Lifting Up Our Youth - a multi-generational promotion ceremony for our

Homeless to Yale

And Then Back Again.

On purpose.

By Choice.

Because it Makes More Sense.

Read one woman’s story of why we all should be paying attention to Lisa Tiny Gray-Garcia and POOR Magazine.

Valerie Klokow

May 12, 2017

   I used to think that the worst thing

I travel for gigs, Krip-Hop Nation and other projects however at this time facing a lawsuit against my landlord and helping another Black disabled friend who is facing illegal eviction. So being deeply involved in POOR magàzine's East Coast Stolen Land/Hoarded Resources Tour was more than just a project.

“We are stopping you because some of the residents feel like they were targeted because you didn’t go to their doors, so they called the police,” The Connecticut poLice officers flanked our rental van at a stoplight in the wealth-hoarding neighborhood known as West Hartford, Ct, filled with acre-long lawns and plantation-like mansions and more stolen land than the wealth-hoarders even knew what to do with .

With photo and video journalism from ‘Washington Rise with Standing Rock’ in Olympia, WA 

I’m everything but broke.

I’m trying to make it home too. Cause I’m riding around in the same car that the police pulled me over in and drawed guns on me and my children on March 3, 2017. I need someone to trail me home now and make sure I make it from East Oakland to West Oakland safe while I left my children’s school.

(Espanol Sigue)

“What is your name,” a mechanical voice shouted through the receiver of my phone. Before  I could answer this bizarre beginning to a call, he added, “ What is your address, Where do you work, Do you have any other phone numbers…?” The barrage of accusatory questions with no basis continued for several minutes with me barely able to get a word in edgewise, and then.., “Do you have a 13 year old son?”, with this sentence… my heart began to race, my eyes started to blur and the the room began to warp.

Oakland - Tenant activists are urging low-income renters in HUD’s (Department of Housing and Urban Development) subsidized housing programs to contact their representatives during February 18 - February 26, to speak up in support of HUD’s subsidized housing programs. Massive budget cuts to the federal government are being proposed ranging from $6 trillion, to over $10 trillion during the next ten years. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: An interpreter did English to Spanish translation during the press conference.  The audience questions (all of which were in Spanish), at the end, were translated to Attorney Pointer for his responses.  This is a transcript of attorney Pointer's statement and answers to questions by the attendees.  The press conference included words from Luis Gongora's family and presentation of a quilt to the family to show our love and solidarity towards them. Further coverage of this from Poor Magazine is forthcoming.