Story Archives 2021

Tiburcio Garcia

Lisa Garcia

Revolutionary Journalism

29 June 2021

Deecolonized Un-Tour: Kolorado Sweeps

“Things are a lot different on the streets since I’ve been out there,” said Benjamin, looking around at everyone in the circle. On this day, after doing our Revolutionary Journalist Workshop where we give a stipend to houseless people for writing their stories, we met with Therese and Benjamin from Denver Homeless Outloud, and interviewed them about the situation with houselessness and sweeps that were going on out here. Listening to him, I realized that our situation out in the Bay Area isn’t so different from theirs. In the Bay Area, we at Poor Magazine protest and fight against constant sweeps that happen in San Francisco and Oakland. These sweeps are unrelenting, happening so often that most of the time houseless folks being sweeps don’t even have a day's break before they are forcibly moved to another area.

Denver Homeless Outloud is currently pursuing a lawsuit that they opened six years ago in an act to prevent the constant sweeps that happen out here. It seems houseless people are treated similarly no matter what part of colonized Turtle Island we are on. The lawsuit began after Denver Homeless Outloud built Tiny Houses on private property that was abandoned for ten years, with a response from the mayor that was a bit overzealous. Seventy police officers showed up to stop the construction of the Tiny Houses, along with a SWAT team, and thus began a redoubled effort by the mayor to sweep the Denver Houseless population. 

“So we filed the lawsuit, and rather than being about people’s right to exist in space the way the lawsuit is set up is about people’s property. Apparently your property has more rights than you do,” (insert name) said, sighing and looking down. After three years, the lawsuit was settled out of court, with the settlement being signed by the Denver houseless community and the City of Denver, which the City of Denver promptly broke. The settlement included warning from the city about when and where they were going to seize property to try to give the houseless community some warning before a sweep, yet the city went ahead and continued to sweep without warning regardless.

“There was a very high level of camping ban enforcement from 2016 to around 2019, when our lawsuit settlement went in place” said Therese, member of Denver Homeless Outloud, and a formerly houseless mother. She continued by talking about the things that have happened in the last couple of years to prevent houseless people from being on the streets. Public Rideaway Strips, the line of dirt or grass that goes between the sidewalk and the street are places that houseless people set up their tents because rideaway strips are not private property. After being swept and kicked out of every other place in Denver, the only place houseless people can camp are the public rideaway strips, and the city had put up orange and green fences on the strips to prevent that from happening.

Just like in the Bay Area, it is clear Denver puts in no effort to assist getting people off of the streets, and instead puts all their effort into making life even worse for houseless people, treating them like animals that need to be herded. It sickens me because this is the norm. Houseless and poor people have always been seen as less than human, because most houseless and poor people are people of color who have been oppressed by a system that is designed to keep them down.

Tiburcio Garcia

Lisa Garcia

Revolutionary Journalism

28 July 2021

Deecolonized Un-Tour: Chief Plentiwolf

“Spirituality, ceremony is our core, our center,” said Chief Plentywolf, an indigenous elder who just finished the annual Sundance ceremony, which is a ceremony where native people gather for prayer and sacrifice of sweat and pain. We came days after to talk to Chief Plentywolf at the invitation of Cynthia, one of our solidarity family. The solidarity family are people with race and class privilege who we teach why they need to give reparations. After a hearty lunch with Chief Plentywolf, Cynthia, her husband Tom and all of us multi-generational, multi-racial poverty skolas who came on this tour, we went out to the site of the Sundance Ceremony.  

     It felt as if the land was welcoming us. One, solitary tree stood in the middle of a grassy field, covered with flags from many indigenous nations. We were told not to take pictures of that tree, and I had no objections. There was little to no wind, and the sun beat down on us, but we were surrounded with trees that wove together like a basket, the leaves from each individual tree coming together to form one continuous growth. We walked over to a small clearing next to a dirt road that slopes up and curves around a bend. In that meadow stood a Teepee, the fabric stretched taut over the supporting posts.  

“We pray every time we do something, or every time we prepare and even meetings and talks like this,” Chief Plentywolf continued, his eyes focusing on each one of us at a time, making me feel as if he was looking through me, looking at everything I could ever be. He talked about the difference between a massacre and a battle, saying that when the white settlers slaughtered women, children and elder indigenous people it went down in history as a battle, yet only when the indigenous people fought back and killed many white men was it called a massacre, and when that happened, the government was able to justify in the history books the genocide that they continued to do, with or without the native people fighting back.

    Chief Plentywolf ended it by talking about Sundance, and how the youth was actually coming back, and how he was excited for the future of Sundance and prayer as a whole. He talked about a16 year old who was the strongest young warrior he had ever seen, and thanked us for being youth and continuing to work and pray with our elders. We thanked Cynthia once more, and before leaving we visited the sweat lodge that is used in the Sundance Ceremony. I came away from the sacred place having learned so much in a short span of time. I would love to join the Sundance Ceremony sometime in the future, and I'm looking forward to being able to speak with Chief Plentiwolf again, to learn a small part of the vast amount of knowledge he has.

From the Start of the Trip

By Israel Westyn

From the start of the trip, it’s the second time going with Poor Magazine. And it's a good experience because I get to learn about the liberation of the people and myself.

And I am still learning how to be decolonized myself, because I am still colonized. In some ways, this is a process. This way, with Poor Magazine, you can learn about the truth, about people killed and abused. To this they call America. In reality it's the USA and they try so hard to hide it, to colonize the way they want it. I learn a lot more about different countries, like Japan, Philippines, the First Nations, Chief Plenty Wolf, and Lynn Eagle Feather. We’re still dealing with the colonized thing, and the police don’t want to admit it. That’s the reason we are still fighting it. To show the truth from the ancestors and the schools that don’t teach the real histories.

So that is the reason we continue to do these tours, in order to let our youth poverty skolaz continue to fight and be decolonized from the system. And stop selling Mother Earth.

About Victor Ochoa

By Ziair Hughes

Victor Ochoa is a proud Raza man and revolutionary artist/muralist. As a youth, Victor migrated from Tijuana to the U.S. Victor's mom was scared of deportation so she made sure Victor spoke English and not Spanish but that wasn't enough. In an interview, Victor described how some guys with big coats and gangster hats came to his door and told his parents they had only a couple days to leave the U.S. So after that, they went to Tijuana but Victor stayed with his grandmother while away from his parents. 

Victor was constantly on the move. He had moved in with his aunt so he could be closer to his parents but he had to work. So, he got a job at a silk screen shop “This is when i started to get into civil rights,” said Victor. 

This is when his form was shaped. He was becoming the great Ochoa. Victor was always supposed to be an artist, “I started early. I was doing (drawing) hats and fingers while other kids were doing stick figures,” said Victor. 

Victor Ochoa is also the soul of Chicano Park. He has a nice amount of murals in Chicano Park. Currently, Victor is working on a Chicano museum. 

Fortunately I got the chance to interview Mr. Ochoa with my school, Deecolonize Academy. He gave us a lot of knowledge on art and community.

Victor is also the founder of Centro Cultural De La Raza in Balboa Park. He also was one of the artists who did the mural for Balboa Park in 2015.

In conclusion, one thing I learned from Mr Ochoa is that art is different. It may not be drawing, but for me it's basketball. His art was destined and I feel like my art is too. 

The Story of the Tulsa Race Massacre 

By Ziair Hughes

Underwater Black Island in the U.S. is the story of the Tulsa massacre where a white mob burnt down a Black community to the ground. Other Black towns have been dismantled off the American map but not by burning them but rather, by keeping it a secret. Lake Lanier is a lake in Forsyth County, Georgia where people do ordinary things. Prior to that, there was a place called Oscarville, Georgia.

Oscarville was a strong mostly Black community with a school, homes, and a church until 1911. Then, two bad events went down. First, two Black teenagers were convicted and sentenced to death in one day. Then, a mob of KKK members terrorized and killed all the Black people in the surrounding area.

“People are getting more familiar with the Tulsa race massacre and Black Underwater but it needs to get more known so we can get the justice we deserve and earned for a long time,” said the news reporter. 

In conclusion: Black excellence is hated against and destroyed because of pride. The ones who start the movement get robbed from the movement when they are as smart as the white man is. He is not smart enough to come together and build an empire with us Black and Brown folks so we can create more money, wealth, and all kinds of fortune. 

 “We started it all and can never get any credit,” said the news reporter. 

Deecolonized Un-Tour: Chief Plentywolf

By Tiburcio Garcia

“Spirituality, ceremony is our core, our center,” said Chief Plentywolf, an Indigenous elder who just finished the annual Sundance ceremony. This is a ceremony where Native people gather for prayer and sacrifice of sweat and pain. We came days after to talk to Chief Plentywolf at the invitation of Cynthia, one of our solidarity family members. The solidarity family are people with race and class privilege who we teach why they need to give reparations. After a hearty lunch with Chief Plentywolf, Cynthia, her husband, Tom, and all of us multi-generational, multi-racial poverty skolas who came on this tour went out to the site of the Sundance Ceremony.

     It felt as if the land was welcoming us. One solitary tree stood in the middle of a grassy field covered with flags from many Indigenous nations. We were told not to take pictures of that tree and I had no objections. There was little to no wind and the sun beat down on us. But we were surrounded with trees that wove together like a basket, the leaves from each individual tree coming together to form one continuous growth. We walked over to a small clearing next to a dirt road that slopes up and curves around a bend. In that meadow stood a Teepee, the fabric stretched taut over the supporting posts.  

“We pray every time we do something, or every time we prepare and even meetings and talks like this,” Chief Plentywolf continued, his eyes focusing on each one of us at a time making me feel as if he was looking through me, looking at everything I could ever be. He talked about the difference between a massacre and a battle, saying that when the white settlers slaughtered women, children, and elder Indigenous people it went down in history as a battle. Yet, only when the Indigenous people fought back and killed many white men was it called a massacre. And when that happened, the government was able to justify in the history books the genocide that they continue to do, with or without the native people fighting back.

    Chief Plentywolf ended it by talking about Sundance, and how the youth were actually coming bac, and how he was excited for the future of Sundance and prayer as a whole. He talked about a 16 year old who was the strongest young warrior he had ever seen, and thanked us for being youth and continuing to work and pray with our elders. We thanked Cynthia once more. Before leaving, we visited the sweat lodge that is used in the Sundance Ceremony. I came away from the sacred place having learned so much in a short span of time. I would love to join the Sundance Ceremony sometime in the future. I'm looking forward to being able to speak with Chief Plentiwolf again, to learn a small part of the vast amount of knowledge he has.    

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

By Matsu Momii 

A beautiful day in the neighborhood. Radical redistribution of wealth. Thursday, July 29th, POOR unTOUR CONTINUES in Ute, Cherokee, Arapaho, and Cheyenne Native lands.  Sharing prayers and dansa with ceremony to Mother Earth. New Raven, the Owl, and Eagle honor the spirits of our ancestors, our families, the children lost to boarding schools across Klanada and Amerikkka, lost in detention centers, sold across the world, permanently disconnected, and tortured by colonizers. Local brothers and sisters joined the UNtour that went through everything from wealthy residential neighborhoods visiting an Assisted Living Apartment building ($7000 a month) to a real estate salesman in a mall who called SECURRRIIIITY!!! to folks who were way cool and supportive. Hearing the drums at Cherry Creek, local resident Rebecca was feeling low, but swelled with emotion.  She joined the tour, walking and talking with us and even bought a case of water for everyone on this 95 degree day.

Youth Poverty Skolaz paid tribute at Cherry Creek in Confluence Park, so called Colorado. Tibu and Amir remembered the children of tribes from Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne who played in this river. Children were stolen from this river and forced into boarding schools where thousands were killed and have been secretly buried. Dansa and prayers throughout the years, reaped discovery of their little loved ones, unearthing the centuries of murdered children.

The drums of Poor Magazine Prensa Pobre Danza Azteca called local residents of Denver to the ceremony for Stolen Indigenous Lands UnTour. Underneath the miles of concrete and high end housing is sacred and spiritual earth and waterways once inhabited by tribes of Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne. Practicing respect and trade, the area of Cherry Creek is still a place of sacred interaction, crossing all lives.

It was so hot, dry and farmland forever. How could anyone be forced to live here? The Amache Japanese Concentration Camp made me think of mom and dad, family at Tule Lake. It makes me cry returning to places of pain.

Interview with Izzy Muñoz

By Matsu Momii

My name is Israel, formerly houseless in one of the many cities of the USA. I am a part of Homefulnness, which is a solution to homelessnes. We are going on a tour looking for different ways we can help Mother Earth and find out how we can get solutions for houseless people in different states. Laws in some states are more racist and that creates lots of houselessness.  

Salt Lake City is weird because I don’t see a lot of people. I come from the big city, Mexico City, with a lot of people. Then to come here, where I don’t see any people that are houseless.

Denver, I lived here before. When I was here, I was a bartender. Now there are a lot of people. It used to be a small city with a very tiny downtown, but it has grown bigger, expanded. You used to be able to walk from one side to another side of town easily. Now you cannot do that.  

When people come to the USA, it is a big lie that you can make a lot of money. They never tell you how you can do it. They don’t tell you that you have to work from the rooster to the cricket.    It is a saying that you work from morning to night. They don’t tell you you have to pay for every single thing. They don’t tell you you have to live on top of each other. So as time passes, you come into agreements, you come to be separate from your family. You know, it‘s hard to live with a family because your brother and his wife need privacy. When you move out and you don’t have enough to pay rent or bills, you end up on the street. 

I was houseless in SF because I did not have enough money to pay rent and bills. When families from different countries come to the USA, a lot of people ask, “Why did you come to America?” I say, “I came to the USA.” The USA is a country not a continent. Lots of people ask me why did you come to America? I didn’t come to America. America is a continent. The President asks, “Why do people come to America? My response is that even the President, who goes to night school, does not know that.

When I was houseless in San Francisco, one of many USA cities, it was very hard to stay on the streets because the police and the DPW, city departments of public works and transportation, come and clean the streets. Then, they take your stuff. Also, you constantly have to sleep in the daytime because it is very dangerous at night time. Not only for the people, but also for the police. They constantly move you around and harass you. You have to move back and forth every single day. 

How did I get out of the situation? I found Homefulness through a referral I met on the street. Then I went to Homefulness and I took classes. They teach many classes on how the government does people wrong and you learn things that public school doesn’t teach you.  Homefulness works to help more houseless people. They teach rights because a lot of people don’t know their rights. They don’t have the time to study because they are working a lot and when they become houseless, they don’t know what to say to the police. They don’t know their rights and the police take advantage of that.

Reflections #3

Momii Palapaz

August 1, 2021

After riding hundreds of miles with 5 people in a packed car, I would do it again. It was most of all an experience of gratitude and awakening.  

I am impressed with the youth poverty skolaz, Amir and Tibu. These guys are tough and curious. They care and are fun.

As I get older, I don’t care when I get sad or mad and people are witnesses. This Amache experience, over the years, has taught me there is so much more to uncover. Many issues of Japanese Americans and our colonization are yet to be admitted.

The schedule and commitments every day kept us active and aware. Thank you Tiny, Muteado, Israel, Tibu and Amir. I am learning so much from you all, like looking at an issue from another angle, with deeper critical thinking. Thanks for accepting me into the POOR FAMILIA.

Poverty, Race, Disability, Youth, Elder Scholarship/Empathy Exercise

By Matsu Momii

Person #1: God is good all the time.

Person #2: My life on the streets has been hard.  I’ve been homeless now for almost 15 years.  The time has gone by so fast it seems.  But I’ve met a lot of awesome people that I love and call my family.

Person #3: Got caught stealing a vehicle and it changed my life.

Answer to question #2: To have brothers and (?) and everything I can do to...

Person #4: I was just released from prison.  I don’t know anyone out here in Denver.  I haven’t been able to even get my I.D. or a food card.  I got a case manager Monday but she was so bossy I couldn’t do my case management.  I have another case manager appointment this coming Wednesday.  I should be able to find housing, a food card and vouchers for my I.D. -Brent Johnson

Person #5:  Wake up and do the right thing for a (?).  

Person #6:  Being a man of God and putting people’s lives and family’s children before myself.  I thought it would be the way for all of us to become one family, all together in truth and understanding with everything this country was supposed to be.  Truth, liberty, respect, loyalty and understanding, love, and, with confidence that we all can stand equally with all no matter the differences. -Anthony Northeus, Ayers a.a.

Person #7:  In 2020 I stayed at Arkins down by the river and was there for about a year and we were stable.  Down there people were getting themselves together.  We were like a little community.  Then, they come to sweep.  Most people lost everything like their IDs, birth certificates, their homes, and priceless things that can’t be replaced.

Answer to question #2:  Well we need to come together and build tiny homes, some bigger than others.  Some for single people and some for families, including mom, dad, and child. We can make a garden to grow our own food with a school. We can have a play area. It will be like a little community.

Person #8:  I'm not quite sure what specific type of crisis I’m in or can just say general crisis.  So I left home (my husband and 3 daughters) to go to rehab for heroin.  While I was in 28 day residential treatment, I decided not to return home. I didn’t want to continue to expose my kids to all of what comes with my addiction (ex: being sick). But as a result, I eventually became homeless.  So being homeless and alone I was at a higher risk for trauma, right?  So I got into a guy’s car at Wam and he tricked me into getting into the back seat by saying we were going to pick someone up. He never did pick anyone up but he raped me repeatedly in alleys, in east Denver in alleys.  I thought I’d comply so I could escape with my life.

Answer to question #2:  I would probably --- report something somewhere or maybe ask someone to watch my kids. Or probably find a side hustle or try to participate in a survey or something?  Actually, now that I think about it, I have been in a similar situation and I sold things on ebay to suffice others.  I’m being rushed, so bye.

Person #9:  The day I received word of my mom dying and I was in prison. And -- allowed to go to the funeral.

Answer to question #2:  I would probably find the --- drug dealer and have him find me the drugs to sell only to pay for rent. -Jeromey Wood

Person #10:  I went to jail for possession of an illegal substance.  I hadn’t been in trouble for at least 10 years.  I did a 5 month stint for not completing probation before.  I went to jail.  I could skateboard and did everywhere.  I have a condition called degenerative hip dysplasia.  Well, when I got out of jail and got high as a kite I boarded back and forth from Aurora to Denver a few times.  When I came down I couldn’t skate any more.  Now I can barely walk and await total hip replacement. -Denver, CO

Person #11: My worst crisis experience was when I was a part of my first sweep.  It was when they shut down Lincoln Park on Colfax & Broadway. The night before, I was given some LSD.