Story Archives 2008

by Brother Y?/PNN

“Killing me softly with his song...killing me softly”
--Roberta Flack

People of color should be able to walk down the street confident that their civil rights will be protected under a black District Attorney. Instead we walk down the street confident of one thing only: Kamala Harris is there for them not for us. It is shameful to say the least that this black woman in skin color only has been responsible for the prosecution of hundreds of black and Latino people while twice or more as many white people have gone free simply by virtue of the color of their skin.

It is and was extremely hypocritical of the Board of Supervisor's to re-endorse Harris for District Attorney because she does not respect or follow the written laws of this City. The chief law in this case being marijuana as the "lowest priority" law that they wrote last year. Kamala Harris still wishes to prosecute me, a disabled diabetic American veteran who out of desperation sought to sell a small portion of my medicine so that I might have adequate food and medicine. As a diabetic I cannot afford to be without food or medicine it would literally be a matter of days before I would die without it.

Ironic as it may seem I do not recall making a transaction with the narc who is the state's key witness against me. I do however distinctly remember that the money looked funny, like it was counterfeit. I am afflicted with diabetes as well posttraumatic stress disorder, both of which have a profound negative effect on the memory. As far as my court appointed attorney goes the best I can say about her to her credit is she did successfully get me or’d which has helped tremendously in my getting my prescribed treatment by my personal physician.

I must state at this time however, that this entire fiasco is a grand conspiracy. The judge residing over my trial is a former lawyer, the prosecutor is a lawyer and my court appointed attorney is a lawyer paid by the same government that is prosecuting me.

The quote at the beginning of this article is from the Roberta Flack song Killing Me Softly. I am diabetic. My doctor has warned me that stress can raise blood sugar levels; the higher blood sugar levels are the greater risk for a heart attack, stroke, loss of limbs and blindness and many other medical complications, and nowhere in the U.S. is any amount of marijuana a capital offense.

Yet the judge is killing me softly by not dismissing the case. The prosecution is killing me softly by not dropping charges against me. The police are killing me softly by constantly harassing, and as far as I'm concerned, stalking me. Kamala Harris the district attorney is killing me softly by pushing my case for prosecution not based on justice or any degree of right and wrong or even remotely considering that racism could be involved. (San Francisco has the highest arrest rate of black people than any other major city in the entire state of California. If the handful of blacks who reside in San Francisco were responsible for the majority of crime here we should all be living in mansions or castles!) Last but certainly not least, my lawyer, a deputy public defender, is killing me softly by not acknowledging and defending my rights as a medical cannabis patient and constantly prioritizing my case last or not at all based on the murder trial she has been working on since she took me on her case load. The deck has been stacked against me since I was arrested.

by Marlon Crump/PNN

"Why do you have all of your kids? We took them all from you before,” a San Leandro Police Officer spoke roughly to Elsa Maldonado.

Confused and shocked, Elsa watched as the police officers put handcuffs on her husband and wrongly accused him of a crime he didn’t commit.

“No one has ever taken away my family before…Get those handcuffs off of my husband he didn’t do anything wrong,” she screamed while her husband tried again and again to explain that he didn’t know who “Monica” was or why the police were arresting him.

I listened intently as Elsa began sharing her family’s struggle with Child Protective Services, a struggle that began over four years ago. It is just one of the many painful C.P.S. stories I’ve been asked to write for POOR Magazine’s Courtwatch column, a media advocacy project dedicated to helping families struggling with C.P.S.

Child Protective Services (C.P.S) continues to systematically sink its claws into the lives of unsuspecting poor families and families of color. In the case of the Maldonado’s, the story consists of an uncaring police department, a temporary judge, an ineffective lawyer for a grieving family, a public defender, and a seemingly "sympathetic" city governmental official.

The family’s nightmare began when the San Leandro Police Department came to the Maldonado’s house wrongly searching for a heroin-addicted mom allegedly named "Monica.” The woman they were searching for had no relation to the Maldonado Family did NOT reside at the family’s house, yet C.P.S somehow managed to rob the family of their parental, civil and custodial rights.

Literally kidnapped by C.P.S, their children are still held captive to this day. The efforts by Maldonado Family to rescue their children continue to be thwarted by C.P.S and the San Leandro Police Department, with lies and fabricated allegations.

Rene and Elsa Maldonado joined POOR Magazine’s Community Newsroom on the evening of April 1st to summarize what has been happening to their family since October 13th, 2004 with the unethical behavior of the C.P.S. and the San Leandro Police Department.

Every time I write someone's story regarding police brutality, my mind almost immediately travels back to October 7th, 2005, to my near-tragic experience with police brutality at the hands of a dozen members of the San Francisco Police Department. Like the Maldonado’s experience, mine was also a case of "mistaken identity" and total innocence.

Later in the week, I met with the Maldonados at the San Francisco Main Public Library. During the interview, Elsa fought to drown out her tears. She showed me a picture that was sketched by one of her children in crayon art.

The picture, drawn in a child’s innocent hand, depicted penises sticking straight up. This heartbreaking picture revealed every parent’s worse nightmare and showed the reality of the Maldonado children’s grave situation. I watched the parents’ faces crumble with pain as they held the drawing with shaking hands.

Rene Maldonado is originally from Xalapa, Mexico has lived in the Bay Area since 1989, with U.S legal status citizenship. He served five years in the Mexican Army as an officer, and three years a Drug Enforcement Agent (D.E.A). " I didn't like how they were treating people, so I quit the force." Rene explained.

He first met Elsa at the San Francisco Independent Newspaper in July of 1993, where they both worked at the time. He was a driver, while she worked as a receptionist.

A native San Franciscan, Elsa Maldonado once enlisted in the United States Armed Forces, but was given a medical discharge. She felt that the military mislead and lied to her about the "benefits" it offered, but was never informed by the recruiter of the painful tasks and trainings that followed.

Both parents have lead very squeaky clean, lives with hardly any brushes with the law. They married shortly after meeting each other, and raised four children together. They have two boys and two girls, ages 11, 10, 9, and 5.

Rene and Elsa currently live in a mobile home in Manteca, California. Rene currently works as a heavy equipment operator at Waste Management Company, in Livermore, California, while Elsa stayed at home to raise their four kids before C.P.S took them.

According to Rene, he would for some unexplained reason, get frequent traffic stops, and harassments from a San Leandro Police Officer coming from work. One day Elsa witnessed her husband pulled over, just a few away from their home. Two officers flanked Rene, guns drawn.

Fearing the worst, Elsa made a very frantic call to 911, and was very hysterical. "There are two police officers that have their guns on him. They keep telling him that his Honda Civic is stolen, but its not! I demand that you send a police supervisor out there, immediately."

"Every time we even call you people regarding theft incidents at our home, you never show up, or are slow in coming." Their neighborhood was plagued with criminal activities, primarily thefts at their home by neighbors.

She yelled, "If anything, ANYTHING happens to my husband, I will sue you all!" Elsa heart was hammering inside her chest, as the 911 Operator put her on hold, while she eyed her husband's safety at gunpoint by the officers.

A short time later after inquiries were made, the operator apologized to Elsa for the mistake, stating that the California Highway Patrol didn't update the information to the San Leandro Police Department that Rene had purchased his car at a police impound. Rene was released from their custody.

On October 13th, 2004, Rene was outside washing his car, when he was approached by a San Leandro Police Officer. He asked Rene if he got his snake back, and Rene responded that they found them. (Rene owned three pet pythons and reported one stolen two months prior.)

The officer, although he addressed Rene as "Mr. Maldonado" earlier on, he demanded to see his identification. As Rene began to show it to him, another officer jumped him from behind, unprovoked. Both officers brutally whacked him in the back of his head with their batons, while Elsa and the kids pleaded with them to stop. Rene completely blacked out, as a result of the beating.

When he regained consciousness, one of the officers told him that his identification was a fraud. "When was the last time you saw the water from the border?" asked the officer, in a racist and offensive tone while he shoved Rene into the back of his squad car, without any regard to his head injury.

Two unidentified female social workers from the Hayward Department of Human Services confronted Elsa following the incident. They kept mispronouncing Elsa's real name, failed to disclose any identification badges, and falsely documented Elsa as a "heroin addict" even though she has never done drugs in her life.

A woman named Caroline called them and spoke to them, separately. She tried to convince Elsa to admit that Rene was physically abusing her, and promised to have C.P.S return her kids. Elsa refused to give false statements about her husband. Caroline even asked Elsa if she had life insurance policies on them.

The workers then lied about the "unsafe environment" the children were in and the kids were taken from them. Since then the children have been taken re-located to many other foster care homes.

A short time later, their public defender, David Poulioutt gave them a very strange deal: They had to either socialize with members of their community, or their kids would not be returned to them. The Maldonado Family soundly refused the "offer" and ended up moving from the area. They hired a lawyer named Donald Bloom, who took their money, and ineffectively represented them by not arguing in their defense.

Bloom promised to "have their kids back home with them in three weeks" but failed due to his lack of representation, the hearing was postponed for six months. Rene and Elsa fired him on the spot. From what they saw, he purposely did nothing for them.

A judge pro tem (temporary judge) commissioner at the Hayward Superior Court in the Juvenile Dependency Division unexplainably changed his name from "Paul D. Seeman to Robert Seeman,” after the hearing was concluded.

Rene and Elsa showed me a picture of their mobile home that was destroyed by the San Leandro Police Department, after it was allegedly reported that they were "trespassing" on the owner's property because of their vacant vehicle.

Without prior notification of the department's intent to demolish, or an eviction notice from the owner, their mobile home was destroyed, in July of 2005, along with the theft of their valuables.

Rene and Elsa met with Oakland Board of Supervisor, Gail Steele in February of 2005 prior to the departmental demolition of their home and explained to her what their situation was, and how no one would help them. Gail seemed to try to entice them to admit family domestic problems that they didn’t have.

After speaking with them for some time, Gail suddenly said to them that she would make certain that they both receive "re-unification" with their children. "Why should we have to re-unify with our kids when they stole our kids!" Rene and Elsa said to Gail.

Gail replied, "Don't you see that this is all a game, so play the game and you will get your kids back!"

The Maldonados don’t want to play this game. They only want their children back where they are safe and loved.

The Maldonados are seeking legal aid. To help please call 415-863-6306

by T.J. Johnston/Special to PNN

As of two weeks ago, the staff was bracing for a June 29 closing date, but no final decision on the center's fate has yet been made, said shelter manager Trina Johnson. This comes in the wake of the March 31 closing of Buster’s Place, the city's only 24-hour resource center for homeless people.

Johnson also said that Mayor Gavin Newsom doesn't realize the effect the possible closing would have on staff and people staying there.

"Clients talk to us and feel safe. We have a community," Johnson said. Once homeless herself, she also said she wouldn't turn people away from the shelter.

Neither Human Service Agency Director Trent Rohrer nor Dariush Kayhan, the mayor's homeless policy director, have responded to requests for comment.

Ella Hill Hutch, located in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood, is also a youth center that provides education, crime and violence prevention, employment, recreation and other community involvement programs for low- and moderate-income residents.

Johnson said the space might be used for nighttime activities for neighborhood youth, though she doubts anybody would come for a midnight basketball game.

Up to one hundred people line up nightly outside the center as early as 8:30 p.m. to sleep on a mat in the gymnasium from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Most of them secure a spot through the city’s CHANGES computerized reservation system, but some disabled people, recent hospital discharges and people just arriving in town are also accommodated.

Those turned away from the center are referred to shelters at 150 Otis St., Episcopal Sanctuary or Providence Baptist Church.

Shelter monitor Christopher Nolan criticized Newsom's promotion of the appearance of solving homelessness while he stands sentry as homeless people pick up their pillows and blankets.

"It's sad they don't have a backup (for a new shelter)," Nolan said.

Before his current job, Nolan worked for five years at the McMillan Drop-in Center at 39 Fell St. before it closed in 2006. He believes the mayor's appeal for funding in Washington, D.C. last year without addressing permanent housing needs was a hollow gesture.

"When everything starts falling like dominoes, and the mayor goes to D.C. and brags on how the shelter system is good … why don’t they call him on his shit?" Nolan said. Just because people are homeless doesn't make them hopeless, he added.

Homeless people like Warren McCormack also disapprove of the closing. McCormack has been homeless for two months. As a bipolar SSI recipient, he said shelters should provide supportive services, such as in-house psychological counseling.

"Everybody's materialistic out here," McCormack said, citing increases in housing costs. He also observed a racial dynamic as to who could afford living in the city. "Over by Glide (Memorial Church in the Tenderloin), not one black person owns a home there. There's a lot of tensions," he said.

Roy Hill, a thin, graying Massachusetts native who is seven years homeless, said hotels could house homeless people. "They need to get SROs for everybody, instead of closing the center," he said.

Cat, a San Francisco native who returned from Portland, Ore. on April 2, sid he hopes the center remains open. "I know a lot of people depend on this place," said.

Because he has family in the city, Cat is optimistic about his housing situation.

"I'm glad they have these places,” Cat said. "If they leave this place, one door closes and another one opens."

"It really affects me and the clients (at Ella Hill Hutch), and (Newsom) really needs to hear us speak," Johnson said.

by Joseph Bolden

The vagaries of,birth, life,illness,and death vary from human to human.

Lady or old man death swings the scythe and were gone.

We know how fragile our lives are,we dwell not as often as we use to given our so-called
improved sanitary,medical/technical skills still being discovered and rediscovered.

It’s one thing to die from fatal disease brought on by rodents,birds, tainted cow’s flesh,or plague unknown and or airborne but dying at random is all the more tragic for its out-of-no where-ness.

Recently as last early last night or early dawn, time isn’t pin pointed as yet.

Mr. Jason,a desk clerk in the San Cristina While visiting his Grandmother in Hayes Valley was shot in the head and killed!

For what and why besides unknown we tenants in our one-room dwellings.

We don’t know all we know for sure is that Jason’s sudden death is a shock!

Living in the tenderloin is hazardous like all areas where danger is common its citizen’s do what they can to blend in and not be seen as targets of opportunity from certain prowlers awaiting their victims.

Some of us act 51/50, [crazed or nutty] carry hidden or on our person weapons varying in size,shape,blunt or sharp, move about believing it more difficult to hit moving targets.

There are many modes of self-preservation.

My own varies from concealing a weapon to moving about the city,which was first learned in Los Angeles when the box or freight car killings occurred in the skid row areas of West L.A.

Though I wasn’t a complete loner there was a few buddies we’d walk with we wouldn’t acknowledge our fears but we knew it is safer to be seen as a group than alone.

This is my main reason when good friends drop by especially women buddies.

I make sure they're safe from harm when in the bathroom or walking them to a nearby bart or bus station.

Jason,a personable, regular guy,worked,earns his money and is killed in Hayes Valley away from the Tenderloin.

I'm told about this early today Monday, April. 28,2008,Jason may was killed Sunday at about 9pm.

It’s still a world where my life is a tightrope, I must balance for safety.

I still wonder at the

trust of women whom feel safe along side me or any males for that matter.

Why was Mr. Jason,from what I observed,a decent, young black man working as a desk clerk murdered whether by accident or design for what?

It tells me black folk are still not accorded equality in this killing field Amerikkka.

As Jewish,Arabs, African’s,and Cuban’s other nationalities can express their views about their land and his/her stories I can speak of this land also in equally negative tones.

Oddly funny that especially when Black American's speak on the dark side of America...
the mainstream or what was the majority population tries to drown or silence it.

The truth hurts better it hurt now than let if fester and turn to puss filled cesspool.

Maybe Presidential Candidate Obama’s Preacher says what he says in his church,on his pulpit is true because as young child,adolescent,and adulthood he
saw the evil that a society where laws were specifically set up against of race of people his people were and to some extent are still set against.

Could the problem be that race still the problem in 21st century because it hasn’t yet been resolved in the 20th ?

I’m wondering if the protest against a pastor or preacher’s words is fear of the ever widening chasm of race,class,and economically driven disparity.

Those questions are too heady for me to dwell on.

All I know–is a young black man,working a low wage job,in one
of the most dangerous areas of San Francisco inner city,he wasn't even in the Tenderloin but Hayes Valley
has died,is dead!

Not from a plague infested animals, insects, cancer,high blood pressure, diabetes,or unknown hidden medical condition of arterial heart valve problem.

He was a healthy black male shot to death in San Francisco and for what reason?

Brother men/Women rainbow folks.

THIS IS STILL A KILLING FIELD,I DON’T BELIEVE ITS ALL THAT RANDOM!

And what of those healthy young collage men last seen slightly intoxicated and last seen drowned!

Their parent(s),friends, and loved ones too want to know... WHY?

IF ANYONE HAS INFORMATION PLEASE SEND TO

Jsph_bldn@yahoo.com or local authorities, sometimes they do stop crime,get their suspects.

by Joseph Bolden

Finally, A Bike!

There are times when what you want isn’t what you need or get so you deal with it,reacess, and move on.

Most folks learn this lesson early,a few learn it late,and then there are those for whom this lesson doesn’t come up at all.

I may have learned my lesson late but finally it is learned.

I missed the platonic girls-as-friend dynamic, had male bonding,block buddy
though no gang initiation process,saw the flash-cash-car-girl of the inner city but after I began playing craps it seemed
mama,me,and my kid brother,moved far from New York,City landing in Oakland/Berkeleley, California.

Won’t bore folks on houseless/jobless G.A. [General Assistance/Work fare blues].

A young woman struggles to save herself an others who’ve survived abuse by the hands of current,ex bf’s,husbands,or strangers.

My mental state is wary of females not feeling worthy of their attention.

Working for/with two, surrounded by many,a current lover across the bay,and one chose to be a constant friend in my life.

She's the main reason humor,sanity,shown me the emotional joy and pain love brings.

The expression of "Holding a torch"is no longer meaningless words.

"Let Go,Let God." Someone once told me,I have,hearts heal,it remembers,gains strenghth and
toughens is armored against suffering again or stays wounded unable to heal from past hurts.

Recently,had some financial set backs which prevented me from buying a bike.

I remember riding one in New York even to the point of out racing some other kids bent on taking my bike from me.

If they were bigger than me I’ve forgotten but quickly I leared how to hide and out race them through Marion Avenue,the park and all over Fordham Road.

It was tense,scary,and exsileration at the same time knowing if I could be hit by a car,truck,bus,or cut off from escaping if those who are chasing me trapped and found me!

Fortunately is was maybe 9 or 10am,warm summer and I had light shirt on and was able to pump my peddles for all with its worth and made it home safe.

I never saw those kids again but always kept a wary eye out from then on. Not riding a bike in over a decade also can make one rusty and scared to try it out again.

But its time and just wnen I though I’d never ride a bike again someone gave me another chance for less than $50 bucks!

Washing my clothes, ready to buy cheese for a rice and chicken meal.

Maybe, I wasn’t meant to by the artery clogging cheese!

In City College the swimming and body building classes had to let go because of reccent job loss
and housing problem now I have a bike and may not have a place to store it.

Having the bike proves its time to ride,just as I had let go of a torch to keep a sacred friendship I was given a second chance at Bicycling.

There never was a first chance for me of the first but life continues and one moves on.

What’s needed is a helmet with rear mirror, lights,clips for pants, bike gloves,chain & locks, kickstand,also water, air pump,and finally to join a little biking exercise called "Critical Mass"

I maybe way behind of the pack but will be riding again and moving
on is what counts.
Any comments,especially frugal bike clubs,associations that I can join or would have me please email me at poormagazine.org or jsph_bldn@yahoo.com.

by Staff Writer

Fourteen year old POOR Magazine youth scholar Jasmine Hain, a survivor of homelessness and class and economic struggle, is a true young leader. She has spoken out on social justice issues from homelessness, child nutrition, saving public libraries and funding public schools to funding for community college welfare-to-work education, from the CA State Capital to Washington D.C. Jasmine is the author of the POOR Press publication My Life x 4 a book she wrote at the age of twelve of storytelling, art and poetry about her life experience of living without a home for four years in Oakland, CA.

Currently, Jasmine is a 4.0 honor student at Willard Middle School in Berkeley, is on the Hunger Action Coalition with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, a Youth Leader with LIFETIME (Low-Income Families’ Empowerment Through Education) and a Youth Elder scholar with POOR Magazine and the F.A.M.I.L.Y. Project.

Recently, Jasmine received the first POOR Magazine Youth Skolah Award for her excellence in family support of mama and sistas, arts excellence, multi-generational leadership and for earning straight A’s in her mastery of formal institutions of learning. Jasmine will be attending Berkeley High School’s International Small School’s Program. Her goal is to attend University someday, studying public policy and becoming a leader who will make positive social change. Jasmine’s other aspiration is to continue her work with POOR Magazine’s Race, Poverty and Media Justice Institute as a youth scholar and would like to travel the world, empowering youth to become social justice leaders in their communities.

by Joseph Bolden

Murals And Orgasms.

The S.F. Print Collective and The Coalition On Homelessness

are the folks inviting me to this gig.

Today from 12-4 pm between 17th+18th Streets and Mission and Valencia

"We Are All San Franciscan’s": Mural Unveiling.

I was relearning to swim and body building at the time so my name is nowhere on the wall.

I was also in Atlanta and later Hawaii with family and friends.

I’ll get right to it, which is the first thing that’s wrong.

One must never rush onto or into one it’s a delicate balance of body,mind, spirit,and soul.

Even minus love it
sex
is still
beautiful when care, desire,and respect are evenly matched.

Murals is ancient old art form.[I don’t know how old it is you[look it up].

Its so ephemeral [look that up too].

(This interactive enough for you)?

Murals can take years to make but painted over, torn down in seconds after being created.

An Orgasm,usually thought of as a woman’s sexual mental/physical,all out quiet to noisy,to brain/body numbing ecstasy.

Men have ‘em too only its not as invisible as women’s are though men can feel surges of warmth to hot boiling heat as women begin to feel pleasure mount.

For the first few years post first coitus I had no idea who,what,when,where,or how long it took for any women's sexual arousal time
began or ends.

all of you fem's vary slightly,each unique from each other;ahh,variety spice-a life Got that guys?

Same advice for Women all men aren't the same,similar package tho our interior drives vary.

In time patience,humor,listening, and plain luck taught the lessons until...

They wordlessly told me by their heat and actions how I was fairing.

If she's not gettin' off
its no fun for me.

That’s when one holds on until she,thrashing about,cursing,screaming, grabbing at your head demands for us to stay on point until she’s… completely “over the the mountain,flying,or otherwise in bliss mode.

Trouble its most guys think warm as hot,let go which really piss women off when actually women are just starting.

And like a surfer must ride the wave both mutually created until both have had a good to great ride.

Together supposedly the ideal however if women get off first that’s deemed the best.

Better to have her floating in her bliss than trying balanced Wow act much easier for most men to achieve.

If men get off first without satisfying the woman he may never be given a second chance or thought afterward.

Always better to err in the woman’s favor chances are other chances will occur.

Sneaky how I’ve weave political stuff into this but next month June 3, Proposition 98 (Ending Rent Control in San Francisco)

That’s what its about from developers who’ve used eminent domain to take property from owners and renters taken over by private sector.

Worded as something who’s time has come and that it won’t hurt just be a small hicup.

Let me tell you losing your housing whether it’s a shelter,transitional, or if you’ve made enough to buy your home.

Prop. 98 will create more houseless folk, some of you with homes will become dispossessed of your homes.

Read Prop. 99 [Yes, people look it up,read carefully] and stay to vote on June 3rd don’t pull our before feeling a flush of sun on your face.

Stay until your whole body is burning…

Only then will you know how much better you’ve done.

I’m such a tease but would you really read my work if I talked in straight politilese?
I didn’t think
so.

Send comments to Poormagazine.org or jsph_bldn@yahoo.com

by Joseph Bolden

Early Trick On Voters

It is I,the apolitical guy formally of Poor Magazine/PNN and a certain radio show in Berkeley.

Po' Poet plus sometime spoken word artist and have been known to try stand-up comedy too.

I've talked to my mother,friends,and worry about a few besides the housing I may lose partly do to me and the way stuff are stack where organizations don't speak to each other but has the slub in the middle as go between.

June 3rd Tuesday,yeah, the Consolidated,Statewide Direct Primary Election City and County of San Francisco.

Poles will be open from 7am. To 8pm.

Its really underhanded sneaky the way the powers that are have set this crud up.

Its so most of us voters won't be thinking about voting only of partying, boys/girls,men/women, men/men or women/women the whole of San Francisco in good time mode no thoughts of anything ominous looming until November.

Wrong fellow citizens of this so called republic of democracy.

I don't know where to begin so here goes.



1.3 New Power Plants or Not
Up to you folks.


2.Prop. E On Pet Projects is it Yay or Nay

on the Board of Supervisors rasing rates.

Check www.Don'tRaiseOurRates.com.



3.Next S.F. Judge. Is it Thomas Mellon, Jr.

or Mr. Geraldo Sandoval.

S.F. Voters do your stuff.


4.Prop. A. For S.F. Schools.

Seismic Safety,

Disability Access,
Updated Computer Labs,
New School Bathrooms.

Again all on us to vote yes or no.


5. Prop.G/Prop.F About clean up of The Hunter's Point Shipyard.

All I know is its been 20 years and the place is still a mess,all kinds of
carcinogens and other types deadly critters.

It is a chemical cancer death trap!



6. Last is what I call; a sly,underhanded,though legal? slick,sneaky trick.

Having a primary this early with another in November.

This by Developers, Speculators,Multi Corp business types plus both suspecting and unsuspecting homeowners.

Going through private housing issues as I write this its difficult not to gag.

Prop 98 which uses Eminent Domain (though is says limits on Government Authority)

Have You Folks Seen Limits On Our Freedoms being broadened and not taken away?

Homeland Insecurty tapped phones,even tried to get librarians see what were reading!

Is that still happening?

Looks to me that 98 will cause mass houseless-ness for everyone with or without homes and if homeowner believe their safe.

Wait til' your Government wants your land,house(s) moved for high end profit making.

Its no longer stealing land now its

Eminent Domain.

Inflated or Balloon payments tent to cause your home to fall into foreclosure proceedings.

While Prop. 99 Sets Limits on Government Acquisition of Owner-Occupied Residence.

All the above is an Initiative Constitutional Amendment

That's it for me,soon as I'm finished writing this column I'll be mailing my vote today or Monday.

After reading up on it a bit.

So read,think,before you vote on June 3,2008.

Remember why they rushed the primary so early

(Not wanting lots of us to vote and end up losing shelters,transitional housing,or homes some of us own.)

The Republic of Democracy has gone crazy and its up to all of us to do a reboot-rid ourselves multi corp 21st century Robber Barons or living spaces everywhere are up for grabs when ever they want.


Write Poor Magazine.org or jsph_bldn@yahoo.com for any comments.

Besides the errors in the writing that's minor compared what's about to down on Tues. June 3, 2008!

by Joseph Bolden

Wymyn/Men’s Social Contract

Ever hear of a book entitled:Why Men Earn More?

No,haven’t read it but might after this column is done.

I heard on a radio show from a man and woman that statistics can be

reconfigured to fit anyones analysis at the time.

Wymyn always bring up economic disparity,glass ceiling text book argument mean while a few male friendly websites and organizations.

From what I know is more males are dropping out of high school,less going to college,universities,and headed into prison.

As for women they make up most of the new small business created and entering,graduating from colleges and universities.

I said once to a female pal once “How come there’s no men-get-in-free and free drinks in club bars?”

“Because bar owners wouldn’t make money,bring women free and men follow.” Or words to that effect.

“We didn’t make the rules” she added.

“But you take advantage of the social set up.” I said.

As for the 'Why Men Earn More book [You look up author]

Men take the most dangerous jobs,go to wars recently women have too,and our testosterone tends to have us do
stupid daredevil stuff like skateboarding,drink too much and commit suicide with guns rather than with pills-alcohol,drugs as women do which saves some from the act.

Plus betrayal of the bumbling,fumbling,male in tv commercials.

As for Battered women’s syndrome Battered Men isn’t seen as real even though statistics have risen steady.

Also if laws are closely examined their is a built in bias against males in favor of women.

Women have more choices from having a career, motherhood,going back to the work force.

Few Single or rare Nuclear families with fathers at home are given
choices to leave work for paternity leave though that is slowly changing.

Of course the sport analogy of boxing still holds.

Two equally matched fighters in ability, strength,experience face each other in the ring.

No matter the equal footing if male beats woman fairly he loses in society for beating up a girl.
notice how the woman is reduced to girl.
Yet when she beats the male in the arena she’s haled,held up as proof of superiority over all men not just a contest of athletic prowess.

Yes,some women think and project that way like men.

Think Bobby Riggs and
Billy Jean King

Mismatch of the century with older experienced tennis pro Bobby Riggs and younger experienced Billy Jean King.

Bobby bragged being a womanizer of beating the "little girl"

His testosterone got the better of him,it really wasn't a fair match between equals.

So much was place on which sex was better.

Bobby lost Billy won.

Billy went on to found a magazine,get endorsements while Billy who'd been through that faded out of the public eye.

I wish today's tennis champs men and women truly of equal caliber had a match what would happen.

I’ve seen women hit men in public, been playfully hit in public myself for looking at other women when with on a date.

Men do that so do women, women are less obvious about it.

Women know they can go off (act out,do and say crazy things in public and get away with but for men it isn’t tolerated.)

Don't shake your heads ladies you know its true.

All you need do is check out
[Ball Busting video or movies of women getting their jollies out of hurting men’s floaters Even if it is only an actresses talking there is a note of glee, joy,maniacal fun the way the main one says
“Come On,I Dare You.”

By the way I commend the actress she gets the point across clearly.

I'll probably not ever see her in real life since I'm a bit of a marred frog with a lazy left eye.

I give all women respect that avoids getting my nut sack racked in pain.

About approaching women inappropriately by touch,talk, or even the too long ogle or stare.

No guy should be mistreated unless you really act or are a jerk.
Women we now know will go there,aim for our tender testes if we are dumb sticks in our so called superiority.

Its all about humiliating pain and as for the idiotic guys who are paid for hits to their groin.

There will never be enough money to place my family jewels in such a precarious predicament.

Placing my junk in harms way!

Some things are not worth the humiliation let alone some "accidental” permanent damage inflicted.

Though some guys will do anything for money.

The Social Contract is broken,bent,twisted,not worth seeking if has tilted all the way to one side even if it works for the so called suffering side.

Now men are victims but we’ve been raised to be strong,silent,and if we say enough!

Wimp,wuss,chicken,or worse names starting with C or P will be called out.

I for one have seen the other side of the curtain.

Socially men and women aren't living up to our social contracts.

So I’m opting out of the masculine straight jacket we,society has put us in that may make me a slight loner outlaw of sorts. [Imagine me,non drinker/drug/non sexist- racist,religious zealot -homophobic guy out of step because have I have the balls to refuse following a social norm that women have found ways to use while still calling themselves oppressed & superior simultaneously.]

You’ve tried awfully hard over the decades but you cannot have it both ways


of being downtrodden and have small businesses,be more educated than ever as men fall behind.

If that's your victory over males then its just as unequal and you've lost the very purpose of equality.

Women! Why aren’t you voting for Ms. Hillary Clinton or placing more women drowning men with candidates?

Want to gain power! Use your numbers,money, that so called superior emotional/ intellectual IQ and experience.

Use that cell phone for important stuff than getting out of the odd awkward blind date.

Use the freakin’ technology,infrastructure at hand.

Unless,when it really comes down to you'd rather sit back and let your beloved,son’s,brother’s, uncle’s,hubby’s,fathers.

I mean the good men; you all know there are many more than you let on continue to die!

You know what you have to do!
Take it from men,then recreate a true and equal contract only then can you say we are the superior species.
Hey, I’m just a testosterone driven guy raised by a strong black woman with lessons taught from a few strong,courageous younger rainbow women. What do I know?

Send comments to Poormagazine.org or jsph_bldn@yahoo.com

by Joseph Bolden

A Picnic

Recently I was at a picnic for CHP[Community Housing Partnership] in gorgeous,lush greenery of the Little Hills Ranch in San Ramon.

Its a breezy Saturday morning.

It is one of those “Y’all Come"deal.

As people and organizations gathered to have fun,play games, and talk strategic politics.

The latter though a turn off for me is like glazed ham with all the fixing’s for those of that bent.

Really it played so little part that day.

Other organizations are designated colored bands on our wrists.

Yellow for C.H.P.,Green- Girl Scouts Of America,I think.

Forget what Red is for and there may have been other colors too.

In early fall I had relearned how to swim properly and body build correctly hat’s what I was my main reason because I’ve missed a few days of both but swimming was given at a picnic or so I hoped.

The bus trip is short.

A neighbor had given me a cheese and bologna sandwich.

I took cold water from home as a precaution against dehydration.

No worries about that with a pool,tents,food,and concession.

After some announcements,tug of war game I hurry into the men’s bathroom changing from street clothes to swim trunks.

It’s faded from chlorine from another pool but works for me.

I really wished my lady friend and mother had come also.

I invited both not by quickie,email but old fashioned face to face.

Mama’s taking a driving test,Ms. L. Bean’s collects a Graduate Degree.

Bean is cute, politically active, socially consciousness young woman with a curvy, shapely,hour glass figure I’ve told her she'd look great in a fish net or mesh bathing suit.

In a one piece less revealing outfit Ms. Bean would look just as spectacular!

Oh,well also said I’d have six pack abs by that time.

That didn’t plan out either.

The Garden Party song came to mind by Rick Nelson.
You see,ya can't please everyone

So ya got to Please yourself.

I’ll keep working on them and other body parts all summer just to see how clear and dense it can be since nearly nothing better to do.

Some bad table tennis, long food lines,short ice cream and soda lines it was a good fun day.

Yes,there were children that wined,cried,but most of the tots enjoyed themselves with or away from adults.

I didn’t ride a horse, or hike swimming was at the top of my list.

Bingo played I avoided that by getting ice cream.

Proudly I didn’t have two helpings of food.

By the time the bus arrives to take us home,I don’t waddle aboard with extra carry on food.

The trip home seems faster,by the time I home all I could do was watch a little TV before going to sleep in my own comfortable bed.

But it was a great outing.