Story Archives 2015

Recently while going to Best Buy to make a purchase I walked into the store carrying a small box which shouldn't seem to out of the ordinary in these times of of reuse and recycle unless of course if you're black or brown!

Upon entering the store I was greeted by a store representative and store security.

I walked around the store briefly and then got the item I was shopping for. The line wasn't extremely long but long enough that security would have been able to see me in it if they glanced around and certainly notice me paying for something.

After making my purchase and exiting the store, security asked me if I made any purchases. I indignantly and resentfully answered in the affirmative and exited the store.

After exiting I turned almost immediately back around and asked why he asked if I had made any purchases [ many people enter stores without purchasing for various reasons there is no law against that !] He looked rather nervous I'm sure because he wasn't expecting somebody he just profiled to respond in such a way.

Immediately the greeter stated "It's o.k. I asked him to do it because you came inside with a box."

I'm sure if I had been a clean cut well dressed white man he would have just assumed that I was doing exactly as recycling and reusing.

I left quite angrily as a loyal customer should not have to.

I took an online survey as requested on the receipt and mentioned the incident but so far have got no response. Upon subsequent visits to the store I have seen the same greeter peering at me nervously but have not received an apology from him or his employers.

The most painful thing about such incidents is it is almost always people of color in security positions who profile poor and or people of color.

Indigenous Peoples from Turtle Island stand at sacred site,  Sogorea Te, in solidarity with Indigenous peoples from Hawai'i fighting to protect the Sacred Mountain Mauna Kea

Editors Note: Minister William E. Brown is one of several power-FUL PNN Plantation correspondents who contribute to Poor Magazine notes from the inside, a column of plantation resistors who need your help to get justice.

INDEPENDENCE: (1) The quality or state of being independent. (2) Not subject to control by others

When a person chooses to gang bang, they choose to follow what other people are doing.

Gangs are made up of people who do not choose their own path in life, but the path of people who were also burdened with the false belief that they had to follow others who chose to follow the path of gang members before them.

When I chose to gang bang I justified my actions by putting the blame on my environment and lack of family love.

I was a follower and chose not to make my own path in life.

I didn't have many choices or role models to follow, but I chose the path of people who were just as confused, just as hurt, just as wrong, and just not independent to say the least.

I thought gang banging was the way of life for everyone everywhere, but now I see that I was wrong.

If I would have made the correct choice of not following the gang bangers in my community my life would be different.

Editors Note: Maurice is one of several power-FUL PNN Plantation correspondents who contribute to Poor Magazine notes from the inside, a column of plantation resistors who need your help to get justice.

My name is Maurice Washington. 43 yrs. of age. From Watts, California. I have been locked up for 20 years under California's unjust Three Strike Law. I was supposed to have done only 10 years. Because, I'm black and broke. The system refuse to honor my constitutional violation. I came in in prison with a Second Grade Education. Here today I stand determined to educate the youth on importance of education.

The truth is that I been locked up 20 years under this unjust Three Strike Law. When actually I have 1 strike. Its at least 10 years of false imprisonment

Its our obligation to educate the youth. Break this cycle of ignorance and build to grow, evolve and become liberated from this racist establishment enclosed are what I'm currently doing and plan to do when free... need help to get out...

Strength is where we come from; strength is where we shall return... I'll end how I started with genuine respect. Continue to evolve, if we're not building we're decaying.

The book online at Amazon. My Life, My Awakening. Author , Maurice Maynard Washington. My life, my awakening Viol. 3 (Adhering To Universal Laws.) Deals with metaphysical teachings from a Black perspective. Chapters of such. The Black Thought A Universal Application Of My Mathematical Blackness. Children Of The Revolutionary Suicide. Mystical Insights Into Physical War, and many more.

Authors Note: Maurice Maynard Washington needs a lawyer he has been locked up for 20 years. His contact information:

Washington, Maurice CDC# H-45297

CSP – Los Angeles County

P.O. Box 4490

Lancaster, CA. 93539

US Social Forum 2015

By: Heidy

Day one of the Social Forum 2015 there were a lot of revolutionaries there all supporting the social forum. The Social Forum is a movement, a space to come with solutions to the economic and ecological crisis. This is the third Social Forum in 10 years. Its an important step in our struggle to build a power multi-racial, multi-sectoral, inter-generational, diverse, inclusive movement. Thats the plan of the Social Forum.  

When we arrived there were a lot of organizations. For example there were Zapatistas supporters selling their merchandise. One of the organizations we had the chance to interview was Cham Deliverance Ministry. Their purpose was to be able to network around the bay area and work together with other different organizations.

I thought that a lot of what he said was very wise it made sense. I got a deeper understanding of The Jungle in San Jose and what's going on there. I could understand his work and what he was talking about.

    We then interviewed William Copeland from the East Michigan Environmental Council. His organization played an important role in the 2010 US Social Forum. Their purpose was to show support for the Social Forum. Make the Oakland to Detroit connections stronger.

    One of the powerful moments at the Social Forum was when Council member Ash Kalra. He said many conscious things. “We didn’t need a flag to tell us the history of racism and oppression in our country.” This is very true we don’t need a flag to tell us just how racist people are in this country. We should already know this. It’s in our history. Another thing he said that’s very true is that “None of us are going to create change on our own” We need support to create change one single person is not going to do it all alone. That’s why big organizations with alot of members is important. As he mentioned 50% of the black population in Oakland has been displaced and in San Francisco 30%.

Authors Note: Poor Magazine youth and, poverty skolas, and reporters are reporting and supporting the social forum in San Jose.

 Poor Magazine youth and adult poverty skolas and reporters are reporting and supporting on the Social Forum in San Jose

“ The only way their lives are devalued is if we don’t carry the torch for them,” said San Jose councilmember Ash Kalra during his speech at the Social Forum in San Jose, California on June 24, 2015.

I had the privilege of attending the Social Forum and the environment was like no other. Seeing all these people coming together to help create change not only for their communities but for the whole world was very inspirational.

Especially from my point of view it helped open my eyes to situations going on in my life that I never realized before. It made me think about all the people I have lost throughout my life and it wasn’t even their time to go.

It made me reflect on how as a pacific islander and an indigenous woman of color it may not affect me directly but oppression is still happening and I can’t leave my comrades to fight this struggle alone. I must stand with them and help them fight these injustices.

I also had the honor of interviewing Sandy Perry who is a part of the Community Homeless Alliance Ministry and Affordable Housing Networks organization.

He felt the need to be present at the forum because it gives people a chance to network around the Bay Area and  work together.

“The figures don’t mean anything because people are still homeless,” says Mr.Perry when the subject of how the percentage of homeless people have gone down was brought to his attention.

He also adds that it doesn’t matter if there’s an increase or decrease in the percentages because at the end of the day people are still homeless and being oppressed.

“We didn’t need a flag to tell us the history of racism and oppression in our country,” says councilmember Ash Kalra at the conclusion of his speech.

We are imperfect human beings so none of us are going to create change on our own and the reality is that to create a movement takes a lot of energy, but when we all come together the energy force is more powerful than ever.

PNN-TV: US Social Forum San Jose2015: War ON the Poor Resistor Anthony King. Organizer with CHAM and other power-FUL groups fighting anti-poor people-laws and for tenants rights in the middle of Silicon Valley, San Jose, Northern CalifAztlan.

Anthony King, a revolutionary poverty skola speaks with PNN-TV on the recent attack by Po'Lice and poltricksters of a houseless peoples encampment called "The Jungle" and the situation for poverty skolaz in Silicon Valley

PNN-TV is the broadcast channel of POOR Magazine/Prensa POBRE/PoorNewsNetwork (PNN) and is written and produced by poor people in resistance, POOR Magazine is a very grassroots, poor people-led, indigenous people-led arts organization dedicated to providing media, art, education and revolutionary advocacy to youth, adults and elders across Mama Earth.

Editors Note: Ana is a student-mentee in the Revolutionary Youth Media Education(RYME) summer program at POOR Magazine

“Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.”

People tend to judge others based on their appearances, and we have all been taught that one particular saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. However, none of us seem to abide by the things we say or our own ways of thinking.

What do I mean by this? I'm talking about a little something called “Ugly Laws.” Ugly laws made it illegal for people with “unsightly or disgusting” disabilities to appear in public.

Currently, in Berkeley, California their city council met on June 30th to vote on a proposed law that would basically make it illegal for anyone to lie in or on top of a city owned planters, spread out bedding on the sidewalks between 7am-10pm, urinate or defecate in a public place, etc.

It also regulates the size of the belongings they may carry with them to 16in. By 18in., Bob Offer-Westort from Sidewalks Are For Everyone a.k.a SAFE states, “ It's not the size of a duffel bag...it's ridiculously small...my backpack is bigger than that.”

Many people say that the proposed law will either address problematic street behavior, make a more pleasant place to visit, or further criminalize the homeless.

It's weird how this proposed law somehow connects to pauper laws. Pauper laws were basically English laws that criminalized people for being poor.

It supposedly helps poor people by forcing them into shelters which therefore, helps them gain more profit and coincidentally Berkeley is building more shelters to “help” those in need.

The legislation in Berkeley and the Pauper Laws connect to *Ugly Laws because they build these shelters to keep poor people hidden from the city's eyes because they are an eyesore to look at or be around. Creating more shelters and making sure that there are some in the area assures that poor people are kept off the streets and that people can walk in peace.

Councilwoman Lind Maio states that the ordinances aren't trying to solve homelessness, but about basic, socially acceptable roles and behaviors. This is the most outrageous thing I've ever heard. First we need to act a certain way in public and what's going to be next, we can't breathe or eat a certain way too.

People from the South Pacific also migrate here and when they do come here they can't just rely on family all the time so they end up on the streets and have to go through this type of oppression as well. As a young indigenous pacific islander woman I want to do all I can not only to help my people but other oppressed people of color as well.

Post-script: the City Council meeting of June 30th was shut down by the people who, led by Mama Vivi T of POOR Magazine and hundreds of other angry Berkeley residents yelled SHAME and made it impossible for yet another anti-poor people law to be instituted in this so-called progressive city)

*The Ugly Laws by Susan M. Schweik