Pops Campaign

Race, Poverty and the Environment Journal

2011-04-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

Transforming the Land-- One Garden at a Time

By Crystal Carter

Photography by Katie Selma

(Originally featured in RP&E)

Raheem Payton used to think nothing of littering streets until he discovered his community garden. Now he is angry that he and his friends ever did such a thing. “I’m an advocate for putting your trash in the right place now,” he says, “and I try to keep my friends on the straight path, too.” Payton discovered his calling earlier than other youths through a program called Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ) in the Bayview district of San Francisco. Founded in 1998 by a coalition of youth, educators, and community leaders, LEJ addresses the ecological and health concerns of Bayview-Hunters Point and surrounding communities of southeast San Francisco.

The project that Payton participates in operates a native plants nursery at a former dumpsite near Candlestick Park. The garden is the primary supplier of plant stock to two major restoration projects in San Francisco—Candlestick Point State Recreation Area and Heron’s Head Park.
Payton works three hours a day in the garden transplanting starter plants into larger pots to be taken to one of the restorations sites. Already, the 18-year-old is hooked on gardening.

“I want to major in landscape architecture [and] design gardens to encourage cities to be healthier and better looking,” he says. Community organizer for Green Action, Marie Harrison says, “These children are gaining knowledge that is quite valuable. If there ever was a disaster these children would know exactly how to sustain themselves.”

Food Security with a Local Twist
The community gardening initiative has also been a real boon to other South San Francisco neighborhoods like Visitacion Valley that have no grocery store, hence no access to fresh produce. Rather than wait for city officials to do something about it, this community of 20,000 took matters in their own hands and created one of the largest urban farming plots in the city.

“We have hundreds of thousands of [plots] in this city,” says Patrick Rump, Bay Youth Program Manager for LEJ. “It’s really important that we hold on to our native plants and transform the land into something we can be proud of.”

Rump specializes in environmental education in a program that is part of an initiative to save California’s state parks. Over the last six years, Rump and his youth group have helped create a plant nursery that is home to over 50 species of native plants, including coyote grass and purple needle grass. Contrary to popular belief, plants and grasslands give out more oxygen than trees and help the environment. “Climate change is threatening food security,” says Rump. “We are part of a group of people who want to change this situation.” So, the program grows vegetables and fruits, which are given to local residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eating locally produced food reduces fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and a variety of other negative environmental consequences associated with the transportation of food,” says David Seaborg, evolutionary biologist and founder of the World Rainforest Fund. In the U.S., a meal travels about 13,000 miles on average before reaching your plate, according to the Iowa State University Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Amidst the Pollution, the Best Tasting Fruit
Bayview-Hunters Point has a number of environmental concerns. It is home to over 80 percent of San Francisco’s waste, it is a superfund site, and it has two major freeways running through, which exposes residents to serious air pollution. Now it has its own community garden.
“The kids really benefit from these gardens first hand because they can take the vegetables home to their parents and cook them,” says Jackie Williams, head of the community garden at the Alice Griffith Public Housing project in Bayview.

Eighteen-year-old Victoria Bryant who works in the garden is convinced that the fruits they grow there are a lot tastier than the ones she gets at the grocery store. The children are also paid to help in tending to the garden where they grow cabbage, collard greens, squash, cucumbers and strawberries among other things. Williams helps the children understand all about harvesting and replanting with seeds from the harvest, so the seeds don’t have to be purchased each time. “The best thing about the garden is the people that I work with,” says Bryant. “It’s somewhere I can go to relax and also get educated and be a leader.”

A 2009 report on community gardens by the Local Government Commission in California said that gardening is a recommended form of moderate physical activity. Community gardens can encourage more active lifestyles by providing children and adults the opportunity to do physical work outdoors.

“To see something grow is extremely important in an urban community like ours,” says Sophie Maxwell of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “It’s a wonderful way to connect people with the earth.”

The absence of grocery stores in the southeast sector of San Francisco forces people there to travel to other parts of the city to buy groceries, which results in less money being circulated within their own community. Furthermore, the convenience stores in low-income areas sell fresh food at higher prices than chain stores like Safeway or Albertsons. A single banana—selling at 67 cents per pound elsewhere—may cost 75 cents at a local liquor store.

“I think the community garden initiatives open a door to help the Bayview community’s food access issues,” says Pandora Thomas of Grind for the Green, a hip-hop music project by the Global Exchange. “Gardening was a way of life for our ancestors and this is a great way to connect with our history as well.”

Crystal Carter is an independent journalist based in the Bay Area. She is currently working on a documentary film about the politics that surround a superfund site's redevelopment in the Bayview-Hunter's Point district. Find more of her work at www.popscampaign.blogspot.com.

2011-04-07T00:47:00.001-07:00

2011-04-07T00:40:00.001-07:00

2011-04-07T00:25:00.001-07:00

Civil Rights Artivism at its Finest

2010-11-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

Remembering Oscar Grant, Political Prisoners

Operation Small Axe DVD Release Party w/ Emory Douglas

A night with the iconic artist Emory Douglas and the screening of Operation Small Axe documentary set the tone for National Anti-Police Brutality Day over the weekend.

Documentary Operation Small Axe highlights the anti-sentiment that Oakland residents have towards the Oakland Police Department and goes as far as describing the City of Oakland as a “war torn prison state.”

“The police have been so vicious and so brutal to our black brothers in this society,” stated the documentary’s producer, Adimu Madyum.

The documentary hosts a series of revelations including the state of neutrality the black Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and city officials have taken, the mainstream media downplaying the significance of the possible martyr Lovelle Mixon who killed four police officers a few months after the death of Oscar Grant, the slaying of DeAndre Brunston and the fight journalist JR is facing to drop charges that claim he was participating in the Oakland city riots while in actuality he was reporting on the event.

The fact that former Black Panther and Minister of Culture, Emory Douglas and the grandson of the influential Malcolm X, Malcolm Shabazz were in attendance added to the importance of holding the police accountable for brutality against African American men in particular.

“Its unfortunate that we are still fighting for the same thing that my grandfather was fighting for during the civil rights era,” said 26-year-old Shabazz. “But at the core of the police system there is still bigotry and racism.”

If one ever doubted that the cops have very little disdain for black youth all confusion was cleared up when the documentary clipped to the scene of the tragic murder of Deandre Brunston, 24, that was caught on tape. Brunston’s standoff with the police, on August 24, 2003, lasted about 20 minutes before they released a dog to attack him, when Brunston threw a shoe at the dog the police began shooting. He was shot 22 times and a few bullets hit the police dog as well. The backward and inhumanity of the police force allowed for the police dog to be airlifted in an emergency helicopter while Brunston was left to die. You can see in the video that Brunston was still moving after the police shot him. His aunt, Keisha Brunston was never released from the back of the cop car to calm him to down or make him surrender. She has been present in the Oscar Grant case and has supported the family through the trail.

“Stop killing us,” said JR in reference to police brutality. “We want police to know that we are watching them and we are holding them accountable.”

The night ended with revolutionary artist, Emory Douglas, providing commentary and insight into his prolific drawings during his time with the Black Panther newspaper. He also spoke about artivism, defining a political agenda by the means of art. He put emphasis on the fact that Black Panthers were all over the world in places such as Israel, Australia and New Zealand. He explained why he depicted the police as pigs and cleared up the myth that the Black Panthers were not against all white people but the racist police system.

“We shall survive without a doubt,” “Freedom on my mind,” and “all power to the people” were just a few slogans that were emblazoned on Douglas’ colorful pieces depicting the struggle that black people went through in every day life.

Douglas got started in the Black Panthers while attending rallies at San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco where he studied commercial art, art geared toward advertising. He remembers learning from one of his professors that “you should be able to draw in a way that a child will understand.” Instead of going a route that some commercial artists go by advertising cigarettes or alcohol Douglass chose a righteous path of arming people in low-income neighborhoods with knowledge as he provided kids with clothing and free vegetables. Children are representative quite often in Douglas’s artwork.

“The Black Panther Party was formed to defend our community and put a stop to police atrocities,” said Douglas during his presentation. “Currently, our black youth are still marginalized and unable to get a job so they are doing what they have to do to survive.”

The evening took place at the Twin Space Continuum at 17^th and Mission on October 22, 2010.

Kids tagging a newly cleaned bus

2010-09-01T01:03:00.001-07:00

Fund this story at Spot.Us

2010-08-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

Deconstructing... The Boondocks

2010-08-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

"The Color Ruckus"

We always wondered why Uncle Ruckus hated black "or his own" people so much. This episode before the season finale explains it all.

When Ruckus was a baby he was left on the steps of a black family's house because his original white family (racists) saw that he was beginning to form darker skin. They showed a birthmark on baby Ruckus and it very well looked like he was turning black. Ruckus' soon-to-be parents (a woman who wants to be 'white so bad that she made her hair blonde and eventually colored her eyes blue and a father who is happy that money was attached to the offer) decided to take him.

"This ain't no regular baby, this is a WHITE baby," said the adoptee's mother. "It's the most beautiful thing in the whole wide world."

Ruckus' family saw him as a Godsend and a chance to get a piece of the "white man's glory." When they were celebrating his arrival the confederate flag hung strong in the background. The symbol of the Confederate flag is a piece of history that some Americans are tragically still proud of. The confederate flag is a symbol still used by nazis and KKK members as a reminder that they slowed down the process of black folks right of freedom while the north moved ahead.

At a young age Ruckus began to turn black. His mother called it a case of re-vitiligo (the reverse of what happened to Michael Jackson's skin post "We Are the World.") Ruckus began to hate most black people and blamed all of his shortfalls on the color of his skin.

The story proceeds with the death of this grandmother and painful memories of his family's past.

Riley said that he was getting emotional from Uncle Ruckus' story but reiterated that he wasn't going to "cry because he wasn't gay." He ended up crying in the end. Riley is a hopeless mimic of black straight man media and culture and it plays out in his every move. Its entertaining but on the same token he is blind to reality. He needs to read some Frederick Douglass, Franz Fanon, Malcolm X.

Ruckus closed the scene by stating even though him and his family made amends he still concluded by saying that black people are "hopelessly inferior to white folks." Old habits are hard to kick.

Hip-Hop is coming out!

2010-08-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

On August 4, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker rules that Proposition 8, the California initiative passed in November 2008 that banned same sex marriage, was unconstitutional. At around the same time, bloggers revealed that our beloved Queen Latifah was spotted off the coast of France and Italy getting lovey with her personal trainer. Along with Latifah's outting, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed into the Supreme Court.

Since the beginning of gay rights activism that started with Stonewall in New York and Harvey Milk in San Francisco I am happy to see that love is slowly but surely becoming more normalized.

There are still 76 countries that criminally prosecute homosexual acts, according to a recent study; seven of the nations impose the death penalty.

The decision was a result of a lawsuit filed by two same-sex couples who claimed that Prop 8 infringed their constitutional rights. Voters had originally approved the ban in response to a California Supreme Court ruling that temporarily legalized same-sex marriage in the state. Walker's decision is expected to be appealed and to eventually make its way to Supreme Court. Currently five states and the District of Columbia allow same sex marriage.

Diversity and InterRacial Music Making Wave

2010-07-19T03:22:00.000-07:00

If the universe were to take a snapshot of music right now the best photograph would be of a scene called hip pop. It would be called hip hop if it weren't for the poppy rock collaborations and it would be pop if it wasn't for the lyricism and R&B rifts. But either way you look at it its beautiful. Black rappers expanding beyond the grimey explicit lyrics and embracing their ethnically different female counterparts. I am sure they were more than happy to do it.

Little bit - Drake & Lykke Li by usmanity

Airplanes by brunasa

Jason Derulo - Whatcha Say by Wizechter

Oscar Grant Verdict Leaves Us Waiting

2010-07-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

While former BART officer Mehserle has received a ruling of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Oscar Grant, we are still waiting for the official sentencing.

When I first heard the verdict on the news today I was happy. The words that stood out were "GUILTY" and "INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER." I immediately felt happy and relieved. But that emotion lasted for about 5 seconds. After those five seconds I asked myself, "How long is this man going to be sentenced?" Involuntary Manslaughter carries a 2-4 year sentence.

Oscar Grant was shot and killed early in the morning on New Years Day in 2009 at Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, California. He had a daughter and a family and was shot cold-blooded in front of a group of his friends and other bystanders who were able to catch the whole atrocity on their mobile phones. Johannes Mehserle, the man who shot Grant, said that he meant to use his taser, although Oscar Grant was unarmed. This racially charged incident has gotten a lot of attention and rightfully so.

The trail was moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in order to ease tensions that were rising in Oakland especially since just a few months after an Oakland man shot and killed four Oakland cops in a matter of hours.

The verdict came today after a speedy three-week trial. We still don't know what this means when it comes to Mehserle's time behind bars which leaves a lot of people confused and disappointed. I have not lost hope and thus far, I think that justice has been served. Until the sentencing, which are set to be announced on August 6, 2010 I have nothing to be mad about. But if Mehserle is given a measly two years for taking a young man's life. I, unlike Mayor Ronald Dellums who said was quite ok with the verdict and was not fully behind the Grant family's disappointment, will be in Oakland, in solidarity, rioting and initiating a call to justice. Until then...I am at peace with the verdict.

The Evolution of Telecommunications

2010-06-19T17:28:00.001-07:00

ABSTRACT

Telecommunications and the Internet

Crystal N. Carter

This paper describes the competition between online corporations, Google and Apple, Inc. It attempts to define the complicated matters of the Internet Age as well as their similarities and differences within each company’s monopolistic and intrusive characteristics. In the online world strategy is a key element to success. This paper will attempt to explore why online, our 1^st Amendment right may be obscured due to us trading in our information for a service.

Telecommunications and the Internet

Google vs. Apple

Freedom of speech is a right that Americans think they have. But as different conglomerates and dynamics influence the marketplace the volatile issue of media ownership will begin to be more of an issue and we will soon realize that some of the rights we thought were ours, aren’t actually ours at all.

The US is a nation that prides itself on freedom of speech and being able to have free access to a broad range of information, but as we witness Internet technology companies compete for the top spot there is an underlying war going on with these software giants.

“The internet is a connection of multiple networks. The networks communicate with each other over a suite of standardized protocols, TCP/IP, which send data over the Internet broken up into “envelopes,” of date called packets. Internet traffic is sent at gigabit speed over lines connected by routers and switches. The high-speed lines are the backbone of the Internet. They carry the highest amount of Internet traffic. The Internet backbone transmits requests for information, entertainment, audio and video broadcasts, e-mail and business-to-business transactions.”

Who owns the Internet?

No one organization owns the Internet. Rather the Internet is a worldwide arrangement of interconnected networks. Network service providers, including AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Sprint and Netcom. They transfer data between each other at locations called “peering” sites. At the peering sites, network devices called routers transfer messages between the backbone, high-capacity telephone lines owned by dozens of network service providers.

The federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed and empowered by Congressional statute, and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the president. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security, and modernizing the FCC.

After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the concentration of media ownership was spread between a small amount of corporations.

There was a conflict of interest here because the Internet and the news decide how people’s beliefs are formed and how people’s actions are then based on those beliefs. If people are getting their news from one source and that one source is bias then there can begin to be a lot of problems. We are beginning to see that with Google’s competition with Apple, Inc.

There have been studies that have identified media consolidation to be sociologically detrimental, dangerous and problematic and it is to be avoidable wherever possible.

According to Dan Withers of the FCC, determinants of media pluralism are: size and wealth of the market, diversity of suppliers, consolidation of resources and diversity of output.

Google: “Don’t be Evil”

In the early 2000s an emphasis was put on operating systems. Google specialized in a core user interface. Google began to create services that sale services for free. The services and the applications that used to cost something started to be offered for free by Google. This caused a lot of service companies to merge, be sold and wiped out of the market all together. These services were core revenue streams of other smaller revenues companies. This created cloud computing. The Google browser then replaces the Microsoft Window’s operating system by creating Chrome. Some products and actions by Google have been accused of contradicting the company’s “Don’t be evil” ethic; Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch strongly condemned Google’s compliance with China’s Golden Shield Project, calling it a form of self-censorship. According to Amnesty,

“These forms of censorships seem to contradict the very principles that Google – whose unofficial motto is “don’t be evil – was founded upon. Until January 2006, Google’s Support Center claimed that it “does not censor results for any search term,” but removed its claim after reaching its deal with China.”

“Don’t be evil” is the informal corporate motto (or slogan) of Google, originally suggested by Google employees Paul Buchheit and Amit Patel at a meeting. The statement that can be considered nearest to the supposedly “Don’t be evil” motto (so widely circulated by the media) is the 6^th point of the 1 point corporate philosophy of Google which says, “You can make money without doing evil.” Google’s revenue is based on the journalistic articles that are written.

This graphic displays that at one time Google and Apple, Inc. got along well together. They shared their services respectfully. But then their services started to overlap because of their main revenue streams. Conflicts of interests arose and they came into steep competition with each other. Judging from this chart, eventually one of these companies will come out on top while the other will be left in the dust.

Apple, Inc: Violating Freedom of Speech

Apple, Inc made them known with Mac OSX, Macbooks, iPhone, iPod and the iPad. They were at the top of the world. They were showing signs of a monopoly when Apple decided to make Google its de facto search engine. When a company is making as much money as Apple you have to realize that you are starting to show signs of a monopolistic company. They believed that if you built you own hardware then you should own your own software and vice versa. The iTunes store, for example, is very enclosed. There is a lot of restriction and in that a lot of freedom of the press is taken away. At this point Apple, one of the highest visibility companies out there, a company that is some people’s preferred source of news are hiding certain forms of news from people.

When you buy a product you are bound by the license agreements of the product. You can’t own much of anything anymore. It used to be with products once you bought them you owned it and could share it with anyone. It’s almost as is they are becoming the “Big Brother” of media conglomerates.

A great example is porn. Even thought porn is the highest selling video over the Internet it is not sold over iTunes because they are afraid of what porn will tarnish its brand. It is almost as if Apple is anti-porn. They refused to allow any applications. But isn’t a store supply what the customer wants? It’s almost the equivalent of a little China. Where media is censored.

Analysis: Virtual Reality vs. Reality

I am worried about the way the Internet is going because I am constantly grappling with the changing regulations and corporate laws that are starting to blend with our basic speech rights. I am beginning to realize that money is the main focus and rights come second.

The free market process is being fast-forwarded through constant competition in a closed environment. Apple and Google have found a loophole in this competition game. When a smaller company is showing signs of growth and popularity Google will buy the company and shut it down. The law of the land in the online world is quite cut throatish.

The future of the online world offers a more simplistic user experience and telecommunications along with online computing services are probably all going to be one and the same. I see less competition and more monopoly. How is anyone going to build a search engine if Apple and Google own the patent?
Privacy is going to be a thing of the past. Our ideas are not just going to be ours. We are basically saying that it’s okay to profit off of ideas because we are willing to trade that for the service. They are going to know our location, taste in music and basically they are going to be able to peak into our brain because they are tracking all of the websites that we visit and the products that we buy.

Bibliography

Cole, Barry. Reluctant Regulators: The FCC and the Broadcast Audience. Reading: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.1978.

Dodd, Annabel Z. The Essential Guide to Telecommunications, Second Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall PTR, 2000.

Epps, Sarah. “Curated Computing.” Web.

Kline, Eric. Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media. New York: Metropolitan Books. 2007.

Remembering Marx, Founder of the Real Communism

2010-05-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883)

“The actual process is not predetermined but depends on the class struggle, especially the organization and consciousness of the working class.”

Born on May 5, 1818, Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary. He believed that if the working classes unite all around the world then exploitative working conditions would cease to exist. He is known, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber to be an architect of the social sciences.

Marx had three children who lived passed infancy. He also had an illegitimate child with his housekeeper, Helene Demuth. He was a correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune.

He did not do very well in school. His father wanted him to study law, but he wanted to study philosophy and literature. His major influences and favorite authors were Kant and Voltaire. He liked to study and analyze the relationship between state, society and religion.

He died from Bronchitis on March 14, 1883. “Workers of all lands unite” are the words that are written on his tombstone. The point, however is to change the current status of this capitalistic state. He was known to be the break between the modern and premodern societies.

After being exiled from Paris to Brussels, Belgium he wrote, The German Ideology, in May 1845 with his best friend Friedrich Engels, which stated, “the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production.”

In 1848 Marx and Engels were expelled from Belgium and after starting his newspaper called, New Rhenish Newspaper, which the government felt was inciting the armed rebellion.

He settled back down in London and stayed there until his death. He sought refuge in London where he focused on revolutionary organizing, political economy and capitalism as well as economic data.

In the 1800s the most popular socialist was Karl Marx a German economist. Marx believed that all history is a series of struggles between the ruling and working classes. Marx basic socialist ideas were first expressed in the Communist Manifesto (1848), which he wrote with Engels, as well. He said that: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” From this quote, it is evident that Marx was an advocate for social change through knowledge of historical implications. He argued that the structural contradictions within capitalism necessitate its end, giving way to socialism. Marx taught that capitalism would be replaced by socialism. After World War I began in 1914 the socialist Movement collapsed. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, revolutionary Socialists founded new parties, which they called communist parties.

The most meaningful thing I learned was his view on land. He thought that land was the means of production. Shouldn’t everyone own a part of land? Who is to say that the land that we work and breath on is not ours? I think that the problem with the housing market as well as the homeless population need to be looked at deeper and with Marxist thought in mind. There are so may empty homes and apartments but there are still people living in unsanitary conditions on the street.

Your Economy On Marijuana

2010-03-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

With the opening of iGrow just over the Bay Bridge in Oakland, California and countless legislation bills around the country its about time that we have a serious talk about marijuana.

Our economy is still in shambles and economists predict that things are not going to get better anytime soon. So what do we do to stimulate this economy? It's not like money grows on trees...or does it?

Here are some interesting statistics that were featured in the Rolling Stone's April 1, 2010 issue titled "Marijuanamerica" by Mark Binelli:

Annual revenue of California's weed industry = $14 billion
# of states in which marijuana is the cash crop = 12
# of pot plants eradicated in California's Sequoia National Forests in a 2008 operation = 420,000
Estimated street value of those plants, if harvested = Over $1 billion
Total weight of all marijuana plants seized by the DEA in 2009 = 3,285 tons
Total estimated street value of those seizures = 31.5 billion
Estimated annual cost of marijuana prohibition to taxpayers = $42 billion

With these statistics, making marijuana legal sounds like a feasible solution to a speedy economic recovery which could actually become a reality on the November 2010 ballot in the state of California.

Tom Ammiano, California State Assembly Member, is the main backer of the initiative that has recieved 700,000 signatures which will make it possible to get the measure on the ballot. If passed, the initiative would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on it.

If this is to pass there are still certain measures that need to be taken and things that need to be monitored closely. Like making sure production is still moving along smoothly and people aren't smoking too much and getting "too relaxed." And also making sure that the growers are not booted out of thier profession because of a few companies trying to monopolize. Like Nick Tennant, founder of a pot-growing business-like class in Detroit, Michigan says:

"It's better for society to stimulate micro-economies of scale. You give 10,000 people the oppurtunity to make $50,000 a year, rather than giving 10 people the oppurtunity to make $10 million a year."

See a story discussing whether Marijuana is good for you.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

2010-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Pink Slips Are Not Going Away

2010-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Unified School District could be sending out more pink slips to their already sparse roster of teachers. The school board, yet again, unanimously approved layoffs as a way to close an expected $640 million budget gap.

The first positions that will be eliminated are school nurses and librarians as well as an increase in class sizes in an already inundated school system that is the second largest in the country, after New York City.

This news comes in wake of the vote by LAUSD to hand over some its public schools to charter school operators and teachers groups as part of an experiment to see whether outsiders will have better luck improving student achievement. The board awarded four schools to charter groups, and two schools to a group led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“We’re extremely disappointed in the vote today,” said Lauren Carter, administer for ICEF, Inner City Education Foundation, a charter school group that runs 15 schools in Los Angeles and hoped to be awarded a new school. Instead the board voted to give the school to a teachers’ group. “We were looking for more bold action from board members to make decisions for what was in the best interests of the kids. It’s a sad, sad day for us.”

Under a resolution passed last year, the Los Angeles Board of Education for the first time allowed charter schools and outsiders to bid for the right to operate schools deemed “public school choice” sites.

Charter schools are said to be doing quite well according to a Times analysis that showed, overall, L.A. charter schools deliver higher test scores than traditional public schools.

These type of cuts are taking place all over the United States so this recession is obviously far from over. With all of these cuts taking place and a complete overhual of the healthcare system its going to be very interesting to see what our nation will look like in a few of years. One thing is certain and that is if we don't raise a competent next generation things will be looking bleaker than they do now.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan stated that he wants to “make sure there is flexibility on the local level. We cannot begin, nor do we want to micromanage 100,000 schools from Washington. The best ideas have always come from the local levels and we want to continue to support that.” I am sure the local-level-less-government touting Republicans will be happy about that one.

White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

2010-03-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

U.S. - Cuba Foreign Policy Looking Up

2010-03-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Americans are one step closer to being able to travel to Cuba. Obama is making small but progressive moves, along with Fidel and Raul Castro, to settle the bitter feud that has been going on for half a century.

Today in Washington, Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson )D-MN), Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), and at least 31 of their House colleagues introduced new legislation HR 4645 that would finally restore diplomacy between the two countries allowing for travel, telecommunications and agricultural sales to the island.

“U.S. producers are the closest suppliers that can help meet the food and agriculture needs of the Cuban people. Opportunities to sell to paying customers in Cuba have been hindered by bureaucratic red tape and by arbitrary prohibitions on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba. This bill cuts the red tape and allows that trade and travel to happen,” Chairman Peterson said.

Although Cuba is benefitting from tourism and farming it is still an isolated island that struggles to feed its population. Communist Cuba is known to have reputable health and education systems and the embargo has hindered American students from using its educational institutions.

After the Cuban revolution the US placed an embargo that would last until Cuba moved toward “democratization and greater respect for human rights.” It didn’t help that in 1996 the Cuban military struck down and killed the passengers of an unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft in international airspace north of Cuba.

Since then, there has been a National Emergency Act placed between the two countries denying monetary and material support to the Cuban government.

Many say that the full embargo will be lifted by the end of the 2010.

What is still left for interpretation is the fact that the U.S. leases Gauntanamo Bay land from Cuba. Castro says that he hasn’t cashed any of the checks since the 50s when the Cuban Revolution took place.

Doggy Hustlin' - Its a Dog-Eat-Dog World

2010-02-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

Larry, a pit bull dog breeder has eleven pit bull dogs, three adult and eight pups. He thought he could breed his pit bulls on the side while working full time at a casino in Northern California to make ends meet. Fulz, who got into the breeding business about a year ago, has a strict contract that customers must sign before they purchase any of his pups:

“Buyer certifies that he/she is not acting as an agent for another individual in the purchase of this dog, and will not sell this dog to any mass-producing kennel (puppy mill) or business.”

Fulz is beginning to realize that not as many people are willing to spend their money on pure breds and he is worried that he will not make a profit and worse, he might have to give these pups to an animal shelter. Although Fulz has a strict contract that buyers must sign he is still adding to an epidemic: animal overpopulation.

According to the American SPCA, a puppy mill is a large commercial breeding site where puppies are bred with profit, not so much the well being of the animal, as the main goal. The pets are usually kept in unsanitary conditions, small cages and bred until they die.

Because of societal trends such as the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Legally Blonde and Hollywood heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Ricci trendy pups like Yorkies (Yorkshire Terriers) and Shih Tzus have become very popular. Puppy Mill owners have capitalized on this trend and the consequences have been dire. A puppy mill in Virginia is said to house over 1,000 puppies that are treated in very bad conditions. If you are buying your pet from a pet store odds are they are from a puppy mill.

Fulz makes up to $3,000 for selling a female UKC Blue Pit Bull Terrier. A pit bull is known to breed up to 12 pups in a litter, which can earn the owner up to $45,000 in one year. The female pit can be bred once a year.

In these economic times, many are looking for alternative ways to make income. Some have turned to selling and breeding their animals. Many animal activists have noted that there seems to be an inflation problem going on in the animal world: too many animals chasing too few owners.

“If more people decided to adopt a pet, the less would get euthanized,” says Betsy McFarland, senior director for companion animals from the Humane Society of the US.

According to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), 800,000 cats and dogs are abandoned in California each year. More than half of those are euthanized which is similar on a nationwide scale where 6-8 million cats and dogs enter a shelter each year and almost half are euthanized.

“Especially since the recession started animal shelters have become inundated with a severe overpopulation problem,” Harrington stated. She goes further to say that people and organizations are tightening up on their donations and in some cases they have to close all together.

The SPCA said that police departments have reported animals left behind at foreclosed homes as a significant problem as well. McFarland urges prospective pet owners to understand what kind of pet fits their lifestyle in terms of expense and how active the pet is. She says that bigger dogs will require more care than, say, a Chihuahua, which will require less.

Because of Michael Vick raising the public’s awareness about the brutality of dog fighting the attention has been turned towards Pit Bulls. According to the documentary “Off the Chain,” there are over 200 websites devoted to pit bull breeding that can be linked to over 1,800 kennels all over the country.

Currently, the pit bull euthanasia rate in shelters is at approximately 93%. This can be linked to the stigma associated with pit bulls but contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are very loyal, playful and friendly. They just need to be surrounded by owners that have their best interest at heart.

“Breeding is a consumer driven activity,” says McFarland who prefers adopting pets to buying them from a breeder or puppy mills. “If the demand goes down, then the breeders will stop breeding them.”

Pet owners have also had to give their animals away to pet shelters because they cannot afford to keep them or the new place that they are moving to does not accept pets. All of these factors have caused overpopulated animal shelters, says Harrington.

“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of the animals,” said Harrington. “In this circumstance people are being motivated by profit which raises huge concerns.”

More dogs are being stolen from adoption agencies as well as from homes, says Harrington. Pet theft is a crime and the criminal can face up to 5 years in prison in the state of California.

SOCIAL JUSTICE 101

2009-12-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

San Francisco's DA is Running for CA Attorney General and she has a Fresh and Just Agenda

By Crystal Carter

Originally in McSweeney's The Panorama

When Kamala Harris decided to run for San Francisco District Attorney in 2003, she put her campaign headquarters in the most unlikely part of town, a place where most outsiders would feel uncomfortable visiting – Bayview Hunter’s Point.

It’s an isolated and bleak part of town, where drive-by shootings, drugs and violence are a way of life. Even the ground itself is dangerous, with the toxic legacy of a former Naval shipyard taking an environmental toll on residents.

Her supporters suggested that she put her headquarters in a more “central” part of town because they feared that no one would go there. But the candidate persisted. She wanted the marginalized to take part in the democratic process and feel like they had a stake in the future of the city as well.

“We pride ourselves in being a diverse city but we are also quite segregated,” said Harris.

The fears that no one would risk a trip to Hunter’s Point to help the candidate proved false. On any given weeknight there would be Pacific Heights moms, seniors from Chinatown to residents from Castro sitting in the campaign headquarters together, licking envelopes, making phone calls and seeking support, all at the direction of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, PhD.

And her move paid off. She captured 65% of the vote and beat her former boss, Terrence Hallinan. It was in the Bay View that Kamala Harris was announced as the new DA.

“On election night it was jammed packed at our headquarters you should’ve seen all the media with their satellite trucks. Everybody came to the Bayview that night.”

When you speak with her about her past it seems like her future was preordained. She was a child of the 60s, stirred by the struggle for civil rights from an early age. Her idols were the pioneers of the civil rights movement: Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the Supreme Court of the United States. Charles Hamilton Houston, who was known as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” Constance Baker Motley, the first African American woman to argue in front of the Supreme Court of the US.

Harris, 45, achieved many firsts leading up to her current campaign to become California State’s Attorney General. She was the first woman to be elected District Attorney in San Francisco, and she was the first African American to head a DA’s office in the state of California.

“You may be the first,” she recalled her mother telling her. “But just make sure you’re not the last.”

Harris’ mother was a Tamil Indian who immigrated to the United States from Chennai, India in 1960. Both her parents were civil rights activists and graduate students when they met. But they split up when she was five-years-old. Her father, Donald Harris, was also an immigrant of Jamaican descent and taught economics at Stanford University. Harris and her father were not very close after her parents divorced.

She recalls that her mother instilled in her and her sister hard work and moral values that were life changing.

“If you don’t define yourself, people will try to define you,” her mother preached as one of her first rules. “Don’t let anyone tell you who you are. You tell them who you are.”

Harris’ mother passed away on February 11, 2009. She was a scientist and a renowned Breast Cancer awareness expert and advocate. She worked at the UC-Berkeley Center for Research and Education on Aging where she conducted studies on how to cure breast cancer. Harris and the rest of her family view her as one of the most influential people in their lives and credit her for a lot of their motivation and strength.

Harris was born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley and Canada. She grew up in a predominately black neighborhood in the Berkeley flats. Here, she witnessed what people go through when faced with hard economic conditions that breed drugs, violence and a feeling of “no way out.”

“I attended Thousand Oaks Elementary School, and was part of the second class after the integration of Berkeley’s public schools in 1970,” says Harris.

Kamala and her sister went to public schools and they also both went into a similar profession, each dealing with law. Maya Harris, Kamala’s younger sister by two years is the former executive director of the Northern California ACLU’s Racial Justice Project, and is currently the Vice President of the Peace and Social Justice Program for the Ford Foundation in New York City.

According to her mother, Harris and her sister are well versed in Hindu traditions and mythology that can possibly be the reason they went into law. The Hindu belief system is based heavily upon law, especially in her mother’s caste of Brahmin (there are three other castes). In India, Brahmin, are usually priests, educators, scholars and preachers.

“My sister and I were raised with a very clear understanding of the history of community and the history of our ancestors,” she says with strong conviction. “It’s a matter of being taught your history and being proud of your history and being raised among people who are equally proud.”

“I feel that I’ve had a very rich life,” said Harris. “Because identity has frankly never been a problem for me.” Realizing herself as a person of mixed race in the predominately black community of Oakland, also known as the home of the Black Panthers, Harris says the community was close knit in the sense that “they wanted to know what was going on up and down their block.

Even though the area she lived in was not rich in finances, she realized that these folks had something that money or the most expensive education could not buy: awareness.

“Safety was among the most important civil rights issues people faced,” she noticed. “Women, immigrants, poor people and the homeless were usually the ones who were most vulnerable.”

As a student at Howard, the historically black university in Washington DC, Harris would spend weekends protesting South Africa’s apartheid. After moving on to Law School back in San Francisco at University of California – Hastings College of the Law, she became president of the Black Law Students’ Association and volunteered for Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1988. Her and Jackson have collaborated in the past to work towards defeating the Tiahrt Amendment calling for safer gun laws and eliminating mortgage scams by setting up a Mortgage and Investment Fraud Unit in the DAs Office.

Harris says that one of her fondest memories was at her graduation from UC – Hastings College of the Law. “My first grade teacher, Mrs. Frances Wilson, was in the audience. It was, and remains clear to me, that I would not have made it there without her and the other people in my life who convinced me at a young age to embrace and celebrate my education.”

After graduating Law school she accepted a position as Deputy District Attorney in the Alameda DAs office. From 1990 to 1998, she specialized in child sexual assault, homicide and cases dealing with robbery.

Terrence Hallinan, then DA of San Francisco, took notice of Harris’ potential when he witnessed how she worked the courtroom during a serious robbery case against a famed San Francisco attorney Tony Serra. “She was very articulate in handling the case against Serra,” remembers Hallinan.

When Harris came to work with Hallinan they got along just fine until they had a falling out. Harris says its because he was running his office inefficiently and his low conviction rate. Hallinan says that she was resentful because he replaced his chief assistant with his friend Darrel Salomon and not her. Hallinan saw it as a power struggle. She ended up having a sit in to protest Hallinan in the San Francisco DAs office. Hallinan was no stranger to sit-ins. He organized plenty in his day – to end discrimination against black employees at companies like the Sheraton Hotel, Mel’s Drive-In and a Van Ness Cadillac car dealership. “She alerted all of the news stations,” said a perplexed Hallinan. “I don’t know why she couldn’t talk to me first. She was pretty bitter.”

Harris described the office under Hallinan as “chaotic,” and in and earlier article she said there “was a huge dysfunction in the office.”

Hallinan still feels that Darrel Salomon is a smart man, “he was just not a people person.” In this moment, Harris showed that she would not let anyone get in the way of her fierce devotion to her career. This may be the reason that she has such a frequently turbulent love life. She is known to have been in a relationship with former Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown; and Phil Bronstein, former editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle who has been married to actress Sharon Stone. She received a lot of flack for these relationships from Hallinan, especially.

Hallinan is a champion for medical marijuana rights. During his time in office he tried to hold then police Chief Fagan’s son and two other off duty police accountable for beating up a man outside of a bar when he refused to give up his fajita. The case got really slippery when Hallinan said that he would clear the victims record so his case would have more credibility. This case is better known as “Fajita Gate.”

“I’m happy because Kamala carried on a lot of my policies,” such as his stance on medical marijuana, the death penalty and three strikes only for violent crimes. “She said she was going to do the same things I did but better.”
Hallinan has since retreated to Petaluma where he works for a private litigation firm with his son and is a staunch supporter of medical marijuana. Harris ended up running for DA again for a second term and went uncontested.

She lays down the iron fist and then completely mystifies you with quotes like this: “When it comes to crime, I don’t want to be soft or tough, I want to be smart. The law fundamentally gives a voice to the voiceless.”

Harris even has a book trumpeting her new coinage: “Smart On Crime, A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer.” In her book she speaks on how to reduce crime levels by reducing recidivism and the appropriate punishments for offenders. She believes that violent offenders should be locked up but when it comes to nonviolent offenses she feels that prison is not the place for them.

One of the issues that she has advocated for the most is recidivism. She sees this as one of the biggest problems facing the prison system and she offers ways to stop the cycle of ex-offenders being recycled back into the prison system.

Harris’ “Back On Track” Program funds reentry services for young adult non-violent drug offenders who are facing a felony conviction. “The war on drugs was a failure,” said Harris. She wants to make it right by bringing the “passion from the streets to the courtroom.”

The program offers a chance for the offender to make a smooth transition from prison back into the workforce through education and obtaining a GED, employment support services and healthcare. Preference is given to parents of young children and once they are admitted into the program they can choose from many programs such as childcare, anger management and tutoring. According to the DA’s office fewer than 10% have reoffended compared to a 54% statewide average recidivism rate.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently signed the SF model into legislation as Assembly Bill 750. He says that he wants to encourage other counties to adopt the model that Harris created four years ago. Harris might be more motivated than most to break the cycle of crime and rogues preying on the disadvantaged because she saw it first-hand growing up.

“If you want to believe the stereotype of who we are, one would think that we don’t want people to go to jail. Well the reality of it is this,” she began in defense that all San Franciscans are a bunch of dazed and confused liberal lefties. “ We all want to make sure that the weak among us are given a voice, are given support and that the people who take advantage of them face the appropriate consequences.”

Harris has come under fire in the past because illegal immigrants went through her reentry program and were not deported back to their country of origin after their first criminal offense. In one of the cases, an illegal immigrant attacked a woman in upscale Pacific Heights, attempted to take her purse and then tried to run her over. It turned out that the offender, Alexander Izaguirre, went through the DA’s Reentry program. Since he had completed the program his record for selling cocaine in the Tenderloin was to be exonerated.

“It is not our job to find out if the people we prosecute are immigrants or not. We leave that up to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Juvenile Probation Center to find that out. What we do here is prosecute the cases, we are blind to immigration status of the people we prosecute unless we are notified otherwise,” said Russ Giuntini, Chief Assistant DA of San Francisco (AKA) Harris’ #2.

One of the things that Harris will have to leave behind, if she wants to be elected, is her current personal philosophy on the death penalty. Harris’ belief on the death penalty, which she believes is ‘flawed,’ has gotten her into some trouble in the past. Not once but twice.

During her first few months as DA, a 21-year-old African American male gunned down Police officer Isaac Espinoza in a shooting match in Bayview. On April 14, days before Espinoza was laid to rest, Harris announced at a press conference that she would not seek the death penalty. This left the San Francisco Police Department devastated and is said to have left a huge rift between the relationship of the DAs office and the SFPD. This may have since dissipated because Officers for Justice, which is comprised of mostly African American cops in San Francisco, are now endorsing her, along with SF Chief of Police Gascon and LAPD Chief Bratton.

“I am personally opposed to the death penalty but as Attorney General, I will uphold the law,” she said. “This is the same position that the current AG holds as well as four of the last nine AGs in the state of California,” added Brokaw, her campaign manager.

She is also not going to pursue the death penalty in a more recent case involving a gang member who killed a father and his two sons. The gang member is an undocumented immigrant and has caused the national spotlight to be put on San Francisco’s “Sanctuary City” policies.

Although San Francisco is known as a sanctuary city Harris agreed to not let “illegal’s” into the program anymore. The term “sanctuary city has taken on a different definition than was intended in the 80s. The main issue is San Francisco’s City of Refuge ordinance, adopted in 1989 as part of a national sanctuary movement intended to help Central Americans flee civil war in their country. After Bush’s proposal to build a fence to stop Mexicans from coming into the US the ordinance lost its initial meaning. The current definition of a sanctuary city is basically a city that harbors immigrants and it is raising concerns because of the number of undocumented immigrants who are committing crimes.

In response to undocumented immigrants Mayor Gavin Newsom has put into effect a statute that requires the police to report to ICE whenever they arrest a juvenile on felony charges that they suspect is undocumented. This has caused a lot of unrest for the immigrant population but Newsom said that he is sticking to his guns. This has pitted the board of supervisors against Newsom. The Board signed into approval a measure that would keep the city from turning over youth to ICE.

“The crime rate by illegals is enormous,” said Kenneth Walsh, associate director at San Francisco State University’s Criminal Justice Department. “We don’t have the resources to protect undocumented people who commit crime. We have enough homegrown crime.”

“As the AG she will have to execute the people’s will and it will set a bad precedent if she only wants to enforce her own personal philosophies,” said Walsh, when referring to her stance against the death penalty and its effect on San Francisco’s sanctuary city policies.

California has been served with a mandate to release 40,000 inmates to relieve the prison overpopulation problem. Harris says that she wants to ensure that prisoners transition into law-abiding citizens. Through “preparing nonviolent former offenders for entry into apprenticeships in multiple industries,” Harris says the prison overpopulation will be greatly reduced.
California has the most prisoners than any state in the country, 316,229 to be exact, over twice the maximum capacity according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“We live in a state that would rather spend money keeping someone in prison than sending a child to college,” said Tammy Johnson, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Applied Research Center based in Oakland, California. California spends $49,000 a year to keep a prisoner in the system when it costs $14,000 on average to send a child to a California university.

Johnson is an advocate for racially equitable public policy practices with a history in community organizing. She suggested a comparison between a white woman getting addicted and overdosing on her meds and a black person in the flatlands of Oakland with a drug addiction. The black man is usually the one who will get criminalized and the white woman will get medical rehabilitation, she explained.

“Both of those people need the help in terms of their addiction,” Johnson said. “They need medical and psychological treatment, they do not need to be criminalized. Until we begin to grapple with this issue, we will continue to see our prisons overpopulate.”

According to the DA’s office, there is a strong connection between truancy and crime. Researchers have estimated that an increase of 10 percentage points in graduation rates would cut murders and assaults by 20%. Let’s be as shocked as we are about a child not going to school, as we are when a crime is committed, she says.

The DA has successfully implanted her Anti-Truancy work into the San Francisco school district. According to the DA’s office, San Francisco’s school systems have lost as much as $10 million annually in attendance based state revenues.

Early results indicate that truancy is falling because of her program. At an elementary school the number of chronic truants shrunk 75% (from 20 to five). At a high school, overall attendance improved 40 percent among the 100 truant students in the DA office’s mediation. So far the DAs Office, in collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District, have held 75 one-on-one conferences with parents. School district officials along with prosecutors held numerous face-to-face meetings, made phone calls and sent letters home.

If the parents still fail to send their children to school then they may face a fine of up to $2,500. “What if we don’t have enough money to send our children to school?” Is the question on some of the parents’ minds.

Keith Choy, Director of the Stay-In-School Coalition and part of the San Francisco Unified School District, says that the $2,500 is the last resort.

“Kujichagulia” which means self-determination in the African language, Swahili were her opening remarks to the graduating class of “Changing the Odds,” summer 2009 program. The graduates, ages 16-24, mostly black and Latino were dressed in their black cap and gowns on stage looking out at their family, friends, and professionals who claim that they “would put their life on the line for these kids.” All of the students, of which ninety percent are in foster care and fifty percent young mothers, were non-violent offenders and were in the criminal justice system for petty theft and small run ins with the police.

“Its not about where you start in life,” advised DA Harris. “Its where you finish. Keep your eyes on the prize.”

“Changing the Odds” reentry program was created by Kamala Harris, in collaboration with New America Media and Youth Outlook Magazine (YO!), along with Bay Area activists. Twelve students who were in an applicant pool of over 200, were chosen to participate. For 10-weeks the students received state of the art training in Final Cut Pro and Dream Weaver and produced over 50 multimedia projects. The published work focused on events and issues going on in their community such as immigration, healthcare and relationships.

The people who have the most to lose to crime are people of color. “We need to give them a skill that’s going to keep them off the corner.”

Changing the Odds Summer Internship 2009 from New America Media on Vimeo.

Lateefah Simon, is the Executive Director of the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights of San Francisco. She also led the Reentry Division at San Francisco’s DAs office and worked with Harris to make their model a national example. Their model has helped reduce the recidivism rate for the population it serves. “

The class Valedictorian, Amanze Emenike, 23, said he is thankful that Kamala cares about them. “She’s from the community that I am from so she knows who are and what we go through.”

According to Albert Felipe, Back on Track Graduate Service Component Program Coordinator, there are no other DA’s who are doing the kind of grassroots work that Harris is doing. These programs do not use government money, they are all privately funded by donations,

Kamala is said to be receiving more endorsements than any other candidate running for AG. In the Bay Area alone and within one month, Kamala Harris was able to raise more than $43,000. Jerry Brown is said to have amassed over $7 million for his AG campaign. Most of Harris’ endorsements are friends of Obama’s campaign either as significant donors or as fundraisers.

Her two major opponents, based on how much money they are fundraising, are Alberto Torrico, California State Assembly member who is working towards taxing big oil to fund education. He entered the race in the beginning of February and has raised close to $1 million. According to the Oakland Tribune the whole race could cost $5 million or more. And Rocky Delgadillo who is the former City Attorney of Los Angeles has raised $935, 624. Tom Harman, serving on the State Senate, is the only Republican running thus far and he has made $429,067.

Overall, in her campaign for Attorney General, she has raised more than any other republican or democrat who is running for the seat, over $1.3 million. More than 2,400 donors have contributed to her campaign and more than $500,000 was raised online.

The organizer for the Facebook website is Kamala Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, who has worked for AG opponent, Chris Kelly, in the past and knows all of the Facebook secrets, such as posting videos and invitations in order to have high visibility. Meena Harris (born on the same day as Kamala), following her aunt and mother’s path, is in her first year at Harvard Law School. She said that her and “Boss Kelly” were able to keep things civil in the work place and they have a great relationship outside of the campaign. Harris gives all the credit to Meena Harris, who has contributed greatly to the “Buzz into Bucks” Campaign, referring to the “buzz” on social networking sites.

Speaking of “buzz,”, they call Harris the ‘female Barack Obama’ because of the biracial background and political trailblazing. She was a strong supporter of Barack during his campaign canvassing in Iowa all the way till the night of this election. She is known to fill in on the behalf of Obama for campaigns such as the Democratic National Convention. During this time she was able to make a lot of connections from people and organizations that would later come to support and endorse her.

“Harris’ and Obama’s friendship goes back several years,” said Tony West, Harris’ brother-in-law and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division in the White House Justice Department. “He has always viewed her as a friend and has looked to her for support and advice. I expect their friendship will continue.”

West went on to stress the importance that a state that is as diverse as California needs to reflect that diversity in its political chairs in order to convey its cultural heritage.

You can definitely see that diversity in Harris’ staff. Paul Henderson, Chief of Administration, in the DAs office prides himself as being one of the first gay black men in his position.

“Gay black men are victimized just as much as anyone else and it’s important that they are represented by people who look like them,” said Henderson who greets everyone that comes to the DAs office with a hug.

Brian Brokaw is Kamala Harris’ campaign manager says that fundraising is a big part of the campaign. He was the deputy communications director for Phil Angelides for Governor from 2004-2006. He has also worked as an aide for John Edwards in the 2004 presidential elections.

Among her endorsers is LAPD Chief Bill Bratton. Brokaw said that was “about as big a law enforcement endorsement that you can receive in a race like this.”

“Bill Bratton’s endorsement is a big boost for DA Harris because he is one of the most respected law enforcement officials in the state, if not the country,” stated San Francisco Police Commission member and Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice, David Onek.

She has also been endorsed by San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon, which goes to show that her relations with the police department have been bridged. I believe that Kamala Harris’ ‘smart on crime approach, with its proven track record in San Francisco, is what California needs to get tough and smart on crime, said Gascon.

“I hear she is going to get here early,” said one of the young professionals at the evening mixer. “She usually gets here toward the end of things. It should be interesting to see how long she stays.”

DA Harris came after everyone had arrived and left before everyone left. There were over 50 out of about 90 members who turned out at the event for the finance committee, also known as the Young Professionals for Kamala Harris.

The mixer took place at Mr. in the Financial District, a Barbershop and lounge fully equipped with alcoholic beverages for the competitive businessperson’s choice. Two African American students from Stanford University started the barbershop in 2007 for the urban professional. Former Mayor and Harris’ ex-lover, Willie Brown, frequents this barbershop as well.

“I want to thank you for all of the phone calls and emails,” said Harris in regards to fundraising. “You did whatever you had to do legally or illegally!”

Lucky for Harris, there is no spending cap on how much you can spend on a statewide election. Back in 2003, during her run for DA against Hallinan, she far exceeded the city’s cap without notifying the city’s Ethics Commission, which resulted in a hefty fine and being forced to place ads in local newspapers notifying the public of her mistake. Although Harris allowed for her humor to shine through, the atmosphere was competitive. “I already raised my $2,500. How much have you raised,” asked one of the professionals to the woman standing by him. The Young Professionals are made up of young doctors, lawyers, public officials, and students. Not only are they in the Bay Area, they are in Southern California as well.

The Young Professionals, also known as the finance committee, is an all-volunteer committee who have committed to raising $2,500 by June 2010, which is when the final elections will take place.

Celebrity supporters looking for things to pour their money into have taken a liking to Kamala Harris who is not too shabby on the “Hollywood looks” herself. She is smart and attractive and she blends right into the elite social circle of Brentwood and the Hollywood Hills. Lisa Ling has hosted fundraisers focusing on the Asian Pacific Islander community among many other big spenders in Southern California. Harris has also caught the wallet of San Francisco’s Sean Penn as well.

“The work of being California’s Attorney General, to a certain extant, will be a continuation of the work I have been doing for twenty years as a prosecutor,” says Harris.

An Italian Proverb says: “At the end of the game the king and the pawn go back into the same box.” But at this point there is still a big question mark on who is going where and who will check whom? There are a number of contingencies in the California Democratic race for Attorney General. Jerry Brown will only run for Governor if Diane Feinstein opts out. Harris has said that she would not run against Brown if he decides to keep his seat as AG even though she unseated former boss Hallinan.
“Everyone knows he [Jerry Brown] is going to run for governor,” commented Brokaw.

But does everyone really know that? Mayor Gavin Newsom has already dropped out of the race for Governor so who is to say that Harris might not fall into the same box with him? Jerry Brown has put together an “exploratory committee” that will test the waters to access if he has a chance of winning the race. He has yet to announce, officially, that he is running for Governor. Although Brown has served two consecutive terms as California’s governor already he will be allowed to seek a third term because term limits provisions approved by California voters in 1990 passed after he left office in 1982.

He is said to be both raising money for a reelection bid as California’s top cop and actively courting a run for governor. “It’s just too early to tell,” says Barbara O’Connor, Professor of Communications at Sacramento State University. The race elections will not take place until about a year from now.

Dianne Feinstein, 76, says that she might run for Governor and if she does then everyone’s plans will be thrown off track. O’Connor has reason to believe that Feinstein will run for Governor.

“I believe that Jerry Brown is doing good work and if he decides to continue on as attorney general I will not challenge him,” said Harris to KGO/ABC TV.

If she becomes California Attorney General and implements programs like “Back On Track” Reentry, she will absolutely have a positive impact on the prison system, said Keith Kamisugi, Director of Communications at the Equal Justice Society. EJS is a San Francisco based strategy group heightening consciousness on race in the law and popular discourse.

Recently, Harris won an environmental and hazardous waste case against U-Haul. She collaborated with Jerry Brown along with seven other DAs and settled the case after U-Haul agreed to pay $2 million and also agreed to inspect its hazardous waste on a weekly basis to make sure they are not exceeding their waste limit.

Kamala says she is superstitious and doesn’t think too far ahead. “What’s important to me is to do what I’m doing now and do that well,” said Harris when asked about her future aspirations, which can be based on how Brown and Feinstein move. “If everything works out perhaps other opportunities will present themselves.”

Tune into the History Channel Tonight @ 8/7C

2009-12-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

THE PEOPLE SPEAK

The History Channel is getting more and more risqué

The hip-hop “Generation Next” vanguard, Lupe Fiasco, never ceases to amaze me with his prophetic lyrics that protest to little black girls to get a passport (“Paris, Tokyo” – Remix) and also warns little boys that the pop music that they are listening to is dumbing them down (“Dumb it Down”).

What he is claiming is even more amazing is a new documentary that he is featured in called The People Speak. Voicing the speech from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party “The War on Vietnam” and performing his song “American Terrorist,” Fiasco helps us to remember to speak out against injustice because movements stem from everyday people.

“Close your mind/Close your eyes/See with your heart/How do you forgive the murderer of your father?/The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr”

Lupe has recently finished up his college tour where he participated in Q&A’s and a gave a sneak preview of what to expect in the film. Other people who participated in the tour were Matt Damon and Howard Zinn who wrote the book that the inspired the film.

The star-studded documentary is slated to premiere on the History Channel Sunday December 13 at 8pm/7pm central.
Hollywood activists such as Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle, Danny Glover, Jasmine Guy, John Legend, Marisa Tomei and many more will be performing letters, diaries and speeches of historical figures at historical pivotal moments in American society. With such a sensational cast one would think that the message is just sensational but it is really quite enlightening.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport” is the motto of the documentary that was inspired by Howard Zinn’s best selling books, A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History.

I definitely welcome the History Channel’s tenacity of questioning the government’s intentions. They recently aired a UFO Hunter’s episode citing that “Men in Black” have been conspiring against people who have claimed to see UFOs and they have questioned the government’s reluctance to speak about life on other planets and citings here on earth.

With Obama sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, struggling with healthcare and overlooking protests that are going on right outside of the white house, this documentary couldn’t have come at a better time. Obama is not going to be able to run this country without positive feedback from the community. This is a call to all people to speak out and participate in our democracy because if we don’t then nothing will get done.

2009-11-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Community Demands Emergency Hearings

2009-11-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hunter's Point community voiced their concerns about their health and environment

One after another, concerned citizens approached the podium at the San Francisco City Hall Legislative Chamber to voice solidarity with the Bay View Hunter’s Point District in support of justice.

Close to 500 people from all over the Bay Area spilled out into the North Light Court of the city hall on September 15, 2009 at the Board of Supervisors meeting that took place on the second floor chambers. They were there to address a number of issues that plague communities of color, the Bay View in particular.

“Why do you ignore the obvious,” asked Fulu Tuiasosopo, a representative of the Samoan community, addressing Lennar and its relation to the asbestos exposure at Parcel A, of the Hunter’s Point Shipyard. “All you’re doing is delaying the dilemma until new people [with money] move in.”

The residents of Bay View Hunter’s Point believe that they were contaminated by asbestos containing rock that was drilled up by the developer, Lennar Corporation. The residents of Bayview Hunter’s Point in San Francisco, California are exposed to a large amount of toxic waste everyday. The residents have reported that their children are having a hard time breathing and their eyes turned blood shot red during the three month period that Lennar said that their monitors were broken. The dust was so thick from the drilling that you could see it in the air, BVHP witnesses said.

According to the community, Lennar has proven difficult to regulate or to hold accountable at “Parcel A” in BVHP. From April 2007 to August 2007, Lennar, which is a contractor that builds houses, reported that their systems “stopped working” and they were unable to report the levels of asbestos that the people in that area were exposed to. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) fined Lennar $515,000. This money has yet to be given to the people of BVHP.

“I have seen people get nose bleeds out of no where,” said Tuiasosopo. “People are getting cancer and they don’t know why.”

Fulu Tuiasosopo brought his 20-year-old son, Denton Tuiasosopo, to the Supervisors’ meeting so he could be educated on the issues that people in BVHP community are facing.

“I see the violence and poverty, and the war on drugs is not the answer,” Denton said. “It’s an economics issue. How are people supposed to get money if there are no jobs?”

One of the main organizing forces behind the convergence that took place at the city hall is the Nation of Islam’s local chapter in San Francisco, headed by Minister Christopher Muhammad. They are calling their movement “Caravan for Justice” and people from different parts of the world are getting involved. The Caravan for Justice has established many connections with other organizations that are geared toward education, social justice and civil rights issues. They have lobbied at SF City Hall and Sacramento Capitol building as well as held weekly town hall meetings in various places in the Bay Area. The meetings started taking off at the beginning of the year after Oscar Grant’s death at the West Oakland BART station.

“It takes the hood to save the hood,” were the words that were written on the backs of the many United Playaz’ t-shirts who were in attendance.

“We are organizing to save the hood,” stated Rudy Valentino, the founding director of United Playaz. “If we don’t stand up for our community, who will?”

United Playaz is a violence prevention and youth-led leadership program that works with San Francisco youth through outreach programs and has been around for 15 years.

E’Dreana Black, 21, was a student at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School when she was introduced to UP. After her graduation in 2006, she decided to stay with UP and she is now working with the organization as a Psychology Coordinator and conflict mediator.

“Now, I really understand the value of education,” she said. “There are students who come over here from different countries and dominate in our classes. I think its time that my community step up and take advantage too.”

After waiting to hear the different agendas on property taxes and environmental findings that the Board of Supervisors had to discuss for almost two hours, the people of the community were able to speak. They were each given two minutes to speak, some spoke beyond that point.

Minister Christopher Muhammad was among one of the first to address the Board of Supervisors. President David Chiu had to restore order after the crowd raised and applauded.

“I think that at a certain point this community is going to need some emergency hearings,” said Minister Christopher Muhammad. “Men are being criminalized, families are being evicted and policies coming straight from this city hall are running gentrification programs all over Northern California.”

Shawna Sanchagrin, 25, program coordinator of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners expressed her solidarity with the Bay View. She expressed her concern that the number of black women in prison is on the rise. According to the Drug Policy Alliance Network, the problem of women in prison is directly tied to current U.S. drug policy. The Bureau of Prisons reports that almost 80% of the female populations being incarcerated are serving time for drug related offenses. She said that she was concerned about the impact that this statistic is having on the black community.

Jaron Browne from POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights) was in attendance at the meeting as well. He expressed their concern about California Senate Bill 792, a bill state Sen. Mark Leno introduced that would allow the state of California to sell 42 acres of state parkland on the shoreline at Candlestick Point in Bay View Hunter’s Point for private condominium development. She believes Lennar represents “corporate greed.”

“We want to make sure that Lennar delivers on their promises,” Browne asked. “They’ve had a poor practice of engaging the Bay View community.”

The Chinese Progressive Association, an organization that caters to low-income Chinese immigrants, announced solidarity as well.

“The Bayview has the highest asthma rates in the city,” said the representative of CPA. “All while having the least amount of access to healthcare, hospitals and health clinics.”

“My cousin died of cancer and my uncle died a couple days later,” said Lonnie Mason. “I feel that I’ve paid for that dirt up there.”

Back in the 2000 citywide elections, Proposition P was the largest vote getters on the ballot. The mandate that over 200,000 San Franciscans voted in favor of demanded the navy to clean up the shipyard in BVHP.

The shipyard was closed in 1974. The land has since been divided into six parcels. Prop. P stated that San Franciscans want no compromise on health concerns for residents of the surrounding BVHP district and future residents and workers of the shipyard. Proponents note that Bayview residents are afflicted with the highest levels of cancer, respiratory diseases and other illnesses in San Francisco such as headaches, nosebleeds, and stillbirths.

Lennar was chosen by the city as its master developer for the redevelopment of San Francisco. Lennar, a Miami-based housing corporation has different housing projects all over the country and is one of the largest home developers in the country. Reports have shown that Lennar has suffered financially from a number of homes going unsold which may make future ventures harder to accomplish.

During the testimony single mother and author, Neessee Joshua, 31-year Bayview resident, approached the podium and began to address Sophie Maxwell who is the supervisor of the Bayview District.

“Please refrain from addressing a member of the board directly,” asked President Chiu while pounding the gavel.

The woman said that Maxwell never “had her back." There was an outbreak of about 12 people between the city hall security and representatives from the community after one of the sheriff police tried to restrain Joshua who refused to leave the podium and continued speaking her agenda. Sophie Maxwell intervened and asked President Chiu’s permission for the woman to finish.

Sophie Maxwell responded to the heated situation by stating that she did not take Joshua’s comments personally.

“There are a lot of changes taking place and the people in Bay View need to get themselves prepared,” said Maxwell after the testimonials. “My main concerns for my district are economic development and to have a healthy, clean environment.”

Michelle Obama Highlights Hooping Culture

2009-11-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

Michelle Obama, the youngest first lady since 31-year-old Jacqueline Kennedy, is 45 and America’s new embodiment of health and femininity. Obama was photographed hula hooping on the White House South Lawn to promote physical fitness at the Healthy Kids Fair last week. She also double-dutched and completed an obstacle course.

“Hooping is a strong symbol of health and power,” said Cressie Mae Akin, 22, a hooping enthusiast and freelance hoopmaker. “Some people think that it’s just a toy from childhood, but it’s so much more.”

Akin has been hooping as long as she can remember and notes the growing popularity of the holistic art form.

“The pill hype has died down and I see that women are tired of dieting,” says Akin. "Fitness is definitely a more logical approach.”

Hooping is known to strengthen and tone your core, improve balance, provide a cardio workout, and build self-esteem. For women, it’s hard to not feel good about yourself while hooping because your natural beauty really shines through, said Akin.

Akin discovered the hooping community while taking a circus course in her hometown of Brewster, N.Y. She discovered a very supportive network of hoopers, who she says range from circus hippies to mothers to students, teachers and fashion designers.

“Hooping is addictive,” said Akin. “I liked it so much that I started ordering supplies to make my own.”

Akin’s hoops are decked in colorful tapes that range in color and style. In addition to her glittery purple, white, and silver hoops, she has one that is reggae-inspired (black, yellow, red and green). She also makes pairs of hoops that can be used by the arms, which are thinner and smaller.

She plans on organizing hoop-making sessions where she will invite a group of prospective hoopmakers over to teach them how to build original hoops of their own.

The poly tubing usually used for irrigation is ideal for hula-hoops, says Akin. Tubing usually comes in 100-foot coils, and can be found at irrigation supply stores, and at some Home Depot and Lowe’s retailers. Prices range from $15-$25 per 100 feet, enough to make eight hoops. You connect the hoops by fusing them together using heat from a blow dryer or hot water and then adding a “connector” made of plastic. Hoop makers also use tape to add candy-cane-like stripes, and the tape can be ordered from a website called identi-tape.com.

Other forms of hoops are known as fire hoops, where fire is vented from a number of holes in the tube and the LED (Light Emitting Diode) hoop - a hoop that emits bright fluorescent color lights that is visually stunning to the viewer.

Hoops can also be made from metal, wood or vines. In ancient Egypt, over 3,000 years ago, children would fashion circles made from dried grape vines, swing them around their waists, roll them on the ground and toss them to each other. There is also a Native American hoop dance known for storytelling, used in a festival that takes place every year.

A growing subculture of hula hoopers is expanding in range and popularity. Some hoopers have adopted a hooping dance form, which interprets forms of rhythmic gymnastics, hip-hop, freestyle dance, fire dance, twirling and other dance and movement forms. A feature documentary, called The Hooping Life, consists of intimate video blogs by hoopers (they also call themselves hoop-dancers), who claim that the art form has saved their life. A hippie jam band, String Cheese Incident, throws hoops out into the crowd at their shows. Even the virtual world game system, Wii Fit, has hopped on the hooping bandwagon, and some at-risk youth are using them along with fitness gurus and modern circus dancers.

“Once you learn how to make your own hoop it’s going to be with you for life,” said Akin. “Its like your own personal dance partner.”

Speaking Out on the Issue of "Rape"

2009-10-29T02:16:00.000-07:00

The rape that occurred in the city of Richmond is a wake up call to society as a whole. The fact that there were at least 20 bystanders watching and laughing while this 15-year-old girl was getting assaulted at her homecoming dance is pitiful.
It is a call to the Richmond Unified School District as well as to all school districts that rape is not just a problem that happens on college campuses. It happens to high school students and to students who are still in middle schools and even elementary schools. I have no doubt in my mind that these children had the worst sexual education a school could give. The best way to make students aware of sex, rape, and other issues is not to keep silent. The best ways to address these issues is to speak about it.

All too often issues like rape are kept secret while children are struggling to understand and trying to grapple with the thoughts or experiences that they are going through. I blame these rapes on the adults in our society.
I began to understand how crucial sex education is after watching the documentary, No! It was a documentary by Aisha Simmons who was a rape and incest survivor. The documentary confronted rape in the black community and the stigma that was associated with victims of rape crimes. The statistics stated that one in three women would be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. The documentary also brought to light that people of the same race as the victim commit rapes and the victims are usually silent.

Rape survivors and activists were the main people who were interviewed in the documentary so they were able to offer a framework behind why rape happens. One of the women said that rape is a “community based issue.” The fact is that children that commit acts of rape know very little about sex. And most of these children and minors have misconstrued assumptions about a female’s right to say no.

“Why are we silent about one of the most barbaric, intensely painful, ultimately destructive acts that any community can endure?” Asked Johnetta B. Cole, Ph.D, and former president at the Bennett College for Women in North Carolina.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) 44% of rapes happen to minors.
The fact that most rapes go unreported does not mean that the victim’s suffering do not exist. The psychological effects of rape are real and they need to be addressed because victims of rape are three times more likely to suffer from depression and are 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.

What we need is visible support in our communities. Rape awareness needs to be advocated more in sexual education classes and sexual education needs to be addressed in the home. While rape and sex may be very uncomfortable things to talk about they need to be addressed or we are going to have a generation of youngsters who know nothing about sex or rape and despite their ignorance they are still going to be pressured by obscene images on the television screen.