Story Archives 2015

There are no words for how sad i am about the loss of sister Yuvette, killed by Emeryville pigs on February 3rd with war-style weapons  which is why i needed to write this story.

Tragically,  there are many Yuvette Hendersons and other poor , criminalized mamas and daddys like her and me living precariously on the margins of what sister Tiny calls Gentryville (Emeryville) much of which used to be a larger West Oakland until realtors realized they could sell more over-priced apartments and condos to young rich white people if they called it Emeryville.  Now all of our poor, black and brown bodies are in even more danger.
 

We are all profiled for shopping, walking, living while Black and Po’ in Gentryville. When we go into Home Depot or Starbucks, Office Depot or even the parking lot . There is always a possibility that we will be followed by a security guard, asked to leave or escorted off the “property”

Since the Dot-com boom of 1999 and increasing every year since, this neighborhood where many of us were born or have lived for years has become dangerous to our health. If any of us sit, stand, chill or park in the nearby park or leave our shopping carts, belongings or cars near the freeway overpass, they are always at-risk of being seized, towed or confiscated.

I can’t tell you how many times i have been followed by “loss prevention” agents out of Home Depot because i allegedly “stole” something when all i was doing was trying to use the bathroom. Questioned by pigs just for standing in front of Starbucks. Had all of my cans confiscated just for pushing my shopping cart past the great white wall of Hollis when it morphs into Gentryville

These are the hazards of being poor, houseless and of color in neighborhoods that used to be ours and now belong to whiter, richer people. Before I lived in West Oakland homelessly i lived in a home our family had lived in for 15 years until we lost it because the owner sold it to a housing developer for 3 times the amount he paid for it.
 

At POOR Magazine we always say eviction is death and gentrification is genocide. These are harsh terms but they are true, What ever happens to us peoples once we are outside. Either we are endlessly harassed, our bodies and lives are surveilled and/ or arrested andor we end up in prison.

Marilyn X is a Poverty skola reporter with POOR Magazine who is a houseless resident of West Oakland. There will be a vigil and march for Yuvette this Sunday, April 12th at 3pm- at Extra Space Storage 3406 Hollis St Emeryville, CA 94608

California: For Rich People ONLY???

1st Nations, Black, Brown & Poor peoples across the state resist the Apartheid state of Displacement, Po'Lice Terror, False Borders and Plantation Prisons

Is Cali4Rich People Only-dont b fooled-  they want you in jail, the ground or dead homey... before the colonizers came we loved our mama earth- but then they came to steal everything using jesus name & calling themselves Holy- now they  come wit eviction papers , handcuffs and legislations cuz they want Cali for rich peoples only...Po Poets Project/Poetas Pobres

"After being evicted out of her home and community of over 40 years, my mama not only lost her job, she lost hope and became sick,," said Stevie A, the sun of a very low-income domestic laborer. whose entire five generations of family were displaced from San Francisco, He noted that his family which included young children and elders not only lost their life-long home, but the adult members of the working class family lost their jobs and the children lost their community and schools which ultimately resulted in the young men of the family being racially profiled and incarcerated

"My children were traumatized by our eviction. Our family never recovered," Sabrina, a mother of three spoke about losing her family to the eviction and criminalization of her family due to eviction from their now-privatized/gentrified no longer public housing in San Francisco.

"My sun Josiah cries for his father everyday," said his mother Laurie Valdez whose husband Antonio Lopez was shot in February of 2014 for doing nothing by San Jose Po'Lice dept in an act of po'Lice terror just like Mike Brown of Ferguson, Ezell Ford and "Africa" of LA, and Alex Nieto of San Francisco and so many Black, Brown and Po peoples across this stolen indigenous territory from Salinas to Oakland to San Francisco. 

Police terrorized, displacement victims Stevie, Sabrina, Laurie and Josiah are just a few of thousands of families, elders and babies across the state who are under attack by the concerted forces of gentrification and removal by the wite-supremacist nation who would like to remove us all. From Po'Lice Terror to  the acts of elder and child abuse caused by eviction to the endless building of prisons and militarizing of these colonizer created borders leaves us all asking who is this shiny state being built for?

From the original settler colonizers bringing their false borders, slave-catchers (po"lice), paper and mind-stealing poison (alcohol) to steal, rape and pillage mother earth and her earth people to current day 21st century gentryTEchNation, the corporations/speculators and their state agents displacing, incarcerating and/or killing every poor and working person they get, the time has come  to name the obvious; California's Indigenous, Black, Brown, Poor and Working class peoples are undergoing the final and most deadly colonial removal project so California can become a state for Rich People Only.

Like  previous apartheid/colonization removal projects throughout herstory from the Congo to South Africa to West Papua to the 1st theft by colonizers of Turtle Island, they always involve covert and overt genocide,  extra-judicial killings of the indigenous peoples of the land, the workers, and the children. All of these acts of genocide and removal are rooted in the theft of resources from ancestral lands of the indigenous peoples and the ongoing destruction of Mama Earth and Mama Ocean.

From LA to Oakland, from Salinas to San Francisco 1st Nations, Black, Brown,Disabled and Po peoples are resisting this Removal project. We are taking back our civil and human rights, our ancestral lands and saying NO we will not be moved.

Join IdleNoMore LA, California Network of Revolutionary Change, POOR Magazine, The Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Idriss Stelly Foundation, Our Mission No Eviction,OCNC (Oceania Coalition of Northern California), Justice For Josiah, Justice For Mario Romero and many more on May 1st across California as we put forth clear demands which include moratoriums on evictions,  continuing to pressure District Attornies across the state to convict Ellis Act using real estate snakes with Elde and child abuse, to launch  an immediate moratorium on more rich people housing devil-opment by speculators, to institute the Homeless Bill of Rights, to support peoples investigations into po'Lice murders and resist the amerikkklan lie of security (Po'Lice)  and much more.

In Oakland we will be at 1225 Fallon, eviction and foreclosure kkkourt In San Francisco we will be returning at 10am to the District Attorneys office to demand they convect real estate snakkes of elder and child abuse for these evictions violent impact on our children and elders and moving onto the SF City Hall to support the "Mission Takes City Hall" action. In Salinas and Los Angeles we will be at their local City Halls, In Vallejo and San Jose we will be at their Po'Lice departments. If you are from another city and want to sign on to do an press conference and/or action email us at poormag@gmail.com or call 510-435-7500 .

Schedule So far- (More Cities Soon to Come)
Thurs, May 7th
-Oakland Eviction kkkort 1225 Fallon st - 12noon
-Salinas City Hall - Time TBA
-Los Angeles City Hall - 12 noon

Fri, May 8th -
10am-SF DIstrict Atty Office to bring Elder & Child Abuse Charges against speculators- 850 Bryant SF
12noon Fri, May 8th SF CIty Hall/CIty Atty Office in support of "The Mission Takes CIty Hall"  action
Vallejo Po'Lice Dept- Time TBA
San Jose CIty Hall- Time TBA
Santa Barbara City Hall- Time TBA

Is it a crime to be poor in Downtown Berkeley??

As someone who experienced houselessness in the East Bay over ten years ago, I cannot imagine having local punitive laws making it illegal for me being poor in certain areas of a city like the ones that the City of Berkeley are trying to impose on houseless communities in Downtown Berkeley. The Downtown Berkeley Association is thinking that they can literally ‘sweep away’ houseless people out of the downtown area just because they are poor. This attempt of exterminating poor houseless communities out of Downtown Berkeley is being spearheaded by the Downtown Business Association of Berkeley (DBA), chaired by a Berkeley resident who doesn’t even own a business in Downtown Berkeley and lacks empathy for poor houseless communities period.

Currently, the DBA is proposing the implementation of draconian local ‘pauper laws’ against houseless communities in Downtown Berkeley, attempting to seek support from the Mayor of Berkeley and the Berkeley City Council. The proposed laws include; not being able to panhandle within ten feet of a parking pay station, placing any objects within three feet from a tree well, using any type of bedding or blankets on the sidewalks between 7am and 10pm, attaching objects to public fixtures and unpermitted cooking on sidewalks or in the plaza area.

On March 18, 2015, there was a march and rally held against the proposal of these draconian laws which were set on the Berkeley City Council’s meeting agenda for consideration. These proposed laws moved forward in secret with zero input from the City of Berkeley’s own Homeless Commission, or any of the local Berkeley homeless program providers. People with actual knowledge about homelessness were locked out of the secret process of formulating these laws. Unfortunately, the Berkeley Mayor and the majority of the Berkeley City Council voted ‘in favor’ of allowing the proposal of these laws to be considered and the laws are now being reviewed by the City Manager and the City Attorney. The laws will come back to the City Council for their approval.

As someone who diligently worked on the ‘No on Measure S’ campaign in Berkeley during the 2012 election season against Measure S (which would have outlawed sitting on the sidewalks of Berkeley), I feel that this recent proposal against poor and homeless communities in Berkeley is a direct retaliatory act as Measure S did not pass. Just like Measure S in 2012, these new laws are proposed by the DBA in an attempt to criminalize poor communities from having the ability to sit and rest in public space. The DBA has met with City Council members repeatedly since Measure S failed to try to get another anti-homeless set of laws passed, despite the will of Berkeley voters. The DBA will not be happy until they can “disappear” all poor people from downtown Berkeley.

At the same time that all of this anti-homeless work is being done by the DBA, two of its staff “ambassadors” were caught on camera brutally assaulting two homeless men who were temporarily resting behind a building after recycling for cans and bottles. These same “ambassadors” then filed a false police report against the homeless men that they had just assaulted, and the Berkeley Police arrested the two men shortly after the assault. The two homeless men were arrested and taken to jail for the weekend. Each of them pled guilty to the charges in order to get out of jail. After reviewing a videotape of the “ambassadors” beating the two homeless ment, the District Attorney dropped all the charges against the two men and made a factual finding of innocence. To see the video go to: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/berkeley-ambassador-caught-came...

This DBA sponsored, Downtown Berkeley Ambassador is a source of misery and harassment for homeless people in downtown Berkeley. The “ambassadors” are paid by DBA to clean up, and to get homeless people to “move along”. They are in steady communication with the Berkeley Police Department, and often call the police when they witness homeless people who are seated outside businesses. The ambassadors are low-paid workers who are hired to enforce economic segregation and “clean up” downtown. While the DBA would say that ambassadors help get homeless people into services, ambassadors are an arm of enforcement and not assistance. The DBA is concerned about planters, benches, new public art ( huge pricey art sculpture of a huge metal grizzly bear who is about to step into a bear trap instead), and having the “right” people in the neighborhood.

As Dan McMullan, a longtime Berkeley resident who was formerly houseless in Berkeley for many years, stated, “The bear is about to step in the trap, what does that tell you? The same people (these Ambassadors of Downtown Berkeley) beat up those people in the alley in that video, because they were trapped…so they got a trap for you if you if you are poor and homeless in Downtown Berkeley.” Dan spoke at the Interfaith Action in Solidarity with Homeless People held on April 9, 2015 in Downtown Berkeley where many local Berkeley community members and local community members of faith slept out overnight on the street with the homeless community on the streets of Downtown Berkeley

It is easy for the DBA to target the most vulnerable community, than face the truth about the over-priced rent costs and economic disparity that greatly divides communities. Demonizing the poor is a handy smokescreen hiding the reality that many struggle to live through each day. Turning Downtown Berkeley into a exclusive, suburban outdoor mall seems to be the DBA’s goal. With this goal, they directly target homeless and poor people with their bigoted attempts to criminalize people for their very existence.

At the April 9th event, Bob Offer-Westort, who organizes on homeless issues in Berkeley explained, “The Proposal is to create a set of new laws which will be exclusive to harassing anyone deemed ‘undesirable’ and is a distraction from the real issues of extremely high rent costs and parking problems in Downtown Berkeley.”

The struggle continues…

On March 14, 2015 I went to Rainbow grocery located on Folsom in San Francisco's SOMA district to price kombucha so I could make my own from scratch [kombucha is a health tonic made from tea, sugar and kombucha culture a strain of beneficial bacteria, much like yogurt.] First I had to wait in line  for about 10 minutes to use the restroom, which I had to wipe down before use. After walking around the store for a good 10 minutes and not being able to find it, I asked a stocker who was busy stocking shelves and was pointed in the right direction.

After pricing it I decided not to purchase any from there because it seemed that all the less expensive brands had been replaced by much more expensive ones with fancier labels. [Yet another local establishment catering to the new gentrification/Stepford-Ciscan crowd.]

On my way out of the store I ran into an old friend who works there and we chatted for about 5 minutes.

On my way out the door I was stopped by security, a gentleman I recognized from around my neighborhood. We never really spoke but until then I figured we had a pretty decent rapport.

He yelled at me " Dude you have to stay outside you all the time walk around the store and don't buy nothing."

[Which is completely untrue about 2 months prior to that I bought a very expensive bottle of hempseed oil about $20 for 24 oz. I do a lot of price comparing before I buy many everyday items due to being on a fixed income] 

I started to walk out in a huff but then decided the best way to handle it was to address it to customer service. As I approached the desk I explained that I have been shopping there 10 years and no customer should be treated that way.

There was one male representative at  the desk who I recognized from many years of shopping there and a female I also recognized. The woman kept saying over and over again "I apologize I mistook him for somebody else." Judging by the facial expression and and body language of security I could tell he didn't care. So I told the unidentified woman that she needed to make sure he heard that because he didn't appear to care about this new revelation and just started repeating over and over again " so, so" like a little kid who knew he was in trouble and didn't want to face up to it.

On a more recent trip there, the same friend I had been chatting with on the previous occasion advised me to make a formal written complaint because security is hired by an independent company. I took that advice all while being stared at with a menacing glare by the same security guard who was also attempting to communicate non-verbally something to his buddy who was behind the customer service desk at the time and seemed to be giving me an attitude.

Because when I asked if he knew what time it was he responded "yeah I know what time it is" I then rephrased the question can you tell me what time it is to which he responded "seven minutes to eight" which I am certain was not true because I went to Foodsco after leaving Rainbow and was only there about 10 minutes and when I walked to Van Ness and Mission to catch a bus it was then 8:58.

Photo credit: Scott Beale https://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/3785353147/

For most of us we think of gentrification as middle class and wealthy developers coming into our communities and buying homes, neighborhoods and entire communities from under residents who resided there for multiple years, sometimes even decades.

We seldom think of gentrification and the effects on the atmosphere, environment or even the planet.

In the long run there is an effect or multiple effects on the planet and most of them are negative. From the destruction of rain forest so that wood can be used to build expensive furniture and hard wood floors to the multiple chemicals used in modern construction and even the fuel used for heavy lifting and building equipment.

Here in the Bay Area in general, but more specifically San Francisco, the technology industries are the major culprits in the current gentrification process.

In the bigger picture however, those who own and operate the fossil fuel industries that not only power the big machinery for building but also the big moving vans and vehicles that all these new people are driving as well as trucks to bring goods to stock the stores to feed their expensive taste.

We have all heard and read about climate change but often don’t think of these things as causing it.

Sadly enough the fossil fuel industries are the main culprits in destroying our planet, and as if they already didn’t have too much, they want even more. New methods of extracting crude oil and other fossil fuels such as fracking use inconceivable amounts of water while contaminating fresh water in the process.

The billionaire Koch bothers who own a combined income of over $100 billion want to build the world's largest oil pipeline known as Keystone XL stretching from Canada through parts of the U.S..to be sold to China, a nation that has even fewer environmental concerns than the current U.S. government.

No doubt you've heard the old saying "if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is."

But even the best of us have been caught off guard by a slick talker or something that appears to be on the level.

Let's face it, it's human nature to want something for little or no effort. And that's exactly what con artists, flim flam men and online schemes count on.

Whether it's a scheme to cash a check, the the old bait and switch [the shell game or 3 card Monte] or an online scheme it all ends the same. They give you nothing and you lose money.

Recently I fell for it in the form of an online scheme that claimed I would get a free I-Pad just by answering a few survey questions. This particular scheme that got me was a variation of the pyramid scheme where they ask you to complete a series of seemingly harmless task to build your confidence and trust. It began with me first responding to a link on Facebook that got my name and other personal information with the promise of free samples and even money for answering "paid surveys."

I began receiving E-mails from various companies offering me free samples or money to answer surveys. I even got some free samples of some items.

Then an offer came along to get a free I-Pad so I jumped on the opportunity being that my PC is a world of problems these days and the many hardships of using second party computers to due the many task that the digital age has forced on us all.

So I began answering the survey and started noticing that there were "special offers" that I would be billed for later or would only cost a few dollars and I could cancel at any time. I answered an ad from a company called Eagle Moss that promised to send me a $1 silicone muffin tin just for joining their club and would receive more items that i could return.

Within the same "Survey" another company "free shipping .com" offered me free shipping for some items bought online [little did I know Eagle Moss offered free shipping]  for a non-refundable $12.95. I figured why not, I'm getting a free I-Pad right?

As the various companies and offerers were made I realized they were all asking for small amounts of money using my debit or credit so I decided eventually they would add up to more than the cost of an I-Pad.

When I received the baking cups from Eagle Moss and saw how shabby they were I decided to cancel and get my money back. When I contacted them they told me it only cost me a dollar and since I opened it it would cost more than what I spent.

Then my account got an overdraft fee so I went to the bank and inquired. I was told I was being charged by Eagle Moss so I contacted them again and they told me a package had been shipped out before I canceled so I should just write return to sender on it and bring it back to the post office. I got another over draft fee, so again I called them and was told it could take 7-10 business day's for them to receive it.

After 14 business days passed I called them once again and was told they would refund my money but it could take 3-5 business days. It took about 3, but I still got the overdraft charges. And even though I canceled the shipping .com account it was not refunded. Don't let this happen to you. All that glitters is not gold or a shiny new I-Pad !

While Ellis Act reform was being voted on in Sacramento for the second time, you probably were unaware of the recent passing of two seniors whose lives were profoundly affected by the law.

North Beach resident Elaine Turner, 78, died March 11^th, and Daly City resident Ron Lickers, 69, died February 19^th, 2015. Elaine had lived in her North Beach flat for more than 30 years while Ron had lived with his family in Daly City, having been forced out of SF through an Ellis Act eviction two years ago.

Both people’s lives were disrupted and thrown into chaos by the Ellis Act —one of the many tools landlords and speculators use in their arsenal to prey upon and extricate seniors and people with disabilities from their long-term rent-controlled homes, destroying the fragile fabric of their lives.

Both Elaine and Ron were valuable members of their communities. Elaine loved her North Beach home. She loved the smell of North Beach that emanated from the bakeries, cafes, the markets—all close together—in a cluster of faces and comings and goings, accentuated with voices whose words were stained with the broken English of Italian thoughts and Chinese thoughts, which were complete thoughts that were often articulated in a mere gesture, forming an unbreakable bond of communication and recognition that can only be described as true community.

She loved the hills and the music that rose from the rooftops of the houses of the working-class immigrants of the past who built them. She loved to dress up, and she never divulged her age because she didn’t have to—she was timeless. She loved singing and acting. The fragrance of her life was kept in drawers, closets, jars, pictures, paintings, notes, and those timeless and beautiful things were renewed as the sun rose and the scent of Elaine’s life flowed through the curtains and spread over the landscape and settled into the heart of North Beach.

Ron Lickers was a Native American. He was a son of the Seneca nation. He was an organizer and educator who was involved in the Bay Area Native community. As a young man, he was one of the organizers of the occupation of Alcatraz and was involved in the fight for the establishment of ethnic studies as San Francisco State College in the 1960s.

After the eviction was served on Elaine, her health began to deteriorate. “Where will I go?” she asked, terrified of what lie ahead—including the possibility of homelessness, the possibility of moving to another location without friends and community, or the hopelessness of housing waiting lists whose waits can take years.

Insecurity is terrifying for seniors whose lives are a fragile, delicate and complicated network of appointments, doctors, providers, and transportation that offers, after years of routine, a semblance of stability that is shattered under the cruel stress of eviction.

Ron had a disability as a result of a job-related accident. He was a union worker, employed by Sign and Display local 510 for many years. He lived with his wife and daughter. After they were evicted from their San Francisco home through the Ellis act, his health spiraled downward — as did the health of his wife. He suffered from multiple health issues that culminated in a series of strokes. He had received relocation money as part of the eviction, but that money ran out, leaving Ron and his family in a constant state of duress. As bad as his health had become, he still fought for Ellis act reform, going to Sacramento as part of a contingent of tenants testifying in support of Senator Mark Leno’s Ellis Act reform bill that eventually failed in committee last year.

Leno has reintroduced legislation to reform the Ellis Act. Senate bill 364 would make it illegal to invoke an Ellis Act eviction with buildings whose ownership has changed within five years. The bill was defeated by a 6-5 vote in the state assembly. We are extremely disappointed with the lack of empathy shown by the politicians who voted against this very reasonable, very common sense bill. And we are disgusted by the tactics of the real estate lobby, who shamelessly parade people to hearings under the guise of “property owners,” misrepresenting facts and outright lying to maintain their hunger for profit regardless of who it hurts. The evictions in San Francisco have done so much damage to innocent people—especially seniors looking to live with dignity and stability.

We honor Elaine and Ron’s life, and their fight. Last year POOR Magazine, with the help of attorney Anthony Prince, opened a case of elder abuse with the SF District Attorney’s office against real estate speculators who cause harm to seniors by eviction. In memory of Elaine and Ron and so many more youth, adults and families across the state, 1st nations justice fighters, anti-displacement organizers, houseless organizers, anti-police terror organizers have launched For Rich People Only- 1st Nations, Black, Brown & Poor People Across the State stand together to resistthe apartheidization of California  We will be holding state-wide press conferences and actions on May 7th in Oakland, LA, Vallejo and on May 8th  at the 850 Bryant Street at 10am and then on to City Hall at 12 noon to join the Mission Takes City Hall Action with a visit to the City Attorney's office to pursue child abuse cases against serial evictors of families.

We are collecting stories from people whose health and lives have been adversely affected by eviction. If you are a senior or person with a disability or a family with children who has struggled with eviction and displacement and want to share your story (you can remain anonymous), please contact Senior and Disability action at 415-546-1333. Or you can contact POOR Magazine at 510-435-7500 or email poormag@gmail.com or tony@sdaction.org, or theresa@sdaction.org

I am Tyray Taylor reporting from PNN-TV on the case of Freddy Gray. Freddy Gray was a twenty five year old man who was killed by police brutality

Freddy gray was killed in Baltimore. When Mr. Gray was placed inside the police van, he was able to talk. He was upset. And when Mr. Gray was taken out of that van, he could not talk, and he could not breathe.

The reason why this happened is because police always target black and brown young men

My opinion as a young black man in america kkk is that thousands of young people are killed by police brutality all over the world .

"You can make lots of money.” At this moment the skies opened up and I heard every T crossed and I dotted. His mask of deception seemed almost kind and sincere.

Bam. Suddenly the dreary clouds were in my midst. There was no air. I had fell prey to the ugliest of greed. I was kidnapped, trapped, and freedom suddenly had a price. Every night was his delight.

A room with no doors. Here I was kidnapped at the age of 28 in Richmond, CA. not against my will but voluntarily and willingly.

It was one of those things, believing in his dream. I was an opportunist and when he laid his sales pitch I actually believed that moving in with his wife and kids, we /I could live “happily ever after.”

It sounded great the way he explained things to me.

"You can work the night time as the bartender and my wife will work the day time as a bank teller.” He was so convincing.

Days became weeks. The absence of home became overwhelming and besides, there was no love here. It became apparent love did not live here.

Up the dark unfamiliar stairs, on a typical night “on the job,” me and my pimp knock on a small door. The door is opened,

I see darkness and silhouettes of frail bodies shuffling from one dark room to another, there was no light.

"Go in there.” We then are directed to a room where he could begin his pitiful high, as I sat and watched, hoping he would immediately run out of money then we can go home. Thats only if no one come by and owes him a free high. My fingers stayed crossed. Usually by 3am we were free to go.

It was the same every night. He taking my money after work, dragging me around to all his local dope dispensaries, me usually finding him in a sweat of a nod at someones table, them always strangers to me .

Then there came a day when I woke like a slap in my face my consciousness of who I was, who I represent. From the blood of my elders I am that black woman that I am.

"You need to come get me.” One day I woke up and decided to leave. I set up a dramatic exodus using my brother. I called him one morning when I was being guarded by the pimp and the pit bull he used to keep me imprisoned. it was one of those morning he had to go out and get his fix. I called my brother I cave him a innocent role. Not letting him know that I was being held no longer of my choice, I ran down the address and the pitch that would free me.

When I got my butt out that door and was sitting in that car I could see the sky. Because I am a revolutionary and will not be contained.

I had to find my way out. It wasn't that I was out of state and not too far from my family but I had to make sure that I didn't get my family involved in my bullshit. I would never forgive myself if they were harmed because of my ill choices.

This time in my life, being the outlaw that I have always been, I was a renegade prostitute. The thought of a pimp controlling my body and my money was disgraceful. I was determined to run my life.

In April we went to city hall in San Francisco. Before we went into city hall we were telling our stories at a rally in front.

"Rad is going to privatize all of our poor people housing" said Tiny.

After that we walked inside city hall and went to the first supervisor office and said can you save our homes cause rad will kick our families out of our homes. After we went to all the supervisor offices we had went out side to the black lives matter protest. While we were in the protest they started to say names of the people who got killed by the police. We left cause we had to go eat lunch.

My opinion is that I was happy we went in there cause we saved a lot of people's lives.