Story Archives

by Staff Writer

SuperUncleAL - Super Tio Al-

By tiny aka Lisa gray-garcia

" we told them whatever they wanted to hear, Yknow right," his hands are branches - branches of bark and sand, and poder, his arms reach into skies and pull down moons and clouds from manilatown, frisco, to cebu...

"and then the suits from HUD came in, they wanted numbers and real estate and more numbers, yknow right?"

his mouth weaves stories of love and music and ritmo and indigenismo,

waves of blue

and clouds of light,

through his mind, his eyes, his sight,

silenced elders are heard when he speaks,

heard, loved and seen,

dreams are dreamed

drips of sweat from brows of workers become oceans of resistance

when he writes.

The People get might!

"manilatown had to happen, the ihotel had to be rebuilt , by any means necessary, yknow right?" uncle al's soft voice trailed off in the back of my hooptie landing next to the broke down toys, papers and tools forever stuck between the seats...

I never had an uncle - my African-irish-boriken-colonized unwanted mama dee
and me always wanted a family -

This just a dream til I was blessed to meet nephew tony -

And through him SuperAl-

superuncle - tio Super !

A revolutionary - a fighter - an elder to save all elders, - a poet to all Poets -

An organic intellectual

A branch of a tree -

Rooted - saving- holding -

embodies all that people just say

but never know

embodies all that is...

Community

Now temporary felled by corporate medical industrial complex - a flu shot perhaps -

A corporate fix that has harmed so many elders in our

Community

But he is supertio-Superuncle

for me and mi hijo tiburcio

family, poetry, strength ,

everything possible,

So waiting for him to heal

everything is slightly less important

everyones voice is slightly quieted

every fight is humming -

every lover is waiting-

every voice is whispering -

cuz frico's fight is on the 3rd floor of Kaiser hooked up to a ventilator

and so we wait

we dream of when we will hear your words of change - of love -

feel your hands holding up the skies

the moon beams from your eyes-

we all wait -

for Kaiser

to open the metaphorical gate -

release the backbone of maniltown -

superuncle al the Great!

by Gloria Esteva/PNN Voces de Inmigrantes en resistencia

Scroll down for English

Otro golpe en contra de nuestra comunidad immigrante donde la gente fueron negados servicios de salud en el condado de Contra Costa. Es vergonzoso que en un pais con tanta riqueza, el derecho de recuperar nuestra salud es robada. A los politicos se les olvida que nosotros tambien pagamos impuestos, y nuestra precencia en este pais contribuye a la economia. Toda migracion es forsada por la pobresa, dado a las intervenciones y robo en nuestros paises.

La mayoria the los immigrantes usan clinicas medicas para lidiar con problemas muy serios. Es inhumano que personas no puedan obtener ayuda medica porque esto implicara que muchos de los trabajadores no podrian terminar su trabajo. Sin attencion, unos de estos problemas medicos podrian provocar una muerte. La falta de cuidado medico impacta a los adultos que tratan de sostener sus familias aqui, y en sus paises natal. Los efectos de una accíon tan cruel, siempre cae mas fuerte sobre los niños. Cuando se dejan sin el cuidado de los parientes o familia, son victimas de abuso, y muchos terminan en pandillas.

Ni siquiera en paises pobres es tan evidente tanta falta de respeto a contra de la vida de los pobres, por lo menos hay clinicas que son gratis. Es triste observar que en este pais, los perros tienen mejores vidas, tienen hospitales, hoteles, restaurantes y comen mejores que los hijos de los immigrantes.

Yo quisiera que por lo menos nos consideren como seres, con el derecho a la salud, y por este punto tomar una decision humanitaria. Por qué no, si nosotros generamos tanta producción y riqueza! Nosotros somos la base de la mercaderia encontrada en este pais. Por qué nos niegan la oportunidad de permanecer saludables y sobrevivir a lado de nuestras familias? Somos la clase mas exploitados y menos pagados por nuestro labor. La mayoria de nosotros tiene el salario minimo que nos impede tener suficiente para obtener cuidado medico privado.

“Es mejor prevenir que lamentar.” Es menos caro prevenir una enfermedad al principio, de un punto de vista economico; se necesita mas dinero en emergencias. Hace unos meses, yo tuve una experiencia donde tuve una complicacion de salud y por razones de trabajo y para no abandonar mi familia, pare de ir a los servicios medicos.

Como resultado, un dia me encontre en la sala de emergencia, con mucho dolor y una fibre muy alta. Por no tener aseguransa medica, me sacaron del hospital en la misma forma que entre, con fiebre alta y pastillas para el dolor. Me dijieron que porque mi vida no estaba a riesgo, no era necesario que me quedara en el hospital. La fiebre y una fatiga inmensa se quedo en mi cuerpo por un mes entero. En ese tiempo, yo recibi una cuenta de $17, 000.00, que yo no puedo pagar desde que yo no gano tanto, ni por todo el año.

Ojalá la comunidad de Contra Costa, no dara otro golpe en contra de los trabajadores mas pobres y exploitados del pais. Ojalá la comunidad propulsa la riqueza del tratamiento justo hacia los seres humanos.

Recuerdensé que 5,500 adultos son responsables en sostener sus familias y es cruel que no puedan recibir cuidado prevenido medico.

Termino este articulo haciendo una llamada a todas las personas que todavia mantienen sensitividad hacia las personas, sobre todo, quienes creen y defienden la justicia. AYUDANOS para seguir sobreviviendo! Si 5,500 personas se enferman, quien hará sus trabajos?

Ingles sigue

Another blow against our immigrant community as people are denied health care in Contra Costa County. It’s shameful that in a country so wealthy, the right to recover our health is taken away. Those people, (Politicians), forget that we also pay taxes and our presence, (cheap labor) in this country contributes to the economy. All migration is forced by poverty, due to interventions and theft in our countries.

The majority of immigrants use medical clinics to deal with very serious problems. It’s inhumane that people cannot obtain medical help because this would imply that many workers wouldn’t be able to complete a job. If not attended, some of these medical problems could provoke one’s death. The lack of medical care impacts adults that are trying to sustain families here, and in their home country. The effects of an act so cruel will always fall hardest on the children. When they are left without the care of their parents or families, they are victims of abuse, and many end up joining gangs.

Not even in poor countries is it so evident such lack of respect against people’s lives, at the very least there are free medical clinics. It’s sad to observe that in this country dogs have better lives, they have hospitals, hotels, restaurants and they eat better than the children of immigrants.

I want that we are at least considered beings with the right to health and from this point take a humanitarian decision. Why not, since we generate so much production and wealth! We are the basis of the commodity found in this country. Why do they deny us that opportunity to remain healthy and survive with our families? We are the most exploited class and least paid for our labor. The majority of us have the most minimum salary which impedes us from having a sufficient economy, (enough), to obtain private health care.

“It’s better to prevent than to lament”. It is less expensive to prevent illnesses at their worst stage, from an economic point of view; you need more money in emergencies. A few months ago, I had the experience of having a health complication and for reasons of work and to not neglect mi family, I stopped going to services that provided preventive help.

As a result, one day I found myself in an emergency waiting room, with a lot of pain and very high fever. For not having medical, they removed me from the hospital just the same as I had entered, with a very high fever and pills for the pain. I was told that since my life was not at risk, it was not necessary that I stay in the hospital. The fever and an absolute fatigue remained with me for an entire month. In that interval of time I received a bill for $17,000.00, which I cannot pay since I do not have I do not earn that much, not even in a whole year.

Hopefully the community, (in Contra Costa?), does not put up with another blow against the most poorest and exploited of workers of this country. Hopefully the community propels the richness of fair treatment towards human beings.

Remember that 5,500 adults are responsible for sustaining their families and it is cruel that they cannot receive preventative health care.

I end this article by making a call out to all people who still maintain sensibility towards people, above all, who believe in and defend justice. HELP US to continue surviving! If 5,500 become ill, who will do their work?

by Teresa Molina/PNN Voces de Inmigrantes en resistencia

Scroll down for English

Yo soy Teresa, mujer trabajadora y mama de 5 hijos. Reportera de la Prensa Pobre.

Yo pienso que reciclar es un trabajo desente. Y no se tiene que abergonsarse en hacerlo. Yo se que es un trabajo sucio porque uno tiene que separar la basura y el recicle. Pero despues de terminar, uno toma un bano y vuelbe a estar limpio y presentable. Porque la gente piensa de esa manera. Si solo estamos buscando la manera de sobrevivir.

Llege a un callejon, las casas eran muy bonitas, casas muy limpias. Sus colores eran unos colores rosadas, otros verdes. Se podia reconoser que aqui vivian gente rica. El olor de sus casas era un olor agradable como las rosas de sus jardines, olor a jasmin. Mire al rededor, buscando un letrero de propiedad privada, por que yo nunca entro a propiedad privada, y no mire el letrero de propiedad privada. Empese a reciclar sacando la basura del bote negro. Separando aluminio, plastico, y vidrio, es un trabajo muy pesado. Pero yo se que reciclar de los botes azules es penado porque es como que estoy robando a la ciudad. Yo respeto eso, nunca reciclo de los botes azules y tampoco entro a propiedad privada.

De repente que me grita un hombre, “Mujer estas inbadiendo mi propiedad!” Desde su ventana gritaba como loco. Yo estaba como a 10 metros de distancia de su casa y tres pisos abajo, pero el seguia gritando.Yo no le hacia caso porque yo no estaba haciendo nada malo, nada de que avergonsarme.

Me grito, “Llame a la policia para que te arresten!” En ese momento yo senti mucho miedo. Empeze a temblar, mi corazon latia aseleradamente como si se quisiera salir de mi cuerpo.

El hombre bajo las gradas, se acerco a mi cara y me dijo furiosamente, “Largate de aqui!” Saco su telefone y me tomo fotos con su celular como que si yo fuera un animal. Me senti amenasada, acosada , y descriminada sin razon.

No estaba haciendo nada ilegal. Yo reciclo por que es un trabajo para mi, es una de las maneras como yo pongo comida en la mesa para mi familia, es parte de mi strategia economica como una madre inmigrante de cinco ninos.

El jueves 5 de marzo yo, Tiny, gloria, y otros amigos de POOR Magazine nos acompanaron para ver una pelicula en la ciudad de Oakland. Pensabamos que ibamos a ver una pelicula que se trataba de como la gente se mata reciclando para sacar unos cuantos pesos para sobrevivir, de cualquiera manera posible, separando basura y resiclaje selecinando, de como plastico, vidrio, y aluminio todos se tiene que separar cargar en bolsas hasta el centro de reciclage. Pero, la pelicula solo se trataba de un hombre y una mujer.

La pelicula los sigio toda la noche caminando y tratando de trabajar en el recicle, pero, yo no escuche nada de lo que yo queria escuchar. Le pregunte a Tiny Lisa Gray-Garcia, que era el punto de la pelicula, y ella me dijo, “Esta pelicula no fue hecha por uno de nosotros. Solamente una vez oyi la voz de la senora reconociendo que recyclando es trabajo.” Eso es lo que yo queria oir, eso es de lo que la pelicula se deberia enfocar.

Lo que nosotros hacemos es trabajo, y debe ser conciderado trabajo por toda la socied. Otra cosa que me entere sobre la pelicula que no me gusto, que el director agarro todo el dinero que fue donado para la produccion de la pelicula, los participantes no recibieron nada. La pelicula no tenia nada de beneficio para nosotros.

No tenia un mensaje que nos reconoce a los recycladores como trabajadores y la riqueza que se va ganar con esta pelicula no va ayudar economicamente a esos que lo necesitan.

Aqui en la Prensa Pobre todos creemos que el resiclar es untrabajo desente y digno, por lo tanto demandamos respeto porque solo nosotros, los pobres, hacemos esa clase de trabajo. Nosotros solo buscamos maneras de sobrevivir humildemente por causa de la pobresa que causa este paiz de algunos demaziados ricos, y la mayoria de nosotros muriendo del hambre.

De la manera en que nos sierran todas las puertas y oportunidades de trabajo, es ridiculo pensar que tambien nos quieren quitar la unica fuente de trabajo que nos queda. Yo pienso que eso es un abuso a los derechos humanos y es importante que nosotros nos unamos y luchemos contra estas injusticias.

Ingles sigue

I am Teresa, working-class woman, and mother of 5 children. Reporter for POOR Magazine.

I believe that recycling is a descent job and there is no reason to be ashamed in doing so. I know that it is a dirty job, because you have to separate recycable products from the trash. However, after that one just takes a shower and is once again presentable. Why do people think otherwise, if we are just trying to make a living.

I arrived to an alley, the houses were very beautiful and clean. Some of them were pink and others were green. It was obvious that rich people lived in these houses. The smell of their home was a pleasant fragrance, like the roses in their gardens, the fragrance of jasmine flowers. I looked around for a “private property” sign, because I never trespass private property, and I did not see any sign. I began to recycle, taking out the trash from the black bin. Seperating aluminum, plastic, and glass is a tough job. Yet, I know that recycling from the blue bins is prohibited because it is like stealing from the city. I respect that, and I never recycle from the blue bins or enter into private property.

All of a sudden a man screams at me, “Woman, your invading my property!”, yelling from his window like crazy. I was about 10 meters from his home, and three floors down, but he kept on screaming. I did not pay attention to him because I was not doing anything wrong and nothing to be ashamed.

He yelled, “I called the police, so that they can arrest you!” At that moment I felt a lot of fear. I began to tremble, and my heart began to beat faster, as if it was going to come out of my body.

The man began to come down his stairs, he came up to my face, and furiously said, “Get out of here!” He took out his phone and began to take pictures of me, as if I were an animal. I felt threatened, assaulted, and discriminated for no reason.

I was not doing anything illegal. I recycle because it is a job for me, it is one of the ways I get food on the table for my family; it is part of my economic strategy as an immigrant mother of five children.

On Thursday, March 5, Tiny, Gloria, other friends of POOR Magazine, and I gathered in Oakland to watch a film. We thought that we were going to watch a film about how some people struggle to recycle to get a couple of scents in order to survive. At all costs, these people separate the trash, recycling plastics, glass, and aluminum, which all need to be seperated, then carried in bags to the recycling center. However, the film was just about a man and a woman; it followed them throughout the night as they walked and tried to work doing recycling.

I did not hear anything I was expecting to hear. I asked Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Garcia, what was the point of the film, and she told me, “This film was not made by one of us. I only heard once the voice of the woman recognizing recycling as work.” This is what I wanted to hear, that is what the film needed to have focused on. What we do is work, and it should be recognized as such by all of society. Another thing that I found out that I did not like, was that the director received all the money that was donated for the production of the film, the participants received nothing.

The film had no benefit to us; it had no message about recognizing people who recycle as workers, and the money this film will get will not help economically to those who need it.

Here at POOR Magazine we all believe that recycling is a descent and dignified job, and for this reason we demand respect because only we, the poor, do this kind of job. We are only looking for a way to survive with humility do to the poverty this country causes. A country where there are some who are too rich, and the rest of us are dying of hunger. The way in which they shut all the doors and opportunities for a job. It is ridiculous to think that they also want to take our only source of work that we have left. I believe that this is a violation of our human rights and it is important that we unite and fight against these injustices.

by Tony Robles

Manong Al

Born in Fillmore Street dreams

Born in a pot of a adobo

Born in a bowl of fish and rice

Born in a river of patis

Born in tomatoes and chili

Born in a plateful of jazz

Born in sweet potato pie

Born with getas on his carabao feet

Born with ghettos in his black/brown

Brown/black mind

Born sucking fingers stained

With bagoong

Born in Sorsogon dreams in

His mother’s mud fish eyes

Born in his father’s

Fighting fists

Born in mud-caked

Bulosan Shoes

Born in Santos’ broken

Exile heart

Born in Miyasawa’s sad snow

Born in Ryokan’s broken tea pot

Born with black and brown

Soy sauce rivers on his tongue

Born with carabao mud

On his skin

Born in the alley with

Sorro

Campos

Ricaw

Punzal

Delfino

Villa

Rendon

Palapas

Born in the orchards

And in the campo

And in the rivers

And in the mud

And in fish tales

Swirling around

His Pilipino mind

Born sucking

Tomato beef chow

Mein at Soo Chows

On Post Street

Born in the rain

Of 10 thousand

Rice cakes inside the

Window at Benkyodo

In J-Town

Born on Trains carrying

Issei and Nisei to

Manzanar

Poston

Heart Mountain

Tule Lake

Amache

Jerome

Topaz

Minidoka

Rohwer

Gila River

Born on Pine

Ridge with

A red Lakota

Face

Born on Tatami

Mats riddled with

Cat dung and in

Sakurai’s mind

Crawling with roaches

Born in vacant

Fillmore lots

On door steps with

Musicians, pimps,

Artists, poets and

Prostitutes who’d

Ask: How’s your mama?

Born in Fillmore

Pressing poems between

White langendorf bread

Squeezing it into a

Ball, throwing it at

Nob Hill windows

Born holding a brown

Paper bag with a tape

Recorder collecting

Manong tears and manong

Rivers and manong eyes

And manong tongues

And manong hearts and

A thousand bursting manong

Suns

Born in the hollow

Of Mary Tall Mountain’s

Whale bone poems

Sharing bowls

Of good grease

(good good grease)

Born in Waipahu lava faces

Born in banana leaf dreams

Born in the strumming ukelele heart

Born in a humming banyan tree embrace

Born in the sakada’s bolo

Born in the Kali dance

Born in the Kris knife sky

Born with hands

That cry

Pilipino Ako!

Pilipino Ako!

Pilipino Ako!

Born on

Fillmore Street

Ifugao Mountain

J-Town

Nihomachi

Mission Street
South of Market

The I-Hotel

Manong Al,

Born in the

Faces of 10 thousand

Children

Born in a pot

Of adobo

Child of

10 thousand

Manongs!

by Lisa Gray-Garcia aka Tiny

I just wonder what part of Re-thinking he didnt understand.. . I began reading an op-ed entitled Re-Thinking philanthropy by William F. Shultz published recently in the American Forum. From a quick e-glance at the subject line I was filled with excitement, imagining a critique of the rooted in slave/master hierarchy-becoming-seeds-of the non-profit-industrial complex- crabs in a barrel -system that-non-profit organizations barely survive on and compete with each other over crumbs for. But alas, no, I would be sadly disappointed as I read on.. seeing only a vague questioning of non-profit organizations who receive public money but don't provide health care to their workers.

The lofty title and the barely challenging thoughts left me wondering what part of re-thinking didn't Schultz understand. Isnt the notion of "re" anything imply that you will be asking the hard questions like, who gets access to wealth, how wealth and the earths' resources were stolen from the original stewards of the earth only to be controlled and disseminated by folks who have nothing to do with its labor force, its gardens, its oceans, its resources. How development is never led by countries and peoples called developing . How planning, dreaming, conceptualizing and strategic planning of money is done by poor folks throughout the centuries but that knowledge, those dreams, that scholarship is never valued for the complicated work that it is but rather is seen as unimportant only because the folks doing the strategic plans, the schedules, the budgets, the work-plans are working poor mamaz and daddyz, abuelitas and aunties and uncles.

During the first 200 years of the theft of indigenous peoples land, destruction of resources, and death of peoples and communities known as European colonization in the US the missionary ideals and practices of Christian Charity were replaced by the capitalist and patriarchal pattern of philanthropy. One of the earliest examples of philanthropists were benevolent slave-owners who took care of their slaves. From that frightening template of patriarchal domination, philanthropy was implemented by corporate moguls like John D. Rockefeller, Leland Stanford and Andrew Carnegie who used the process of giving away their money to appear as though they were caring about people, rather than just making profit while they sponsored, launched well-funded studies, endowments and created fellowships, grants and entire institutions around Eugenics, a terrifying fascist and racist pseudoscience created on so-called racial purity, eventually adopted by Hitler to rationalize the Nazi beliefs and practices of murdering Jewish peoples and disabled folks.

Philanthropy is only a tool,

But of course you cant blame philanthropy, after all its rooted in Euro-centric, Western values of capitalism which promote, demand and rely on separation, ageism, individualism, and self-determination to produce an ongoing supply of consumers, isolated, separated from their families consuming new couches, new cars, a separate set of silverware and dishes, not to mention apartments and houses. These values directly impact the programming decisions and priorities of an organizations development, transforming the agendas of well-meaning and sometimes even revolutionary organizations rooted in poor communities of color into programs that perpetuate rigidity and harm on indigenous, multi-generational, care-giving communities.

The results of these values impact on organizations include the creation of youth only programming for indigenous youth whose cultures value eldership and family, even to the harming of a communities cultural deep structure or the complete separation and de-linking of naturally linked cross-movements such as an organization working for tenants rights and organizations working to advocate for homeless families and children. These values also lay the groundwork for the punitive systems of harm perpetrated by the non-profit industrial complex.

In another emulation of capitalist values driving non-profit funding the same way as market shares determine the for-profit market-driven world; non-profit organizations are forced to pursue funding led by that years sexy initiatives. On more than one occasion at what I call a step and fetch it grant interview where the grantor decides whether you, the grantee's issue or project, is important enough to fund, I have heard the word sexy actually used to describe, poverty, disability, domestic violence, homelessness and global development. This process has only worsened due to the economic downturn. Large foundations are using the excuse of the downturn to fund even less, demand even more and widen the gap between communities in poverty leadership and who drives development decision-making.

So what would it look like to re-define development and fundraising? To practice what we at POOR Magazine call Revolutionary Giving. It would begin with the recognition that just because people have money, have inherited money, or have access to money and connections that they inherently have knowledge to distribute that money. Further, to understand that people who have struggled to raise children in poverty, take care of elders, keep multiple low-wage jobs or navigate multiple systems like welfare, education, social security and/or project housing, in fact hold a deep scholarship about the use and distribution of resources. Similarly, that values of caring, interdependence and eldership as defined by indigenous folks and folk of color arent just nice ideas but actually need to drive the core values of organizational development and funding initiatives for poor communities of color. Finally, to even consider a new form of philanthropy and giving, it must be cleansed of its eugenicist, racist past and redefined as a form of reparations that centers giving within the concept of reparations and the redistribution of the wealth, resources and land that was stolen from indigenous communities and poor communities of color locally and globally. The people who in the beginning of time were the stewards of the now very sick earth, who remain invested in its thrival and growth and who survive directly on its gifts and harvests.

Lisa Gray-Garcia aka tiny is a poverty scholar, welfareQUEEN, revolutionary journalist and the author of Criminal of Poverty Growing Up Homeless in America. She co-founded POOR Magazine/PoorNewsNetwork with her mama dee. For more information about the upcoming Revolutionary Change Session: Crumbling the Myth of the Gift, Deconstructing Donor Denial and Dismantling the Non-Profit Industrial Complex .. One Outcome at a Time go on-line to RPMJ Program Seminar

by Bruce Allison and Thorton Kimes

I arrived at the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco on Folsom and 1st Streets, at 3p.m. College students, Mexican citizens, folks from Green Action, United Native Americans, and this poverty scholar were there to focus attention on a problem (which is putting it politely) that has generated plenty of heat in this country and is now making more south of the Arizona border nuclear waste and where to put it.

Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility is full, and long story short the U.S. government made an agreement with the Mexican government to have American nuclear waste stored under Mexican soil. Shipped through Arizona to the northern Mexican state of Sonora, the waste is sent 100 miles south of Arizona (200 miles from Yuma) to the ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham People, which were turned into a reservation split between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Tohono O'odham voted against accepting the nuclear waste twice, but the Mexican government liked the money it was going to get for saying Yes a bit too much, so the No votes were ignored. The waste is being stored near a spring, the source of a lake, according to a member of Green Action, the people don't bathe with or drink the water�-not because of the nuclear waste but because they�ve always regarded it as holy. Very holy.

The Director of Green Action said, "The protest was in several cities, including Phoenix, AZ, where the Mexican Consulate was locked because so many people were outside because of this issue."

This poverty scholar was at the front of the march, holding a banner for United Native Americans with my friend Juana. It felt strange for me, a man so white I make a snowman look black, but I also felt honored. We marched down Folsom Street, colonizing one lane of traffic. It was a bit nerve-wracking to be holding the banner with cars approaching.

We turned down one of SOMA's (South of Market Street neighborhood) many alleys, called Hawthorne Street, in front of the EPA, Homeland Security guarding the place, and had a rally there too. A woman from PODER spoke, saying that the Tohono O'odham have lived on their lands since before Europeans arrived on the continent.

This poverty scholar spoke when the mic was passed around. I apologized for my people�-as one who does not believe in the carpenter from Nazareth, saying that the dumping of nuclear waste near the holy waters is like peeing on the pews in a church.

We promised to return to pester the Mexican consulate and the EPA if this matter is not resolved and the desires of the Tohono O'odham are not respected.

by Marlon Crump/PNN

"It means breaking out of the silence of crying alone!"

As I awoke, I quickly rubbed the sleep from my eyes, cobwebs from my head, and weariness from my body. I then checked the time on my cell phone:

It was 10:35 a.m.

I hastily ironed my clothes, and then I dashed for the nearest shower down the hall. After I determined that I was fairly cleaned and clothed, I grabbed my notebook and pen. I then headed towards 16th/Mission St, just four blocks away from my home at the AllStar Hotel. Upon opening the gate, I was quickly confronted by a chilly wind cold front that caused water to leak from my eyes, slightly affecting my frequent fast walking pace.

I didn't care. Today, I was running very late to walk a very important march that started at 10:00 a.m. Catching the bus or even the subway today would've further delayed me. Fortunately, a cab strolled in my direction. As it began to race the red light, I hailed for it to stop on the corner of the 16th/Mission.

"Take me to Justin Herman Plaza, please!"

Today was Saturday April 25th, 2009. This particular walk-then-rally towards resistance began to emerge on certain streets, here in San Francisco, CA. Aside from the many marches that occur here S.F, this was a soulfully-sensitive one. For me, it was spiritually vital that I attended this march to re-port and su-pport for the victims, survivors/thrivers.

For me and every around me in the universe, it was spiritually-incumbent that I walked this very walk towards my own path of healing.................... speaking as a two-time victim, survivor/thriver, myself.

(From a severe psychological perspective.)

Walking this walk meant not even having to have my own nightmares spare me on occasion. Regardless of race, creed, religion, poverty, privilege, etc, etc, we are all races and faces from many places to combat a destructive foe, at fast paces. We were all walks of life here for one mission, one goal, for one thing in mind:

Walk Against Rape!

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful on finding the marchers. Despite my instructions for the cab driver to head towards Embarcadero St, and even instructing him to backtrack, by going over a block to Mission St, I couldn't locate the march. I sadly asked the cab driver to take me to Mission Dolores Park, which was going to be the destination for the marchers.

This was where a festival of healing in a sacred, solidarity sanctuary circle for all survivors, sympathizers, supporters and even for the pedestrians that would possibly participate.

After paying the fare, I headed towards the park, carrying my notebook in hand, passing the slightly increasing chilly winds, and pedestrians to find the organizers of today's event. I didn't have to walk very far in the park because they were setting up their stations inside the entrance of the park.

It wouldn't have mattered to me. I would've walked around the entire park if I had to, in spite of the gigantic perimeter of this park. This event was that important to me.

RAPE is one of the ugliest subjects of all time. Its definition often explains when someone forces another to have a sexual encounter with them, against their will. The victim is usually beaten, threatened, and even killed if they don't submit to their attacker's wishes.

Whether it occurs at home, schools, rest care facilities, foster care homes for children, hospitals, jails, places of poverty, places of privilege or even in public, the psychological trauma of the grotesque images of their attacker shamefully defiling their body forever torments the minds of the victims.

Such horrors can internally affect a human being's ability to function in their life. Even worse, a sexual assault victim can unwillingly become a rapist themselves if there is no intervention of effective counseling, treatment, or even support.

The most vulnerable victims are typically women and children. When you turn on your T.V, radio, read the newspaper, or even an internet online publication you almost always hear about such cases of women and children violated, nationwide and worldwide.

"Everyday, one in three women are raped all around the world," were the words of a woman on a late night television ad a long time ago. I doubt if that statistic has decreased since then. The children are the most seriously vulnerable, especially if there are no adults there to protect them.

Suffice to say, men can be victims too, although men are often known to be the most aggressive ones, of such an inhumane crime. No gender is immune from sexual assault, regardless of the gender of their attacker.

"Raising awareness of rape is vital to men and women," said a woman to me, as I asked her what today's event meant for her. She was helping her fellow band members set up instruments on a large stage. She was the drummer for "Pamela Parker" a rock music band who combines rock, funk, and soul with operatic interludes.

After I spoke briefly to the band leader herself, Pamela Parker, I walked around to speak to the supporters that would be participating in today's festivities. The park space for today's festival was circled with booths, and tables of many organizations that were in support for today's event.

Among them were San Francisco City College: Project Survive, Larkin Street Youth Services, Woman Inc, La Casa De Las Madres, Radical Women, Asian Women's Shelter, Hope and Beyond, S.F Women's Film Festival, Farm Fresh to You, Impact Bay Area, Free Battered Women, About Face, and numerous others.

I sat in a chair set up by one of the organizers and drank a cup of coffee. I ignored the icy nipping winds that continued to hit my face and the water that continued to leak from my eyes from those winds as I waited the arrival of the marching survivors/thrivers.

Though I didn't yet feel it quite yet, the spirits of all rape survivors across the world, the seen, unseen, heard, unheard, blind, deaf, alive and even the dead began to sanction the spiritual sanctuary of this vast portion of the park, as it awaited the arrival of the survivors and thrivers of rape.

The spirit of all the living survivors/thrivers on this planet, my very own mother, Victoria Crump, and the survivors/thrivers that were above in the sky with Almighty God himself, my grandmother, Elizabeth Crump, and the late great "Mama" Dee Gray (co-founder of POOR Magazine/POOR News Network) blessed the space as an ethereal inspiration of triumph over tragedy by blanketing the space with peace and love towards healing from...................high above.

After nearly a half hour of waiting, I heard the marchers approach:

"Walk Against Rape!"

"Walk Against Rape!"

"Walk Against Rape!"

I jumped from my seat to meet them. They appeared in what seemed to be the thousands. Men, women, children, a truck that provided entertainment of young drummers, and the San Francisco Police Department providing traffic/crowd control for the march, were moving rapidly in my direction.

"Hey Hey!"

"Ho Ho!"

"Rape has got to go!"

I smiled and kindly stepped aside to allow the stampeding marchers to take refuge from a long march as they descended into the park to unleash their demons by bringing forth self-solidarity, and unity for healing a traumatized community. As they began to conclude their journey of resistance, a truck carrying a youth group called LOCO BLOCO vitalized the survivors/thrivers with art of drumbeating.

A couple of youngsters from the Boy's and Girls Club also appeared, walking with the means of "stilts."

"Congratulations, you guys just walked three miles!" boomed a speaker's voice to the massive crowd that had now engulfed a vast portion of the entrance to the park. Those words by the speaker were met by our joyous cheers, yells, and clapping.

After moments of everyone interacting and communicating with one another, we all sat down to watch a performance by "Imani's Dream." I was joined by Evelyn Garcia of SFWAR (San Francisco Women Against Rape) as we began to watch the performance. Imani's Dream is a youth performance group that combines their styles of dancing with ballet, jazz, African and street dances. They're known to create their own world of hip hop dance culture within the world around them.

"When I dance, I feel like I am leaning on two shoulders instead of one" were the lyrics recorded of a one young man in one of their songs. Everyone and myself were in awe of amazement with Imani's Dream's unique abilities to blend their bodies with each song they performed.

Songs by Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu, and the late great legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur spiced the flavor in their body movement flow.

The rape of people's cultures, rape of communities of color at the hands of governmental oppression, rape of indigenous people's lands at the hands of governmental tyranny, rape of the oblivious when they're stalked, rape of a person's rights to privacy when they're being watched, rape of people when they're wiretapped on their phone conversations, rape of a person's very own soul, and last (surely not least) the rape of people in poverty, is the Achilles Heel for my family of POOR Magazine/POOR News Network to do the work that we ultimately do.

We need to make some Changes
We need to change the way we eat, the way we live and the way we treat
each other
See, the old way wasn't workin, so its on us to do what we gotta do
to survive
Still I see no Changes, can't a brother a little peace
There's war on the streets and the war on the Middle East
Instead of a war on poverty
They got a war on drugs so the police can bother me
I ain't never did no crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back on the track givin' it back to you................................

(Excerpt from the lyrics of Tupac Shakur's "That's just the way it is!")

"They are passing a law in Afghanistan that will allow husbands to rape their own wives," Nayla Raad, a volunteer of SFWAR informed to the crowd. A wave whispering of outrage regarding this hideous decree struck absolute disgust in our hearts.

Unfortunately for those women in Afghanistan, this is not an uncommon parallel of perverse practices by men towards women in foreign countries. In Haiti, women are raped daily on its very streets by its own police. For generations, many women have been subjected into sexual slavery, even by their own spouses.

Rape is not only about the attacker forcefully fulfilling their sexual desires at the expense of their victims, but it is also about their attempts towards dominance and sheer control.

"I want to thank everyone here for attending this rally," I said to everyone. "I too, am a rape survivor, twice in my life from a psychological perspective. I am very glad to be here. You all deserve to pat yourselves on the back, for walking all the way from Justin Herman Plaza to be here at Dolores Park! That, in of itself, is very revolutionary towards healing from internal pain and trauma."

I also mentioned to the many attendees that we are raped every single day of our lives, and most of us don't even know it. Rape can come in vast variations towards domination. Physically, mentally, socially, politically, and economically; many of us Walk Against Rape are raped every single day of our lives, consciously and subconsciously.

I see life from the outside.

You see life from your side.

And our souls meet somewhere in the middle of the fire.

I know love and I feel it.

You know love when you see it.

And our hearts meet somewhere in the middle of our eyes.

Soul Stretch, sooouuuullll brother...........

(Excerpt from the lyrics of "Soul Stretch" by Pamela Parker.

I sat on the park's grass with both of my legs cradled as I continued to enjoy the performances by numerous artists on stage. In addition, I heard many testimonies by survivors/thrivers regarding the ugliness of their experiences.

The arctic-like air continued to rip through the atmosphere as we all sat in soulful of solidarity. Suddenly, a poet performer's poetry exploded into the crowd unlike I've ever seen to date.

Staceyann Chin, a highly recognized poet, political activist, and the author of "The Other side of Paradise" literally took the attention of all of us, like an electrical thunderstorm. Miss Chin's performance of world-moving words and humor, contained enough mass and volcano velocity to potentially-penetrate Mt. Everest. Her words were loud enough to give sound to the hearing-impaired.

Nearly every single line of Miss Chin's poetry that flew from the her lips, seemed like an unleash of every single demon that tormented her since childhood. The flap of her arms, were as if she was Superman or Batman flashing a cape behind her in the wind, hovering over a villain.

The spirit of her performance captivated a delightfully-stunned audience, as she performed:

I am undressing in your vestibules
dancing
without your robes
you can no longer probe
the fleshy parts of my assumed purity
Look at me, Father
look at the veins pulsing solid at my neck
And tell me
Am I not beautiful?

(Excerpt from Staceyann Chin’s poem "The Prodigal.")

My final thoughts to myself as the festival drew to a close were, "Today's event was a monumental one for every single rape survivor/thriver, victim, dead or alive. Though we've all walked this walk since this horrible experience occurred in our lives, we will continue this war to Walk Against Rape."

San Francisco Women Against Rape provides free peer counseling, support groups, and advocacy to survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones. Volunteers are available 24 hours a day to provide crisis line support and respond to requests for medical advocacy. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and you need support, please call (415) 647-RAPE.

SFWAR also provides presentations and technical support to schools, businesses and community organizations on how to support survivors, sexual assault prevention, sexual harassment, healthy dating for youth, self-defense and other related topics.

They provide 80 hours of training to hotline, peer counseling and medical advocate volunteers three times a year. SFWAR is currently accepting applications for their fall training. Women of color, bilingual/bi-cultural, youth, transgender, immigrant, elderly, queer, working class and differently-abled individuals are encouraged to apply. Stipends available for services provided in languages other than English. For more information, please call the business line at (415) 861-2024 or visit www.sfwar.org.

African proverb: "The ax forgets...........the tree remembers."

Maya Angelou, Even The Stars Look Lonesome., 1997.

by Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Garcia

"They called security to escort me off of school grounds," Margareta P., a mama and abuelita to Russell P, was relating her experience of advocating for her 9 year old grandson at his Richmond elementary school when he was being wrongly labeled as a special education student when he only needed ESL services. She related further that she gave up in her attempt to be a school volunteer at his school as she was required to go through so many system-based hoops just to apply. Margareta's experience is common to many mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunties and uncles when they try to step onto elementary, middle or high school grounds in districts across the country in support or as co-teachers of their children.

WHEREAS, R.E.A.L. (Reclaiming Education Access and Learning) Schools Now! is a family-led campaign to create district policy that revolutionizes the learning experience of young people of color, liberates teacher creativity, and re-imagines the role of community as critical to the learning process. - Excerpt from the Real Education Policy proposal May 2009

As Margareta spoke, my mind traveled to a different school environment where her words, ideas, culture, language and powerful voice of eldership would not only be heard but would be a part of shaping policies and curriculum for her son's elementary school. A policy like the Real Education Policy being proposed by R.E.A.L. (Reclaiming Education Access and Learning) Schools Now! family leaders with the support of School Board member Audrey Miles to the WCCUSD school board Academic subcommittee and then on to the full board.

After launching the REAL schools NOW campaign in December of 2005, families of children in schools in Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and Pinole have been working together to re-envision schools and school district policies to actively work towards inclusion of family voice, family knowledge, culture and community support.

WHEREAS, young people thrive when teachers, staff, parents and students are supported in building strong partnerships in education with one another; and
WHEREAS, young people thrive when parents are welcomed into schools as educators and change makers.

In 2007 the REAL Schools Now campaign completed a study of teachers in collaboration with United Teachers of Richmond. The findings from this study uncovered the need for less emphasis on testing and scripted curriculums mandated by standardized testing models of teaching the more professional development for teachers and prep time to support teachers in their efforts to work with parents and family members, to value cultures different from theirs, knowledge gained through lived experience and even to understand education rooted in community vision.

WHEREAS, young people of color thrive when teachers are given the time, resources and support to create classrooms that work in partnership with families, connect learning back to lived experiences and cultures, and prepare students to become critical thinkers and leaders.

The REAL education proposal is a template for educational equity, racial justice and real systemic change as it begins the process to change the fundamentally harmful school and school district policies that inform Western, Euro-centric systems of education which have their roots in white supremacy and structural racism.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that District staff shall provide teacher training, supported by time for aligning curriculum, in the areas of equity, socio-political realities, honoring youth, youth leadership, use of facilitation and popular education as well as inter-discipline, cross-discipline and feeder pattern sharing of best practices.

Margareta finished her story to tell me that she hopes for change and sees a time when it will be different and that if the REAL education policy goes through she will try again to be a volunteer at her grandson's school. A school that is informed by REAL Education.

For more information on this resolution and the REAL Schools Now campaign call Justice Matters (510) 235-1578 or go on-line to www.justicematters.org

by Joseph Bolden

Poli Econo Panic Patch
My appologies folks, I’ve been ill, well, sick again, followed by wellness.

I pray if I were infected by swine flu and recovered have had enough anti bodies against the virus to remain healthy. (if not I don’t want to know what I’ve survived so far!)

Anybody else miss the May 12th deadline for voting by mail as I have?

The Special Elections on shoring up the National Economic Budget Cricis.

Voting on 1A to 1D. Like most people it may be inconvient but better inconvienced than go though this again every few decades.

Luckily its not the 19th of May and I can still drop off my vote at City Hall this Saturday.

Before the yammering about 1A through D I must loudly proclaim writing on political stuff is painful as peircing sirens waking you up from a sound sleep at 4 am in the morning.

Let me prepare for this struggle.

Its Special Election time… again Ballots Propositions 1A to 1E.

1A is Change Cali’s budget process limiting state spending increases
“Rainy Day” Budget Stabilization Fund.

1)Pro = Fundamental changes economically to the way things are done now.
2)Con = Do nothing and work with the system now in place.

Folks more into this know more than I. No matter what we must decide.

1B Education Funding Plan.
1)The Legislature and Governor can overide Tests suspending Prop. 98 which requires a two thirds vote of each house of the Legislature.
(Its already sounds more complex than it has to be to me)
2 Pay teactures more, less testing on them or students.

I’ve no Idea how I’ll vote on this but our future depends on an educated populace both young; yes our children need a grade A education they are our future but life long education for every citizen wanting and needing it should be our ultimate goal along with nationalized health care for all.
(But that’s just me).

1C Lottery Modernization Act.
1)Pro = Change and improve or keep it as is, our choice.
2)Con= Keep lottery the system as is; again our choice again.

1D Protects Children’s Services Funding Helps Balance State Budget.

1)Pro = Don’t know what to say except its up to leaders and us to close all loopholes to really protect our children until they can protect themselves.

2)Con = Vote no and hope children learn to protect themselves.

1E Mental Health Services Funding.

Temporary Reallocation. Helps Balance State Budget.

1)Pro = It is needed and must be changed, improved.

2)Con = Mental Health Service Funding is fine no change needed.

1F Elected Officials Salaries. Prevent Pay Increases During Deficit Years.

1)Pro = Money from deflated official salaries goes to working people who’s hourly wages go up to 23 to 40+ and hour along with benefits.

2)Con = Let capitalism work its wonders without changes to official salaries.

Well that’s the (1A to 1E) Ballot Voting in a Nutshell.

It’s more complex than the above but why hassle all this manure?

I’m going to be up early do my civic duty then leave the city for a day or two.

Because after this special election it time to relax, make love, and forget the pol crud for a few days.

Send comments to telljoe@poormagazine.com or poormagazine.org.

by Joseph Bolden

50+

OK folks,its been a long while since I’ve been writing a regular column in Poor Magazine.

I left the organization for a bit,dj-ed radio for a time then it close down due to theft.

Recently I returned from Colorado, a friend I know there invited me and a few close friends to spend a few days their during Memorial Day weekend.

It was worth going and I’ll go again.

Saturday,June,6,2009 will be a milestone of sorts for me.

I’ll be 55.

Its currious that what I’ve missed out in youth; that is drinking,drugs, bar fights,marriage,fathering children,sex wasn’t as important as living/surviving through this hectic,warp speed decades.

So I missed lots of high school reunions, college,university,or undergraduate experiences and being in porn films…

(the latter still possible if a few lovely women invited me for a tryout,even if it didn’t pan out at least I'd have evidence of my go-for- gusto on a compact disk.)

Speaking of adult themes while at work I admit to looking at porn sites but also more important adult dating sites.

The four sites I’ve decided to go online and pay is a woman run website

Bangmatch.com,

Hornymatch.com,

Friend finder for
Adult.com,
and Senior Friend Finder.com

My problem: having avoided the HIV/AIDS quick–to-slow die disease.

I still want my dirty, raunchy,sex but with women clean as I am.

I'd show my sex-med card/paper they show me theirs.

Iffy or questionable clean bill of health= no shagging,snogging,muff diving,tongue lashing to be had.Horny,Yes but not worth dying!

I wanna live to be 56 and beyond.

Besides,I’ve got to prove to those believing in the sanctity and safety of marriage that single men can live long, vigorous, productive lives without the aid of a church and state.

I believe single males no longer need worry about being unmarried,without issue or with issue–just live,enjoy,and pace ourselves just as women naturally do.

Guys,you know they don’t know what they want because when we ask them to define it,nail it down, they get ambiguous and yes they’re more fluid sexually so what,the Gayells,straying into male land for a while to return to fem land again only shows never really doesn’t mean never just for now.

So guys especially straight guys who aren’t all twisty,bendy,and fluid relax be happy we know are limitations.

I know I like women whatever size,shape,A cup to ample triple H, XXX boulder holders.

I don’t care about men haters, basher's.
The-we-don’t-need-you-have-our-own-stash-flash ladies.

Let 'em join the The-No-WOMB-Men’s-club its probably a lonely group to have to gripe all the time anyway.

I have new endeavors like working on a Cruise Ship, visiting ports of call not possible at this time.

Learning Massage, Acupressure/Acupuncture so when I’m on board ship I have a good skill all sexes may enjoy though only with one sex to me is worth while enjoying

Learning to fix PC’s, stockroom, or data entry.

As a member of A.A.R.P. Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons.

Also as the middle member in the babyboom generation I see what’s ahead of me also those coming up.

Well, I messed up educationally, economically, but not in health so what to do?

Make money real fast, self invest, and or have other help me too and

lastly set up an annuity and with excess amount of cash

have 5 to 10 million or so in the bank, get a brilliant accountant and or economist

to get as high a percentage of money doled out to me monthly if I can and touch the principle living on a fixed budget.

Might as well buy an RV if I cannot afford a home.

The main thing is get/be stable and live the rest of my life traveling, fornicating with women that like that sort of thing and keep an eye out on life extension technologies.

One last thing, to all the women who’ve written me over the years and I couldn’t answer –

I live in a danger part of San Francisco I wouldn’t want any of you visit me in such a crazed place.

I’ll visit you where you feel safe in your own place or a hotel sometimes I pay sometimes you thing where all grown folk.

No state, gov, county, or nosey people have a right comment on it.

That’s what I really love about being 55 I can do what I want with whom I want and they with me its all completely our choice.

Although I’d still like to be in porn films like that blessed 79 year old Asian guy.

Now he is living his life his way!
Unless he's the oldest sex slave forced to bed women!

That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do live my life my way and for as long and I want not because of constantly changing rules.

Live, learn, love long, post death, chose life again.

For comments go to

telljoe@poormagazine.org or email me at

jsph_bldn@yahoo.com plus

deeandtiny@poormagazine.org