Ellis Act Eviction Alert

Another San Francisco elder falling prey to the Ellis Act by Eviction by Landlord and Speculators using State law to undermine rent Control.

Another San Francisco senior is being evicted from his long-term rent controlled flat courtesy the state’s predatory Ellis Act.  Benito Santigo is a disabled elder and teacher with the San Francisco Unified School District.  Mr. Santiago has lived in his Duboce Street flat since 1977.  He became disabled due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident in 1980.  Despite his physical limitations, he has devoted his time to teaching music to young people with developmental disabilities.  In a rental market that has seen a 170% increase in Ellis Act evictions and 38% increase in all evictions in the last 3 years, seniors are particularly vulnerable.  Many seniors are long term tenants in rent controlled housing, and, in the case of a high publicized eviction involving the Lee family in the city’s North Beach neighborhood, are evicted by real estate speculators looking to turn a profit by purchasing buildings and flipping them into tenancy in commons’ (TIC’s) in which each unit is sold as a separate mortgage.  The other motivation is to convert the units into condominiums.   

San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar hosted a recent town hall meeting on the issue of evictions in the District he represents—the Richmond District—District 1.  Mr. Santiago spoke at the meeting, along with other long term residents who told of being served eviction notices after their buildings were sold.  Many of the speculators that purchase rent controlled buildings are outside of San Francisco, some are located in other states.  One senior told of losing his housing and is now homeless, “couch surfing” while trying to navigate a housing situation that sees market rate housing reaching an average of over $3,200 a month for a one bedroom apartment.

Mr. Santiago is a valuable part of the community, as he is a teacher and has volunteered as a music instructor at the I-Hotel Manilatown Center, which is the heart of the tenant rights movement in San Francisco.  “Benito Santiago’s eviction shows the need to protect not only elders and those with disabilities in San Francisco from greedy landlords, but teachers too” said Tony Robles, Manilatown Heritage Foundation board member.  A San Francisco Bay Guardian article reports that 35% of teachers hired since July live outside the city.

Elders are being preyed upon by speculators and have been hard hit by evictions—especially in working communities and communities of color.  We call upon both local and state leaders to pay attention to the eviction epidemic that is hitting seniors extremely hard.  Ellis Act evictions have had catastrophic effects on the lives of thousands and those effects are being felt in places outside of the Bay Area.

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It was New Year's Eve, 2008. My friends had invited me to go out with them to a huge hotel party, but instead I decided to go out alone and have a drink to celebrate obtaining my real estate license.

As I was driving down Mission between 16th and 17th street I heard an E-40 song playing nearby at Blondie's bar and grill, so I went inside to check it out. The bar was filled to capacity as I made my way to the front to order myself a drink. Everyone was dancing and having a good time, so I joined in on the festivities. I began dancing with a few people, including a Caucasian lady who sealed my fate when she accused me of touching her behind. Even though I did not touch this female in any disrespectful manner, she told her partner that I had done so. When he learned of this, he and his friends attacked me. I was punched and knocked to the ground. I tried to defend myself, but I was overwhelmed by the kicks and punches I received by them until I lost consciousness.

When I came to, the men still proceeded on with their assault against me. I had thrown a bottle in self defense, but it just bounced off the wall. The fight continued on outside until the bouncer broke it up. When the police arrived, reports were made for both sides and I was given a ticket. I went home, barely able to walk. I laid in bed for a couple of days, immobilized by unbearable pain. Eventually, with a struggle, I went to the hospital to get checked out.

When I had recovered from my injuries, I went to 850 Bryant Street to take care of the citation. The clerk at the district attorney's office told me that the ticket had been dismissed. Then a few months later I was pulled over by the police. I was arrested because my citation pertaining to the fight at the bar had escalated to a warrant. All this, after I had been told it was dismissed.

            I couldn't comprehend the injustice of this incident. I was one man that was brutally beaten by three white males who I later found out were skinheads, and yet I was the one being charged with sexual assault, battery and mayhem. After being bailed out of jail by a relative, I began fighting my case from the streets. I was appointed a former district attorney to represent my case. He had no hope that I would receive any kind of justice. One of the men in the attack had a father who was an attorney and several times I would see him, the DA, my attorney and the judge leaving the chambers confident that I would lose the case. I didn't understand why I was the only one involved in the incident who had to face charges in court. Why didn't the girl who accused me of this crime, and the men who assaulted me ever had to show up in court? These questions fell upon deaf ears.

After getting a new attorney and contacting two of the witnesses that would help my case, I was denied a chance to have my case go to trial. When I had contacted the bouncer that was there and witnessed my attack, he had agreed to testify on my behalf. The court then slapped me with a stay-away order for harassment, and in the quest for justice, I had lost my freedom.

My eight month incarceration had an immense impact on not only my life, but my family's lives. I was forced to be separated from my children, the youngest child being only 6 months old. Everything I had worked hard for was taken away from me because of an age-old tale of being accused of assaulting a white woman. It’s a crime that, guilty or not, was sure to cost a black man his life in Amerikkka. This accusation cost me my real estate license, time away from my children and my freedom.

Going out to celebrate that New Years' night really messed up my life. The corrupt criminal “justice” system did nothing to promote real justice or healing. I may have been physically beaten by skinheads, but I was mentally lynched by the kangaroo courts. Like my favorite MC of all time, KRS-ONE said- "THE SYSTEM GOTCHA!"

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La Reforma Migratoria es solo un Cuento

Desde hace mucho tiempo suena en mis oidos la reforma migratoria el cual es un sonido que me tortura. El año pasado dijeron en las noticias que iba suceder una reforma migratoria para mas de 11 millones de idocumentados. Haci fueron pasando los dias los meses hasta que termino el año. Yo se que Barack Obama no es quien decida, pero si el presionara al congreso, estoy segura que se logrria una reforma migratoria.

Pero el tampoco hace algo para lograr que el congreso se ponga de acuerdo

yo sinceramente estaba emocionada desde que inicio el año  pues crei en lo que decian en la televicion y los noticieros.

Hoy permanesco decepcionada de todo y de todos. Ya entendi que  a los gobernantes de este pais no les importa nada y menos la vida de nosotros los indocumentados. Pues como ellos duermen calientitos y tienen a su familia a su lado, no les importa la vida de los demas.

Yo se que nadie nos pidio venir a este pais, pero nos venimos por la pobreza que  existe en nuestro pais nativo el cual es por causa de los estados unidos. Otros venemos por sufrir violencia domestica, por ejemplo yo, por esa razon me vine: para salvar mi vida. Hoy veo que no valio la pena porque despues de 10 años  e perdido la mitad de mi vida al ver que perdi el cariño de mis hijos y eso si que no tiene precio. Todo sucedio por el miedo de regresar a mi pais. Por ser atenida, creia que las iguanas volarian.

Pues hoy yo pienso mejor me voy de aqui, pero hay posibilidad que mi ex esposo me mate cuando regrese a Guatemala. Y por ese miedo sigo esperanzada en que llegue la Reforma Migratoria.

Ya basta de mentiras! Digan la verdad! Ya estamos cansados de que nos tengan como bebes con el chupon en la boca, y no nos dan nada!

Esta semana escuche rumores de que este año si van a hacer la reforma, pero yo ya no quiero creer. Me da coraje y ganas de llorar porque los del govierno no se dan cuenta que nosotros los latinos trabajamos como burros. Lo que quiero decir con esto es que no nos quejamos de los trabajos pesados que la poblacion Estado Unidense no quiere hacer. En los restaurantes, quienes trabajan? En los hotels lavando los cochinos baños? Quienes cuidan a los viejitos y a los niños por un precio justo? Nosotros somos los que pagamos el precio de mantener a nuestras familias sea en este pais ajeno o en el propio. Comoquiera somos nosotros los que trabajamos tiempo y doble para poder pagar los biles de cada mes. Por esa misma razon estamos cansados de que no nos tomen en cuenta. Ya basta de esta injusticia! Nosotros tambien merecemos vivir sin miedo de ser deportados. Es tiempo de que reconoscan que nosotros tambien tenemos el derecho de vivir comodamente al lado de nuestros seres queridos y que contribuimos grandiosamente en este pais.

Ya ponganse de acuaerdo! Veran que este pais se va a enriqueser si nos dan papeles porque podemos contribuir sin miedo.

The Immigration Reform is only a Story

For a while now, the words immigration reform sound in my ears. This is a sound that tortures me. Last year it was broadcasted over the television that there would take a place an immigration reform for over 11 million undocumented individuals. Likely, the days passed, so did the weeks and months up until the year was over. I know that Barrack Obama has no say in what the decision is, but if he does use his ability to pressure congress, I am sure that migratory reform would take place.

Either way, he has not done anything so that congress makes the right decision. I sincerely felt excited from the beginning of the year being that I believed that was being said on air in both the radio news and the television.

Today I remain disappointed in everything and everyone. I now understand that the people governing this country don’t mind the situation or lives those of us undocumented people are living. While they remain safe and sound alongside their families, the blinds on the rest of us are shut.

I know that we were not asked to migrate to this country, but we came because of the poverty that exists in our native countries-poverty due to the United states. Others come because they suffer domestic violence as I did. I came because of that reason, I saved my own life. Today I see that it was not worth it because after ten years now I have lost half of my life: I lost the priceless love of my children. All of this was caused because of the fear I have in returning to my natal country. For over thinking and considering every possibility, I actually did believe that pigs would fly.

Today, I constantly think that I will leave here. Still there remains the possibility that my ex-husband will kill me upon my return to Guatemala. Because of that fear, I remain where I am waiting for the immigration reform.

This week I heard rumors that this year the reform would happen, but I no longer want to believe that. I gain anger and tears because the people of the government cannot even imagine the conditions or how my people are working. What I want to say with this is that we do not complain of our strenuous jobs or the manual labor we do that the rest of the U.S. citizens do not want to pick up. Who are the ones that work in restaurants? Who washes the dirty restrooms in hotels? Who are those that take care of the elderly and kids for a just price? We are the ones that pay the price of maintaining our families in this country or thousands of miles away in another. Regardless of the location, we are the ones that work time and a half to be able to pay the bills that we are charged every month. Because of that same reason, we are tired of not being considered. It is time to stop this injustice! We too want to live without the fear of being deported. It is time for them to recognize that we also have the right to live comfortably alongside our loved ones and those of us greatly contribute to this country.

It is time to make the decision! You will see that this country will be enriched if we are given our papers because we can contribute without fear.

The POOR magazine' Indigenous News-making Circle/ Community Newsroom was really fierce last week when a man came and talked about the injustice committed against his relative, Leonard Peltier. As a young African-American woman I have been born and bred on corporate media and until i came to POOR's People Skool I hadn't even heard of Leonard Peltier, which, sadly is similar to many of my peers,

Peltier was wrongly imprisoned for over thirty seven years. It was painful to hear about yet another political prisoner, most of whom never get out of prison, and are treated terribly because they speak consciousness and go against injustice done by the government. I was holding back my tears while listening to this DJ/musician talk about his relative who has been locked up for so long and is still fighting for his freedom.

The Feds accused Leonard Peltier of killing two cops on a reservation during a shoot-out. The main thing that struck me was how the press published articles in the paper saying that people on the reservation were not the victims but the swat team was. People have had misinterpretations of what happened because the FBI even paid the press to not include facts of how the feds set him up. Before the shoot out (on Pine Ridge reservation) the cops were dressed down and didn’t want to reveal their identity. During the shoot-out, many children from the Jumping Bull Ranch had to run through fire bullets. Angry agents shot up the Jumping Bull home, leaving bullet riddled family portraits in their wake. The police allegedly said they went onto the reservation because one of the Native Americans stole a pair of cowboy boots! The feds make up the stupidest things as an excuse to kill and harass people. Mass destruction and trauma on indigenous land for shoes?! Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were camping on the property at the time. They had been invited there by the Jumping Bull elders, seeking protection from the extreme violence on the reservation.

In the days following the shoot-out, FBI agents in SWAT gear and carrying assault rifles also terrorized other Pine Ridge residents through a series of warrantless no-knock assaults on their homes. After the Feds started investigating they had a selective prosecution. They charged Leonard Peltier for the killings of the two cops. There were two other members from the native land present during the shoot-out, but charges against them were dropped. Certain members of AIM bragged about killing the cops in the shootout but again they were never imprisoned. Charges against a fourth man, Jimmy Eagle (a non-AIM member), were later dropped. (Prosecutors admitted during Peltier's trial that Jimmy Eagle had not even been on the reservation on the day of the shoot-out.).

Media manipulation is a tactic used against Leonard Peltier even today. During Peltier's 1993-2001 bid for an award of clemency the FBI again put out false information about him. The FBI media had a plan to tear this man down. At POOR magazine we go straight to the root of the story and talk to the victims and not the monsters from other corporations.

After hearing this story, many of us Po' migrante, houseless and in-struggle folks in the news room at POOR magazine were quiet. We didn’t have anything to say but encouraging words reminding him to keep his head up no matter what. We agreed to tell his side of the story which is the REAL TRUTH. “DJ FreeLeonard” is a website so people can donate whatever they can to help this innocent man be free. Although the corruptness of the system has been discouraging and frustrating, Peltier’s family wants to involve president Obama because no one else will listen to them and believe them. After more than thirty-seven years, Peltier and his relatives are still fighting for justice.

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^{Below is a press release from the Intl Indian Treaty Council}

Some guys, you

Don’t know where

They come from

They walk and form

Words and, in general,

Look like they came from

An airplane catalogue

Such was the case of

A guy who had worked

At an insurance company

To which I was indentured to

He was hired to resurrect

The company, which was

In a slump, and he rode in

And sought to resurrect us all

And I’d see him in

Elevators and in passing,

Going from one important

Meeting to another

And I’d head to my

Desk and wait

For the phone to ring

(And I wouldn’t have too wait long)

And the man hired to resurrect

Us announced to the company

That he would have brown bag

Lunch sessions with employees who

Wanted to help out in the company

Resurrection

It was called

Brown bagging with…

And one day the

Company was called

To a meeting for a

State of the company

Address with the company

Heads

And I sat among

My fellow employees,

Many of whom were black

And brown

And the guy who was

Sent to resurrect us told

Us that we were, as a company,

Embarking on an adventure

Such as when

Christopher Columbus

Set sail in search of the

New world

And his words sailed towards

The faces and bodies of

Folks whose descendants

Inhabited the third world

And I looked at an

African American woman

Who worked on another floor

We sat through his presentation

And all the Christopher

Columbus bullshit

No need for

A brown bag

This son of a

Bitch was already

Out to lunch

© 2014 Tony Robles

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(Note: image from worcesterstatepdouglass.wordpress.com )

(Photo of SF Po'Lice Officer Carrasco issuing a citation for fare evasion after a sweep of MUNI at Geary & Van Ness)

(reprinted from 48hills.org)

Po'Lice and Fare Inspectors harass MUNI passengers on Mayors Orders

“People are evading their fares, we are only here because the Mayor wants to cut down on all the crime on MUNI.” SF Po'Lice Officer Carrasco barked at me, while issuing a citation for alleged fare evasion to a young African-Descendent student on his way to school. This young brother was one of over 25 people caught in a “sweep” read  invasion of a MUNI bus, who were pulled off the bus so citations could be issued.

They were there like locusts, 15 deep between fare inspectors and Po’Lice officers swarming the MUNI bus stop at Van Ness & Geary. The bus was loaded to the gills as it often is and people were getting on the back like we always do if there is no room at the front. For this insane class-based “crime” we were cited.  As the Po’ Lice were following orders from Mayor Lee and harassing us Po’ mamaz, youth, elders, working people and disabled houseless folks over an alleged two dollar crime,  a monolithic, two story, steel-gray, Mercedes “bus”  pulled up to the same stop, the door glided open softly like a digital chariot and three people, heads deep in-1phone-love, rushed in. On the giant bus was an LED sign stating its corporate affiliation, APPLE Shuttle.

At this point I turned to the army of Po’Lice and wanna be po’Lice aka Fare harassers and said, why do the rich get to ride for free? How is that not a crime? Why don’t you give them a citation for fare evasion? They looked at me blankly, deep in their hegemonic story of “crimes” and who does them.

Notwithstanding the mayors fallacious claims of so-called “crimes” by us Po and working folks on MUNI, the trillion dollar tech-based corporations, Google, Twitter, Apple, Genentech, EBAY and many more are stealing this City blind and the Mayor has enabled, signed off and/or crafted the giant theft in his attempt to continue the Manhattenization of this increasingly rich-wites-only city.

While at the same time launching an all out class war to evict, destroy, beat down and eventually incarcerate anyone who isn’t part of their Tech Colonizer kingdom. But please don’t be mistaken this did NOT begin with Rich-people-loving Mayor Lee.  Us Po’ folks have been fighting the increases of MUNI for minute.

Since the increase in MUNI fares in 2011 to 2.00 which several activists fought against, the fare inspectors and Po’Lice started trolling the bus stops in poor communities of color like the Mission, Bayview and Tenderloin. They have been swarming the stops, getting on buses and incessantly harassing folks who are just trying to get to and fro.

All of these profiled so-called fare evasion crimes on us folks, especially youth of color, Po’ mamaz, houseless folks and disabled elders culminated in the brutal assassination by Po’Lice of Kenny Harding Jrover a 2.00 transfer on July 16, 2011.

Recently, like the gentriFUKation, Ellis Act evictions and Sit-lie citations of houseless folks the “fare –sweeps” po’lice harassment has increased and according to Officer Carrasco, the mayor has launched a new harassment/profiling campaign. Funny, I didn’t get that memo.

Tony Robles, co-editor of POOR Magazine reported a disabled elder being tackled to the ground last week by two Po’Lice officers for so-called fare evasion.Myself and Jewnbug of POOR Magazine have been harassed multiple times with all of the Family Project children and Queenandi, of POOR has witnessed multiple times the harassment, abuse, profiling and citing of recyclers and houseless elders

The Tech industry has earned more than 37 trillion dollars this year.. From the New Machine Age…

So as the trillion dollar tech industry rides on, in their shiny buses, completely for free, paying nothing, taking more and more real jobs away from real people, giving fewer and fewer people more and more dollars to hoard, while also giving our real, union-paid jobs to robots and technology,  evicting more and more of us working folks to make way for the rich elite to live, the message is crystal clear, our poor bodies, our children’s bodies, our mama bodies, our elder bodies, our disabled bodies must pay, must leave, or we will  all be incarcerated.

Change Won’t Come from a Savior , a Pimp or an Institution – Change will only come from a Poor People-led Revolution… tiny, Po Poets Project 2010 

A majority  of the people on SSI and Social Security, including this poverty scholar, want to pay back the community by working regular jobs, and pay back into the tax system and pay back the debt I owe the society.

When I got the post card that said “Ticket to work” it was like a chance to eat a filet mignon stake. This was on the post card, “Go to work.” I immediately picked up my phone, set up an appointment, and went to the meeting two weeks later. I went to One South Van Ness, third floor. When I got into the room it was half empty. They had about 100 chairs out. I felt I was cherry picked. Other low income people in my building did not get this post card. As soon as I got into the place where they were having the lecture I got cookies and coffee, and said to myself, "at least I am getting some food out of this experience." I looked around the place; it was half empty. That’s where my thoughts came that this is a cherry picked operation. As they explained it, this is a new program by Social Security and SSI. The person talked and said, “Your benefits will not be attacked if you get a job for two years.” I looked around the place again. My curiosity just hit the roof. Let me tell you why I think its a cherry picked operation: Most of the people looked like they were eligible to work, because a majority of the questions were logical and sensible that the audience asked. Except for one person that fell through the cracks, the rest were wiling to work. This is sponsored by three agencies. They are the State Department of Rehabilitation, San Francisco’s Workforce Development and Tool Works.

Then we were broken into small groups, taken outside into another courtyard. That’s where we were assigned to a caseworker at Toolworks, a non-profit organization. The first caseworker they assigned me to was overloaded, so they reassigned me to another caseworker whose first name is Alison. She started out by handing me the usual dummy jobs  then she started talking to me. At our next meeting she gave me jobs that required a Masters Degree. I was shocked because in school system I was sent to special education due to my displexia and called retarded. I have to be groomed for the interview so they will be sending me to clothes school and interview training.

These jobs come to me as a shock. As a simple high school graduate to be qualified for a job in fields that I did not realize that I qualify for. If so, what the hell are they teaching kids in school? 

I will give you updates as it continues.

Thank you for reading this article.

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Cambiando El Amor por los Dolores

El sol está al centro del cielo azul y blanco. Regreso de la escuela cuando de pronto inicia el sonido de tambores con diferentes ritmos y a cada paso el sonido aumentaba, y al mirar al otro lado de una malla oxidada, allí eta en el patio un joven rodeado de ollas de diferentes tamaños se miraba como una batería de una banda Rock.

Quien será este loco, pienso y al estar más cerca estoy frente a mi amigo David que fabrico este artefacto pues suena, y sueña des ser un músico que suene como los Beatles.

El tiempo paso y después David con su pelo largo hasta el hombro y su chaqueta del múrciela de Sololá, formo una banda que tocaba música de los Beatles en fiestas y clubs nocturnos. Por el día trabajaba como contador para luchar por la familia que formo.

David, muy fiel siempre con su vieja, con ella a todas partes y con la motocicleta que le quedaba un poco pequeña para su gran espíritu luchador.

David toca y danza al son que le toquen pues la sobrevivencia lo hizo cambiar su ritmo y una noche lo encontré en una fiesta por el trébol tocando salsa o cumbia y con una indumentaria tropical.

Escuche muchos conciertos de mi hermano y amigo David su banda llamada Yesterday. Tocaba en conciertos gratis para la banda pobre y proletaria. Música o covers de bandas gringas y también música de su inspiración y creación, entre los nombres de sus grupos recuerdo, el denominado Dona Locha y sus benditos, gravo un de Álbum pero grammy’s nunca se enteraron de su trabajo artístico musical en contra de todos los vientos.

Esta historia es la realidad de países pobres donde la cultura no es importante, como decía El filosofo Lencho Patas Planas “existen lugares donde la cultura es peste” no se le da el valor que merece al artista nacional, el talento y la cultura se pierde cada día que pasa.

La Garra Chapina fue una serie de conciertos de bandas musicales de Rock en español que con un estilo propio y talento, compartieron el arte con canciones originales, historias de amor,  esperanza, un ejemplo de músicos que salieron al ruedo a demostrar que si se puede, y el publico jóven les apoyo.

Todo marchaba bien

La poca visión y el amor al dinero hicieron que empresarios guatemaltecos no apoyaran a esta creciente expresión de música y también la violencia hizo su parte Ricardo Andrade, un músico guatemalteco en lo mejor de su carrera fue asesinado por una bala asesina.

Encontrando y escuchado sus voces

Puedes encontrar una canción que expresa y refleja lo que pasa en los que llaman países pobres. Nos han puesto en un hoyo que para salir las personas se ven empujadas a cambiar el amor por el dolor de dejar a sus seres queridos por los dólares.

El Norte es la canción que narra las perdidas. Puedes encontrar la cancion en internet, es muy buena cantada, y creada por Ricardo Andrade.

Bohemia Suburbana grupo de rock guatemalteco en español nació en 1992 que después de haber sonado y grabado su música, 20 años después un programa de TV les dio la oportunidad de incluirlos en su espacio este dato marca historia como los medios de comunicación apoyan al arte y los artistas.

Son muchos los héroes que forman grupos musicales que escuchan y comparten sus voces, en próximo articulo mencionaré a todos, los de la eterna primavera y les recomiendo Alux Nahual con la esperanza y la lucha que en Guatemala se haga un alto al fuego, corrupción, balas y la muerte. Hagamos el amor y no la guerra entre hermanos y paisanos.

Que puede decir el ministerio de cultura de su política cultural.

Cuéntale a tod@s  que nadie quede callado. 

Julio Sabio 2013 Diciembre

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