Story Archives 2015

Frank Lara talks about the police murder of Amilcar Lopez, as well as police violence and gentrification in the Mission.

The transparent Liar Ed Lee has done it again first by throwing elderly and disabled people of color under the bus with an unreasonable policy of enforcing fare evasion and then by pretending to be a hero by agreeing with the SFMTA’s decision to extend free Muni to elderly and disabled patrons as it has previously done for the city’s youth.

Prior to Lee becoming mayor Muni was essentially free to anybody who boarded the bus from the rear, and were rarely questioned or stopped.

Part of Lee’s efforts to “clean up the city” was cracking down on fare evasion thus making it even more difficult and expensive for poor people to live in one of the most expensive cities not only in California but the entire country. Now that it’s getting closer to his second possible elected term as mayor and many of the people impacted by his policy of cracking down on fare evasion are of Asian descent like himself [no political candidate in history in this country has ever won an election by not carrying the vote of his own people] also one dead alleged fare evader and at least one severely beaten alleged fare evader later, the policy has not only turned out to be fruitless but a waste of city funds that could be used on much worthier causes.

In front of city hall at noon on the steps of city hall many elders and disabled spokes persons sat some holding signs and many spoke asking for what was anticipated to happen. This number included a number of community leaders as well as local politicians.

It was made up of mostly elder Asian descended females but it did also represent the many communities of San Francisco as well.

At about 12:45 most of them went inside to hear how the board members would cast their votes.

I and my friend Mira Ingram were interviewed by a local news station right before this took place and we were asked how the new change would impact us.

By 5pm that evening I got the news via Facebook that the board approved the new measure to go in effect March 1 2015.

Under the bus then over it even yoyo’s ain’t got no tricks like that!

It is also important to note that Lt. Ali of the San Francisco police department has claimed that fare evasion is akin to terrorism or so is his reasoning for San Francisco using funds from the federal government intended for counter terrorism. Ali has gone on record as stating justification in using these funds to enlist unarmed public transportation personnel who are not peace officers and have no right to detain or arrest people other than through voluntary compliance is a counter terrorism measure because terrorist board buses illegally and checking proof of payment is the best way to stop terrorist in their tracks!

PNN reporter Bruce Allison has also noted that 90% of Muni’s budget comes from the federal government.  

PNN-TV: Mercedes Cordero - Mama de Eduardo, amigo de Amilcar hable con Prensa POBRE

Fresh flowers

sprout

From the ground

On Balmy Alley

Fresh

Homegrown flowers

Of the Frisco 

Kind

Flora Homeboy/homegirl

Franciscus

Fresh flowers

The color of

Abuelita skin on

A spring day

Flowers with mouths

That spit rhymes

And kiss wounds

Both seen and unseen

Flowers whose

Petals tremble

To the bass heart

Of La Mission

Fresh flowers

Cut by the machete

Tongue of poets whose

Sweet sweat mango

Fragrance lives in their skin

Who climb the

Rooftops and declare the

Neighborhood theirs

Fresh flowers

Whose roots twist and turn

Under the concrete, so deep

And so intricate that it can’t

Be pulled out or killed by the

Pesticide real estate cloud

Fresh flowers

Have sprouted and they

Have been here for generations

And are reborn on this concrete

Alley, on this floating island

Known as San Francisco

Fresh flowers that

Have floated down black

Rivers and spread its fragrance

Over fences and barriers meant

To keep us out

The flowers got

Names too:

Sean

Tracy

Laurenthia

Kim

Utopia

Eric

Alphonso

Bill

Flowers whose

Faces, stems fragrance

Cannot be evicted

And the flowers

Become faces and the

Faces become murals

And the murals are

Us and they are ours

Despite what the

Tourists (Short term and long term)

Think

© 2015 Tony Robles

Sometimes you got
to catch yourself

To see the beautiful Movie "Amor For Alex"  by Green-Eyed Media go to this link