Search Results

Transcript: In Chinese there are two characters for the word crisis: danger and opportunity. A lot of people I know say because I left the comfortable existence in the suburban wilderness of New Jersey, I was more, I was in danger. I was more in danger living five years in a toxic relationship. That was way more dangerous to my soul than being out here. It was a cost of my psyche that was incredible and immeasurable. It's a challenge for me to be here on the other coast but I'm not alone. I have my ancestors walking with me, keeping me motivated to go onward and upward. It is an amazing opportunity to learn who the authentic me is because for five years I forgot. I'm living la vida pobre even with a job in the poverty industrial complex but it's all good because things are going to work out some way or somehow. I will never again forget who I am, a strong Indigenous woman. And from now on, I'm serving authentic me realness. I'll never shrink myself to make others comfortable ever again and money never bought me happiness. Freedom does. Transcript: During the Black Joy Parade that I was in, I was reaching out to the people and letting them know that in Oakland, we're still here. We are still here. And we will continue to be here. And it's become like a catchphrase so I kind of like put it in art form. What I want to share with you is my, what I'm very proud of: a little book of a, a children's story. But it's also for the inner child and everybody. And it's a story that's actually, I interpreted it but it's written in the book of nature. It's a story about meditation, visualization, imagination, and illumination. It's a story about Butter. And Butter was a worm. And he used to go around in his garden community and tell other worms that one day he was going to fly. And the other worms laughed at Butter and called him crazy behind his back because they had never seen a worm fly. But one day Butter disappeared for 40 days and 40 nights and all he thought about, all he dreamed about, all he schemed about was one day flying. And one day to his own amazement he began to notice a little bump coming out of the side of his body and it got longer and longer and he remembered what he had seen the birds do. So, he began to flap his newfound wings and he flapped them harder and harder until it happened. Butter was airborne! Wooo! And all the other worms were looking at their Butter, they're like, “Butter’s like a god world. He's like the king of king of worms!” And Butter was like, “Nah, man. I'm just Butter. Flying. Have faith, do as I do, and one day you'll be able to fly too.” And Butter, because he believes in himself and that he could do what nobody else thought he could do, became the first butterfly in the history of the world. Okay? So, I always believe the dreams that come to you, that's the seed that comes from the divine. Whatever it is, however crazy it may be. Work on it, move on it, believe in it, until something better comes. Or until fruition. Thank you so much. Transcript: Three two one cue smalls in, Smaller Baller out of East Stockton by way of Berkeley because this family home to me as well out here. I was doing my thing years ago out here, caught my first felony out here on the streets of Oakland not even on 98th and Brookfield, you know what i'm saying? So this is home once again. I lost my uncle on December 4th, 1993 when I was 8 years old. I just turned 37 on June 26. Amen. Hallelujah. Eric Ronald Reagan's in front of my own young eyes due to murder shots fired all I can say is - signs of violence. Make peace. I also have my phone number five one zero four three zero zero seven zero nine. Smaller Baller. I would sell my music out here, wise, give or sell food with children, substitutions for my life and keep everybody uplifted on that. Plus taking donations to help us all. We have a 501(c)(3) but due to corona we gonna skip that shit. 2781 Telegram is our United Root Center. That's founded by William and Fergie at the Black Eyed Peas. We established that due to the Ella Baker Center with Van Jones. I finished the court recipes column now you know and um we're just trying to open that up. But you guys are always welcome to always get music off our website. And uh family right here, right here this is family. So you know, I ain't been out here in about a month and a half but had to come show up and just greet everybody and my new word. I stay stankin’. Transcript: And how you became homeless or what’s your background? The story is not about homelessness, it’s about my story. I just thought it was a little significant with me in front of my dad. They called him Poncho and this is his tree. So it's just a little bio with a little spoken word twist to it. Okay, so… My mom’s Berkley and Berkley bounce. We moved to Chi town twice. Until the rich grew up with Black pride and then we moved back to Oakland Northside Kiloplast Tinted Rock Alcatraz Famous block Tackle football on cement I got fast With gangsters but it wasn't shit because if you couldn't come from the shoulders then you shut your lip. These rules for young fools to live by some still apply those were the days, mm and all those days weren't fly. But all I know was that they pass you with the blink of an eye. And all you could do is, laugh man y'all can’t lie, But in those days you did. You see no matter how ugly they wise words hugly and for no reason unconditionally love me. The light lace so I made an about face. Then I didn’t have to become a disgrace to my race. The price was priceless. This advice for life is these folks that I toast to keep close with. Whether I sit twisted with a sip in the fifth kick back and reminisce with this and feel the vibe. They go with those nine to five and think of the things in life that’s gone tight. It's gonna be alright. Transcript: Alright, what's your name? I’m Country, last of the Mohicans. Uh yes sir. Uh I came out here but they call me Cassius, you know what I'm saying? Aka, Toshun, you know what I'm saying? I came out here in 2005, man. I'm telling you, I was homeless and had nowhere to go, you know what I'm saying? I really came out here on faith. Real talk, you know what I'm saying? This is before all of that you know what I'm saying? Look, I was staying in Fremont everything bro. Like I was going through the motions. My ex, man, she was mistreating me, doing me dirty you know what I'm saying? I'm just giving you like the fast paced of it, but you know what I'm saying. But then after that, then I started migrating so I migrated all the way like to like San Leandro, Hayward, everything you know what I'm saying, all the way to the town. So, then when I got to the town it was a whole different flavor a whole different love, whole different everything, you know what I'm saying? Still homeless, still going back and forth, you know. Couchsurfing, everything you know what I'm saying? I even lived in South Hayward too but anyway you know what I'm saying, make a long story short. And all of that man you know what I'm saying through the grace of god man, I got my own place now you know what I'm saying, at age 44 man, you know what I'm saying? I even sold him pants though you know what I'm saying on Brookfield you know what I'm saying? I was in Brookfield selling pants and everything man I was doing everything just to keep my head above water man. Real talk. All I’m saying man is god, god is everything you know I'm saying? The greatest influence that pushed me through everything you know what I'm saying? It's about sipping on the drink, boy, everything you heard me, going through the motions man. On the streets, I'm talking about sleeping on the bench, I'm sleeping on the bench, we was in downtown plaza. I'm talking about sleeping, sleeping uh by the uh by the BART Station actually you know what I'm saying? Real talk, you know what I'm saying? Real life man, real real life situation. It just did, it just really made me a better person you know what I'm saying? Really made me humble and be a better person, man. God is great, man. God is great. It is what it is, man.

By Ziair hughes, Deecolonize academy student /POOR Magazine Youth poverty Skola In Canada a situation has flared back up, from the late 1800s to 1997 more than 150,000 indigenous children were taken from their families and put in Catholic churches and residential Schools and the people who ran the schools, which were scattered all across the US and Canada, would punish the children for speaking their native language, abuse them physically, mentally and sexually and they would even cut the childrens long hair. These residential schools are not unique to Canada; there were once over 400 across the United states. A lot of kids died and the people who ran the churches would find poles and pipes to build crosses for the graves they dug for the children or often just bury them secretly with no cross at all. Sadly most of these institutions sexually and physically violated the children. Patrick who was one survivor of the many victims said “Then the priest got me drunk and i didnt know what happened when i got up the next morning”, concluded patrick Through all this the pope issued an apology and took a picture with a war bonnet on, now the church and the pope think the issue is solved . At Deecolonize Academy, we study the true history of this land and we believe everybody deserves the truth. No sugar coding at all. To me the apology from the pope didn't seem sincere enough, to add on, you can't apologize for somebody else's trauma or somebody else's wrong doing, if anything the survivors should be granted money and the church should either be given to the survivors or be named after them.

By Momii Palapaz, POOR NEWS NETWORK poverty scholar I walked onto the property of People’s Park in Berkeley, California, where two tents and a few houseless adults were sleeping on the ground. '`Do you have something to eat?’ asked a lone woman laying on the grass. “Yes”, I responded. I happened to have baked chicken made the night before last, with rice in a to-go container. She immediately chomped on the cold chicken, so hungry, she ate too fast. Her name was Sally. She couldn’t remember how long she was living there. At that moment her only concern was satisfying her hunger. I’m on Ohlone- Huichin land, stolen by the systems of “higher” education. The same system of universities that murdered, stole and are still holding the treasures of indigenous ancestors. UC Berkeley is the overlord, determined to monopolize and manipulate, dominate and drive out the poor and houseless throughout the communities in California. This whole square block was once inhabited by over 40 tents with residents, the sounds of laughter, groups of students sitting in circles on the grass, embraced lovers laying on a blanket, bouncing basketballs, and aromas of hot food from the Food Not Bombs. For over 50 years, the fight for People’s Park has been constant. Death by the National Guard, personal involvement from then President Ronald Reagan, combat with UC regents in the classrooms to the streets, the park has taken a vicious turn and aggressively active UCB in eliminating People’s Park. Yesterday is gone and now the displaced residents have been replaced with humongous logs from the Berkeley Hills. Strewn about the park, amidst sawed down trees whacked into wood chips, the logs were said to be brought for fire prevention. But Aidan Hill, organizer with the anti-gentrification of People’s Park said, UC Berkeley says they “really want to stop people from camping here.” Over 40 people were evicted from the park and sent to Rodeway Inn on Sacramento and University Avenue. In years’ of attempts to build student housing an explosion of UC Berkeley real estate development has intensified in the last few years. 1921 Walnut Street, a rent controlled building was destroyed and UCB is constructing student housing. Residents of Berkeley are losing rent control to UCB, who does not have to follow the City of Berkeley housing laws. In 2020, POOR MAGAZINE/HOMEFULNESS UNTOUR, took place on the campus of UC Berkeley, specifically at the Hearst Museum where artifacts from Native peoples have been kept in the basement for years. The UNTOUR continued to walk the length of the UC property, stopping along the way to expose the capitalist endeavor of evicting tenants in housed rent controlled units. The final destination of the UNTOUR of over 50 supporters, met at People’s Park. The POOR UNTOUR closed with ceremony, libations and park residents outing the cruelty and greed of UC Berkeley. The battle is in the courts as the National Landmark status is being proposed, but, “UC Berkeley could care less”, said Aidan Hill, for the People’s Park on Dwight and Bowditch streets. Aidan Hill has been at the forefront in the battle to save People’s Park from housing development. It is of “significant value to keep the park. It is a means of survival. The counterculture is still alive”. Wednesday at 6PM, organizers to save People’s Park are having a musical support event.

Another black man AJ Stewart died at a young age by racism and many more have died because of the color of their skin. Aj Stewart was a 27 year old who liked to support his friends that are in need and he grew up on St. Paul Eastside attended Highland Park High School and also he was a loving Uncle, Son, Cousin, and a Brother. He had returned from Georgia where he studied business management to visit family in St. Paul. On December 2,2021 Arnell’ “Aj” Stewart was outside of Kjellberg”s property on the 17 00th block of 7th Street East in St. Paul Kjellberg said he called 911 after stabbing Aj Stewart with a metal tub sharpened to a point and wouldn’t let Aj Stewart enter on his own car because Kjellberg said ‘’he was tired of dealing with parkings problems’’. Watching this video makes me sick to the bone. Also, when I saw this 50- year old white middle class wite man for killing a black and brown young man it was all hate for him just the color of his skin even though he was a human being too. Racism isn’t born, it's taught. It's taught through parents, video games. To the children and when the kids are grown up they spread the racism, teach their kids also now the racism spreads like a virus that keeps on going, never finding the cure. I want to say racism never left it still here nowadays, you barely see it’s secretly hidden from our eyes and children.

There’s been many powerful revolutionary groups, The Black Panthers, Move Africa, SNCC, The Zapatistas, and of course the heroes of today: The Landback Turkeys. Right now February 8, 2022 there is a group of about 2 dozen turkeys “wreaking havoc” in the Nasa Ames Center in Mountain View, CA. These turkeys have been pecking at cars, windows and blocking traffic. Throughout my life I've learned from many elders, this particular story makes me think of Don Guajolote. An homeless, revolutionary, poverty skola white turkey who one day decided to stick around Poor Magazine. An old turkey is a rare sight, he had battle scars from the many ThanksTaking (Thanksgiving) that he has survived. When Don Guajolote arrived he became family, he wasn't nice, he would tell one what he was thinkin and no sugar coating, But he was one of us. Broken, lost, and alone. “He would always stick by us and he always had something to say,” said Tiburcio, one of the residents and workers of Homefulness. Amir, another resident and worker in Homefulness added “That man would always come up and make a sound, I feel like that sound was him saying ‘i'm here’”. We all miss him and I know that he is the leader of the Landback turkeys putting an end to NASA scheme’s and eventually ThanksTaking.

The Asian elephants are an endangered species (like most animals these days) their population has decreased an estimated 50 percent in the last 75 years. There are an estimated 20,000-40,000 left in their habitats. Happy the Elephant, one of these asian elephants was born in the early 1970s, She was captured and sent to the Bronx Zoo in 1977 with her fellow elephant Grumpy. Sadly, Grumpy died in 2002 from fatal injuries sustained from fighting two other elephants. Now people are fighting to free Happy the 50 year old elephant from this uninhabitable cage in which they've had her locked up for most of her life. Poverty, Trauma, Incarceration are some of the themes in this story, very similar to the things ive seen or experienced in my community. Grumpy dying from a fight reminds me of stupid and petty disputes people get killed over. The Uninhabitable habitat Happy now lives in by herself is no different than the projects, than these “affordable” houses. Toxic environment, too small, no water, no heat, overgrown weeds, I can't tell the difference from a zoo and the houses our families live in. Separation comes in many ways. We are taught how superior we humans are than all these other animals, as if we aint animals ourselves. We have Zoos were we go and just stare down at these abused “animals”. How is this different from the “studies” that were done to prove how white people are superior to black people? Our incarceration system ain't no different. Brothers and Sisters locked up in Rowed cages almost as display, while the guards mess with, laugh at and act as if they are superior. Recently the advocates for Happy started a court case to free her and send her to an elephant sanctuary. The judge ended the case by declaring “Happy the Elephant is not a person”. Happy can feel pain, She can feel the sadness of losing her brother, She feels the isolation, she feels the dehydration. As I pull up pictures of her, one stands out. I see her standing in a concrete overgrown with weeds and a fence surrounds her. Looks almost as if she's inside one of these lots in Oakland. Her eyes are sunken, head down, focused on her task, her trunk wrapped around one of these weeds, trying to organize. She looks no different than our poor, housless and incarcerated elders. We can't separate ourselves from our animal relatives. We all are living on the same earth. The same boat if it sinks we all drown. We are taught to live in our heads, in our lives, individualisation, i'm the main character everyone is the side character. People are Ignorant to their own actions because they constantly do them. Free Happy the Elephant cause she clearly is anything but.

POOR Magazine signs on to a letter of support to free our incarcerated elders, in collaboration with MinisterKingXPyeface & KAGE Universal. Dear Governor Newsom et al., California Prison Focus (CPF) and K.A.G.E. Universal are requesting your immediate action under the current humanitarian health crisis to investigate the ongoing retaliation being faced by the imprisoned human rights activists and members of the Prisoner Human Rights Movement (PHRM) who authored and honored the historic 2012 Agreement to End Hostilities (AEH), significantly reducing violence on California’s prison yards, and beyond. The Agreement to End Hostilities encourages conflict resolution and direct communication between races to counter violence between prisoner organizations. This opened the doors for the prison to begin providing a host of rehabilitative programs. Because of the sacrifices those individuals made, countless others have been saved from enduring decades-long solitary confinement torture as they did. When these men, who had been tortured in solitary confinement for decades had attempted to disseminate and promote this historic accord, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) obstructed their efforts, claiming that the AEH qualifies as third-party communication. Staff members refused to post the statement throughout the prison, while during that same period, and since many years earlier, CPF was receiving reports that guards were placing “disruptive” individuals on the yards to instigate fights. [See Prison Focus archives, www.prisons.org] [1] “Mr. Y stated that some people try to sabotage it, namely the correctional officers, who continue to try to trick the general population with their anti-solidarity games…” Pelican Bay State Prison Report, PF Issue 48, Winter 2016 CDCR claimed that the signers of the AEH presented a major threat to the safety of the general prison population and in September 2013, there were approximately 3,881 prisoners in CDCR’s Security Housing Units (SHU) when the AEH had just been distributed inside CDCR and outside to civil society. Approximately 2000 people were released from the SHU starting in early 2016 as a result of the Ashker v. Brown settlement agreement. When these older men came out of the SHUs, their principle thinking, and mentoring of younger prisoners in General Population yards created a dramatic decrease in violence, except when instigated directly or indirectly by prison policy and/or guards. To the contrary, as the men returned to the yards struggling to cope after decades of torture, they continued to promote and honor the AEH. Their commitment to non-violence and class unity among the SHU “kickouts” was even more remarkable as CDCR did nothing to assist SHU prisoners in transitioning to General Population even though it was extremely difficult for them after decades of being in solitary, living 24/7 in tiny cells with no natural light and under severe and harsh conditions. CPF received reports and letters that the elders who were released from solitary confinement after so many decades were having a profound impact in reducing violence on the yards. At the same time CPF was were receiving hundreds of letters a year, reporting incidents of violence that were directly or indirectly caused by both overt and covert actions taken by prison staff, sanctioned by the policy and prison administration of CDCR. The signers by every organized group in CDCR, those who promulgated the AEH, and their fellow prisoner organizers of the California Prison Hunger Strikes, have been suffering from extreme retaliation ever since. Twelve of the original 16 signers continue to languish in prison today, as most of them are still being held in one form or another of solitary confinement. One organizer died before he was ever to see freedom. Others have received new and serious charges that are possibly retaliatory, so as not to disrupt CDCR’s false narratives that the organizers of the historical California Prison Hunger Strikes are the worst of the worst. [2] And while studies claim that California faces a 66% recidivism rate, [3] they continue to refuse to release these elders who pose a risk of less than 2%. This constitutes a human rights crisis and we can no longer remain silent. We demand that the signers of the AEH, as well as for all organizers and participants of the California Prison Hunger Strikes, to be safe from retaliation, including further torture, isolation or, as laid out in the PHRM Blueprint, from being coerced, threatened and blackmailed to betray fellow prisoners with false accusations. We demand that the signers of the AEH be granted 2933 credits, based on the attached Certificate of Acknowledgment, to reduce or modify their sentences, and receive an immediate opportunity to demonstrate their readiness to return to their communities, starting with the individuals who have already had a positive impact on their community and society and would clearly have an even greater positive impact they will have on society as a whole if released. In addition, the PEACE program that has already been established at Pelican Bay State Prison joins CPF and KAGE Universal to request that the AEH be posted throughout all CDCR institutions, using Inmate Welfare Funds. Sincerely, Kim Pollak, California Prison Focus, Executive Director Minister King X, K.A.G.E. Universal, Founder, Executive Director California Prison Focus, Director of Culture and Art Cc: Kathleen Allison, CDCR Secretary Signers of the Agreement to End Hostilities [1] California Prison Focus produced a 48-minute video production called Maximum Security University (now on Youtube) which depicts the deaths of four imprisoned men shot by guards during the notorious gladiator fights at Corcoran prison in California. Correlated to the video, CDCR paid $2.2 million to settle a shooting lawsuit by formerly imprisoned Vincent Tulumis. Tulumis, who was being tortured in solitary confinement for three years at the time, for drug possession. Tulumis was asked by his cellmate at the behest of guards to fight and beat up another imprisoned man from a different racial group, also in the SHU. Tulumis testified that he had previously beaten other prisoners to curry favor with guards. Earlier in that same year CDC had settled the Corcoran shooting death lawsuit by the estate of Preston Tate for $825,000 and the San Quentin shooting death suit filed by the estate of Mark Adams for $2.5 million, after the warden and CDC director were found liable for punitive damages in the shooting. [CDC Settles Corcoran Shooting Suit for $2.2 Million, Prison Legal News, December 15, 1999] This manufactured violence, encoded in CDCR policy, continues to this day. [2] As of February 28, 2022, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) admits to holding 9,397 in SHU solitary confinement. (7% of the population) And SHU is only one of several forms of solitary confinement torture commonly practiced in U.S. prisons today. [3] Development of the California Static Risk Assessment (CSRA): Recidivism Risk Prediction in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, UC Irvine, 2013.

By Momii Palapaz, Poor Magazine/Homefulness Poverty Scholar “Please support the pardon of Phoeun You.” This plea from Jun Hamamoto made my heart sink. “I have known Phoeun since 2010”, writes Jun, “when he joined the San Quentin Prison Buddhist sangha, where I am a core group member. I have witnessed his personal growth, healing, transformation and determination to make substantial positive changes in his life.” In January 2022, Phoeun was given an early release after completing 25 years. He was immediately picked up by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). While this is a violation of civil liberties, California Department of Corrections regularly corroborates with ICE, and has proven to play a malicious role in racial profiling and actively suppporting ICE in deportations. “I am not an American on paper, but I feel like an American,” lamented Phoeun You. Although he never pursued changing his refugee status to become a citizen, he says, “now it matters. I want to return to the community and make amends. There is a strong possibility I will get deported.” It was the last thing on his mind while doing time. Mr. You is presently in the Mesa Verde ICE detention center in Bakersfield, California. Phoeun and his family escaped Cambodia's Khmer Rouge “killing fields” in the 1980’s. He was 4 years old when his parents and 9 siblings ended up in Ogden, Utah. The “people I lived with were white. It was strange.” He had never seen so many white people. 5 years later, connecting with the other Cambodian immigrants, his family eventually made it to Long Beach, California. From the time he and his family were violently forced to leave their homeland, Phoeun and his siblings have endured decades of trauma. Being new arrivals to the USA, Phoeun felt the animosity from neighbors. He had never seen Black or Brown people until this move. “I don’t think they like us”, he said, remembering that he and his brothers would have to defend themselves fighting “on the way home from school”. The attacks escalated over a period of years. After being bullied and beaten by young gang members in the Black and Brown community of Long Beach, Phoeun knew only one way to respond and that way promptly put him on the fast track of the US Prison industrial complex. In 1995, Mr. You was convicted at 20 years old and sentenced to 35 years. Phoeun spent over 25 years in state prisons and was due for an early release given his positive record while doing his time. In 2007, he was transferred to San Quentin State Prison. Phoeun developed journalism, writing production on staff with the prisoner published San Quentin News, mentor and counselor with the program Victim Offender Education Group, and a counselor with Bay Area Women Against Rape. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Phoeun has a degree from Patten University. He is a founding member of Restoring Our Original True Selves, which connects to ancestors and restorative justice. Nevertheless, despite campaigns to urge Governor Newsom to let him be free, the State of California Prison system turned him over to ICE. Jun is gathering support and donations for Phoeun. In the latest update on his detention, some of the Cambodian immigrants deported by ICE are connected with an American Zen Buddhist nun who has lived in Phnom Penh since 1996. She finds housing, jobs and is the link to deported immigrants from the USA. As a teenager, I, along with millions around the world, witnessed the viciousness of imperialism and colonization on the people of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and other countries of southeast Asia. Babies and children were kidnapped by US government agencies exiting the chaos and transported by plane to the US. Families were broken and separated, killed, and left in the rubble of their slaughtered land. When he entered prison, “I looked around…I see men, large men. I felt like a little boy amongst men.” Phoeun had armed himself with a tattoo that represented the killing fields. “Number 1 for history, number 2, the identity piece that Asian Pacific Islanders will see. It serves me as a protection piece and potentially a threat..They won’t mess with me”. If it wasn’t for the invasion of Indonesia and the plundering of the land by the US government, millions of southeast Asians would determine their own destiny. The involuntary removal of thousands have resulted today in continued tragedy and racial discrimination and trauma. Whether Phoeun had “papers” or not, ICE and the US Prison system are blocking all options for him to return to his family in southern California. Jun has kept in touch with Phoeun often in the past year. Jun is also an active member of Tsuru For Solidarity that was formed in response to the imprisonment of migrant children and families. As a Japanese American led organization, Tsuru is bringing the past traumas of Japanese Americans incarcerated in US concentration camps during WWII into the present day. Tsuru for Solidarity is connecting the white supremacist players of USA history to the violent removal of families of immigrants today. While Phoeun has “been quite distraught… he is lifted up by the amazing support he is getting from all of you. He didn't know so many people cared about him. Phoeun said, whatever happens, he feels loved and supported.” I think of a past co-worker, Che, who is also Cambodian and had similar experiences growing up here. Like Phoeun, Che, as a child, had to fight to stay alive in the midst of war, travel a world away and defend himself and family from racism, bullies and violent encounters. In 2011, Che was arrested for a nonviolent crime and immediately sent to a Texas detention, then deported to Cambodia. Most importantly, please support Phoeun and send a message to California Governor Newsom. Your donations are especially appreciated, as Phoeun needs to keep in touch with loved ones and supporters. The POOR MAGAZINE FAMILY welcomes Poverty Scholar Phoeun You. His life is steeped in history, knowledge, and has radically evolved to serve the people. Phoeun is still in imminent danger of being deported to Cambodia! Please continue call and email Governor Newsom. details here: bit.ly/ProtectPhoeun GOVERNOR NEWSOM, PARDON PHOEUN YOU NOW!!! Thank you for the following resources: Read more about Phoeun You and the Cambodian community in POOR MAGAZINE. Cambodian to Cali-deportation Cambodian Mamaz San Quentin News, published by inmates The Prison Within, a documentary on Restorative justice in the prison system The Last Mile, Tech and Business program preparing inmates for the working world William Drummond, American Journalist Ear Hustle podcast, San Quentin

by Boudia Content/Trigger Warning: Transphobic slur is mentioned in the beginning and there are discussions around transphobia, homophobia, demonization/dehumanization of queer and trans people, and whyte supremacy. Photograph via Google Earthview “Who brought the tranny?”, said one of the Proud Boys at the San Lorenzo Library where Drag Queen Story Hour took place. On June 11th, 2022, a group of whyte supremacists called the Proud Boys terrorized and invaded the San Lorenzo Library in the afternoon. They disrupted Drag Queen Story Hour, a space where drag performers read books to children. It is a space where queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming elders and community members create a spacetime of collective self-expression, beauty, and storytelling for the youth. The Proud Boys targeted Panda Dulce who is a drag queen of Chinese American ancestry. Source: Panda Dulce Panda Dulce is one of the founding queens of the Drag Queen Story Hour. Her work explores the stories of queer and trans people of color, chosen families, and displaced peoples of so-called San Francisco aka Yelamu Ohlone Land. She writes about race and desirability, intersectional justice and LGBTQ inclusion. Recently, she is the creator of the forthcoming all-QTPOC web series, CHOSEN FAM. Lastly, she has a background in social work. The Proud Boys were aggressive and violent with the intention of perputating transphobia, queerphobia, and whyte supremacy through slurs and demonization. The Proud Boys have used the rhetoric that suggests that all queer and trans people are inherently pedophiles, and that they’re worried about the children and that they need to “save the children”. Listen, if I had a kid and I needed a babysitter, I would feel much safer having my kid being taken care for by a drag performer rather than a member of the clergy or a whyte supremacist. In reality, people were scared and terrified of the Proud Boys, and especially Panda Dulce and the children were very afraid for their own sense of safety and comfort. Many people ask Panda Dulce if she feels safe after the incident, and she said that “No, I don’t. I don’t feel safe in my own home…they were successful in scaring us but they weren’t successful in their ultimate goal which is to make us go away because of their own discomfort with the diversity of our world. They failed in that.” Thankfully, Panda Dulce and the kids were escorted by security to the back where they would be safe and then they were able to continue with storytime. The cops were called and began their hate crime protocol. The sheriff that Panda Dulce spoke to said there were 3 possible violations for this incident. The first one would be trespassing, the second one would be disturbing the peace, and the third one would be annoying and harassing children. Panda Dulce’s message on the sheriff’s diagnosis on the violations was that “While I am glad there is a CA penal code prohibiting the annoying and harassment of minors, which they are in violation of, apparently there is discord over whether or not this categorically qualifies as a hate crime. Whether or not this behavior is admissable because of the first amendment. I think that’s bogus. There was clear transphobic and homophobic animus, and protections should be clarified and extended to better protect the LGBTQ+ and any vulnerable community.” This whole police involvement is ironic due to the legacy of cops targeting queer and trans folks for existing. But, that’s another conversation for another time. As a queer nonbinary trans young adult, it is disturbing to see people continously dehumanize and demonize other people for simply existing. Especially this close to home, that city is where I visit my own maternal grandma. Yet it is not all surprising, the whyte supremacist rhetoric that creates transphobia and queerphobia is still strong within the United Snakes of Amerikkka. Drag Queen Story Hour began in 2015, and these spaces were created for the purpose of storytelling and having the space where youth can be themselves and eventually blossom into healthy adults. Then there came the bashing from people with transphobic and whyte supremacist mindsets, online and in real life. Those that don’t understand the nature of liminality, and those that don’t understand the true liberation of the self. The echo chamber of intergenerational colonizer ideologies has caused this harassment and many more to happen on a regular basis. Therefore, the queer and trans communities are targeted with no hesistation and to be not questioned whatsoever. All Panda Dulce ever really wanted was to tell a story, not to hurt people.

by Ziair Hughes Homefulness has helped me and my family for as long as we've been here. A place like this is heaven on earth and many people dream for and about Homefulness. Eleven years ago, Homefulness and Poor Magazine had a dream to build affordable housing, a tuition free school and organic produce. All of these things were set in stone and people made it happen, but the housing was not a smooth transaction with all the permits, blockages, and fees from the City of Oakland. One BIG burden was lifted, the $40,000 fee, but we’re still fighting to build these houses for the people/US. You may ask why or what the $40k fee is for…well, it is an impact fee. An impact fee is a charge that happens when you take too long to build something. The city gives you two years to build and if you don't accomplish the process in that time, they hit you with a fee – which is again the impact fee. Another set back was parking spaces. At the time, parking was a major problem, but we in fact don't have any cars for parking spaces. They tried to make us build an unnecessary parking lot so it could be another roadblock. But in the long run, we WON. Why Homefulness needs to be Co-signed Because Homefulness is a SOLUTION to homelessness, Homefulness doesn’t do it for show or to even look good. They do it because they believe land doesn’t belong to anybody and therefore we all should be equally housed. Additionally, families are depending on Homefulness for safe shelter. Conclusion: Homefulness and Poor Magazine hold up a lot of people, including me and my family, and I can’t thank Tiny enough. Even though it may seem like I don’t acknowledge it, I do appreciate it. But not just me, many other people appreciate it…a lot. Homefulness is almost ready and now We Are Coming Worldwide because I believe all people should practice this movement – in Russia, London, Nigeria, Utah, Arkansas (kkklan part) and many other places. We did it! Appreciation to Tiny, Poor magazine, and all the people who stood out there with us on the 5th, because like Tiny said, it couldn't have happened without all of you. Everyone needed to push Homefulness through the door. “Change won’t come from a pimp, slave or a institution change will only come from a poor people led revolution!” -Tiny Gray-Garcia

On june 19th 2022 The Poor Magazine / PNN PNW (Poor News Network Pacific Northwest) Group of unhoused & formerly unhoused poverty scholars hosted a couple hours of RoofLESS Radio on Ensign Rd. in so-called olympia. Unhoused community members told our stories on video & in writing to be shared on poormagazine.org These are those stories. The prompt was about crisis. Crisis is universal, we all have it. For some of us its a matter of --which one?? People shared about a crisis they’ve been through in a story or poem or on audio or video. Organized by local Poor Magazine /PNN PNW Poverty Scholars Bobbi UNhoused Poverty Scholar & former resident of Ensign Rd Mark R UNhoused Poverty Scholar & resident of Ensign Rd. Lisa Ganser formerly UNhoused Poverty Scholar Stevi Kamphaus formerly UNhoused Workin’ Class Poverty Scholar With the support, love and guidance of Poverty Scholar Lisa aka Tiny Gray Garcia & the POOR Magazine family of occupied Huichin Ohlone territory aka oakland who “built their homes with a poem”. Duane BonVivini My biggest crisis happened when I was in Seattle about 20 years ago. I was ryding my bicycle home, it was about 7:30 at night and I was in a hurry too ‘cause my friend was gonna meet me there. Just as I came around a corner I--had a semi parked on the street blocking my view--as I got past it, BOOM! There was a car heading straight for me at a good speed. I had no time for anything except to let go of the bike and curl into a ball, jumping off the bike. The car hit my bike and it shot out from underneath me and I rolled onto the hood and rolled over the windshield like a ramp. I flew through the air for a few seconds until I hit the minivan that was following the car that hit me. I smashed into the windshield of the van and continued rolling over the top of the minivan and off the back of the van. I flew off the back of the van and was in the air again for what seemed like forever. When I hit the ground I was still curled up in a ball and started picking up speed rolling down a hill. I finally came to my senses and tried to stop rolling by flattening out with my arms and legs. This hurt the worst as my body flipped a few times. I came to a stop. When I came to I was in the arms of a girl who was crying and begging god to let her go. When the ambulance showed up it was dark out and I had totalled the van but the car ran away. I broke my scapula and was laid up for about 6 months. Josh Probably my finances because I’ve never had a job in my life, so kinda stops me from moving forward in life. My Life Story By Chris Barrett I’m a 47 year old. I became homeless back in 2013. I was in the army for 15 years. I grew up in Kentucky. I started using drugs over in the middle east. I was shooting up everything from coke to you name it. I have 4 kids, their names are Lacy, Chris, Jeff and Tina that live back in Ohio. It hit me hard out here, in the town of Olympia people are hard out here, throw things to run us off. My Name is Lynn I’ve been out here about 15+ years, been through a lot. I’ve lost and gained a lot. I have a learning disability that keeps me from working a normal job. I would love to work but it is hard for me to do so. I would love any help I can get. Pat Taylor Myself, the worst crisis was when my brother was killed. It hurt so bad I “killed” myself and started shooting up. Malix Reynolds Today I’ll tell why I’m homeless. An inguinal hernia is where it started. Then my ex-wife divorced me and took everything. Then my parents died in a car accident and my brother drove me here, robbed me and then left me here. The End. Richard Hubbard I was in a relationship and my fiance passed away from an overdose leaving me in a money crisis. Crystal Custer I had my children taken from me. My youngest was only 4. Cece B 18 years old I was abused by my father til I was 11 then got taken by foster care. Was bouncing from home to home til I was 17, I ran through all the homes they could find, so they put me back with my dad. Anonymous I have never had to feel so humble in my whole life. I have had no friends or family to turn to but the Gospel Mission has took me in to start. Capitol Recovery has got me a phone and ID and SSI card. Still a long ways to go.I’m from Medford OR. Q: What do you see as a solution? A:There could be a lot more programming in order. Nine Bender Split with my best friend… Maybe one day we’ll see the double split Layzer-ed in each others darkest corners Accidentally put us together I’m failing to mention the time it’s taken me To get in this stage of our lives. Coal is all I can think or write now. If you made it with us to this point all I see is nothing but fruit-filled baskets hand delivered by my favorite people with my favorite cocktail and favorite music Jammin next to each and every one, you... ok? Anonymous So I’ve had a pistol in my mouth as all of my things was stolen from my truck. The most recent was getting shot by a security guard from Pacific Security. Anonymous Lost my job, crashed my car, lost my home due to continuous relapse. Now I’m still continuing to miss out on time I should be spending with my son. Anonymous I recently spent a week and a half in the hospital and found out that I have late stage congestive heart failure. It almost killed me the morning I went in. I had a stroke that temporarily paralyzed my left side. Carrie M Not being able to shower on a daily basis and having to figure out where we are going to sleep for the night when we all were living in our car and how we were going to have our next meal. Zackery The worst thing is that we fight at lot more as a family being so close together. Plus my son don’t have a place to play, he has to watch where he walks. Levi age 8 Not having the room to play on a daily basis & not having the room for all my stuff & not being able to have friends over. David One of my worst crises is happening right now in my life. I lost my dad and everything went to shit… My family wrote me off because I was a foul piece of shit heroin addict. I feel like I am at the end of my rope, my dog Lobo is the only reason I am still alive. My Name is Brandi. Once after being evicted from our home at the lake, while living on Wheeler I started to feel weak and sick. I held out for a week before my boyfriend called 911. 3 days later I woke up in the hospital and was told I might not make it. I had kidney failure, an infected heart valve Tova D Being homeless as a young single female that doesn’t have the security of a support system such as close family/friends who don’t even have an “emergency contact” to provide any legal documents can be a terrifying thing. I’ve been kidnapped with all legitimate sense of the word, 3 separate times in my life and til today I honestly have no clue how I managed to survive all 3 encounters. I really feel like I should’ve been another story on the news, another statistic. Life Story of Me by Aunti L Mother by the age of 16 have 2 Beautiful Children 10 years apart Never been married. Been separated with my last man out of 6 for 12 years. Now on Ensign Road Waiting for a tiny home or an Apartment. Trying my best to better my life and be there for my friends & family. I will be there for all of you with all my prayers and whatever you may need. Julia Bernard My entire family was in the Thurston County Jail. My youngest brother’s girlfriend stayed at my step dad’s house. She got a job. We had to fight someone because they decided that we were threat. We went to the hole. Dafaela, my youngest brother, has a job now, so does the middle child. I’m following my dreams of becoming a writer. Fran My daughters property was selling & had to move. I looked at all the places to go, campgrounds, hip camps, people renting pieces of property. Because of COVID nothing was available. I found out about Ensign Road and here I am. Campgrounds now have spaces. Katie Barajas I had went to jail! On September 28th, 2020 and got out on December 4th. Right before I had went in to jail I had a home and my family. I get out of jail and have nothing now. My son lives with my Mom and I don’t have our home anymore. I found out my fiance cheated on me and lied to me face for 3 years. I still haven’t been able to recover. Ria Capezio My worst crisis would be not having a job or being as financially stable as I would’ve liked to be by now. Or as stable with my living situation for my kids to be with me 5 days a week instead of two like they used to. Anonymous I was left in the train tunnel to die after I hot compressed my arms, from missing shots of dope. It took me down for five days, my boyfriend came and brought me food for 3 of those five days and then stopped. the fifth day, I heard a voice tell me, “come to the light my child.” So I got up and went to the mission. I had lost 20 lbs and couldn’t keep food or fluid in or down for a week. John Wattman Diagnosed with Thyroid Papillary cancer. Anonymous Found my girlfriend dead. Arie B My kids were removed by CPS a year ago. Akeeri While I was incarcerated my kids were removed by CPS. Arries Jarrett About 5 months ago I found out I had Graves Disease. It's very scary, I feel very alone and do not know what my fate has in store. I feel like each day is my last and that is hella scary……. I feel like I’m too young to die ya know, and if I had stayed following Dr.’s orders a few years ago and wouldn’t have strayed then I would be okay. Jess The camp I was sharing with a friend of mine was bulldozed. The 2 of us woke up to a bulldozer already having destroyed one of our tents. We had to jump up & scramble to collect up as much of our personal belongings as possible. Anonymous Got cancer and COPD. Anonymous Once while we stayed on Deschutes Pkwy near the lake, my girlfriend and I were victims of a scam that led to our eviction from our belongings and we were banished under threat of violence. We were falsely accused of stealing a pretend $60. Since we were outnumbered and pre-selected to be targets, we escaped with our lives in exchange for our possessions. No brainer. Anonymous We need more resources to help homeless, homeless is growin’ more and more every day, and the cost of rent these days is so high. More showers. Anonymous I was raised by my grandparents as a only child. Fell into the life of addiction and was charged with three felonies, the prosecutor offered a plea deal for 48 months and I took it. I went in front of the judge for sentencing and he gave me 84 months. Both grandparents died while I was incarcerated and life fell apart to the point that I didn’t want to live, work or care for anything and that lead to three more prison terms and 1000’s of issues. Anonymous I’m 25 years old and I lived on the street for 3 years. Before all this I used to have an apartment, a nice car and threw it all aways for drugs but now, I’m a year clean. Others shared their story on video or audio. Here from Brenda, Ace and others by going to: Poor News Network on Youtube and search: “RoofLESS Radio PNW”. To hear the Poor News Network podcast where these stories and more are featured go to Poor Magazine SoundCloud: “Po Peoples Newz Hour: Homefulness Makes HERstory: So-called Olympia to So-called Oakland” June 28, 2022

1st ThankU to Carroll Fife and Rebecca Kaplan for listening to houseless peoples solutions to homelessness. We are houseless, indigenous, DIsabled, criminalized, Black, Brown mamaz, families, youth and elders from all four corners of mama Earth- and as our indigenous ancestors have taught us - Mama Earth is Not, nor has ever been, for sale- As first Nations Land Back/Black Land Theft/Decolonizers and revolutionaries teach and walk right now - this is occupied Turtle island - and all of the settler colonial laws that guide the notion of “private property” ownership, profiting off of Mama Earth, eviction, homelessness, displacement, sweeps, and gentrification are rooted in the genocide of Colonization. Until the lies of krapitalist and private property are truly resisted homelessness will not only continue but increase until it has most of us outside, or caught in the deadly and dangerous struggle of housing insecurity. Homefulness was conceived and visioned by my houseless, indigenous, disabled mama and me, her daughter, while we were sleeping on park benches, shelter beds and the back seats of cars if they hadnt been towed by a violent system that criminalizes not having enough money for rent or a roof. A system that puts the settler lie of private property before people - that rewards hoarding of things and land over the safe shelter of children and elders. We poor and houseless peoples teach conscious folks with stolen land, hoarded and stolen resources how to radically redistribute and practice Interdependence and listen to poverty skolaz/indigenous solutions to poverty and homelessness, in a school POOR Magazine launched called PeopleSkool. From years of this teaching we raised the blood-stained into love-stained dollars to “buy” a small parcel of Mama Earth in Deep East Huchiun- (Ohlone Land) Oakland POOR Magazine- the poor and indigenous people-led movement that launched homefulness - asked permission of Talking Chief/Spokesperson at Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone Corrina Gould before we proceeded as this is not our land of origin and all peoples should be asking permission and paying Shummi Tax before they do anything with stolen and occupied land anywhere on Turtle Island. Corrina agreed to be on our All Nations Elder Family council and help steward and guide this powerful, prayerful project into being. And so we began on Interdependence Day 2011 with a Prayer ceremony asking ancestors of all four corners for blessings and guidance - From Maya to Mama Africa. From Moana Nui to Mama Earth. We launched our elephant circle (matriarchal like elephants and the way all of us houseless/indigenous peoples make decisions collectively) we built out the existing structures and housed 6 houseless elders and families (this houseless mama and my Sun included) in rent-free, mold-and pest free-love, safe and healing -filled housing, because a roof is not all us traumatized housless folks need . We launched a liberation, tuition free school and a poor peoples liberated radio station- we launched garden boxes for the whole BlackArthur ComeUnity to have access to healthy, pesticide free veggies that have been stolen from all of our communities and finally the Sliding Scale Cafe which currently shares free healthy food, diapers, produce and groceries with over 800 families and elders per week. We began working with pro-bono architects and engineers and proposed a vision of truly green housing - straw bale/ ancient building technology. After being approved by the zoning dept - the building and permit dept said it was a “fire hazard” and blocked this vision of building that would have reversed the extractive industries of lumber and steel and excess resources used for modern structures. But we are poor people with nowhere else to go. This was yet another little murder of the soul and we immediately got to work designing a concrete and wood structure - Big Shouts Out to Architect Bob Theis, Dunya Alwan, Joe Igber, and many more housed and formally educated folks who have leveraged their paper privilege to help us all along- and never flagged, as well as fellow houseless Black and Brown and poor people from BlackArthur (MacArthur) and all of the Bay Area. The wood and concrete building design was “approved” . We began building - The whole time being hit with an endless series of exorbitant permit fees, ranging from 180 to 29,000 to over 70,000 for the so-called utility companies aka what i have re-named “CorpRapeshuns like Department of Water and Power and PGE - at many times, causing us to completely cease work until we could raise the money from our radical redistributors and revolutionary ComeUnity Reparators (See Poverty Scholarship - Poor People- led theory, Art, Words and Tears Across Mama Earth published by Poor Press) But as poor and houseless people we had no choice to continue with our dream, our vision, our hope. As this dream was, like all of poor peoples visions, rooted in our lives, survival and ancestors and our next seven generations. And then in 2019, when we were at the end of all of our building requirements, the violent and insane impact fee for affordable housing was levied against us. At this point we were so unbelieving that this could even happen. And also were left feeling so betrayed. After all we were the “Impacted People” how could we possibly raise this money or even in good conscience pay it while us and fellow impacted people were still being swept, evicted and criminalized. It was at this point that we began reaching out to every council person. To our community and to ourselves, wondering what we could do. And how this could even happen. Finally three years and useless parking requirements and thousands of dollars raised and spent and endless homelessness trauma for our houseless families and mamaz and elders who were supposed to move in and have been blocked, here we are. I can only say in closing that this has been a violent process, violent because it has not only been emotionally and physically traumatic, but violent because people's lives have been forced to hang in the balance. Because families who needed housing were forced to “wait” and be houseless longer, which really means, hopeless and at -risk and in danger and terrified longer. These are unspeakable traumas which houseless people struggle with everyday. We are not different or special, but in the face of a different and powerful solution, the City of Oakland rejected, charged, harassed, disrespected and CONfused us, but never ONCE supported us. This is the violence done to countless houseless peoples suffering the violence called sweeps everyday all across this stolen land. Oakland needs to do Better Be BEtter and be a model of Decolonization and what i call degentriFUkation not continue the violence of removal, displacement and terror. To solve a Homeless emergency we as people need to reject settler colonial codes and lies about private property. We need to listen and follow 1st nations LandBAck Black Land and Houseless people's visions. To solve Homelessness you all need to pass an ordinance so no more houseless and poor builders will face these impact fees, or any of these exorbitant fees, ridiculous parking demands, and settler-colonialist deed requirements So we can all be Homeful - Not Homeless And lastly, we will NOT take a much too late $40,000 line item from the City of Oakland, but rather ask that you use it to pay for a permanent person who focuses on guiding poor and houseless peoples-led building projects get through the settler colonial zoning and building codes until you change them to SUPPORT us and not do more violence to us who just want to live. #FreeHomefulness #UnSellMamaEarth In struggle and prayer for ancestors, Mama Earth and all of us… (lisa) tiny gray-garcia, formerly houseless, incarcerated povertySkola, daughter of Dee, mama of Tiburcio, co-founder of POOR Magazine/PrensaPOBRE, visionary of Homefulness poet and author of Criminal of Poverty Growing Up Homeless in America and many more