered in the dozens: one could say everybody who was somebody was present.

Rather than critique individual works, I think it's better to show select samples. The Luggage Store is located on 1007 Market St.
in San Francisco and open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12pm to 5pm (gallery closed Dec. 25 to 27 and Jan. 1). Many of the
exhibited items are for sale. Call (415) 255-5971 to make an inquiry. If you have antiwar art you'd like to be shown, fax a copy to
(415) 863-5509.

by Joseph Bolden

Artists With A Heart

On Saturday, Dec. 8th B. O. S. S. [Building
Opportunity For Self- Sufficiency ] had an art show, the proceeds will help house families and individuals in need.

There may be enough to buy and turn buildings into real affordable low income housing,the farce of affordable housing.

Artists With A Heart began with Ms. Stephanie Wilger, a sculptor using all kinds of materials in her creations. She wanted to help by placing her work in an art gallery where part of the proceeds go to clients of B.O.S.S. attempting to create real affordable housing for people needing to be housed or sheltered, other artists joined in the effort.

From the cute “Red Rover” Dog by Karen Mason, Nudes of Gilda Waldman, Mary Glasson’s Landscape, Geraldine Krieger’s Yellow Plunge, Rising by Steven Rothenber. Tansy Mattingly Jazz Dance, to Stephanie Wilger’s Seeds of Intimacy, Dove Of Light, Big Heart, Love Glove and Silk Canoe.

All show me the power of woman’s ultimate Vagina power and vagina’s of various sizes, shapes, color, and textures.

All I as a male could do is be mesmerized, subtlety seduced by these formally intimate and private females areas shown full force blazing, glowing, inviting yet comforting if I let it wash over me. So much art, little time to absorb. There are artists I’ve not mentioned because of time constraints I do not want to slight any of them. Go see for yourselves -where to go or call:BOSS, 2065 Kittredge, Ste. E, Berkeley, CA. 94704. Email: www.self-sufficiency.org

by Joe B.

We’ve heard of people while living their lives discover by accident, change, or desperation finds another call other than what they’ve been taught or trained for?

It must be psychologically terrifying to have your life change because something inside clicks and suddenly you cannot be satisfied with what was a so called normal life.

I’m beginning to understand because its happening to me!

I find out about "The Hotel Utah" by a ‘PO Poet named Pitts.

Eventually, inside the combo bar, resturant and Live Performance place.

It’s different, calming, relaxing, and I’ve performed poetry and performed "Blood Bonded" a 3 part short story that’s a cross between science fiction, romance
so erotic and explicit it reads like a graphic adult comic/novel without the penciled or ink colored illustrated pictures on nearly every page.

Legs shaking, sputtering, making mistakes but getting through it is slow torture but worth going through.

I couldn’t finish my 2nd and 3rd parts finally over I’ve thought about songwriting but letting someone else sing.

Problem writer of song should at least interpreted their way before someone else and if they cannot convey it with their voice then others can help in that process.

As a high school kid I was literally speared in my throat by a guy using a grocery cart with steel poll vault.

I’ve never sung because I don’t believe that part of me felt severely damaged.

Recently wisps of music, melody, lyrics, are in my ears and I have no idea why its happening now!

I bought my brother’s electric piano for $200.

I hope to learn how to read, write, compose music and maybe sing.

Its absolutely odd how things happen.how does reciting poems, prose turn into and urge to write, compose, sing songs?

What scares me is not publicly failing on stage because at least I tried; my worry is that the incident that happened to me so long ago changed my vocal cords to sound other than a raspy or that there was no damage at all.

What if my voice has a quality others hear and love and I don’t realize its effect on people.

Don’t think I’ll get fame, fortune, over this because of my age.

Doing learning to do this younger folks would ignore me, others may listen and learn but if planets and stars are aligned and it happens it would scare me all to hell that somewhere some teeny bop girl/guy swoons or faints from my voice, lyrics, and song(s) I sing, or sung.

As for the groupie thing having tender flesh could cause all manner of paternity suit problems.

That won’t happen, I’ll sing a song I’ve written hope not to embarrass myself too badly.

Of course if a "So Weird" episode happens in my life I’ll ride it out so my mother and I can have homes close to each other and maybe a few others.

Don’t know if I have any talent in those areas, if this is a new career move or a false start.

May I ask the people young or older who are, were singer songwriters, or written songs for other people to sing.

How did they know their paths or what led them to it and how hard to follow once on it?

One thing for sure as the late Mr. Joseph Campbell said " Follow Your Bliss and doors will open where you never expected them."

Something’s calling me almost forcing me into this and I’ve learned to listen, flow, not fight what’s pulling at me.

As scary as this is for me if I do not follow this my life could be less full than it can be… Bye

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street St. Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

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

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

415- 626-4405

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Rick M./PoorNewsNetwork Community Journalist

It was a windy Saturday morning in Oakland, I was here to cover a story worthy of as much coverage as it could get. Former prisoners and community activists, aware of the devastating effects that incarceration has on the African American community, have organized a bike give-away that was held on Saturday, December 14 at 11:00 A.M. at Park Chapel, A.M.E Church. This annual gift give-away, organized by Timers Organization, focuses on the particular needs of children who celebrate the holidays away from their parents, children whose needs often go unmet.

It is a beautiful church. The high ceilings and stain glass windows. This church was different from the ones I had gone to as a child. The service area is upstairs, not directly in front, as you would enter most churches. After climbing the lengthy red carpeted chairs you truly entered an area of god's kingdom. The large cross adorning the front of the church with a large sky blue circle stating god is love, and all those brand new bikes!

I felt as much of a child as any kid in that church. The display of bikes and toys was reminiscent of any Macys display window. It truly was a magnificent sight to see all of these bike and toys that were either purchased from donations or handle built by some of the many volunteers. As Robert Moody had stated " caring for other brothers and sisters", this was a beautiful sight for me to see.

The Reverend Donna Allen heads the Parks Chapel. Who reminded the children and parents of the many programs and services offered here, including a wonderful after school program offered to youth in 1st through 8th grades called homework-helpers. This program provides a place for youth to gather as well as provides a light snack for participants and study time with homework from 4 to 6 P.M. Monday through Thursdays and will even pick-up the children.

Before the bikes were given out the local church youth gave a small but well orchestrated
Presentation on bike safety for the younger children. I was pleased to see this important bit of information given to these little people but more than that was it was presented by their own peers which I think re-enforces the safety message better than an adult telling you. (This is part of the "cool " factor).

After much controlled restraint by the children it begins, Ticket # 419256! The commentator yells out. "DO I HAVE A WINNER!" … yes he does have a winner, today they were all winners. Thanks to a Timers organization and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, caring for other brothers and sisters.

by Ashley Adams/PNN Community Journalist

The day was clear, fresh, the air smelled sweet and even clean after the bay’s first rain in 5 months. The sun was shining, and the sky was a crystalline blue with puffy white clouds that did not threaten rain, rather a friendly passing by. On a day such as this, I chose to spend it inside at the Green Festival. The festival was located at the Concourse Exhibition Center. When we got to the door I dodged the dude handing out a shopping bag with a free issue of the Chronicle. Although the shopping bag could’ve been handy later on, from collecting pamphlets, fliers, and brochures of useful information or products. The convention center was filled with booths and people and yummy smells and free samples of yerba mate’ , organic chocolate, and much more. There were booths that sold products, from sweatshop free hand made clothing, to hand crafted wood carvings from Africa, to herbal elixirs from extracted from the ocean to solar paneling for your home or business. There was an area designated for people to sit down and talk, or write ideas for discussion, or brainstorm. Also, three areas were created for speakers to be heard through out the day.

The speakers I listened to were Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now which airs 9am on KPFA, 94.1 FM, and Starhawk, a visionary, activist, and author. Both talks were packed with people. Amy spoke on corporate media during wartime and how they are silencing voices of dissent.
She believes strongly that the people need to take control of the media...and support independent media.

Starhawk spoke about several topics with the main theme on changing our systems to support the Earth’s natural ecosystem of which we are a part of. She began her talk with some facts and figures of how imbalanced we are in the present. She said that right now in this country, 13,000 of the world’s richest people have MORE wealth than 20 MILLION of this nations poorest people. It is that bad. So she asks us: "How do we change the story? We change the story by not buying into it’s framework." By the end of Starhawk’s talk my brain was buzzin with thoughts and ideas. I left the platform where she spoke and walked through the festival booths and started asking myself questions: How does poverty fit into this picture? Looking around I saw many cool companies and products that I wanted to support, but the truth is I only had five dollars in my pocket and if it wasn’t for the free pass that I was given, I could not have attended the event. The Green Fest was a fair price, $10 a day, and if you rode your bike, it was $5, but of course I drove to the Green Fest! Once I got on in was wishing I had more money to act upon the "I want..." impulse.

There were so many great ideas circulating under the roof of the convention center, but none that I saw that related to the many, many, people living in poverty and/or without houses. I do not expect any one person or group to have all the answers, we all need each other to build solutions.
We all deserve organic food, filtered water, and chemical free skin products, but overall, it seems like a movement for people with money. I did not visit every single booth, so I may have missed a place with information or ideas relating to my concern for a huge portion of people that were not being represented. As I left the event my concerns expanded...

A middle-aged woman asked if I would wait at the door, as she tried a $40 battery free flashlight outside where it was dark. I let her back in when she was finished... behind her was a man who could be stereotyped as homeless, with tattered clothes, a beard, a beanie, he was standing near the door, watching the festival wind down from the outside looking in. As the woman waked in, he tried to open the door, for him to come in, she pulled the door towards her, to seal it shut, while yelling "NO! NO! NO! YOU CAN’T COME IN HERE." In my mind I was hearing "NO! BAD DOG. BAD DOG." through her condescending and disrespectful voice tone.

The man just stood there, saddened, as did I. He stared at her for a moment, then made eye contact with me. I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what. I wanted the lady to know "THAT IS A HUMAN BEING YOU’RE TALKING TO." But I watched her walk off instead. When I went to the door to talk to the man, and invite him in, he was gone. I stood around for a moment dazed and teary eyed with some major questions on my mind. How can we take this movement to our sisters and brothers who live with poverty or who do not have houses? How can ‘green’ living be accessible to everyone? How can we make progress in a ‘sustainable’ way if life if we are not thinking about poverty?

by SouthPole/Youth in the media contributor

"All the Superintendent was trying to do was insure that the students had a second
chance"-Staff to Superintendent Ackerman.

Dr. Ackerman is in dire need of Politics 101. A
word of advice for any aspiring politicians: A politician or their staff should never make
a subjective statement about themselves or their boss. The fact is you cannot sign away
your rights, especially, without legal council present.

His Honor the Mayor Willie L.
Brown, Jr., Superintendent of Schools Dr. Arlene Ackerman, and several San Francisco
Unified School District lawyers met with students and parents of students facing
disciplinary action by the school district, in result of the October Eleventh riot, without
legal council representing the students, and offered them a deal. If the students promised
not to sue, they would have all charges removed from their record. Keep in mind "All the
Superintendent was trying to do was insure that the students had a second chance". It is
not likely that public officials would intimidate high school students, using titles,
numbers, and law degrees, to "insure that the students had a second chance". Not being
there, it is not right to say that this is a rat, but it smells like one, looks like one,
and certainly tastes like one.

__________

You may contact me at 'SouthPole@journalist.com'.

Is there deal over school brawl?

BY NICK DRIVER Of The Examiner Staff (originally printed on 12/09/2002)

Three of The City's most prominent political leaders intervened after October's cathartic Thurgood Marshall
High School police-student clash, offering to drop charges against four teenagers if they agreed not to sue the
Police Department, sources say.

Mayor Willie Brown, school Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and Police Chief Earl Sanders and their
representatives met with the four students and their parents at least twice.

"At one closed meeting, hosted by Mayor Willie Brown, possible agreement options were discussed," said
district spokesperson Lorna Ho.

"Dr. Ackerman felt compelled to find a compromise which would hopefully allow for the students, who were
facing possible charges, to get a second chance, since based on her inquiries, none of the students had any prior
offenses before Oct. 11," said Ho.

More than 200 students were involved in the fracas.

That morning, 70 police, many in riot gear, stormed the campus after a fight broke out and school
administrators panicked.

The resulting clash sent dozens of students to the hospital and caused the principal to resign.

"The Police Department, along with the African American Community Relations Board, is working with the
students' parents and the Board of Education to come up with a plan to benefit the students," Sanders said in a
statement Friday.

The meetings were held in a bid to convince the four students to avoid further public allegations of police
brutality concerning the melee at the heavily black high school in Silver Terrace.

One parent, a Spanish-only speaker with little knowledge of the law, may have already signed on to an
informal plan to sign the deal, defense attorneys said.

But the school district bristled at suggestions The City was trying to muscle through a deal to get the police off
the hook, with spokespersons saying everyone present knew this was no secret deal and was strongly in the
interest of students.

"It was the superintendent's goal for the students to move forward with their futures without blemishes on
their records," Ho said in a statement.

"It was made clear by verbal instruction that families should consult legal counsel before making any
decisions."

But early drafts of the Memorandum of Understanding, which were labeled drafts, not final agreements,
contained no legal warnings.

Ackerman and her legal staff are drawing up the final version "as we speak," Ho said.

The students' defense lawyers say whatever happened in the meetings should not have happened without them
present. Brown, a lawyer, should have known better, one said.

Another accused the police of arresting students to strengthen the department's position should the threat of
lawsuits arise.

"There is a lot we still don't know, but it certainly appears that the mayor, the superintendent and the Police
Department met with these students and their parents without their attorneys," said Whitney Leigh, an attorney
for the law firm of Keker and Van Nest, which is defending one student.

"They attempted to persuade them to waive their rights to sue in return for a dropping of charges, and that is
inappropriate on so many levels," Leigh said.

by Father Louis Vitale (A STREET SHEET exclusive)

Greetings from the Nellis Federal Prison Camp in North Las Vegas, Nevada. I
am spending three months here for protesting at Fort Benning, Georgia last
year. The protest was to bring a closing to the School of the Americas
located there. The graduates of that school are notorious for torture and
assassination of thousands of people in Latin America. These include such
notables as: Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador; four American nuns who
were raped and killed; seven Jesuits and their female associates from the
University of El Salvador; numerous other bishops, clergy and religious
leaders; and union and social workers in Latin American countries.

My short sentence of three months is almost a joke within the federal prison
system. Most of the 600 men here are here for many years. Federal mandatory
sentencing guidelines have given most of these inmates as many as ten years
or more for non-violent crimes -- mostly drug activity and some business
crimes. There is also no parole from the federal prison system.

Most of the men here are young, typically in their twenties. Most are also
fathers. Thus, this system robs young men of a great part of their young
manhood. It also robs children of their fathers during childhood and teenage
years.

Further, there are almost no vocational or educational programs here. What
future will these men have when they leave this system? A recent article in
the (November 26th) Los Angeles Times about homelessness pointed to the very
large numbers of those released from prison who end up on skid row in Los
Angeles. Surely this is true in every city. What other options are there?

One might not dispute that there are criminal laws for drug dealing. But
when one hears of these very long sentences -- basically taking the best
years of someone's life and the years needed by their children, for activity
that might in other places or times be legal, something seems out of kilter.
As I first heard of some of the sentences here in Las Vegas they were
holding elections, and one of the ballot issues was legalizing possession of
marijuana. It didn't pass, but might next time. What impact would that have
on the man with a ten-year sentence for growing marijuana in Humboldt
County? Someone will be creating the supply. These are some of the questions
I ponder.

The camp here is located on Nellis Air Force Base. Each day we see planes --
B-2 bombers, Stealths -- preparing for war in Iraq. The cost of these
weapons and the military runs into the many billions. The prison system is
also a billion dollar industry. I think of our homeless in Las Vegas and
elsewhere. The numbers are becoming astronomical.

The major problem is a lack of housing. If only we could put the money used
for military and prisons into housing, what a difference it would make. We
could be saving lives instead of destroying or wasting them. Surely that
should be in our thoughts as we celebrate the Christmas season and begin a
New Year.

I miss very much being in San Francisco and the Tenderloin. I miss the
people at Saint Boniface and in our shelter. I miss being with the many
activists who are trying to make a better community and world.

My fellow inmates ask me if I'll be back. That is... back in the criminal
system. They look at me and say, "I don't think you are going to give up on
the causes about which you are so concerned." I don't know how to answer
that question. I know I will not quit speaking and acting for justice, in
San Francisco and other places. Hopefully we will have more opportunities to
have a voice. But if it is necessary for me to risk prison again, then we
will have to consider that.

For now I look forward to my return. Some ask me if I'll be going to a
halfway house first (the usual end of a federal prison sentence). Actually,
there is one at 111 Taylor Street, right around the corner from Saint
Boniface. But my sentence is too short for that. Besides, I already have a
place to live and work after prison.

On January 12th I will be released and will work my way back to San
Francisco, the Tenderloin and all the people I miss so much. I do give
thanks for the numberless people who have supported me in so many ways.
Especially I am grateful to continue to work for justice and compassion for
those in need.

I know I will be adding to my list more activity for prison reform, joining
with such groups as Families Against Mandatory Minimums -- the mandatory
minimums that force judges to give such very long sentences. We also need to
find the way to reinstate parole at the federal level. Perhaps Congresswoman
Nancy Pelosi can help to reintroduce that at the next congress. These
actions can come to the rescue of so many spending much of their lives in
prison and away from their families. I am reluctant to leave Nellis Prison
Camp, and leave so many of my new friends behind, without doing something to
help them return to normal and productive life.

Originally Published in STREET SHEET
A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
468 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
415 / 346.3740-voice o 415 / 775.5639-fax
streetsheet@sf-homeless-coalition.org
http://www.sf-homeless-coalition.org