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Settler neighbors of a public park that exists on occupied land of the Ohlone /Lisjan people is pushing the City of Berkeley to criminalize and remove a small, humble and clean comUnity of houseless residents. by tiny “WE WANT THE PARK CLEAN AGAIN”  We want the streets clean again We want the sidewalks clean again Clean like when? Like the jim crow south clean Like rafah & khan Yunis clean Like Derik Chauvin clean Like we are not people when we live outside clean Kill houseless people with bulldozers from Huchiun to Palestine clean  Like ethnic cleansing clean..? How clean do the streets have to be So clean we can’t be seen So clean there isn’t one houseless person that can ever even be  How clean must it be ? Like a shiny metal countertop at StarBUx How long must i wash? Do i need lye and bleach and a colonial cross Can i sit - can i hide- can i make myself so small there is nothing left of me inside  just so i dont hurt your eyes when u walk by  Just so the streets stay clean of my dirty life ... .....CLEAN by tiny .... Editors Note: TODAY WEDNESDAY THE SETTLER SWEEPS ARE SET TO BEGIN _ PLS COME OUT TO THE PARK IF U CAN Florescent green paper signs with large black lettering sat calmly in their laps. Grey wisps of hair brushed against their placid cheeks.  One after the other, shoulder to shoulder, mostly wite housed settlers of occupied Huchiun, Ohlone, Lisjan Land aka North Berkeley held signs and lined up at a “community” meeting to make statements demanding the City of Berkeley “do something about the homeless problem.”   They used the hygienic metaphors of “cleaning” and “sweeping”  which are 21st century codes used by poltricksters and hater neighbors alike to describe removal, erasure and the complete eradication of houseless bodies from supposedly public spaces and in this case, referring to a public park in North Berkeley named Ohlone Park. Me and fellow houseless and formerly houseless poverty skolaz at POOR Magazine attended two of these supposedly community meetings held by the oddly named FOOP (friends of Ohlone Park) which i believe  should be re-named EOAPP (Enemies Of All the Poor in the Park) or SUOPWTC (Settlers Using Ohlone People Without Their Consent.) I say supposedly community, because although the main agenda of the meeting was about the houseless community of Ohlone Park, there were no houseless residents in the two meetings we attended. The meetings and the FOOP have existed for awhile and the oddly named “Ohlone Park” itself has a somewhat revolutionary  Herstory tied to Peoples Park resistance back in the 1970’s.  Now the park, as with most of so-called Berkeley, which is best known recently for being one of the few cities across the US who refused to call for a Ceasefire in Gaza over the last year and a half of genocide, has moved to decidedly bugie uses and includes a thriving dog park where mostly expensive dog breeds frolic in a gated area, two play areas for children, many beautiful Mama Trees, acres of green grass and most recently, a very clean, well-maintained houseless ComeUnity.   When me and my mama Dee were sleeping on the streets of so-called Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco, we would always be afraid of that park, not because of our fellow houseless comeUnity members only a few hidden in corners of the park at the time, but because the minute we would sit down on any of the few benches or stop our broke-down car, nearby when we were lucky enough to still be sleeping in our hooptie, we would immediately get hateful stares, odd questions about what we were doing there from random passerbys and poLice calls and drivebys telling us we “needed to move along”   “The recent Supreme Court decision that gives local governments more power to relocate people who are currently camping illegally in public spaces has been hampered by limited local resources.”  ( excerpt of a letter by settler residents of so-called Berkeley in a group called “FOOP, Friends Of Ohlone Park, to the City of Berkeley citing the Grants Pass Vs Johnson Supreme court ruling to force the City of Berkeley to remove the peaceful houseless community)  The Ohlone Park houseless *comeunity (I dont use the word encampment as that word has its roots in the military industrial complex) came to life months ago after the Grants Pass versus Johnson supreme court ruling that essentally stated that houseless peoples were no longer protected by the 8th amendment of the CONstition, therefore that our houseless bodies were no longer considered human. Period   Following the ruling there was a huge push by politrickster Newsom to order “sweeps” of  our houseless bodies  from every settler town and city in so-called California and then a  demand from the City of Berkeley poltricksters to remove ( read; erase) 2/3rds of the houseless population in Berkeley from its streets which was then followed by a resistance movement  of houseless peoples and comrades from Where Do We Go Berkeley to create new comeunities across Berkeley as soon as their previous comeunities were destroyed by non-stop sweeps across the City. “By not enforcing the law prohibiting camping in public parks, the city has effectively allowed part of Ohlone Park to become an encampment preventing full and open use of the park by all its citizens and user groups..”. From the FOOP to the City of Berkeley   After barely a couple weeks of the ComeUnity being in Ohlone Park there began a string of letters to the City of Berkeley demanding “they take care” of the blight, “clean” the park and other code words used when housed people talk about us without us houseless residents.  “They were coming up to the people humbly sleeping in their tents and saying hateful things, and threats and actual anti-poor people slurs against the houseless residents,” said Andrea Henson, former WDWG staff attorney and one of the leaders of the Where Do We Go resistance at the time “The hate has been non-stop, and yet they never made an attempt to speak to us or include us in their meetings or “strategies” because it was all about getting us out of the park,” said Ian Cordova, organizer with Where Do We Go Berkeley  POOR Magazine received an anonymous tip from an indigenous/1st Nations elder,  who was disgusted by the attack on humble houseless peoples just trying to sleep and forwarded us the letters. After reading the vitriol and the 21st century low-key call out for tiki torches and erasure of this comeunity, myself and other houseless comrades from POOR Magazine showed up to see what was up.  The first meeting was a strange and sad admixture of hypocrisy or what i call HyPoKRAZy. Allegedly progressive Berkeley residents, highly-educated, mostly wite (but not all) people who will throw down for global poverty struggles, against war and genocide everywhere else, but in their own “neighborhood” or as the saying goes, “backyard” they refuse to see it , believe it, or hear it. Or even worse, they demand the same violent erasure, ethnic cleansing, poLicing, harassment,racist and classist, removal of comeUnity, of residents that they lead protests against across Mama Earth.  “The Bathrooms will be locked at 5pm everyday, the police will ensure that,,,”,,,presenter on restructuring plans at the Friends of Ohlone Park (FOOP) mtg.  To which i stood up and responded, “then how will the houseless residents use the bathroom?,”  One after the other, the FOOP members called for the removal of houseless people from “their park” so it could be “safe” for the community.  This referral by the FOOP members to this supposedly public park as “theirs” and their classist exceptionalism in regards to who was community, were odd to me, as how was the houseless community not considered part of the community and why ddnt they deserve to “feel safe in the park too”?  Why weren’t the houseless park residents invited to this meeting considering it was supposedly for the “community” and how was this park referred to as Ohlone Park which at its social justice origins was a soft attempt by settlers to call out whose land this really is, abiding by, asking leadership from and/or even moving in right relationship with the erased ancestors of this very land they were talking about. “In a place that we have always called home since time immemorial, we were the first to be swept from our homes, into prisons we were forced to build,(Missions), into forced labor, and then off the land. What has this society learned over the last few hundred years? History is repeating itself in all the bad ways, continually creating harm and trauma on those who are the most marginalized. When will humans find their moral compass? When will they realize that each of us needs all of us?” - Corrina Gould, Tribal Elder, Prayer-Bringer and Co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust.  Corrina Gould, who is one of our family elders council members at Homefulness, who we asked permission and spiritual guidance from before we even began to build the homeless peoples solution to homelessness we call Homefulness in deep East Huchiun,, teaches all the time that the concept of homelessness didnt exist in the time of her ancestors.  Finally, this situation with the FOOP and the so-called Ohlone Park, is another act of settler violence which proves what i call the settler lie of public, i.e. we know that these so-called public spaces aren’t actually for all of the public and that in fact the public land, like private land is all occupied indigenous land and use, presence and even walking through or on it is very raced and classed depending on your melanin, and your position in this class stratified culture.  Landless Not Voiceless "We hope to have a dialogue - to help Berkeley residents understand that everyone, housed or unhoused deserves dignity, safety and place in our city," Berkeley Homeless Union, a humble group of houseless and formerly houseless Berkeley residents held a beautiful gathering at the park last Saturday to try to foster dialogue between housed and houseless residents of the park.  "How are we different just cause we don't have four walls," said Marcus a park resident who we spoke with at the party. As we left the humble and peaceful gathering i was shaking my head thinking, Yes, Berkeley, Housed or unhoused, don't we all deserve to feel safe in public?

Poor Magazine/Homefulness will be joining Interfaith4Ceasefire to walk in recognition of the Palestinian Right of Return to their land, and to affirm the human right for ALL people to stay, migrate, and return, and to not face displacement. We are walking with the knowing that borders and settler claims to land are built on violent lies and with the knowing that another world is possible. The walk is 22 miles, beginning in Alameda and ending in Berkeley.

Date: Thursday, June 5, 2025 Time:  8:00pm Location: El Rio ( map ), 3158 Mission Street, San Francisco CA 94110 Solidarity Fam in Yelamu have launched a benefit for Homefulness Yelamu! Join us on June 5 at El Rio. Tickets can be purchased in advance here or at the door for $15. Featuring Poetry by Po' Poets and music from Mild Universe, The Breathing Room, Catnip and Sweet Lew Buy a ticket here!

When:  May 30, 2025, 3 to 6 pm Where:  Wood Street, between 24th & 26th Street, West Oakland, CA  What:  Block Party and Resource Fair Contacts:  Freeway- 510.260.9420 John Janosko - 510.713.7639 LeaJay Harper- 510.484.9774 On Friday, May 30, Wood Street Commons will be hosting our 4th annual Block Party/ Resource Fair/ Fundraiser. We will have live performances by CJ Lawrence, Versoul, The Po Poets Project of POOR Magazine and The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. We will also have food, vendors, and speakers, as well as over 30 organizations with resources. We will also be hosting a silent auction.  We are inviting our community of supporters to  help us  spread the word about our upcoming event and to bring friends. We are hoping that this event will help  ease any tensions that may exist  between the unhoused community and their housed neighbors.  "This event is for our unhoused neighbors, but it is also equally for our housed neighbors. Our goal is to bridge the gaps between the house d  and unhoused, and rebuild the sense of community that West Oakland is known for. In this time of political domination from the executive level down, it is vital for us to stand in unity. We must create comm- unity  as a form of resistance. We must create  joy  as an act of resistance. We must remember those no longer with us, and  keep fighting  for their legacy. This event is all of that." - Freeway (they/them)  event coordinator of the Block Party... We are also starting to sell T-Shirts to help fund our outreach and advocacy work. The link can be found here .   Also, we are still looking for volunteers to help with the event, so please contact Freeway, John or LeaJay.  In Community, Wood Street Commons Core Leadership Please follow: @woodstreetcommons @oakland.homeless.union @oakland.revealed  @poormagazine

By Monique French Dear…..Mi amor I met you sometime around November 2017 a month and a half prior to me signing my contingency contract with Tesla in Fremont California. I love this man! Nathan Sowell is his name. I have loved and shared experiences with you.  It's personal between us, the both of us. Nathan Sowell and Monique French. So now let me jump into today. 7 years later, I want to remind you of something that's mentally mind fucking me over and over with all consideration of who I am now, and all that I've put you through and you've been through with me and the journeys we've went on together to get here.  About yesterday, I was looking over my medical encounters when I had HMO medical at Big Bad Kaiser Permanente which was my PCP out of Alameda California. I found the day when shit got real I wanted to run away…. from you, from me, from we, from us!  I can honestly say I'm glad I didn't, I'm so amazed you didn't either.  We were at the stupid doctor's appointment, and that day of all days my first appointment of many I have missed and I didn't get to meet with my PCP doctor-- it was her fucking assistant of some profession. I was there to get hand and arm braces for my arthritis and when the doctor assistant bitch scolded me about not coming to my scheduled appointments and why she's there and not my PCP doctors because of blah blah blah blah blah all of her personal opinions that weren't helpful at all and didn't matter much. So I was getting upset and feeling attacked. You Nate was like “don't leave Mo she's only telling the truth.” I got up and wanted to walk out of that cold, White, sterile smelling room.  I noticed that you didn't notice what she said when she came into the room. She said that “I was just looking over your file.” This isn't a busy office in which they like to brag about all their free time, and she had time on her hands to read. Somewhere in my file she must have seen me that I mentioned something to my doctor; my Methamphetamine usage, and the wanting to stop, the urge and need to want to quit, also the multiple attempts. But either way, unless she has ways of seeing other doctors offices medical records, all the records that I have in my possession now from this time the results on my methamphetamine test and penal test all were negative. Two of the reports say that they offered me substance/drug support and I denied or declined help and resources and referrals. Total fucking bullshit!  I for sure would have accepted help if it was ever offered to me, especially back then. I wish somebody would have reached out and told me about the aid and support that was out there.  That assistant chose that day to upset me, and freak me out, and then she waited just as good for me to leave that room and for some reason tell you “‘hey, do you know,” and of course I couldn't hear which you said to her but you backpedaled,  stepped back into that room.  “Monique is on crystal meth”  screamed thee assistant (of African decent, might I add).  “I don't know what that is, what is that?” Nathan said. “Methamphetamine, she's on drugs!” said that assistant bitch! Not caring about my patient HIPAA rights, domestic violence, or extra turmoils she possibly could have erected in my, well, our life, once we left that doctor's office.  Now think about this and reading over my notes and how my skin was clearly acting up, which is when I intentionally started to go to the fucking doctors and them treating me like I was bat shit out of my mind. I believe then I was already pregnant. Crazy,  I was gaining weight, my blood pressure was unmanageable (preeclampsia from my first pregnancy), I had about 4 to 5 scares and 4 to 5 urine and one blood test for gestation antepartum at Kaiser. So frustrating.  I believe we were in the beginning of gestation because I remember at my mom's and me house on her lounge couch and I was writing you like the cowgirl in my Joseline Hernandez voice choice words. I said “oh watch in less than a month we are going, we are pregnant, innate.” (Mi amour tis palabra es por que de palabras tu llama, and if I explained that this will be a book written by me)  Furthermore we were because when I had my abortion it was due to these reasons: found out just about 5 months, no prenatal care for me or the baby, working long hours, stressed, and that's how I lost my first baby and didn't find out until 5 months.   Killing my baby, they could have kept those organs. I don't understand to this day why mothers can't keep their own placentas especially after having a diseased baby or complications at birth. We, women, should be able to keep our whole entire life that comes out of us…women.

Street Memorial for JT - art by Jaz Colibri By Freeway - Co-founder Oakland Homeless Union and POOR Magazine povertyskola reporter I first met JT during an outreach at E. 12th. His enthusiasm about organizing was magnetic; when I asked him if he'd be down to do an interview about the sweeps, not only did he say yes, he followed up with three other names that would also be down. That was how every conversation with him was- I'd ask for one thing, and he'd come back with that, plus some. His faith in humanity and his compassion for others was unwaivering, despite the repeated disappointments he experienced on the part of the City and those who were supposed to be serving him. He died waiting for something that should be a basic human right- his enthusiasm and passion is what I'll remember most, and carry with me, continuing the fight for housing justice for all. Thank you for sharing your light JT. Thank you for trusting us

For Immediate Release:  Contact:  Tiny gray-garcia (510)-435-7500 POOR Magazine / Jo​hn Jan​osko/ (510) 712-7639 Wood Street Commons   TODAY Prayer Procession Held for East 12th st Resident who died after all his belonings were taken in the East 12th St Sweeps When: 2pm TODAY Thursday, May 22, 2025 Where: East 12th Street & 16th Ave What: Prayer Procession for Ancestors of Sweeps   .. On Monday, May 19, 2025 "JT" aka James Thomas, a long-time resident of East 12th street was found deceased in his camper as the City of Oakland was hooking it up to be towed away. The day before his RV, where he has resided houselessly for several years on East 12th street was seized by the City of Oakland as part of their violent series of sweeps they have been conducting all across Oakland and most recently on East 12th.  Members of JT’s family will join formerly houseless prayer-bringers at POOR Magazine and Homefulness,and comrades from Oakland Homeless Union, Wood Street Commons and Oakland Revealed in a prayer procession down East 12th Street for JT,  James Edward Oakley from Vallejo, who was run over by a backhoe in a sweep  and all ancestors of the violence of Sweeps across the US and Palestine.  “The violence of sweeping people like we are trash killed JT and James Edward Oakley. This system is literally sweeping us to death.”  said tiny gray-garcia, POOR Magazine  The endless attacks of violence on houseless people by the settler government of so-called Oakland accomplish nothing and are akin to genocide. The majority of residents are disabled elders, and they don’t feel safe; they are terrified. Houseless and poor people have solutions that cost a mere fraction of the exorbitant costs of sweeps. Barbara Lee, can you intervene? “Jt’s compassion for others was unwaivering, despite the repeated disappointments on the part of the City, he died waiting for something that should be a basic human right,” said Freeway, co-founder of the Oakland Homeless Union  “As people of faith and conscience, we uphold the sacredness of all people, including those who are unhoused. Everyone is deserving of safety and belonging.  Violent sweeps, criminalization, destroying people’s property, and continuously displacing people from one place to another fail​s to address ​the root causes. People need permanent homes and support for homeless people’s real solutions​.” ​- Rev Deborah Lee, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity. “In a place that we have always called home since time immemorial, we were the first to be swept from our homes, into prisons we were forced to build,(Missions), into forced labor, and then off the land. What has this society learned over the last few hundred years? History is repeating itself in all the bad ways, continually creating harm and trauma on those who are the most marginalized. When will humans find their moral compass? When will they realize that each of us needs all of us?” ​- Corrina Gould, Tribal Elder, Prayer-Bringer and Co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust.  In honor of JT and the daily sweeps across Oakland​, POOR Magazine, Wood Street Commons​, and Oakland Homeless Union are demanding that the City of Oakland immediately implement a moratorium on sweeps​. Click on this link  for sanctuary solutions/demands created by houseless and formerly houseless residents and leaders of Homefulness/POOR Magazine and Wood Street Commons  Please follow: @poormagazine  @woodstreetcommons @oakland.homeless.union @oakland.revealed

When: Tuesday, May 20 at 6pm Where: City Lights Books (261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco) Join us for the release of "UnTourBook Across Occupied Turtle Island: Klanmarks, Manuments, and Plakkks!" This new genre "guide Book" is full of truth about genocide as well as poetry, prayer, stories and art on indigenous resistance to settler colonial erasure, poLice terror, homelessness, and the many acts of indigenous/Black/Brown-led resistance from Turtle Island to Palestine all across Mama Earth. Bring your friends and family!

Date(s) & Time(s) : Saturday May 10, 5pm Duration : 120 mins Venue: Monkeybrains Location: 933 Treat Ave, SF, CA 94110 Sliding Scale Tickets $0 - $20. No-one turned away. Available at door or online at sfiaf.org/2025_poor_magazine About: Po' Poets of POOR Magazine (poor, houseless, disabled, youth and elder poets in resistance) presents writing from street, shelter and community-based theatre/poetry workshops with poor and houseless mamas. Followed by a trailer screening of "Crushing Wheelchairs" (co-directed by Adrian Diamond and Muteado Silencio, cinematography by Green Diamond Projects) featuring poems from their poetry/theatre collection. Both the movie and poetry collection are focused on "Mamafesting" (Tiny gray-garcia) healing-housing called Homefulness (a homeless peoples' solution to homelessness currently housing 22 families in Oakland) in SF. Through cultural art, vision, prayer and poetry with 1st Nations spiritual guidance, Homefulness is coming to Yelamu (SF). UnTour Book Release Ceremony When: Tuesday, May 20 at 6pm Where: City Lights Books (261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco) Join us for the release of "UnTourBook Across Occupied Turtle Island: Klanmarks, Manuments, and Plakkks!"

By Jay Paulino The krapitalist army coming for ComeUnity.    Why? Does the Government want to divide us and sweep us off the streets?    The reason why is because we are houseless and can’t afford a roof over our heads. We try to survive by sleeping where we are most comfortable and out of the way. The issue is police follow us everywhere we go. I’m in that tough situation at a young age where it’s difficult to Live. I'm in California for gosh sake, it's really expensive out here. I’m at that age of adulting where I'm trying to get myself on the real world path. I graduated from school last year. I can say life is difficult but it’s just the start.  All of this flooded into my mind as I heard about the devastation coming for East 12 St - one of the largest remaining houseless comeUnities in Oakland.      Around the month of April, Tragedy hit the wall once again. The Police and Caltrans sweep a whole street of houseless folks right off their feet and there goes their housing. Wood Street Commons and POOR Magazine, two houseless/formerly houseless, poor people led movements providing street based advocacy, support, solutions and resources to fellow houseless residents of the Bay Area, could definitely help others in crisis. The Problem with the Government now is the pay California Highway Patrol (CHP), San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Oakland Police Department (OPD), and all of CalTrans get. Some examples that point to this Issue is the Oakland’s Mayor sweep all of these people out and spend millions on homeless people like Where exactly did that money go? I can’t forget about the action where the Government swept Shattuck and 51st street, more people went houseless and the houseless population just went up an extra percent or two.   The  Lake Merritt sweep is a prime example of the City destroying Community. Look at all of the violent sweeps at the Lake Merritt “Public Park." Where people can’t rest their head at night when there are houseless, not hurting a damn soul. Just trying to survive and these violent street sweep workers, California Highway Patrol (CHP), City Officer Departments are all so ridiculous that they are calling it “Cleaning the Community.” When the Government is destroying lives. When our people are hurting, the Government destroys us and tears us apart, taking their belongings and getting told “You have 10-15 minutes to pack your life in a bag and get on.” You get what I’m trying to put down. The audacity of the Government when there is real crime going on in this world and most of the people talking about how bad the houseless percentage is going up more and more. Government says they’ll fix it but never does.  Here’s the stupid  “Solution” The City of Oakland had when they made us Houseless Once Again. After bringing up a houseless solution they kicked us to the curb once again. “Wood Street Commons”,”Oakland Homeless Union" and “POOR MAGAZINE’’ are trying to make a drastic change on houseless folks. We  would like to work together because the Government isn’t trying to make a change, so we will. ”The feces gushing out of the cabin's plumbing is just the final proof they would rather kill us than listen to us.” concluded Tiny the Cofounder of Poor Magazine/Homefulness. When the City has solutions, they never come through with their solutions. It's all talk! Why do Police keep sweepin us off the streets? maybe because of the money the government pays Police/State Troopers, CalTrans and the rest of the Government that doesn’t let us lay our heads outside. When there's all of this crime, They just stuck on houseless folks. (HKNH) Keys Not Handcuffs.

Photo of red blood cells by MdougM from Wikimedia Commons By Freeway Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! “That was definitely a gun.” These were the words I feared the most. After sustaining a gunshot wound of my own in 2021, I have consistently had a fearful reaction to loud, popping noises. Typically, my sympathetic nervous system kicks in; most often, in the form of either freeze or flight. However, I am surprisingly calm at this moment. Instead of ducking, my ears are perked and my eyes lock with my team member, Monte. In a moment we share the unspoken acknowledgement: “We have to check on folks.” Without saying a word, we both move towards the community members living at E. 12th Street.  “I've got my first aid kit,” says Monte as we walk towards residents, many of whom are trying to make sense of the loud noises as well.  “Is anybody hit?” I yell to the residents. No answer. “Is everyone ok? Did anyone get hit?” I yell again.  Then, I see him. There, to my side, is a young man. Everything else goes silent–I see the blood. His hand is covered in it; bright red blood–a sign that it's worse than I thought.  I know from my years of IV drug use that bright red, thick, milky consistency is a tell tale sign of artery blood.  “Were you shot?” I ask him, confirming the nature of the situation. Before he can answer me, I've taken off my flannel hoodie and begin wrapping his hand. I don't take time to even assess the wound; the blood is gushing and it needs to stop. Monte has left to fetch his first aid kit and a couple tourniquets from the harm reduction supplies.  “My name's Freeway, do you want me to call an ambulance?” He says yes. At this point, I'm still trying to put pressure on the wound, keep his hand elevated and keep eyes for any further danger. As Monte returns, I tell him to hold the jacket and put heavy pressure on the wound. I take the two tourniquets, and begin to tie off. For a second, in the chaos, it occurs to me: how ironic that all my years of self-sabotage, through behaviors often frowned upon and stigmatized by society, has led to this moment; who knew that someday my skills used to slowly kill myself, would help me keep someone else alive?  As I juggle the phone with my ear, I give the dispatcher what little info I have–location, nature, and phone number. “Send somebody NOW,” I say, dropping the phone to my side to focus on his injury.” About a minute later I hear the sirens. Instinctively I begin waving, only to realize that it's not an ambulance. Two cops in an SUV are approaching. I freeze, realizing what's happening. “Is this the guy that's shot?” They ask; for a fraction of a second I freeze–everything in my natural thought process is saying don't talk to them. It doesn't matter now–they know. Suddenly they're out of their car, and it's too late.  “C'mon Freeway–let's go” Monte says. I understand why; I don't want him to be there anymore than he wants to be there. I nod him on. “Go ahead; I'm gonna stay with him” I say. I begin recording the police.  “DoyouknowwhoshotyouWherewereyouDidyouseeanythingma'am?” The questions bleed together, almost as much as his hand. They've now tied his arm off with a stronger tourniquet, one used by pigs, not IV drug users.  Then the ambulance arrives. They bring him over to the ambulance and begin questioning me. I know better than to talk to pigs, but I also know that there's a LOT of unhoused residents now surrounded by them. If I don't interact, they'll be forced to. I tell them as little as possible, which, luckily for me, is the truth; I didn't  see anything, I don't  know what car they were in… I just heard shots and went running. As uncomfortable as it is, I force myself to maintain composure. Suddenly, yelling starts in the ambulance. It's the pig on the bike. It's hard to make out what he's barking about, then I see it. The injured resident is also packing. I instantly realize my mistake. My mind starts reeling with all the “should'ves”: I should've  asked him if he had anything on him before they came; I should've  warned him that they would  come if it was a gunshot wound; I should've, I should've, I should've…I see the list flooding into my head, in the form of his blood. It pours around my brain, drowning me in guilt, embarrassment, regret. I was so focused on the bleeding, I forgot that he was vulnerable. I can't help but feel responsible for this moment.  Now, all I can do is stand by and document their actions.  Another pig approaches me, asking me the exact same questions. I tell them I've given my answers already, give them the same answers, and ask if I can leave. I'm told I'm free to go, so I do.  It's only after I am back at our table that I realize: I literally have his blood on my hands.

Po/Houseless  mamas & papas who participated in the Po Mamas Build Homes with Poems  workshop from POOR magazine who will b presenting 5pm Saturday , May 10th  at monkey Brains in SF  as part of SFIAF Houseless Mamas present their poems to build HOME-Fulness SF and housed and houseless comeunities Say NO to violent East 12th Street Sweeps on Monday   By tiny, formerly houseless, incarcerated povertyskola and co-founder of Homefulness  “I’m so tired, and really am afraid, because I have nowhere to go,” said Tim, a disabled elder and longtime resident of East 12th Street ComeUnity which is facing a violent and immediate “sweep” on Monday. “The city told me there is a waitlist to get into the shelter, so where will I go?” tim concluded while hurriedly trying to stuff his belongings into a hefty bag while teetering on his walker.  Tim wasn’t alone, the entire comeUnity of several hundred people who have resided on that tiny medium strip on East 12 street in Oakland were in panic mode. They had to somehow collect their medicine, precious mementoes, walkers, wheelchairs, clothes, bedding and even homes in a matter of days. And most of them had nowhere to go. “We will be closing the whole street to set up a 'safe work zone.' said Harold Duffy, Oakland City Manager. Him and other City officials held what they called a community meeting about the East 12th Street Sweeps last Monday, May 7th, where they laid out their plan to violently sweep this longtime comeUnity. Repeatedly, East 12 Street residents and advocates who were present, stated clearly that they have nowhere to go and don’t feel safe, but the City had already set their agenda, proving once again they aren’t listening to the comeUnity at all.   “We have 105 beds at Mandela House, and there are already 34 people in residence there,” stated one of the representatives of an Extended Stay Hotel that the city has contracted to be available for placements for a scant few of the residents of Mosswood Park, (another large comeunity of houseless relatives swept from their comeunity overnite) and East 12st Street “There are already 79 people registered for the rooms from East 12th street,” Duffy added. At this point this povertyskola’s head exploded with the impossibility of this math. So basically that means there are no rooms for the hundreds of folks who have resided at these two comeUnities for years. Not to mention that the Mandela House Project (aka Extended Stay) is another example of what i call ‘About us Without us’ programming. They took the stoves, the refrignerators, the microwaves and the phones out of the rooms. And there are countless “rules” imposed on residents that make these so-called “solutions” into jail-like institutions.  These aren’t solutions. We don’t just need a roof when we are outside struggling for years with street survival. We need comeUnity. We need healing, we need love and we need support. In addition so many of houseless residents are elders and/or gravely disabled with multiple physcal and mental health challenges.  The Oakland Homeless Union is appalled at the gross negligence and blatant disregard for human life that the Assistant City Administrator, Harold Duffy, and other involved parties continue to display by carrying out these sweeps. When entire communities of elderly, BIPOC, disabled, and mentally ill individuals are repeatedly subjected to violence, to the tune of $90,000 a day”, said Freeway, co-founder of Oakland Homeless Union.  The destruction of street comeunities like East 12th street,  Wood Street and MossWood Park are acts of war crimes against our poor, houseless, disabled Black and Brown bodies. When we are in Comeunity we take care of each other and watch each others back, When we lose our comeUnities we lose our safety which is why it is always so strange to me that “public safety” is the reason the City cites for these sweeps and why it so clearly articulates that houseless peoples are not considered part of the public. In fact, we are not considered human at all.  "Sweeps are causing extreme harm to vulnerable members of our communities, and sweeps are wasting critical public funds in the midst of a budget crisis. We urge city leadership to stop the sweeps and redirect these resources to permanent housing. Listen to the ideas and leadership from curbside communities who have solutions." -Talya Husbands-Hankin, Love and Justice in the Streets Not only does this violent act of sweeping humans like we are trash cause us to be destabilized, criminalized and permanently harmed it also leads to our death  Multiple deaths followed the sweeps of Wood Street Commons in West Oakland, the sweeps in LA at Aetna Street and the sweeps in Vallejo last month with the death of James Edward Oakley from a bulldozer in Vallejo, and Cornlius Taylor in Atlanta. In every single incident, all of the residents lose their communities, their safety, and their precious belongings. Oakland perpetrates this violence even though Wood Street Commons and POOR Magazine have viable, affordable solutions. We as houseless peoples have solutions that don’t include millions of dollars sweeping us like we are trash which has now been calculated to cost over 90,000 a day for each sweep in the state of California, since the Grants Pass versus Johnson Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent order by governor Newsom.  “In a place that we have always called home since time immemorial, we were the first to be swept from our homes, into prisons we were forced to build,(Missions), into forced labor, and then off the land. What has this society learned over the last few hundred years? History is repeating itself in all the bad ways, continually creating harm and trauma on those who are the most marginalized. When will humans find their moral compass? When will they realize that each of us needs all of us?” - Corrina Gould, Tribal Elder and Co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust and member of the Homefulness Family Elder Council.  Corrina is just one of the spiritual elders who is part of our family elders council and helps  us houseless and poor peoples  create a powerful solution to homelessness we call Homefulness that currently houses 23 houseless youth, adults and elders in deep east Huchiun (Oakland) in all of the Homefuless projects we incorporate multiple healing pactices for both mental ad physical wellness as well as art, education, media and cultural projects. None of this medicine happens without the permission and protocol of the indigenous nations upon whose lands we are building, creating and mamafesting as i call it. We are currently working to help houseless relatives in LA, San Francisco and Seattle create their own Homfulness projects based on the powerful template we are living in now and only because of the medicine of Homefulness is this houseless mama and daughter currently housed.  “We don’t need a shelter or a transitional bed, we need a homefulness,” said Junebug Kealoha, one of the formerly houseless mama co-leaders of POOR Magazine, at a recent action for houseless mamas sponsored by Coaltion on Homelessness.   “Let’s not continue doing what doesnt work and expect it to miraculously work.” said LaMonte Ford , formerly houseless co-founder of Wood Street Commons.   “As people of faith and conscience, we uphold the sacredness of all people, including those who are unhoused. Everyone is deserving of safety and belonging.  Violent sweeps, criminalization, destroying people’s property, and continuously displacing people from one place to another fails to address the root causes. People need permanent homes and support for homeless people’s real solutions.” - Rev Deborah Lee, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity.   "There’s a lot of talk in Oakland about public safety, but safety for whom? There’s also a lot of talk in Oakland about ending the violence. But violence against whom? Sweeps of encampments where people have made homes and communities in a city that refuses to house them is violence, and it’s violence that makes everybody less safe and flies in the face of the values the city purports to uphold. It is our hope that under this new mayoral administration, sweeps will end and housing will begin. Housing is in fact, a human right." -Cat Brooks, co-founder/executive director APTP. Because of the violent sweep planned for Monday and the daily sweeps harassment all across Oakland and San Franciso, POOR Magazine, Wood Street Commons, and Oakland Homeless Union are asking our new incoming mayor Barbara Lee to intervene to stop the East 12st St Sweep and Mayor Lurie and  Mayor Lee to meet with us and immediately implement a sanctuary moratorium on all sweeps and support homeless peoples solutions to homelessness like Homefulness and the Academy created by Wood Street Commons and Mike Pyatok.  Join us Saturday, May 10th at 5pm at Monkey Brains 933 Treat St in Yelamu (San Francisco)  as we Poor and houseless Mamas from occupied Yelamu will be sharing our Poems we build homes with as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival - check out more info here  The event is a benefit for Homefulness Yelamu.  Join Us In Huchiun (Oakland) on Monday, May 12th at 8am as we demand sanctuary Not more violent sweeps at East 12th street and 18th Ave Click on this link  for sanctuary solutions/demands created by houseless and formerly houseless residents and leaders of Homefulness/POOR Magazine and Wood Street Commons  Po/Houseless  mamas & papas who participated in the Po Mamas Build Homes with Poems  workshop from POOR magazine who will b presenting 5pm Saturday , May 10th  at monkey Brains in SF     --