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Stand up! Fight back! Surviving police attack on Occupy Oakland

Mary — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:57:42 +0000

A statement from Occupy Oakland’s Move-In Assembly

To the Occupy Oakland family and all supporters of Occupy Oakland:

Over a thousand celebratory marchers expecting to move in and make a home out of the shuttered convention center were protected from hostile militarized police only by the homemade shields carried by those at the head of the march. – Photo: Lucy Kafanov

We are writing in regards to any misconceptions you may have regarding last Saturday’s (Jan. 28) Move-In Day to reclaim the unused Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. We have had to brave a heavy campaign launched by the city and the mainstream media to discredit us, and unfortunately some within our ranks have taken such misrepresentations at face value. We hope that this statement can help clear things up.

We remember how beautiful we all were on our march, a diverse crowd of thousands coming together to turn an unused building into a social center and a new home for Occupy Oakland. We had a children’s brigade at the back and a line of shields in the front, and a celebratory crew of comrades in between. We should be emboldened that there are so many of us out there who are willing to take such action together and, like the General Strike and the Port Shutdown, see it as sign of what we can do when united in purpose and solidarity.

Yes, we were met with the heavy hand of the police state when OPD chose to turn our peaceful march into a war zone. But one fact that should not go unnoticed is the courage and resiliency we demonstrated on the streets that day. Whether it was advancing behind our shields towards a militarized police force, tearing down fences to escape a police kettle while being tear gassed, escaping through the YMCA to avoid arrest (thank you to whoever it was who let us in!), using a fire extinguisher as a smoke screen to assist the escape of those who were in City Hall, or attempting to free our comrades being transferred to the Glen Dyer Detention Facility, the people of Oakland showed what we are capable of and what we can become. Above all, we demonstrated to the city and its rogue police force that we will not be intimidated or scared by their tactics, when we know that we have each other’s backs.

Let it be clear: We are not victims of police brutality but survivors of it. There is no question that we demonstrated militant resistance to the police last Saturday. It is only natural to do so when our best intentions of creating a new world our met with such hostility. This time, the chant “When Oakland is under attack, what do you do? Stand up! Fight back!” was not an empty one. At the same time, it should also be clear that there is nothing preventing those who want to from organizing non-violent direct actions autonomously with clear guidelines as such. This is what we mean by diversity of tactics.

We recognize that there are communities who were affected in the neighborhoods where the conflicts with the police took place. We did outreach all over Oakland before the action and will continue to offer support and solidarity to those who might have been negatively affected or traumatized by the OPD’s inexcusable actions. What we saw in the streets of Oakland on the 28th was overwhelming support, whether it was bystanders bringing us water to wash off tear gas, waving and cheering us on, honking from their cars, or coming down from their apartments to join us. We experienced solidarity first hand rather than percentage points in a poll.

The OPD and the city claim that we are outsiders and that we are not from Oakland – even as 93 percent of OPD officers live outside Oakland. These lies are transparent to anyone who comes to our marches and assemblies and sees their friends and neighbors next to them. And those who came in solidarity last Saturday, from across and all around the Bay, from Dallas to Los Angeles, they are us and we are them. They are our comrades and no city press release can come between us. Our heart goes out to them and all the Occupies – over 26 at last count – who organized solidarity protests within 24 hours of the mass arrests on the 28th. We love you in the deepest meaning of the word.

The OPD and the city claim that we are outsiders and that we are not from Oakland – even as 93 percent of OPD officers live outside Oakland.

From its inception, Occupy Oakland has been about taking direct action and defending ourselves and what we reclaim to the best of our abilities. It has always been about people providing for each other and working to build radical alternatives to the patriarchal capitalist system, and it is in this spirit that we move forward together. No one comes from some “outside” in order to mess with our Oakland, other than the suburbanite riot police. We come from here and everywhere, and in our movement those who join us are all insiders, agitating together towards a better Oakland, a better world.

To be sure, many of us are frustrated about the tactical mistakes made throughout the day, and we have to learn from these as we advance. There are many questions and criticisms coming from our broader community, and we welcome your help in transforming these into better strategies for future actions. We have to learn how to take over buildings in an effective and intelligent manner. We have to learn how to move cohesively through the streets, to take offensive and defensive initiatives, to improve communication in highly charged situations.

Critiques are important but we want everyone to understand the difficulty in undertaking such an initiative in the face of such forceful police response. The state fears that one successful building takeover will lead to another. It has nightmares of whole blocks of vacant buildings put to use as social centers and nodes of resistance, inspiring those in other cities to do the same. Despite the knee-deep shit that the OPD is in right now, when it comes to challenging property relations, all bets are off and the leashes are cut.

The state fears that one successful building takeover will lead to another. It has nightmares of whole blocks of vacant buildings put to use as social centers and nodes of resistance, inspiring those in other cities to do the same.

We are dumbfounded by those who accuse us of working solely to create a spectacle, a confrontation with the police, or not being genuine in our stated goals. We are the same people who through the course of a month planned a two-day festival to launch our new home, collected and wheeled the many supplies to make it a comfortable and safe space, crafted well thought out guidelines of behavior and exclusion for inside the building to address the gendered violence we saw at the camp, and drew up defense strategies against police raids.

Occupiers eye their goal, the empty Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, and the line of militarized police preventing them from moving into it. – Photo: Dave Id, Indybay

Was it a gamble? Of course it was, just like setting up our camp at Oscar Grant Plaza on Oct. 10 or calling for a general strike with a week’s notice or shutting down the ports. Most every action we plan is filled with risks and unknown factors. Accuse us of naiveté if you must – and then join us in forging better actions – but do not accuse us of malice or hidden motivations.

As we continue to reflect on the actions of last Saturday, we need also to remember that many in our community are in pain and trauma, and we need each other’s support and care. More than 400 of us were imprisoned last weekend. Some of us have yet to be released, are facing trumped-up felony charges, or have been given unconstitutional stay-away orders.

The abuse we faced behind bars needs to be told and retold, as it not only shows yet another side of the repression of dissent but the everyday brutality of the prison industrial complex on all prisoners. What has not been sufficiently recounted is the solidarity we experienced with each other within the walls and cells designed to separate and isolate us. When we came out of Santa Rita, we did not want to go home but joined the dozens of comrades outside waiting for the rest of us, cheering each releasee, feeding them and nourishing them with food and comfort.

But much more importantly, the time we spent on the inside was a stark reminder of what and why we are fighting. Across the world millions of prisoners languish in prison; in California alone there are nearly 200,000 prisoners, overwhelmingly people of color, as a result of the institutionalized racism of the justice system. In Santa Rita we met some of these inmates who gave us words of support and encouragement. When we converge outside of San Quentin on Feb. 20 for our Occupy in Support of Prisoners action, we will have those prisoners in our hearts.

The time we spent on the inside was a stark reminder of what and why we are fighting. In California there are nearly 200,000 prisoners, overwhelmingly people of color, as a result of the institutionalized racism of the justice system. In Santa Rita we met some of these inmates who gave us words of support and encouragement. When we converge outside of San Quentin on Feb. 20 for our Occupy in Support of Prisoners action, we will have those prisoners in our hearts.

The broader Occupy Oakland community needs to know that we are not finished and that we continue to plan for future building reclamations and other actions. We realize that we have a way to go and need to continue outreach, build and repair bridges, and expand our movement, which after all is always a beautiful work in progress. We welcome your feedback and constructive criticisms as we learn from our missteps and move forward together. Please come and join us!

With love, vigilance, and solidarity,

The Occupy Oakland Move-in Assembly

The Move-In Assembly was created on Dec. 24, following a proposal passed at Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly. It has been holding open assemblies of approximately 80 people twice a week since Dec. 28. Learn more at Occupy Oakland Move-In Day, where this story first appeared.

Right outside this stadium, police are killing our children

Mary — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:22:21 +0000

Interview with Denika Chatman, mother of SFPD murder victim Kenneth Harding, broadcast on KPFA’s Morning Mix/ Block Report on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 8 a.m.

The Morning Mix with JR – January 18, 2012 at 8:00am

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by Minister of Information JR

Minister of Information JR describes this very special concert as a Winter Jam. Don't miss it. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets $12.

Today, we will be talking about the unjustified murder of unarmed young Black man Kenneth Harding in San Francisco and the upcoming protest in San Francisco this Sunday [Jan. 22]. We need to address these unjustified police murders of unarmed people in Black communities all over the United States.

Our next guest is the mother of Kenneth Harding, 19-year-old unarmed Black man who was shot in mid-July [2011] over a $2 dollar bus transfer by the San Francisco Police Department. We have his mother live in the studio today. Her name is Denika Chatman.

M.O.I. JR: How are you, Miss Denika?

Denika Chatman: I’m good. Thank you for asking.

M.O.I. JR: Can you tell the people a little bit about your son, Kenneth Harding? Who was Kenneth Harding before he was murdered by the San Francisco Police Department in such an atrocious way?

Denika Chatman: My son was very filled with life. He was the life of the party. He could go anywhere and fit in. He loved life. And he was a college student, set to start college last fall. He was an entertainer. He was out here [in the S.F. Bay Area] trying to get his music out. And he was very family oriented. He loved his mother. He loved his brother. He loved his sister. And he loved the Lord.

M.O.I. JR: Can you tell the people a little bit about what happened in the middle of July.

Denika Chatman: Yes. My son, Kenny, he was on a T-train in San Francisco, Muni transit. And the police pretty much racially profiled him, approached him, asked him to supply proof of purchase of transfer for being on the train. And when he didn’t supply it, they removed him from the train where at that time he just had sat for a moment and then he took off running. And while he was running, he was running with his hands up.

And they still shot him down and allowed him to lay in the streets for over 28 minutes while he bled out and died. They wouldn’t allow the paramedics through to try to help him.

And, basically, I feel like he was ambushed because they came at him from two different directions over a $2 transit fare.

M.O.I. JR: I just want to put it out there that this is on YouTube. They can put Kenneth Harding into YouTube and this will come up.

Denika Chatman: That is correct. There was over 150 people out there that day. So, everybody pulled out their phones and started recording. And that’s why there are so many videos of my son’s death on there.

To raise awareness of police murders and demand justice for Kenneth Harding Jr., murdered by SFPD on July 16, 2011, protesters braved the rain Jan. 22, 2012, to march from the heart of Hunters Point at Third Street and Oakdale, where Kenny bled to death, to Candlestick Park as fans were arriving for the 49ers’ playoff with the New York Giants. – Photo: Kilo G Perry

And I’ve never seen it. I don’t want to see it. But I do get the sympathy calls and support from everyone else who has seen them.

M.O.I. JR: What’s been going on since in the community of Hunters Point where this occurred? What’s been going on since with people, such as Fly Benzo and Kilo and different people who support you?

Denika Chatman: That’s where the majority of my support comes from. As far as Fly, him and his brother Pladee have been assaulted, hospitalized, incarcerated for speaking openly about what they witnessed on that day and for still speaking out in regards to it, which I don’t understand because there’s also a YouTube of what happened to Fly Benzo. And I don’t understand why the courts won’t just use that as evidence and see what actually occurred on that day and that the police provoked all of this and just drop the charges.

And that’s why I endorse his campaign. Free Fly Benzo. His brother Pladee he was assaulted as well.

Kilo Perry, the police have harassed him on several occasions; he has been incarcerated for speaking out for the murder of my son, for what he saw the police do.

M.O.I. JR: Isn’t the San Francisco Police Department pushing charges that could result in Fly Benzo, otherwise known as DeBray Carpenter, where he could be facing years in prison?

Denika Chatman: That is correct. And I carry a lot of the guilt behind that because the battle he’s fighting is because he stood up for what he felt wasn’t right, the injustice done to my son. And because of that he is looking at a lot of prison time. And that’s why I’m fighting so hard for him on his side in solidarity because something has to be done. And he shouldn’t have to go through this behind speaking out against injustice.

M.O.I. JR: Can you talk a little bit about what you guys have going on Jan. 22?

Denika Chatman: Yeah. On Jan. 22, we are having a peaceful protest march and rally starting at Third Street and Oakdale, my son’s murder spot. That is San Francisco.

At Candlestick on Jan. 22, Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter) and other protesters handed out fliers calling for justice for Kenneth Harding Jr. to the fans tailgating before the playoff. – Photo: Kilo G Perry

And we are marching over to Candlestick Stadium to surround it. It’s the NFC playoff championship game and we know that the 49ers are going to make it there. So, we’re just trying to bring awareness to the game-goers that we don’t have no problem with you enjoying your game. We’re not even trying to disrupt the game. We just want to bring awareness that right outside of this stadium, the police are killing our children.

M.O.I. JR: Right. Can you also talk a little bit about this concert that you have comin’ up?

Denika Chatman: Yes. I can touch on it. We’re having a big benefit concert for my son on Feb. 10. And I’ll just list a couple of the artists who will be there: The Jacka, J-Diggs, Mac Mall, Turf Talk, Beeda Weeda.

M.O.I. JR: And this is at 330 Ritch in San Francisco.

Denika Chatman: Yes. Everything is still being collaborated, put together, so we’re just waiting on finalization right now. But everything is approved to go.

M.O.I. JR: How has the police been responding to you and your family since this murder occurred?

Denika Chatman: Well, I went down to the Office of Citizen Complaints in San Francisco to turn in my complaint. At that time, I had only been in my new home for not even 10 days. And at that time they were the only ones who had my address, my physical address, because I had to put it on the paperwork. And within three to five days my home address was listed under Google with step-by-step directions on how to get to my home.

And I haven’t had any interactions with the police. However, they still haven’t been forthcoming with any of the evidence, or the videotapes, or anything to prove that they did a righteous kill.

M.O.I. JR: If people would like to help you and your supporters and would like to help fight police terrorism in aiding the people who are supporting Kenneth Harding, where can they do that and how can they do that?

Denika Chatman: Well, we just established the Kenneth Harding Jr. Foundation. If you would like to support, you can come to our meetings. You can also follow me on Facebook at Justice 4 Kenneth Harding Jr. And you can actually see everything that we’ve done up until this point as well as find out all the upcoming events. And also posted on the page, anything that’s needed or anything that has to do with the foundation, we post it up there, so that if people want to participate or become part of his committee, they are welcome to do so.

M.O.I. JR: Well, Denika, I just want to salute you for standing on the front line when you’ve faced such an atrocity to your own family, the atrocious murder of your own son by somebody who was a so-called public servant.

As 70,000 fans arrived at Candlestick for the playoff, they saw this banner, calling for justice for Kenneth Harding Jr., as they approached the overpass. – Photo: Kilo G Perry

Do we know the name of the police officer that killed your son?

Denika Chatman: There were actually four of them. And all their names are listed on the Justice 4 Kenneth Harding Jr. site as well.

M.O.I. JR: Well, thank you for standing on that front line. We appreciate your strength and your commitment and dedication. And you know the Block Report is behind you.

Denika Chatman: Bless you, JR. I also want to thank you for being a part of my son’s board, being part of our foundation.

And one thing that a lot of people don’t know: They can go get the [January] issue of the Bay View newspaper and read my story. It’s called “Picking up the pieces.” And on there, I’m actually giving shoutout to you for coming to Seattle to see about me and my family after all of this occurred, to you for being on the front line with me in supporting me throughout all of this, to all my front-runners who are still standing on the front line, who didn’t allow the police to get to them and silence them: Kilo Perry, Fly Benzo, Pladee Clayton, all o’ y’all. I just want to thank my true soldiers.

M.O.I. JR: Well, right on. Salute. Thank you for coming in.

Denika Chatman: Thank you for having me.

The People’s Minister of Information JR is associate editor of the Bay View, author of “Block Reportin’“ and filmmaker of “Operation Small Axe,” both available, along with many more interviews, at www.blockreportradio.com. He also hosts two weekly shows on KPFA 94.1 FM and kpfa.org: The Morning Mix every Wednesday, 8-9 a.m., and The Block Report every Friday night-Saturday morning, midnight-2 a.m. He can be reached at blockreportradio@gmail.com.

‘We don’t work, nobody works’

Adrian — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:02:01 +0000

Pack the courtroom (850 Bryant, Dept. 27) to free Fly Benzo Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1:30 p.m., and in the days following; Fly faces four years in prison for copwatching and for fighting for justice for Kenneth Harding, murdered by SFPD last July!

by TaLea Monet and DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter

“After the contractor agreed to give B&C Painting and Decorating a piece of the contact, we celebrated with the Black Power salute,” says Fly Benzo. From left are Terrance Carpenter, Barbara Banks, DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter, Lawrence Williams Jr. wearing a hard hat, little Angel Perry in front, with other jobseekers and a couple of Unity Homes residents standing in solidarity on Jan. 17. – Photo: Kilo G Perry

Bayview Hunters Point has been a “blighted” community for some time; in fact, unemployment has been high since the closure of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in 1976. Many costly attempts have been made to curb the high unemployment rate; however, the organizations set in place have been compromised and serve more as a neutralizer of the restless natives and as yet another obstacle between the people of the neighborhood and the construction companies working in their own backyards and between community-based businesses and the people in charge of awarding contracts.

California’s Health and Safety Code Section 33422.1 reads as follows: “To the greatest extent feasible, contracts for work to be performed in connection with any redevelopment project shall be awarded to business concerns which are located in, or owned in the substantial part by persons residing in the project area.”

Section 33422.3 reads: “To insure training and employment opportunities for lower-income project area residents, the agency may specify in the call for bids for any contract over one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for work to be performed in connection with any redevelopment project that project area residents, if available, shall be employed for a specified percentage of each craft or type of workmen needed to execute the craft or work.”

In their first attempt to win justice on the Unity Homes project, Fly Benzo and the Black Star Coalition shut down the job, stopping the crew and the equipment, like this heavy duty forklift used for construction projects. – Photo: Kilo G Perry

B&C Painting and Decorating, a company based in the community for over 20 years, recently bid on a project at Unity Homes Apartments. Despite the fact that the contract was worth approximately $230,000, well over the minimum requiring that contractors from the community receive all feasible aid on contracts that are paid for by tax increment dollars, B&C received no aid nor were they notified why they had not been rightfully awarded the contract.

The Unity Homes contract was instead awarded to a non-union out-of-town contractor – clearly in violation of California law. B&C has been in business in Hunters Point since 1984 and has played a key role in the development and maintenance of numerous residential and commercial complexes in the community, such as Northridge Cooperative Homes and Bayview Plaza.

On Friday, Jan. 13, DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter, Kilo G and Claude Carpenter – along with the rest of the Black Star Coalition and unemployed Bayview residents – marched to the job site, bringing the contractor’s work to a screeching halt by standing unmoved in front of the heavy construction equipment. They demanded that they be given the same opportunity to work the site and would not budge to let the workers continue.

DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter and TaLea Monet

“We don’t work, nobody works” was DeBray’s response when asked what brought about this action. With few options available to remove the group from the site, the contractor made an attempt to involve the authorities, but the only thing they could do was have the parties facilitate a meeting to further discuss the issue at hand. The contractor refused to talk or negotiate.

To show that they meant business, the group made yet another trip to the work site on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Apparently the first shutdown was effective, because this time around the contractors agreed to give Barbara Banks, lifetime resident of Bayview and owner of B&C, a piece of the contract in an attempt to stop the protesting and keep the peace.

The Black Star Coalition vows to remain firm when dealing with the malpractice involved in tax increment financing, a scheme used by redevelopment agencies, which, by the will of the voters, are shutting down as of Feb. 3, 2012. “We’re not going anywhere,” says DeBray. “We’re going to continue to stand rooted and exercise our First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Next stop … West Point!

Bayview Hunters Point community advocate DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter can be reached on Facebook or at flybenzo@gmail.com.

Community benefits win big: Construction contracts and jobs for Oaklanders

Mary — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:41:02 +0000

Pack the Oakland City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 7, regarding local hire and a Jobs Center

by Joseph Debro

A 2006 billboard urges the re-election of City Councilwoman Desley Brooks. – Photo: Jakub Mosur, SF Chronicle

We finally have legislation that benefits the taxpayers of Oakland. Desley Brooks took a giant step to bring economic parity to the community of the poor. She introduced and passed legislation that challenged the history of construction companies that make promises inconsistent with their past performances. What she has done will slow down the Oakland process of importing labor and exporting capital.

Descendants of former slaves have a lot to overcome in this country. We are injured by self-inflicted wounds. We are crippled by wounds inflicted by others. Politicians who represent descendants of former slaves often think that a handout helps us more than a hand up. We should all remember that if you give a fish to a hungry person, you feed that person for a day. If you teach a hungry person how to fish, you feed that person for life.

What she has done will slow down the Oakland process of importing labor and exporting capital.

Councilwoman Desley Brooks, the vice mayor of Oakland, was able to help a friend because she had a relationship with an Oakland developer. Both the friend and the developer were limited in their growth potential. She helped two people, both of whom thought that they got over.

The 8(a) program was started by a descendant of a former slave: Joe Conrad, who worked for SBA (Small Business Administration) in Washington, D.C. This program was designed to bring community benefits to the community of the descendants of former slaves. It has since been corrupted to bring advantage only to white men.

Transbay Engineering, under the leadership of the late Ray Dones and Joe Debro, trained more Black workers for union membership than any other construction company in the country. Workers were trained by OJT (on-the-job training), not by apprenticeship. Transbay would not sign a hiring hall agreement unless their workers were admitted into the unions. – Photo: Eric Luse, SF Chronicle

A racist senator from Mississippi used a provision of the U.S. procurement code to give Mississippians contracts without bid. The work was in areas that had been devastated by floods. The people were disadvantaged. Joe thought about how disadvantaged the descendants of former slaves were. He got help, and the 8(a) program was born.

For reasons which are too complex to discuss, Ms. Brooks took a different approach. Her new approach compelled her to formulate a new city policy which will feed the unemployed of Oakland and other urban cities for life. Her legislation is limited to the Oakland Army Base. That limitation will be removed when it is demonstrated how well her legislation works.

Desley, who is not known for her ability to put together four votes on the Oakland City Council, was able to get eight votes for her new powerful economic development tool. What Desley has done deserves a Nobel Prize.

The legislation that she has passed into Oakland law is a great start in the right direction. Building contractors will not be granted a contract if they have no history of constructing while adding community benefits. Desley uses the geography of Oakland, as we all should, to describe where the benefits must be bestowed.

Her legislation forces all contractors to demonstrate their history of delivering community benefits to a local community in which they work. If they have no such history, they must joint venture with a contractor who has such a history. Joint ventures are the most effective way to build capacity, increase local employment and training and retain a fraction of the profits generated by local projects.

Her legislation forces all contractors to demonstrate their history of delivering community benefits to a local community in which they work. If they have no such history, they must joint venture with a contractor who has such a history.

Ms. Brooks worked with local contractors and with community groups in developing this plan. She is to be commended. This is an idea whose time has come. It will spread all over the United States. One of the contractors with whom she worked will win the demolition contract at the Oakland Army Base. He deserves it.

Joseph Debro is president of Bay Area Black Builders, co-founder of the National Association of Minority Contractors, president of Transbay Engineering and a bio-chemical engineer. He can be reached at transbay@netzero.com.

Desley Brooks on KPFA’s Education Today

Oakland City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Desley Brooks appeared on Education Today, hosted by Kitty Kelly Epstein, on KPFA Jan. 27 to discuss this historic legislation: “I worked with a group of community folks who were engaged in the construction industry. You see all the time that the prime contractor on a construction job is always a firm, it seems like, that’s not from Oakland. And we know that when they’re not from Oakland, they’re not likely to hire Oakland people. …

Oakland City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Desley Brooks

“The legislation we put through would have the Oakland firm be the prime. And for them to even compete to get that job, 33 percent of their core workforce would have to be Oakland residents. It’s a first in the history of the city of Oakland. … Oakland residents have to be the core people who are going to stay on that job through completion, and it can’t be somebody hired for this single job. …

For them to even compete to get that job, 33 percent of their core workforce would have to be Oakland residents.

“When I drive down the street, what I hear consistently from Oakland people is, ‘I need a job.’ One of the things that cities can do with the money that they have – we give millions and millions of dollars for (construction) contracts – is recirculate the dollars in our communities. I’ve always advocated for that and tried to figure out ways that we can create jobs. …

“We’re doing the legislation on a pilot basis, so we’re testing it out. We’re testing it on the remediation work that’s to be done on the Oakland Army Base (in West Oakland). There’s approximately $9 million worth of work, and the ordinance I had pass applies only to that $9 million. If it works well, we’ll have an opportunity to consider extending it. …

Oakland spends millions and millions of dollars for construction contracts and should recirculate those dollars in our communities.

“Oakland’s unemployment rate is somewhere around 17-20 percent officially …; in our community, it’s much higher than that. … The hope is that with this ordinance, we’ll start to grow our minority contracting companies. … There are very few minority contracting firms because they are always having to compete with the major firms and they don’t get the jobs. …

“A major contractor sent me an email saying, ‘We won’t be able to bid on that work because of your 33 percent requirements. And I thought, ‘Really!’ They have probably more than $40 million in construction work with the City of Oakland already. …

“We said (when the proposed ordinance was before the City Council), ‘Put Oaklanders first! Put Oaklanders first! … Who on the Council would vote against their own residents? So it passed unanimously. …

Put Oaklanders first!

“We increased our contracting requirements (for hiring on all construction contracts) from 20 percent to 50 percent. It’s not just jobs that we’re interested in; we’re interested in contracts, because when Oakland contractors have the ability to get a contract with the city, they usually hire people who live in the neighborhoods. So again, it’s that proper distribution of wealth; it’s that recirculation of the dollars that’s so important.”

Host Kitty Kelly Epstein said: “When we looked at the number of hours on construction jobs that were going to African Americans in particular a few months ago, we found it’s about 27 percent of the population is African American and about 5 percent of the construction hours on journeyman jobs. … A minority firm is more likely to hire non-white people than a white majority firm is.”

Brooks added: “The way our contracting process has always worked is (the contractor) promises to do the local hires …, but with this new ordinance, you have to show that up front you have 33 percent (Oakland residents in your core workforce), so there’s more likelihood that an Oaklander will actually get a job. …

“I started talking about this to everyday people who needed a job. They came consistently down to the Council. They came to all the committee meetings; they came to the Council meetings – and kept pushing, because they know that when their voiced aren’t down here, they may not be heard. … I worked with some everyday folks who made a big impact in this city; it’s the first time that happened – ever.”

Education Today is broadcast at 2:30 p.m. on alternate Fridays on KPFA 94.1FM. Host Kitty Kelly Epstein can be reached at kkepstein@gmail.com. Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who represents District 6 in East Oakland, can be reached at dbrooks@oaklandnet.com.

How you can get involved

When they learned in 2010 that 8,000 new jobs would be created through the redevelopment of the Oakland Army Base, eight organizations came together, forming the OaklandWORKS Alliance to ensure residents of the flatlands would have full access to those jobs. It was their research that revealed that African-Americans were obtaining only 5 percent of the journeyman hours on city-funded construction jobs, even though African-Americans make up 27 percent of the city’s population.

The upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 7, Oakland City Council meeting will review a number of proposals: local employment on both construction and permanent jobs, a Jobs Center to ensure that there is more fair access to employment and other provisions. The Alliance will work to ensure that the community stays involved, so that the parts of the policy which reflect the community’s interests are enforced.

OaklandWORKS also campaigned for Oakland-based contractors to be able to obtain contracts for the Army base work. Local and minority contractors have shown themselves to be much more likely to hire Oakland workers.

The OaklandWORKS Alliance includes Oakland Black Caucus, Oakland Parents Together, John George Democratic Club, The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, PUEBLO, Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Concerned Black Men of Oakland and Oakland Natives Give Back. For more information, contact Robyn Hodges at rehher123@gmail.com.

Restoring hope for Black farmers and a healthy Black community

Mary — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:14:11 +0000

by Kenneth Hill for the Food Guardians

Kenneth Hill in the Bridgeview Community Garden – Photo: Christopher D. Cook

Throughout American history, African-Americans have landed on the short end of discrimination. So, as I surfed through the website of the National Black Farmers Association, an organization dedicated to the advancement of African-American farmers, my attention was immediately captured by a glaring banner stating, “Black Farmers Awarded $1.15 Billion in Settlement.” As I processed the statement, my curiosity began to grow and my computer mouse raced to “click to read more.”

As I sat and waited for my computer to load the next page, my mind began to explore the different possibilities as to why Black farmers were being paid $1.15 in settlements. As I began to read, my eyes and mind consumed the article, reading every word, as it excited my curiosity. As I read further, a sense of gratitude came over me as I learned that the U.S. government had awarded Black farmers $1.15 billion on the basis of discrimination.

My sense of gratitude stemmed from the always controversial topic of reparations for African-Americans. As an African-American who supports the idea of reparations, I believe that the U.S. government’s actions are just, timely and needed. In this case, the government has recognized its faults in a reasonable time, provided more than an apology for their unethical actions, and is giving Black famers that which is overdue to them.

This historic civil rights class-action suit has validated the claims made by Black farmers for decades: that Black farmers were systematically denied USDA loans and farm subsidies that were made available to white farmers with similar credit histories. USDA farm loans and subsidies are an essential part of a farmer’s operating budget and safety net, and this systematic denial of equal rights has resulted in a decline of Black farmers at more than three times the rate of white farmers. Black farmers now make up only 1 percent of the nation’s farmers.

In 1999, Timothy Pigford made a claim of discrimination against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, stating that he was denied U.S. farming money because he is Black. After being denied U.S. Agricultural funds, he joined with other Black farmers in a class action suit, Pigford v. Glickman. The suit claimed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against Black farmers and failed to properly investigate the claims of discrimination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture only owned up to their faults through an approved settlement agreement and consent decree in Pigford v. Glickman on April 14, 1999, by Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Friedman’s actions were just; however, his just actions were cut short. Not all Black farmers were granted money in this settlement.

These African-American farmers kept fighting until they eventually got justice. Thousands of African-American farmers claimed they did not receive adequate representation, which resulted in delays while filing their claims. The settlement agreement imposed by Judge Friedman on behalf of the U.S. government deemed 22,721 farmers eligible and set the deadline of Sept. 12, 2000, for submitting applications.

By November 2010, 15,642 of the 22,721 eligible class members had received an approval from the courts to be paid. The other 7,079 eligible class members were those who claimed inadequate representation, in addition to thousands of farmers deemed ineligible and others who were unaware of the proceedings in the initial Pigford claim.

But in due time, as America was preparing to elect the nation’s first African-American president, the U.S. government approved a provision in the 2008 Farm Bill that set aside money for African-American farmers who “Farmed or attempted to farm between January 1, 1981, and December 31, 1996; Applied to the USDA during that time period for participating in a federal farm credit or benefit program and believe that they were discriminated against on the basis of race in the USDA’s response to that application; or Filed a discrimination complaint on or before July 1, 1997, regarding the USDA’s treatment of such farm credit or benefit application.” An early estimate from the U.S. government expects more than 70,000 Black farmers to be eligible for funds under the 2008 Farm Bill provision.

“Black people have been bullied out of their way of life for many years, and to see my friends and family made whole is a blessing,” said Isaiah Young. Though some will be made whole, we can’t shy away from reality. The high number of African American communities across the nation impacted by the decline of African American farmers seems to go hand in hand with the lack of access to fruits and vegetables within African American communities.

“Black people have been bullied out of their way of life for many years, and to see my friends and family made whole is a blessing.”

San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point, a largely African American district, has deep farming roots, and once played a critical role in the city’s foodshed, according to a report on agriculture and the Bayview by Quesada Gardens Initiative. The Quesada Garden Initiative has compiled a detailed report of Bayview’s history with food and farming, which contrasts with the current lack of access to fruits and vegetables.

The report states that “Bayview Hunters Point is a neighborhood where fresh, healthy food is hard to find, but liquor, fast food and highly processed food and beverages abound.” A lack of fruits and vegetables was not always an issue in Bayview; this report states that “ocean and bay fishing, slaughter houses, rail lines, ‘truck farms,’ pastures for grazing animals and family farms all proliferated here, [in addition to] immigrant families raising animals, vegetables and fruit as part of the community’s daily life.”

But due to many factors, including the redevelopment of the district and the U.S. government’s discrimination against African American farmers, the Bayview, once a farming district, is now saturated with liquor stores and fast food chains. These convenience food outlets sell cheap foods and beverages that are high in salt and sugar, which is a catalyst for the disproportionate rates of diabetes and hypertension that Bayview residents suffer.

In contrast to the fast food chains and liquor stores, the SEFA Food Guardians have been raising awareness by promoting nutrition education and advocating for change, in addition to gathering community input to assuring a lasting change. The Food Guardians raise awareness by educating the community about healthier food options and the importance of eating healthier, as well as linking oppression to these food issues.

The high number of African American communities across the nation impacted by the decline of African American farmers seems to go hand in hand with the lack of access to fruits and vegetables within African American communities.

The Food Guardians also advocate for change by attending many health fairs and meetings, advocating for progressive public policy and utilizing community input to create sustainable change. Creating sustainable change is important to the Food Guardians and essential to the growth of the African-American community.

In an attempt to insure sustainable change, on Dec. 8, 2010, President Obama signed legislation that renders $1.15 billion in damages to African American farmers on the basis of discrimination. On Sept. 1, 2011, the litigation came to an end and the $1.15 billion was approved for payout. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman deemed this settlement to be “fair, adequate, and reasonable.” We now need to work together to fight for access to healthier foods and healthier neighborhoods that are fair, adequate and reasonable for all.

Contact the Food Guardians through Tracey Patterson, Food Guardian project coordinator, at tpatterson@southeastsf.org or (415) 581-2444.

Picking up the pieces: Kenneth Harding’s mother calls on community to march for justice this Sunday

Adrian — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:55:36 +0000

Surround Candlestick Stadium during NFC championship game; gather at Third & Palou at noon Sunday, Jan. 22, to march to Candlestick

by Denika Chatman

Hi, my name is Denika Chatman and I am the mother of Kenneth Harding Jr. Many of you know that my son was brutally murdered by the San Francisco police on July 16, 2011, over a $2 Muni transit fare. Since the murder of my son, my life has drastically changed. I have left my hometown of Seattle, Washington, and my livelihood and relocated here with my 4-year-old daughter Mi’Neika to stand for righteousness while seeking justice for the murder of my son.

It has been almost six months since my son was killed and there are still unanswered questions. The City and County of San Francisco is not trying to help me find out why the police murdered my son. There were video cameras located on the city property where my son was murdered. The police confiscated them and have not released any evidence that their officers committed a justifiable homicide. There have also been many videos released on YouTube showing in full detail the murder of my son. The city will not help me for being a victim of a violent crime. I haven’t even grieved the loss of my son because I’m out on the front line with my frontrunners forcing the issue of justice.

Kenneth, Ondrell Harding as children with mom Denika Chatman

It has been extremely hard trying to pick up the pieces in my life. My life is no longer about me. Since relocating here, I have become an activist, an active protester and a public speaker. My life purpose now is to prevent any other child from experiencing such a heinous death. I have been active within the Bayview Hunters Point community. I have been going into the high schools, colleges and universities reaching out to the youth and building awareness that this is happening and trying to create prevention so that no other parent has to experience this. I have spoken out against police brutality at several events including the 44th annual Black Panther Party reunion.

Since relocating here, I have become an activist, an active protester and a public speaker. My life purpose now is to prevent any other child from experiencing such a heinous death.

It was extremely hard getting through the holidays without my son. I don’t have a mother, father or grandmother; everyone has passed away. All I have is my kids and grandkids, who are still in Seattle except for my baby. The community has supported me and adopted me; however, I also needed help from different organizations and agencies and was turned away. Why won’t they help me? Everyone who came out in the beginning while the cameras were rolling offering their help and support disappeared when the cameras shut off. The community, however, remained on the front line in solidarity with me.

Kenneth Harding Jr.

We have started the Kenneth Harding Jr. Foundation and we need donations. I need transportation to remain in my son’s movement. I have to travel back and forth to the city and I need help. It’s cold and I have a baby and it makes it difficult to get around. The foundation also needs startup money so that we can obtain the materials that we need to be effective to the youth of the community. I’m personally seeking financial help to help me within this new life. We need T-shirts, venues and a vehicle donated to help us with this movement.

I would like you to know that this fight for justice is not just about what happened to my son. This is about standing up and fighting back against police brutality and other injustices committed by the police and the 1 percent alike. Many people, such as DeBray Carpenter (aka Fly Benzo), Pladee Clayton and Kilo Perry have had their rights violated, have been assaulted and incarcerated for openly speaking out against the police and the murder of my son. Witnesses have been pulled over and threatened by the police that their parole or probation will be violated if they say anything. Kilo Perry went to jail for being in the community collecting witnesses. DeBray and Pladee are fighting bogus charges in court for attending a press conference and openly speaking out about what they witnessed the police do to my child.

This fight for justice is not just about what happened to my son. Many people, such as DeBray Carpenter (aka Fly Benzo), Pladee Clayton and Kilo Perry have had their rights violated, have been assaulted and incarcerated for openly speaking out against the police and the murder of my son.

We have to fight back, but it takes more than me; it takes a community. These brothers need help so that they don’t face any more jail time for standing up for what’s right. We need to continue to support them. DeBray needs donations to help pay off his bail. I need you to continue to support me and this movement. The power is in the people, not in politics; the power is in numbers.

Activists Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter) and Kilo Perry have stayed the course after pledging here, following the big press conference last July 18, two days after the police murder of Kenneth Harding, to fight for justice. – Photo: Malaika Kambon

We are the majority; we can’t let history repeat itself. We have to move forward, and that starts with us standing as one for a righteous change. We need to teach one another; what if it was your child? Many have come before me and it’s time for the killing, brutality, terrorizing and occupation of our communities by the police to stop.

What if it was your child? Many have come before me and it’s time for the killing, brutality, terrorizing and occupation of our communities by the police to stop.

I would like to thank Minister Christopher and the Nation of Islam for the continued support spiritually, financially and mentally. I would like to thank Rev. Brown and the NAACP for their contribution and getting me through the midnight hour. I also would like to thank Bishop Lee for allowing me to call upon him every time I needed to leave my burdens at the altar. Mr. Willie Ratcliff and Mary, you guys are great and I really appreciate you. JR, the minister of information, I need you to know that we ride together. You all should know that when my son was killed, JR travelled to Seattle to make sure me and my children were all right. He also brought Malcolm X’ grandson with him, and that’s a life experience I will always be grateful for.

Since they murdered Kenneth Harding Jr. on July 16, 2011, SFPD has intensified its repression and terrorism in Bayview Hunters Point, repeatedly brutalizing anyone who speaks out for justice, especially Fly Benzo, a leader of the resistance and a hero to the community. Following this police assault in November – in broad daylight in front of many witnesses in Mendell Plaza near where Kenneth bled to death – he was arrested and still faces four years in prison for the ridiculous charge of assaulting the police.

To my surviving children and grandchildren, I love you dearly and always. To the family of Oscar Grant, I will never be able to thank you enough for helping me get through the hurt and pain and for being here for me and my family. To my board members, we all ride together and thank you for still being on the front line and not allowing me to go through this alone. Larry Felson, I want to thank you for being a true blessing in my life. To everyone who supports this movement, all my new family, and all the organizations that I stand in solidarity with, I appreciate you and want to personally thank you.

If you would like to submit a donation, you can contact me personally at (323) 519-4177; you can also email me at neikneek@gmail.com. If you would like to be a part of this movement or see everything that we have accomplished, you can log on to Justice 4 Kenneth Wade Harding Jr. on Facebook. For those who don’t know what happened, you can watch the video yourself (see Why should you die for a transfer?) and make your own informed opinion. Kenneth Harding Jr. will live forever in us.

Dear Denika, the Bay View salutes your courage, your dignity and your diligence and persistence and stands ready to help you win justice for your son. As you so eloquently say, “It’s time for the killing, brutality, terrorizing and occupation of our communities by the police to stop.”

Since relocating here, I have become an activist, an active protester and a public speaker. My life purpose now is to prevent any other child from experiencing such a heinous death.

Nonprofit housers mourn demise of redevelopment agencies

Mary — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:07:32 +0000

by Lynda Carson

Oakland – In a significant win for students and schools throughout California, a court ruling on Dec. 29 gives support to the state’s ability to grab funds from local redevelopment agencies to fund the current state budget, with a billion dollars of that funding going towards schools and public safety, according to Gov. Jerry Brown.

In November 2007, as Just Cause Oakland rallied around this billboard, member Felisha Lee said, “We need more money for housing and less for developers’ pocketbooks. And that’s what we’re fighting for.” – Photo: Favianna Rodriguez

The unanimous California Supreme Court ruling in support of a state law passed last summer to abolish redevelopment agencies throughout California has so-called nonprofit housing developers in mourning, as more than 400 redevelopment agencies will close their doors after Feb. 1, 2012, as a result of the court ruling.

So-called nonprofit affordable housing developers promote their projects as being beneficial to the poor while seeking subsidies from redevelopment agencies for their projects, when in reality their projects discriminate against the poor with minimum income requirements.

This means that future neighborhood gentrification projects involving nonprofit housing developers in Oakland that would have displaced the poor may now be placed on hold. Additionally, Oakland’s Victory Court plan for an Oakland A’s Stadium is no longer a viable option, since it also depended on the Oakland Redevelopment Agency for funding, so the threat of displacing many low-income residents and small businesses has been diminished.

As public housing projects for the poor continue to be underfunded resulting in blighted conditions and over 120,000 demolished public housing units in recent years, the so-called affordable housing industry thrives and has developed hundreds of so-called affordable housing projects throughout California that discriminate against the poor with their minimum income requirements, and are funded by local redevelopment agencies (RDAs).

In the latest press release on the Affordable Housing Finance website, the affordable housing industry is astounded and shocked that the state Supreme Court ruled that the state can abolish more than 400 RDAs in a move that could thwart affordable housing development across California. Shamus Roller, executive director of Housing California, said, “Today was a huge blow for anyone in California that struggles to pay rent or lives in unsafe conditions.”

Shamus Roller failed to mention that many so-called affordable housing projects have been displacing the poor from their homes in California or that so-called affordable housing developments discriminate against the poor with their minimum income requirements.

For instance, in Oakland several 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developers including Bridge Housing and the East Bay Asian Local Development Corp. (EBALDC) have already been involved in gentrification projects that have displaced hundreds of low-income families from their longtime public housing. Future so-called affordable housing gentrification projects that displace public housing residents may not be as easy to finance without the assistance of redevelopment agency funding in Oakland and elsewhere.

Currently in Berkeley, families in 75 public housing townhomes face displacement in a so-called affordable housing scheme involving some out of state billionaires who want to buy and privatize Berkeley’s public housing.

As another example, in recent years over $60 million in affordable housing funds originally meant to assist the poor was instead diverted to fund Oakland’s Uptown Project as a subsidy to build 2,000 luxury housing units for Forest City Enterprises and its billionaire owners, including 900 condominiums and 1,200 luxury apartments as envisioned in the original $500 million development plan.

Forest City Enterprises stands to make a fortune from the wealthy people who are interested in moving to downtown Oakland as part of Jerry Brown’s 10 K Plan designed when he was mayor of Oakland to displace the poor from downtown Oakland in an effort to replace them with wealthy shoppers living in those luxury condominiums.

The Oakland city deal to subsidize the luxury condos for Forest City Enterprises with the $60 million in affordable housing funds had the full blessing of the local nonprofit housing developers that belonged to the East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO). Many poor people and local businesses in the area were displaced by the Uptown Project.

Affordable housing projects discriminate against the poor

So-called affordable housing projects being run and operated by 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developers have minimum income requirements that discriminate against the poor, unless the poor have a Section 8 voucher or an equivalent subsidy from some other housing program. That’s in sharp contrast with public housing, where people with no income at all, including the elderly and disabled, are allowed to reside, as most public housing projects have no minimum income requirements.

As local public housing faces more budget cuts from the federal government and is shutting down or being sold off to billionaires and wealthy 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developers, public housing is rapidly being converted into privatized so-called affordable housing – affordable housing that discriminates against the poor.

The wealthy 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developers are trying to promote their so-called affordable housing as a good investment for cities and have successfully hoodwinked society into believing that affordable housing is good for the poor.

Minimum income requirements for the poor

At Los Medanos Village in Pittsburg, Calif., Resources for Community Development (RCD), a local Berkeley 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developer, discriminates against the poor at this affordable housing project and others it has developed but advertises that there are no “minimum income requirements” for the poor people who have Section 8 vouchers.

On Oct. 14, 2010, Director Donna J. Gambrell of the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institutions) Fund, an agency of the U.S. Treasury that helps banks finance “affordable” housing, presented a $5 million Capital Magnet Fund award to Costa Mesa-based Western Community Housing President Graham Espley-Jones, as Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Don Graves and Congresswoman Barbara Lee look on. Federal tax funds enrich housing developers that most often use them to house those who could afford market rates while the poor are evicted into homelessness. – Photo: U.S. Treasury Department

Local Oakland 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developer EBALDC demands that poor people on a fixed income such as social security or a pension must earn at least 1.6 times the amount of monthly rent being charged in their so-called affordable housing projects. Those with other income must earn two times the monthly rent, but there is no minimum income requirement for those with Section 8 vouchers or similar subsidies.

Another 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developer called EAH in Marin County demands that a single person who wants to move into its so-called affordable housing development called Farley Place must earn a minimum of $31,000, though it advertises that there is no minimum income requirement for poor people with Section 8 vouchers.

Bridge Housing Corp. is one of California’s largest so-called nonprofit housing developers. During 2010, at its housing project called Ironhorse Central Station, Bridge Housing demanded that a single tenant must have a minimum income of $15,326 to $18,750 annually. In another instance, in Tier 5 of the same project, Bridge was demanding that applicants have a minimum income of $26,091 to $31,250.

During 2008, the John Stewart Co. was involved in a major lawsuit filed by the residents of the California Hotel in Oakland after John Stewart and Oakland Community Housing, Inc. (OCHI), threatened to unlawfully cut off their water and utilities in an attempt to unlawfully evict the poor from the historic hotel and force them from their homes.

A judge had to grant a restraining order to stop these two so-called 501c3 charity nonprofit housing organizations from unlawfully dumping the poor onto the cold streets of Oakland. At the California Hotel, OCHI wanted to dump the poor so it could replace them with higher income tenants who would be subsidized by the City of Oakland and some homeless programs.

As the wealthy so-called 501c3 charity nonprofit housing developers mourn the loss of local redevelopment funding to finance their so-called affordable housing schemes, the executives in the nonprofit housing industry continue to grab excessive salaries and wage compensation for themselves. They are living in luxury, despite all the major budget cuts occurring in the federal housing programs during recent years, including the latest loss of funding for their projects from local redevelopment agencies.

The poverty industry in the East Bay

As federal and state budget cuts devastate programs that are meant to assist the poor, it should be noted that at the same time the incomes of the poor, elderly and disabled plummet, the compensation of executives in the so-called 501c3 charity nonprofit housing sector has skyrocketed to obscene levels.

The more the housing programs being operated by the nonprofits are being shredded by federal and state budget cuts, the more the executives have been grabbing for themselves and the higher the rents are becoming for the low-income renters! In this obscene situation, the executives should roll back their salaries to levels below $80,000 a year as a way to lower the rents being charged to the poor.

Nonprofit executives’ salaries and other compensation

In Oakland, 990 tax filings – required of nonprofits – reveal that executive compensation has been rapidly rising, including that of key employees of the Oakland-based nonprofit, East Bay Asian Local Development Corp. EBALDC claims that its mission is to develop affordable housing and community facilities, including integrated services focused on tenants and neighborhood residents, with an emphasis on Asian and Pacific Islander communities and the diverse low income populations of the East Bay.

Forest City’s The Uptown, heavily tax-subsidized through the Oakland Redevelopment Agency to populate the city’s “uptown” with rich people, is definitely not affordable to anyone else.

Records show that in 2009, EBALDC Executive Director Lynette Jung Lee earned $140,536, including her salary and an additional $5,942 in other compensation from EBALDC. In contrast, during the previous fiscal year, EBALDC paid Lee $87,265 plus other compensation of $3,055, meaning that in 2009 her compensation skyrocketed by more than $50,000 in a single year. Since then, Lee has retired and been replaced by Jeremy Liu as the executive director of EBALDC.

To have increased Lee’s salary by $50,000 means that at least 1,000 low-income households in the EBALDC empire may have had to contribute at least $50 of their rent payments just to cover that additional cost.

During 2009, EBALDC Human Resources Director La Netha Oliver earned $80,221 plus an additional $8,184, but in fiscal year 2008 she earned only $68,547 plus $1,227 in other compensation, meaning that her pay increased by around $18,000 in a year.

EBALDC Real Estate Development Director Carlos Castellanos earned $91,280 in salary plus $11,228 in other compensation in 2009, but in in the previous year, he earned only $71,865 plus $2,415, meaning that his wages jumped by about $28,000 in a year.

In 2009, EBALDC Chief Financial Officer Don Piyathaisere earned $98,265 in salary plus $8,472 in other compensation, whereas in 2008 he earned $91,138 plus $2,236, an increase in one year of more than $12,000. Since then, Piyathaisere has been replaced by Peter Sopka.

EBALDC Chief Operations Officer Mary Hennessy is raking in $129,220 plus $8,134 in other compensation, and the income of EBALDC Director of Economic Development Charise Fong has risen in 2009 to $81,828 in salary plus $308 from $69,751 plus $2,099 in 2008, an extra $10,000 in a year.

In strong contrast to the huge leaps in salaries and compensation for the top staff at EBALDC, records reveal that during fiscal year 2007, Lynette Jung Lee was the top wage earner at EBALDC, pulling in $87,156 in salaray with no extra compensation.

More East Bay poverty industry statistics

Eden Housing, Inc.: From July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, Executive Director Linda Mandolini was paid $162,393 in salary plus $14,368 in other compensation and worked only 28 hours per week. Chief Operating Officer Jan E. Peters was paid $136,500 plus $13,177. CFO Terese McNamee was paid $133,743 plus $6,167. Director of Development Andrea Papanastassiou was paid $131,455 plus $6,618 in other compensation.

Satellite Housing: From Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009, Executive Director Ryan Chao was paid $163,893 plus $6,377 in other compensation. The previous year, Executive Director Arion Chao had been paid $167,000, Director of Finance Joyce Boyd was paid $81,760, Miriam Benavides was paid $85,000, Director of Property Management Analisa Anthony was paid $87,550, Director of Housing Development Dori Kojima was paid $92,000 and Director of Residential Services Patricia Osage was paid $80,000.

Resources for Community Development (RCD): From July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, Executive Director Dan Sawsilak was paid $112,900 in salary plus $9,814 in other compensation, and Finance Director Peter Poon was paid $69,505 plus $1,362. The previous year, Senior Project Manager Deni Adaniya was paid $90,000, Asset Manager Eric Knect was paid $73,438, Controller Kate McKean was paid $70,825, Director of Fund Development Elizabeth Eckstein was paid $68,542 and Finance Director Peter Poon was paid $65,840.

Affordable Housing Associates (AHA): From July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, Executive Director Susan Friedland was paid $116,660, Finance Manager Leland Chin was paid $76,514, Construction Manager Teresa Clarke was paid $84,413, Director of Development Kevin Zwick was paid $84,460, Project Manager Eve Stewart was paid $67,000 and Director of Property Management Angela Cavanaugh was paid $68,000.

EAH Inc. (EAH Housing), Marin County: From July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, Stephen Lucas was paid $182,197 in salary plus $6,951 in other compensation, Peggy Franklin was paid $331,371 plus $12,460, Matt Steinle was paid $162,410 plus $9,453, Mary Murtagh was paid $254,030 plus $10,733, Laura Hall was paid $186,136 plus $6,951, Kevin Carney was paid $135,667 plus $6,951, Cathy Macy was paid $132,931 plus $6,951 and Alvin Bonnet was paid $122,471 plus $8,669 in other compensation.

Bridge Housing, San Francisco: From Jan. 1, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2009, Carol Galante was paid $203,860, Lydia Tan was paid $316,611, Susan Johnson was paid $255,001, D. Valentine was paid $231,615, Ann Silverberg was paid $173,319, Rebecca Hiebasko was paid $271,683, Brad Wiblin was paid $212,823, Tom Earley was paid $224,432, Corinne Morrison was paid $178,312, Thomas Casey was paid $163,939, James Valva, husband of Susan Johnson, was paid $165,097, Kim Nash-Patchen was paid $157,054, and Elizabeth Nahas-Wilson, daughter of director Ron Nahas, was paid $127,979 plus $29,075 in other compensation.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule@yahoo.com.

Santa Rosa: Protesting Wells Fargo profit in private prisons and predatory lending

Mary — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:52:57 +0000

by Ann Garrison

KPFA Weekend News, Jan. 8, 2012

Transcript

On Friday, Jan. 6, Occupy Santa Rosa joined with the Committee for Immigrant Rights, the Graton Day Labor Center and other Sonoma County organizations in a rally and march against Wells Fargo’s position as an institutional holder of stock in Geo Group, Inc. The for-profit corporation builds, maintains and runs private prisons, including immigration detention centers in Arizona and California. – Photo: The Bohemian

KPFA Weekend News Anchor: A coalition of immigrant rights and Occupy activists temporarily shut down two branches of Wells Fargo Bank in Santa Rosa on Friday to protest the banks’ lending practices, home foreclosures and involvement in the financing of private prisons. Seven protestors were arrested but all have since been cited and released. While the protest was underway, a Santa Rosa revenue supervisor told KPFA that the city currently does all of its day-to-day banking with Wells Fargo. KPFA’s Ann Garrison has more.

KPFA/Ann Garrison: The birth of America’s private prison industry may be traced to 1984, when, during the Reagan administration, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service became the first federal agency to contract for private correctional services. Human rights activists have protested corporations profiteering on incarceration and the private prison lobby since.

On Friday, a coalition of immigrant rights and Occupy activists temporarily shut down two branches of Wells Fargo Bank in Santa Rosa and distributed a flyer charging that Wells Fargo profits from the private prison business now booming on increased immigrant detention. They also said that the bank received $43 billion in taxpayer-funded federal bailouts and then continued to foreclose on hardworking, taxpaying families rather than modify loans.

Santa Rosa is the largest city and the county seat of Sonoma County.

Specifically, the flyer said that Wells Fargo is an underwriter, major investor, trustee, financial advisor and more to the GEO Group, the private prison corporation formerly known as Wackenhut, and that Wells made contributions to politicians who sponsored and voted for Georgia’s HB 87, a copycat of Arizona’s SB 1070, the harshest anti-illegal immigration measure in recent U.S. history.

Santa Rosa is the largest city and the county seat of Sonoma County, where the U.S. Census last reported that the population is 16.3 percent foreign born and that 23 percent speak a language other than English at home.

San Francisco’s District 11 Supervisor John Avalos told Occupy SF, “Yes, we can” create a municipal bank at an Occupy rally on Sept. 29.

Immigrant rights and Dream Coalition activist Jésus Guzman, one of the speakers at the protest, also spoke to KPFA:

Jésus Guzman: Heat has been coming down on Wells Fargo for some time, ranging from being fined by the Federal Reserve to a possible case coming down on Wells Fargo for their illegal foreclosures and predatory loans from our attorney general here, Kamala Harris. They were fined $85 million for falsifying loan documents and pressuring folks into subprime mortgages.

KPFA: Jésus Guzman said that the coalition had not yet called on Santa Rosa to move city funds into credit unions or create a municipal bank, but they hope to research both options.

Jésus Guzman: Again, that’s our money as taxpayers. If it’s going to Wells Fargo, then that’s something we want to find out, so we’re going to do some more research. And one of the best things to do is really investing it locally here.

KPFA: The City of San Francisco also takes its business to Wells Fargo and to Bank of America and Union Bank. And at San Francisco’s first hearing on the possibility of creating a San Francisco Municipal Bank, social justice advocates testified to both Wells’ predatory lending practices and private prison profiteering.

For Pacifica and KPFA, I’m Ann Garrison.

San Francisco writer Ann Garrison writes for the San Francisco Bay View, Global Research, Colored Opinions, Black Star News, the Newsline EA (East Africa) and her own website, Ann Garrison, and produces for AfrobeatRadio on WBAI-NYC, Weekend News on KPFA and her own YouTube Channel, AnnieGetYourGang. She can be reached at ann@afrobeatradio.com. This story first appeared on her website.

Wells Fargo, king of private prisons, shut down for the day; seven arrested

Mary — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:11:35 +0000

by Adrienne Lauby

Santa Rosa, Calif. – On Dia de Reyes, the Day the Three Kings, a false king was exposed. Wells Fargo is the king of private prison finance, a king who shows no remorse as it forecloses on the houses and homes of its victims. But, on Friday afternoon, Jan. 6, two branches of Wells Fargo in Santa Rosa were closed for the day and seven people were arrested after they did civil disobedience inside the banks.

At a rally prior to the march to shut down the banks are, from left, an ASL interpreter, two women from the Women’s Collective at Graton Day Labor Center, Maureen Purtell, Rick Coshnear and Jesus Guzman. – Photo: Attila Nagy

The protest, a collaboration between the immigrant rights community and the Occupy movement, drew 400-500 people for a march and rally. Their target, Wells Fargo, is the trustee of a fund that is heavily invested in two private prison corporations, Corrections Corporation of America and the GEO Group. These corporations own a majority of the detention centers that house undocumented immigrants across the U.S.

These same corporations helped draft the model for the Arizona anti-immigrant law, SB 1070, insuring a steady stream of immigrant prisoners for their private detention prisons. Because they contract with the U.S. government at a cost to taxpayers of $5.5 million a day, they profit from the misery of the immigrants and their community.

Okili Nguebari, originally from Congo, Africa, spoke at the rally about his experience in a private immigration prison. Three years ago he was picked up in front of his home by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held for three months in an immigration detention facility owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in Eloy, Arizona.

In addition, the protestors challenged Wells Fargo’s practices around foreclosures and short sales of houses in Sonoma County. In only four years, foreclosures in the county have skyrocketed from 71 to 4,469 homes – nearly 4,450 families this year have lost their houses and all of their equity because banks and financiers manipulated the market.

Protestors unfurled a banner in the lobby of the main branch of Wells Fargo reading, “Homes Not Jails.” Then they read statements about the bank’s financing of private prisons and stories of people affected by deportations until they were arrested. Wells Fargo personnel detained at least two of the protestors in a citizen’s arrest.

“It was empowering to stand there and speak the truth,” Carolyn Epple said about her act of civil disobedience.

The protestors called on all Sonoma County residents to demand that Wells Fargo immediately divest from investments in immigrant prisons and declare a moratorium on foreclosures in Sonoma County. They also asked people to move their money from Wells Fargo into a local bank or credit union.

Jesus Guzman of the DREAM Alliance at Santa Rosa Junior College called the protest a “defining moment” for both the Occupy and Immigrant Rights movements.

“It’s about time,” he said and, judging by the cheers, the crowd agreed.

The coalition included the Graton Day Labor Center, the DREAM Alliance of Sonoma County, MEChA of Santa Rosa Junior College, the Committee for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County, as well as Occupy groups from around the county. An Occupy Petaluma contingent rode bicycles to the rally.

The energetic and colorful march included a contingent wearing bright orange jumpsuits representing immigration detainees and the Hubbub Club Marching Band. A troupe of Aztec dancers led the march.

Adrienne Lauby is a Bay Area-based writer and a programmer at KPFA Radio 94.1FM. She can be reached at adrienne@sonic.net.

Editor’s note: Private prisons that Wells Fargo invests in also house thousands of California prisoners moved out of state prisons in response to a federal court order to reduce overcrowding.

Vietnam vet issues call to arms to save his home

Adrian — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:31:45 +0000

On Wednesday, Jan. 4, 3 p.m., meet at Lake Merritt’s Snow Park, 19th and Harrison, to march to Wells Fargo Bank

by Jerome Loston

Oakland – On Jan. 9, 2012, my home is scheduled to go on the auction block. I am a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran rendered totally disabled as a result of injuries sustained during active duty in Vietnam on Jan. 9, 1969. I was the sole survivor of the 11th Armored Calvary Blackhorse Basecamp.

Jerome and Linda Loston stand at the front door of their home, ready to defend it from foreclosure by predatory lenders. In their Call to Arms, they declare a Day of Action on Wednesday, Jan. 4, and ask all who can to meet them at Lake Merritt’s Snow Park, 19th and Harrison, Oakland, at 3 p.m. to march to Wells Fargo Bank to meet with Jim Foley, regional president for Northern California.

Following the attack, I lay in a coma for six months. My parents were told that I was dead. I was told I would lose my legs. Against the odds, I survived the injuries I sustained in Vietnam. On Jan. 4 I will find myself again in the trenches, but this time against Wells Fargo Bank. I need your help. This is a Call to Arms!

I am not alone in my struggles with Wells Fargo Bank. I am only one of millions who have fallen victim to the banks’ criminal practices in their dealings with homeowners. I ask that you stand with me and show the banks that we are an “Army of One” and ask that they put an end to their criminal dealings now!

Please call me at (925) 838-8442. I am in the process of mobilizing efforts in order to secure a modification from Wells Fargo Bank so my family can stay in our home. I am a victim of World Savings’ “Pick-a-Pay” loan and the World Savings-Wachovia-Wells Fargo merger. You can get more information about the atrocities committed by World Savings here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/13/60minutes/main4801309.shtml.

We have heard the stories of how banks have not been fair in their dealings with our veterans and service members: http://grabashovel.com/2011/11/20/unlawfully-foreclosed–get-justice/.

It’s time that we stand as an “Army of One” and demand that the banks stop abusing our citizens, veterans and service members. We need to let the banks know that the buck stops here. I am asking that you stand with me as we fight to get a modification so we can keep our home. We have designated Wednesday, Jan. 4, as our “Day of Action” against Wells Fargo Bank.

We will be meeting at Lake Merritt’s Snow Park, at 19th and Harrison, on Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. and walk as a group to Wells Fargo Bank headquarters to speak with Jim Foley, regional president for Northern California.

If you cannot make it on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m., we encourage you to contact Jim Foley at (510) 446-5194 or jim.w.foley@wellsfargo.com. Remind Wells Fargo Bank and Jim Foley how the veterans and service members have bravely served our country without hesitation. Tell him that Wells Fargo can do a better job of keeping our veterans and service members in their homes.

Let Wells Fargo Bank and Jim Foley know that you are standing in solidarity with Jerome and Linda Loston and ask that Wells Fargo Bank modify the Lostons’ “Pick-a-Pay” loan. If you really want to make a difference, tell Wells Fargo Bank and Jim Foley that you are going to divest your money from Wells Fargo Bank unless they do the right thing. Let him know that you are part of the “Army of One.”

If you – or someone you know – are also facing foreclosure or having problems getting lenders to assist you with a modification, contact Occupy Our Homes at www.OccupyOurHomes.org and the Home Defenders League at (510) 269-4692, ext. 502, for assistance.

Jerome and Linda Loston can be reached at (925) 838-8442 or lindaloston@gmail.com.

Acquittal in mistaken iPhone thief case

Adrian — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:42:04 +0000

by Larry Roberts

San Francisco – A young man who was accused of the theft of an iPhone was acquitted recently, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi announced.

Like so many innocent people in prison, Ronnie Morrisette, accused of stealing an iPhone, could have spent years in prison if not for his public defender.

Ronnie Morrisette, 26, was acquitted of robbery, assault, false imprisonment and four lesser charges. After a week-long trial, the jury deliberated for less than a day before reaching unanimous acquittals on all seven charges. If convicted, Morrisette faced up to six years in state prison.

In a chaotic scene, Morrisette was standing on the stairs to get off the 14-Mission Muni bus around 2 a.m. on Aug. 11. As the bus approached the stop at Ninth and Mission, a never-identified young man snatched an iPhone out of passenger Rebecca Olarte’s hands and ran off the bus. In the thief’s haste, he bumped into Morrisette, knocking Morrisette’s phone and iPod to the ground.

Olarte ran to chase after the thief and crashed into Morrisette, who was reaching down to pick up his items. Olarte, in the confusion, reached toward Morrisette’s phone and iPod and appeared to be holding something in her hands. Morrisette, who did not know that Olarte’s iPhone had been stolen, believed that Olarte took his phone and iPod, so he struggled to get his own property back.

Olarte, who admitted that she was intoxicated that night, believed that Morrisette was somehow involved in the theft of her iPhone. She testified that Morrisette was saying something to her during the struggle, but she could not remember what he said. Mr. Morrisette testified in his own defense. The only independent witness saw Morrisette struggling with Olarte over an object in her hand and corroborated everything Morrisette said happened.

Witnesses testified that Morrisette was dressed in bright flashy clothing, in happy mode, making friends, and was sharing drinks while on the bus. The actual thief went unnoticed, not speaking to anyone on the bus and dressed in dark clothing. There was never any evidence that Morrisette had ever spoken to the thief or got on the bus with him.

Public Defender Investigator Jill Schroeder testified that when she retrieved Morrisette’s property held by the jail, it included headphones, cell phone charger and an iPod charger, proving he did have these items, although during the struggle Morrisette’s cell phone and iPod were lost and not recovered.

“Ronnie was a student at Wyotech College studying to be a motorcycle technician when he was wrongly arrested in connection with the theft of Ms. Olarte’s iPhone on Muni. Ronnie didn’t know the thief who took Ms. Olarte’s phone and had nothing to do with it. But because he was young and Black, just like the thief, Ronnie was accused of involvement.

“After three months of sitting in jail, waiting for justice, an innocent man was finally vindicated by the jury and granted his freedom. Ronnie, his family, and his 7-year-old daughter are greatly relieved,” said his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Peter Santina.

On the day of the acquittal, Ronnie Morrisette was released from the jail after midnight and went home. Thanks to the work of the Public Defender’s Office team of attorneys, investigators, paralegals and interns, an innocent man was kept out of prison.

Adachi said the first impressions of the incident were not borne out by further examination of the evidence.

“This case shows how easy it is for an innocent person to find themselves charged with a crime. Studies have shown that mistaken identification is the greatest cause of wrongful convictions,” Adachi said.

Larry Roberts can be reached at Larry.Roberts@sfgov.org.

Oakland Work Investment Board fails to allocate federal funds

Mary — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:01:48 +0000

by Nsoroma James

Linda Handy, Peralta College Board trustee, said: “The famous basketball player Bill Russell from West Oakland did a fundraiser for the (Scotlan) Center this year. And I was appalled that Mayor Jean Quan appeared as if she is a great supporter. And she spoke knowing all that is happening. The Scotlan Center had not been paid in eight months.”

The George P. Scotlan Youth and Family Center has been in existence for over 40 years offering services to youth, youth offenders and their families. The center offers diversionary programs, such as employment, job training, counseling, recreation and cultural services as a means to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system.

The Scotlan Center is located in historic Defremery Park, aka Bobby Hutton Park, a name proclaimed by the Black Panther Party who called many mass rallies reminding government of its social responsibility to urban areas. The Panthers provided services that government should offer: free breakfasts for children, free transportation to prisons, health care, education, job training and neighborhood safety.

The Scotlan Center has not received their $175, 000 contract to continue drastically needed services in West Oakland. The City of Oakland received approximately $6.1 million from President Obama’s stimulus package during 2010 and 2011.

Allegations are flaring that millions of dollars controlled by the City of Oakland’s Administrative Office are just sitting and not being fully dispersed to organizations targeted for funding, such as the Private Industry Council (PIC) and the Scotlan Center, serving the interests of youth, adults and dislocated workers.

Federal money is given for the state Work Investment Board (WIB) to assist the governor in designing a state plan and establishing policy. The local Oakland WIB develops and submits a local area plan. Then the governor appoints local one-stop operators like the Private Industry Council and the Economic Development Department (EDD) and selects eligible organizations – e.g., The Scotlan Center – to provide services for youth and adults.

The WIB oversees federally funded employment and training programs, and the local mayor and the WIB share equal authority according to federal legislation. The City of Oakland has 43 WIB members, which appoint a Youth Council that helps establish youth policy for local education and job training

Oakland was given the mandate to allocate and use the funds by June 2011 or return them. “Funds were held for some unknown reason and how the funds were allocated is unknown, since the Community Economic Development Agency has been elusive in their reports; however, the Scotlan Center did not receive funds that were earmarked and destined for our program. And as a result we had no summer job programs for youth, our funds were wiped out and we had to reduce staff by 70 percent,” said Matthew Graves, executive director of the Scotlan Center.

George P. Scotlan Youth & Family Center at Defremery Park

As the year 2012 approaches, the Scotlan Center’s funds allocated for 2011 still have not been received to help gear youth toward a positive learning and wage earning experience. The lack of funds adds to and gives rise to the vulnerability of youth exposed to violence and drugs in the community.

The tangled web and the complexities of city officials and players involved in withholding funds bring discontent for not maximizing services to residents of Oakland faced with the hardest economic times since the Great Depression. Graves places the blame with the City of Oakland’s Administrative Office and John Bailey, executive director of the Work Investment Board and past director of Volunteers of America.

Graves said, “The City of Oakland took the contract for administrating WIB funds from the Private Industry Council, which in the past administered the funds and received high scores for their performance and transparency.” PIC provides training and job employment services to local residents and employers.

“The Oakland Administrative Office took the contract to ensure city employees kept their jobs instead of putting the money on the streets,” Graves continued. “Our young people are disenfranchised and have a great need due to high unemployment. They are living below the poverty line and the City of Oakland office impedes the process of quick movement of the funds.”

In search of the money, we are challenged with trying to climb over a high wall. Linda Handy, Peralta College Board trustee, said, “The City of Oakland is greedy and stealing money. The people that sit on the board are glad to be there. It’s nice when you are appointed by the governor. But it’s an egocentric thing for them; they are not protecting and serving the people. And the board is stacked disproportionably with labor leaders.”

“I and Greg Hodge were kicked off the board for trying to serve and protect the interests of the people,” Handy disclosed. Hodge had been chairman of the WIB for nine years before being dismissed.

“The City of Oakland now administers the funds which PIC previously administered for 10 years, yet they subcontract back to PIC,” Handy continued. “For example, I give you (PIC) a grocery list of things to buy. But I give you (PIC) one third of the money to get all those things on that list. PIC had to use $200,000 of their own money to continue services and has not been reimbursed or been fully funded.”

In regards to the Scotlan Center, Handy said: “The famous basketball player Bill Russell from West Oakland did a fundraiser for the center this year. And I was appalled that Mayor Jean Quan appeared as if she is a great supporter. And she spoke knowing all that is happening.

“The Scotlan Center had not been paid in eight months when Quan appeared at the fundraising event. They should represent who they are elected to serve. They are withholding funds from youth, yet they sit quietly as kids get gunned down in the streets.”

It seems like the shifting and reprioritization of funding flows like a political game that makes those seeking employment and good job training suffer. William Patterson, WIB member and EBMUD board member, said, “It’s not about not having money. Fifty percent of the money is still there; another $6 million just appeared for re-entry of prisoners and unemployment. The money is just not on the streets; it’s just sitting there.

“The money for Scotlan and PIC is there. The city has cut the flow of money with a bureaucratic process and is paying themselves three times more to administer it than PIC did.”

In support of the Scotlan Center, Patterson continued, “The Scotlan Center is the major provider of youth services in West Oakland. Yet it has been denied due process and has suffered harm at the hands of the WIB staff and the City Council.

“The Youth Council and the full WIB approved funding allocations in May. Those allocations included Scotlan. The City Council does not have the authority to unilaterally change or modify the decisions of the WIB.

“The Youth Council needs to do its work; they have had no discussions regarding community need, alignment of funding priorities with other communities, cities or schools regarding objectives for youth services. Nothing has been discussed,” said Patterson, “not Mayor Quan’s 100-Block Strategy, Oakland Unified School District, Young Men of Color Initiative or geographical priorities.”

In these times of severe homelessness, unemployment and closure of Oakland Public Schools, hunger and lack of health care, the local, national and global protests over these issues bring us face to face with the fact that what occurs on the micro level also occurs on the macro level. A few determine and control the flow of resources bypassing the masses, those with the greatest need.

Note: The writer called and left numerous messages for an interview with City Manager Deanna Santana, Council member Pat Kernighan, City Manager assistants Karen Boyd and Scott Johnson, and WIB Director John Bailey. With the exception of Scott Johnson and John Bailey, who declined comment, none returned calls.

Freelance writer Nsoroma James can be reached at nsoromastar5@yahoo.com.

Massive budget cuts may result in billionaire buying Berkeley’s public housing

Mary — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:01:40 +0000

by Lynda Carson

Berkeley – With tens of thousands of protesters from the Occupy movement hitting the streets in Oakland, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and cities all across the nation demonstrating against the brutal on-going budget cuts and social inequality leaving families in the cold and hungry, massive budget cuts continue to devastate public housing and the nation’s social programs.

Berkeley’s public and Section 8 housing residents are fightback veterans. This is a 2006 rally. – Photo: Suzanne La Barre, Berkeley Daily Planet

As the blood of protesters has been flowing onto the streets of Oakland, students pepper sprayed at UC Davis and attacked by brutal police at UC Berkeley, our nation’s public housing program is currently being underfunded by 22 percent less than the president’s request for FY 2012.

Nationally, with our 1.2 million public housing units already in need of over $25 billion in repairs, on Nov. 17, Congress passed legislation to cut the housing budget by $3.7 billion that was signed into law by President Obama a day later. Additionally, $1.2 trillion more in budget cuts are set to occur that are connected to a deal made with the so-called Super Committee of Republicans and Democrats that will further devastate housing programs starting in 2013.

Tens of thousands of our public housing units may be lost as a result, and while thousands of families in public housing are placed at risk of living in substandard conditions or made homeless, the Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA) has recently entered into an exclusive negotiating rights contract to sell Berkeley’s 75 occupied public housing units to billionaire Stephen M. Ross, owner of The Related Companies of California and the Miami Dolphins.

Billionaire Ross is already involved in a housing project in Oakland that displaced 178 poor public housing families from their homes at the former Coliseum Gardens Public Housing Project, now called Lion Creek Crossings.

Anne Marie Dent is disabled and resides in Berkeley’s public housing. “I do not like what I am hearing about the takeover of our public housing. I am afraid of being displaced. I believe that it should remain as public housing. I do not think that billionaires should be allowed to grab our public housing. It is not fair. There are too many poor people in need currently, and public housing was never meant to be for billionaires.”

When asked if she thought it was a good idea for a billionaire to get his hands on Berkeley’s public housing units, Mary Lightfoot said no.

Public housing resident Anna Smith said, “All I know is that the rumors are going around that the building I reside in is being sold to a billionaire that owns a football team. I heard that I would learn more details from the BHA sometime in March.

“I have lived here in public housing since 1992, and I was told that this was my home to raise a family in. Now I am being told that I will have to move. I have grandchildren living with me that are teenagers in school, and I do not know where I am going to go.

“I keep hearing about affordable housing projects. But what does that mean? Many people, including myself, cannot afford to reside in affordable housing projects, and there is no place left to go for poor people once all of our public housing is gone.”

There is no place left to go for poor people once all of our public housing is gone.

When asked what is planned next if the negotiations fail, BHA Project Manager Kathleen Sims said, “The BHA is in negotiation with The Related Companies of California, and until those negotiations are over I cannot say more about the next step the BHA will pursue with its public housing units.”

According to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, the Section 8 voucher program has a shortfall in funding of $130 million that may result in a loss of 12,000 to 24,000 vouchers. Additionally, among other programs facing budget cuts, the Home Program was cut by $600,000, and housing for the elderly was cut by 51 percent more than the president requested.

As the federal and state budget cuts continue to decimate communities all across the nation, Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to allow the rich and the super-rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule@yahoo.com.

Oakland parents question need for school police

Mary — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:29:23 +0000

by Rosa Ramirez

Police take an oath to protect and serve. But some parents and local residents say they don’t feel any safer having cops in schools.

On Jan. 22, 20-year-old Raheim Brown was shot and killed by the Oakland Unified School District’s police force outside Skyline High School. Raheim’s mother, Lori Davis, called the killing an “assassination.”

Since the lethal shooting of 20-year-old Raheim Brown in January by an on-duty Oakland Unified School District police sergeant, some community activists and residents have questioned the role of the police on school grounds. Some parents are even calling for the dismantling of the district’s school police force.

“I don’t want police in my son’s school,” said Oakland resident Sheri Morer, during a recent board meeting. And she’s not alone.

College student Jabari Shaw, who has four children, including three boys who attend Oakland public schools, fears his children are at higher risk of being harassed by school police for fitting a specific profile: male, low-income, energetic and African American.

“Look at them; they fit the description,” said Shaw recently at the Oakland Unified School District building. “They have dreadlocks and they’re Black. So they’ll be targets eventually if we don’t get the police out of our schools.”

“Look at them; they fit the description: They have dreadlocks and they’re Black. So they’ll be targets eventually if we don’t get the police out of our schools,” said Jabari Shaw.

But Troy Flint, spokesman for the school district, said police are there to protect students, teachers and other school personnel from crime that happens on campus and the surrounding areas. And at a time when Oakland Police Department has downsized due to budget cuts, having school police on school grounds is even more critical.

A 2009 National Crime and Delinquency Council report showed that only about 40 percent of students in Oakland public schools reported feeling safe at school.

“The officers are assigned to specific schools and worry about those schools rather than the entire neighborhood,” he said. “They provide a greater level of security.”

In addition, the district has a number of intervention programs to help students resolve conflicts.

“I can guarantee you that we have more behavioral mediation programs” than other school districts, Flint said.

It has been a particularly tumultuous time for the Oakland school district’s police force.

Brown’s family and others had called for an independent investigation of the shooting. Instead the school district had an internal investigation, which concluded that no district policies, practices or regulations were violated. Later in August, then-school police chief Peter Sarna retired at 41 amid accusations that he made racial slurs against an African-American colleague. The district tapped Sgt. Barhin Bhatt, the highest-ranking member of the school police department and the officer who shot Brown, to lead the 16-member police force.

“They sent a message that a Black life doesn’t count. That you can do anything and nobody will say anything about it,” said Philip Byers, a community organizer with the Black Organizing Project, a program of the Center for Third World Organizing. “There’s no caring, no compassion for what happened to Raheim Brown and his mother. It was basically a slap in the face.”

“They sent a message that a Black life doesn’t count. That you can do anything and nobody will say anything about it,” said Philip Byers.

“There’s a lack of transparency around the role of the police engagement with students,” said Jackie Byers, director of the Black Organizing Project, “a real kind of block around parents and students being able to find out how accountability happens even within the district and the school board.”

On Lil Bobby Hutton Day, April 10, 2010, at the West Oakland Library, MC Minister of Information JR watches as Jabari Shaw of the Laney College Black Student Union speaks. Both have been strong advocates of justice for Raheim Brown and removing police from Oakland schools. – Photo: TheBlackHour.com

School police programs started in the United States in the mid-1950s but didn’t gain prominence until the 1990s in response to highly publicized school shootings, such as those in Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, and Columbine High School in Colorado. Now, approximately 35 percent of elementary, middle and high schools in the country have school police officers.

The Oakland school district created a security division in 1957 made up of two officers to protect school property. The officers patrolled the buildings and responded to burglar alarms. The division began to grow and officers began to take more law enforcement responsibilities in the two decades following. In 1983, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, the agency that trains law enforcement officers from school police to sheriff’s department, certified the division as a full-service police department.

Richard Reed, assistant director of administration at POST, said school police officers must have additional training to work with students in addition to basic training. All officers are required to have 24 hours of continuous training every two years, he said.

Reed said his agency conducts regular audits to ensure departments are meeting the standards. A 2009 POST audit showed that Oakland school police department was in good standing. A second audit is scheduled for 2012.

Little research has been done on the effectiveness of school resource officers – or school police – in providing a safe learning environment for students and educators. At least one researcher has identified a “school-to-prison pipeline” as a result of having police officers in schools, according to the article, “Police at School: A Brief History and Current Status of School Resource Officers.”

During a 2005 labor dispute with school police, the school district told the state’s Public Employment Relations Board that the “few years of having an independent police force actually reduced and worsened services to school sites and reduced the safety of the students in general.”

The “few years of having an independent police force actually reduced and worsened services to school sites and reduced the safety of the students in general.”

Aside from 16 sworn officers, the district counts 79 security officers that report to the police chief, Flint said. Officers are assigned to specific schools and can respond quickly if there needs to be, for instance, a lockdown because of a problem happening in the school or vicinity.

“It’s important for Oakland schools to supplement crime prevention with our own special dedicated officers,” he said. “That’s particularly true since we need rapid and immediate response.”

Some are skeptical.

“Police will most likely arrest the students, and that puts them in the system. There’s a chain reaction,” said Lesley Tiyesha Phillips, a long-time Oakland resident. “The high school students don’t feel comfortable having police on campus.”

Phillips said having police in schools makes students feel unsafe and, in certain situations, it becomes the first contact students have with the juvenile justice system for incidences that in the past would have merited a talk with the principal, a counselor or a call home to parents.

“Police will most likely arrest the students, and that puts them in the system. The high school students don’t feel comfortable having police on campus,” said Lesley Tiyesha Phillips.

The school district has had three police chiefs in two months. On Sept. 2, Lt. James Williams of the Oakland Housing Authority became the third person to lead the small independent police unit.

During a special school board meeting on Sept. 7, Superintendent Tony Smith introduced Lt. Williams.

“We’re very happy to welcome him and very thankful to the Housing Authority for their partnership,” Smith said.

Jackie Byers of the Black Organizing Project said it’s going to take more than changing the leadership of the school police to mend the relationship with the students and parents.

“This had just come at the tail end of where there was a murder of a young Black man by a high ranking police officer who was then named (chief) as the next in line,” she said, “which tells us that as an institution the school district is not in a position to hold itself accountable in any kind of way. And it’s time for the community to play that role.”

This story originally appeared on HealthyCal.org.

Why so few Black men are working

Mary — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:32:41 +0000

by Joseph Debro

To fill the need for electricians on three major hospital construction projects, the long dormant union training hall at 3033 Alvarado St. has started a new class, where retired electrician John Disken of Pleasanton is showing trainee Kimberly Husdon, 33, the ropes – literally. For Blacks, however, training can be a dead end that does not lead to a good job. – Photo: Tom Abate

The underclass and the people who purport to advocate for them are powerless and continue to be used. Lucy of Peanuts fame always moves the football just as Charlie Brown is about to kick it. No matter how many times this situation is presented, Charlie Brown falls for the Lucy explanation that this time it will be different. She promises not to move the football and that she will allow Charlie to kick the ball. Charlie always falls for this trick.

Advocates for economic justice always fall for the promises of inclusion contained in the federal law and the federal regulations. The results are always the same. There is very little fairness or economic justice. The money brought in to help the underclass of Oakland is exported to other venues. People outside of Oakland always fill the labor requirements created by these funds.

Oakland exports profit and imports labor. This is why there are few Black men working.

Oakland exports profit and imports labor.

The Port of Oakland recently applied to DOT (Department of Transportation) for money to expand the port. The port commissioners held a press conference to extol the virtues of this project.

A few months ago BART received money from DOT to build an unnecessary BART connector to the airport. On Friday I walked the BART connector project. I found one worker who was a descendant of slaves on this $1 billion project.

A census of the unemployed was used to motivate the funding of this project. Few if any unemployed people of Oakland will get any of this money. The minority contractors, who tend to employ members of their own tribe, have contracts whose value is less than 1/2 of 1 percent. That fraction amounts to crumbs. The dollar amount equals less than $5 million out of what will be a final cost of more than $1 billion. This is why there are few Black men working.

I walked the BART connector project. I found one worker who was a descendant of slaves on this $1 billion project.

The port press conference headlined how good this proposal is for Oakland. Our City Council president loves to brag about the projects he brings to Oakland. He extolled the virtues of this project and what it means for Oakland. Descendants of slaves and others of the underclass will be counted to justify this grant. They will receive very little benefit from these federal dollars.

Entrepreneurs outside of Oakland view this town as prey. They are vultures feasting on the largess of Oakland. They disdain living here. The politicians of Oakland are constantly fattening frogs for snakes.

Highland Hospital is another case in point. The taxpayers of Alameda County approved a bond measure of $700 million for a new facility. Public officials brought in a contractor who works in D.C. to build this facility. The award was made without guarantees that the underclass would get its fair share. This contractor, like Lucy, promised that he would share the business and the labor locally. As the underclass of this county approaches the ball, Lucy has once again moved the ball as Charlie Brown tries to kick it. This is why there are few Black men working.

The solution to this problem is to write legislation that will compel outsiders to joint venture with locally owned companies so that we can build local capacity and recirculate dollars in the community from which those dollars came. The Oakland Unified School District is finally doing this. Others should follow.

Joseph Debro is president of Bay Area Black Builders, co-founder of the National Association of Minority Contractors, a general engineering contractor and a bio-chemical engineer. He can be reached at transbay@netzero.com.

Famed attorney for economic justice Eric Vickers, representing the Metro East Black Contractors Organization (MEBCO) of St. Louis, Missouri, files a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

ILWU veterans say, ‘We don’t cross community picket lines!’

Mary — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:40:55 +0000

‘Solidarity of labor above all else’

by Cheryl LaBash

Occupy Oakland’s General Strike Nov. 2 brought at least 30,000 people to shut down the Port of Oakland. Now the Occupy Movement has called for shutting down all ports on the West Coast on Monday, Dec. 12, in support of Longshoremen in Longview, Wash., who are militantly fighting union-busting activities by the grain company EGT and to show the power of the people over the power of the capitalists who run and use the ports. In Oakland, marchers will assemble at 5:30 a.m. at West Oakland BART for the morning march to the port. In the afternoon, marchers will assemble at 3 p.m. at Oscar Grant Plaza (Frank Ogawa Plaza), 14th and Broadway, and leave at 4 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. for the port.

As pressure builds for the Dec. 12 West Coast port shutdown, the capitalist owners and their media have begun a battle of ideas to blunt this powerful threat to their profits and control – even for a day.

Two International Longshore and Warehouse Union members – Clarence Thomas, who is a third-generation longshoreman in Oakland, and Leo Robinson, who is now retired – spoke with Workers World reporter Cheryl LaBash. Both men have held elected office in ILWU Local 10 and have been key labor activists during their years of work in the ports.

WW: The Nov. 21 ILWU Longshore Coast Committee memorandum states: “Any public demonstration is not a ‘picketline’ under the PCL&CA [Pacific Coast Longshore & Clerk’s Agreement]. … Remember, public demonstrations are public demonstrations, not ‘picketlines.’ Only labor unions picket as referenced in the contract.” What is your reaction?

Clarence Thomas: A picket line is a public demonstration – whether called by organized labor or not. It is legitimate. There are established protocols in these situations. To suggest to longshoremen that they shouldn’t follow them demands clarification. It is one thing to state for the record that the union is not involved but another thing to erase the historical memory of ILWU’s traditions and practices included in the Ten Guiding Principles of the ILWU (see below) adopted at the 1953 biennial convention in San Francisco.

Leo Robinson: The international has taken the position somehow that the contract is more important than not only defending our interest in terms of this EGT [grain terminal jurisdictional dispute] but having a connection to the Occupy [Wall Street] movement in that when you go through the Ten Guiding Principles of the ILWU, we’re talking about labor unity. Does that include the teachers? Does that include state, county and municipal workers? Those questions need to be analyzed as to who supports whom. The Occupy movement is not separate and apart from the labor movement.

CT: Labor is now officially part of the Occupy movement. That has happened. The recent [New York Times] article done by Steven Greenhouse on Nov. 9 is called “Standing arm in arm.”

Leo Robinson - Photo: Arturo J. Perez-Saad, Workers World

The Teamsters have been supported by the OWS against Sotheby’s auction house. OWS has been supportive of Communication Workers in its struggle with Verizon. Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees, has called for expanding the Occupy movement by taking workers to Washington, D.C., to occupy Washington, particularly Congress and congressional hearings demanding 15 million jobs by Jan. 1.

LR: There was the occupation in Madison, Wis. That was labor-led. People are trying to confuse the issue by saying we are somehow separated from the Occupy Movement. More than anything else, the Occupy movement is a direct challenge or raises the question of the rights of capital as opposed to the rights of the worker. I don’t understand that the contract supersedes the just demands of the labor movement. It says so right here in the 10 guiding principles of the ILWU.

Article 4 is very clear. Very clear. “‘To help any worker in distress’ must be a daily guide in the life of every trade union and its individual members. Labor solidarity means just that. Unions have to accept the fact that solidarity of labor stands above all else, including even the so-called sanctity of the contract. We cannot adopt for ourselves the policies of union leaders who insist that because they have a contract, their members are compelled to perform work, even behind a picket line.” It says picket line. It doesn’t say union picket line. It says picket line. It says: “Every picket line must be respected as if it were our own.”

CT: Only 7.2 percent of private sector workers have union representation today, the lowest since 1900. Facing a critical moment, the labor movement has been reenergized by the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

LR: Any number of times this union [Local 10] has observed picket lines, including Easter Sunday 1977 when the community put up a picket line at Pier 27 to picket South African cargo. Longshoremen observed that picket line for two days. So I don’t understand how all of a sudden the sanctity of the contract outweighs the need to demonstrate solidarity. It just does not compute. It doesn’t make sense.

WW: What were the similarities between that event and what is going on now with the Occupy Movement?

CT: The first action against South African apartheid was a community picket line. It was not authorized by the union. It was a community picket line from start to finish.

LR: It was about 5,000 people out there on the Embarcadero [eastern waterfront and roadway of the Port of San Francisco] for two days running a community picket line opposing South African apartheid. Local 10 officers took the position that it was an unsafe situation and our members were not going to cross that picket line, period. It was ruled as such by the arbitrator.

WW: Who determines whether a situation is safe or unsafe?

LR: We have never waited for the employer to declare what is safe or unsafe. It is always the union that moves first. We don’t ask the employers what is safe or unsafe. They wouldn’t give a damn one way or the other as long as they got their ship worked. If the police have to escort you in or out, that is patently saying it is unsafe. What if someone decides to throw a rock while you’re being escorted in by the police? Does it make it hurt any less? A longshoreman determines what is safe for him or her – on the job and off.

CT: Our members have been hurt by the police and so has the OWS movement. In 2003 when we were standing by at a picket, police shot our members with wooden bullets. In Longview, Wash., at the EGT Grain Terminal, ILWU members and their families have been hurt by the police. We don’t want the police to do anything for us.

WW: What is happening at the grain terminal in Longview?

Clarence Thomas

CT: Our union is at an historical juncture. Our jurisdiction is being challenged up and down the coast – the issue of logs and Local 10 and use of “robotics.” There has been nothing like this since 1934. If ILWU members don’t honor the community picket lines, it will cause an irreparable breach with the community. If the ILWU can’t support the community, why should the community support the ILWU in 2014 contract negotiations or when the new grain agreement is up next year? Who knows what the employer has up their sleeve when they demanded only a one-year contract.

LR: Grain work provides 30 percent of our welfare contributions. Who knows … let’s say that EGT is successful. It will open the door for other grain operators to try to work anybody.

WW: Aren’t the ports private?

CT: These ports are the people’s ports. Ports belong to the people of the Pacific Coast. The money came from the taxpayers in California, Oregon and Washington. EGT was subsidized by the Port of Longview. So the people have the right to go down there and protest how their tax dollars have been ripped off.

WW: Wall Street is in New York City. What do the West Coast ports have to do with that?

LR: To show you the link, last year in the ILWU Dispatcher, a sister from Local 10 was foreclosed on. I am certain she’s not the only one.

CT: Fifty-one percent of Stevedoring Services of America is owned by Goldman Sachs. EGT is a multinational conglomerate trying to control the distribution of food products around the world. The face of Wall Street is in the ports.

WW: Any closing comments?

CT: The ILWU is not some special interest group. We are a rank-and-file militant, democratic union that has a long history of being in the vanguard of the social justice and labor movement.

We don’t cross community picket lines. When people begin to do so they have completely turned their backs on the ILWU’s Ten Guiding Principles. Is it coincidental that Harry Bridges’ name has not been asserted in relation to the OWS movement and the history of militancy? Is it an accident? How can we not talk about Harry Bridges? That is how we got what we have today.

Clarence Thomas is executive board member and past secretary-treasurer of ILWU Local 10 and co-chair of the Million Worker March movement, which was initiated by Local 10 and supported by the ILWU Longshore Caucus. Leo Robinson is retired and co-founder of African American Longshore Coalition. He is a former member of the ILWU Local 10 executive board, a national convener of the MWM movement and its major benefactor.

© 2011 Workers World. This story was originally published Dec. 6, 2011, by Workers World, 55 W. 17th St., New York NY 10011, ww@workers.org, www.workers.org, at http://www.workers.org/2011/us/ilwu_1215/.

ILWU: Ten Guiding Principles

1. A union is built on its members. The strength, understanding and unity of membership can determine the union’s course and its advancements. The members who work, who make up the union and pay dues, can best determine their own destiny. If the facts are honestly presented to the members in the ranks, they will best judge what should be done and how it should be done. In brief, it is the membership of the union which is the best judge of its own welfare; not the officers, not the employers, not politicians and fair weather friends of labor. Above all, this approach is based on the conviction that given the truth and the opportunity to determine their own course of action, the rank and file in 99 cases out of 100 will take the right path in their interests of all the people.

2. Labor unity is at all times the key for a successful economic advancement. Anything that detracts from labor unity hurts all labor. Any group of workers through craft unionism or through cozy deals at the expense of others will in the long run gain but little and inevitably lose both its substance and its friends. No matter how difficult the going, a union must fight in every possible way to advance the principles of labor unity.

3. Workers are indivisible. There can be no discrimination because of race, color, creed, national origin, religious or political belief. Any division among the workers can help no one but the employers. Discrimination is a weapon of the boss. Its entire history is proof that it has served no other purpose than to pit worker against worker to their own destruction.

4. “To help any worker in distress” must be a daily guide in the life of every trade union and its individual members. Labor solidarity means just that. Unions have to accept the fact that solidarity of labor stands above all else, including even the so-called sanctity of contract. We cannot adopt for ourselves the policies of union leaders who insist that because they have a contract, their members are compelled to perform work, even behind a picket line. Every picket line must be respected as if it were our own.

5. Any union, if it is to fulfill its appointed task, must put aside all internal differences and issues to combine for the common cause of advancing the welfare of the membership. No union can successfully fulfill its purpose in life if it allows itself to be distracted by any issue which causes division in its ranks and undermines the unity which all labor must have in the face of the employer.

6. The days are long gone when a union can consider dealing with single employers. The powerful financial interests of the country are bound together in every conceivable type of united organization to promote their own welfare and to resist the demands of labor. Labor can no longer win with the ancient weapons of taking on a single employer in an industry any more than it can hope to win through the worn-out dream of withholding its skill until an employer sues for peace. The employers of this country are part of a well organized, carefully coordinated, effective fighting machine. They can be met only on equal terms, which requires industry-wide bargaining and the most extensive economic strength of organized labor.

7. Just as water flows to its lowest level, so do wages if the bulk of the workers are left unorganized. The day of craft unionism – the aristocracy of labor – was over when mass production was introduced. To organize the unorganized must be the cardinal principle of any union worth its salt; and to accomplish this is not merely in the interest of the unorganized, it is for the benefits of the organized as well.

8. The basic aspirations and desires of the workers throughout the world are the same. Workers are workers the world over. International solidarity, particularly among maritime workers, is essential to their protection and a guarantee of reserve economic power in times of strife.

9. A new type of unionism is called for which does not confine its ambitions and demands only to wages. Conditions of work, security of employment and adequate provisions for the workers and their families in times of need are of equal, if not greater importance, than the hourly wage.

10. Jurisdictional warfare and jurisdictional raiding must be outlawed by labor itself. Nothing can do as much damage to the ranks of labor and the principle of labor unity and solidarity as jurisdictional bickering and raiding among unions. Both public support and strike victories are jeopardized by jurisdictional warfare. (Emphasis added.)

The Ten Guiding Principles are reposted from the ILWU Local 13 website, at http://www.ilwu-local13.org/history-guiding-principles.html.

The First Amendment right to record the police

Mary — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:49:22 +0000

Support Fly Benzo twice on Friday, Jan. 6:

1) Pack the courtroom for the first day of his trial on Friday, Jan. 6, 9 a.m., at 850 Bryant in Department 22

2) Party with Fly at his ‘Conscious Minds at Work Reggae, Arts and Hip-Hop Mixer & Fundraiser’ on Friday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m., at Twin Space Continuum, 2111 Mission St., Third Floor #300, San Francisco

by Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter)

Fly Benzo lets the community know that police are retaliating against him. This is Mendell Plaza, the central gathering place in Bayview Hunters Point.

According to the United States Constitution, the First Amendment is written as follows:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

There have been many instances when video evidence has contradicted an officer’s testimony and either an officer was convicted of wrongdoing or a suspect’s charges have been overturned or dismissed. In the interest of justice and the protection of United States citizens from abuse of authoritative power, there is no logical reason why there should be a law prohibiting the filming of police officers other than blatant governmental repression.

Gayle Falkenthal, in her Washington Times article, “All Journalism Is Citizen Journalism,” clarified that in the case Glik v. Cunniffe, the court ruled that a citizen’s right to film government officials is protected by the First Amendment. Simon Glik, a client of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), was arrested for “illegal wiretapping” after he recorded officers using force to arrest a young man on the Boston Common. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, on Aug. 26, 2011, “ruled that a private citizen’s right to videotape police officers performing their duties in a public space is ‘unambiguously’ protected by the First Amendment.”

This is how copwatcher Fly Benzo is treated by SFPD – in full daylight in Mendell Plaza in full view of a crowd of community residents. – Video frame: TryntaGetIt

Richard Winton, in his article, “Sheriff’s Department sued over detention of photographers,” expressed the fact that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on behalf of the National Press Photographers Association and three photographers who were harassed, detained and illegally searched while legally taking pictures in public places. The senior staff attorney for the ACLU declared that “photography is not a crime” and that for the police “to single them out for such treatment while they’re pursuing a constitutionally protected activity is doubly wrong.”

Thomas Clouse and Meghann M. Cuniff, in their Spokesman newspaper article, report on one case in which an officer was convicted of wrongdoing after a store’s surveillance tapes told a different story than the officer in question. Spokane Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. claimed that Otto Zehm assaulted him in his 2006 encounter in which Zehm was beaten and tased into a coma from which he never recovered. Three years later the FBI launched a federal investigation. The jury, after review of the video evidence in contrast with Thompson’s statement, convicted him of excessive force as well as lying to investigators. This is one case in which video footage has served to ensure that justice was served and that an officer did not completely get away with murder.

Fly Benzo rides the T-Train, the light rail line that connects downtown San Francisco to Bayview Hunters Point, Fly’s lifelong home. The T-Train has been central to controversies over the community’s exclusion from construction jobs when it was built and, since then, over police abuse of passengers who cannot show them a transfer as proof they’ve paid their fare. Police murdered Kenneth Harding, 19, on July 16, 2011, for lack of a $2 transfer.

Another case in which video evidence has been used to convict an officer was the 2009 shooting of BART (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit) rider Oscar Grant by former BART PD Officer Johannes Mehserle. Although many people were outraged with the verdict and the short amount of time Mehserle served in custody, it was video evidence from several onlookers’ cell phones that aided the prosecution in the historic involuntary manslaughter conviction. Johannes Mehserle was another case of a cop who almost got away with murder, as well as an officer whose testimony contradicted the videos of the respective incidents and, therefore, yet another reason filming government officials is rightfully protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

According to the May 27, 2011, press release of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Officer Peter Richardson arrested Jesus Inastrilla and claimed that three undercover officers arrested Inastrilla after witnessing him spit a crack rock in his hand and sell it to Officer Guerrero, one of the undercover officers. However, video footage shows that no exchange was made. The charges were dropped after Guerrero claimed that he could not locate the alleged seized drugs in evidence.

The same day in San Francisco, 25 other cases were dropped due to lack of evidence, police credibility issues and a string of tapes with contradictory evidence to that of the statements of officers. With this lack of accountability and integrity of sworn SFPD officers, without cameras, there is no way of knowing whether or not an innocent person will be wrongfully convicted. Therefore, the protection of citizens with cameras is absolutely necessary in the best interest of justice.

San Francisco Examiner Staff Writer Brent Begin, in his article “San Francisco police to carry video cameras during arrests,” asserts that the misconduct of officers had become so prevalent and the controversy so widespread that SF Police Chief Greg Suhr proposed the idea of equipping SFPD officers with cameras to record their arrests, especially in drug cases and cases that require consent or a search warrant. These ideas come in the wake of the aforementioned string of videos. The officers involved in the arrests in question were all removed from plainclothes duty pending further investigation; however, Chief Suhr insists that the officers are innocent until proven guilty. Being an officer of the law requires a person hold himself to a higher standard and, with their superior officers brushing such violations off in such a way, justice cannot possibly be served.

This serene scene is Mendell Plaza as it should be used. Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter) is at far right; his father, contractor and community leader Claude Carpenter, teaches drumming to a youngster in the foreground. Too often, however, SFPD destroys the peace by barging in and harassing, beating and arresting people without provocation.

By exerting such abuses of authority, officers of the law make justice unattainable without the interference of good Samaritans and “copwatchers” who record the cops’ often reckless and over the top behavior. Also, as in the cases of Mehserle and Inastrilla, the American people cannot trust officers of the law to police themselves and their fellow officers, because time and time again they have lied under oath and violated the rights of, and even killed citizens unlawfully and conspired amongst themselves to continue to sweep things under the rug.

The right to film officers while performing their duties in a public space is rightfully protected by the First Amendment and it is evident that political prisoners as well as the family members of those wrongfully killed by police officers are thankful for the court ruling that helps make justice possible for them and their respective families.

Fly Benzo, aka DeBray Carpenter, has become the Bay Area’s best known copwatcher for his monitoring of San Francisco police, especially since they murdered Kenneth Harding on July 16, 2011, and for his targeting by police for a series of retaliatory beatings and jailings. He is a student at City College and an accomplished videographer and journalist as well as a popular rapper. Bay Area residents are urged to pack the courtroom for his next court appearance – he faces four years in state prison for copwatching – on Monday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m., at 850 Bryant St., San Francisco, in Department 23. On Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m., a fundraiser party for Block Report Radio will feature performances by Fly Benzo and other rappers, including Ms. B, 5 Star Generalz and S. Venom at Twinspace, 2111 Mission St., San Francisco. Fly can be reached on Facebook or at blackstarlinercoalition@gmail.com. To hear more from Fly and learn about his case, see “Police critic Fly Benzo keeps catching hell since police murder of Kenneth Harding,” an interview with Fly by Minister of Information JR.

This is the incident that led to Fly Benzo currently facing four years in prison. Readers are urged to pack the courtroom for his trial, beginning on Friday, Jan. 6, 9 a.m., at 850 Bryant St., San Francisco, in Department 22.

Note by mezkillercop

The day after this event (to announce the annual October 22nd Protest Against Police Brutality), Fly Benzo was beaten and arrested by the police. … After most of the speakers spoke, the police came and told us to shut off the sound system because we did not have a permit. One of the more vocal people who spoke up was Fly, who pointed out the pettiness of the police action when there were unsolved murders in the neighborhood. Note the passive aggression being displayed when the officer’s hand is playing around with his gun when Fly was speaking out. Fly’s arrest is police retaliation plain and simple. It’s unjust and corrupt.

Just like the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur, whose mother was a Black Panther, the “powers that be” like to shut up popular music artists who people can rally around. This is the same thing. Fly Benzo is a talented hip hop artist who has a future. He also speaks out about the police repression in his community, San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point. The “powers that be” who tell the police what to do want to silence him.

The other 1 percent

Mary — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:00:20 +0000

Thinking about the prison industrial complex, the 99 percent and the movement forward

by Isaac Lev Szmonko and Isaac Ontiveros

Activist teachers – these are marching during the Oct. 25 resistance to the police raid on Occupy Oakland – acknowledge the school-to-prison pipeline for their students and decry the police violence that prompts it. Jobs, too, shift from schools, where massive teacher layoffs are commonplace, to police, prisons and the military as legislative priorities and spending shift from education to “security” at home and abroad. Will these teachers, if they lose their jobs, be forced to work in a jail or prison? – Photo: Hand Jellyface, Indybay

On the morning of Oct. 25, police from nearly 20 law enforcement agencies descended upon the Occupy Oakland encampment located outside City Hall. They removed its occupants, using chemical weapons, and arrested nearly 100 people before destroying the encampment.

The mayor of Oakland lauded the police raid while SWAT and riot police occupied the city. Workers had to show ID to get to their jobs.

Later that evening over a thousand people marched through the streets to protest the morning’s police action and attempted to retake the plaza. Images circulated around the world showed police repeatedly using chemical weapons, rubber bullets and flash grenades against the march.

The crowd only seemed to swell. The next night, thousands retook the street, overcame the plaza and, during a general assembly, reached consensus to organize a general strike on Nov. 2.

While the violence of Oct. 25 was a grim if not surprising reminder of how those in power perpetuate, manage and respond to social and economic crisis, so too is it a reminder of the adage, “repression breeds resistance.” As people working to abolish the prison industrial complex (PIC), we are eager to relate to the dynamism of the occupations and to act at the intersections of economic and social devastation, state violence and people’s resistance. We take up the call of our comrades from Cairo to “let the boundaries of [our] occupations grow” and to “build larger and larger networks.”

Over the past two months, thousands of people have been thinking about, talking about and mobilizing around gross inequity between the 1 percent and the 99 percent. The last 30 years have led to an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the 1 percent – as well as the creation of another 1 percent: the 1 in 100 people currently locked in U.S. prisons and jails.

The last 30 years have led to an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the 1 percent – as well as the creation of another 1 percent: the 1 in 100 people currently locked in U.S. prisons and jails.

Examining the connections between these two polarized ends of the U.S. economy helps us understand why resistance to the PIC points a way forward toward building participatory and democratic economies centered on strong, stable and healthy national, regional and local communities.

Between 1979 and 2007, the nation’s highest earners saw their household income triple, while during the same period the prison population increased from 500,000 to 2.3 million, not including juvenile and immigrant detentions. In 2011, with 1 percent of the U.S. population controlling 40 percent of the wealth, 7.2 million adults – or 3.1 percent of the population, mostly poor and of color – are under correctional supervision – probation, parole, jail or prison.

In 2011, with 1 percent of the U.S. population controlling 40 percent of the wealth, 7.2 million adults – or 3.1 percent of the population, mostly poor and of color – are under correctional supervision – probation, parole, jail or prison.

Federal, state and local budgets for imprisonment, surveillance and policing have exploded while “austerity” budgets driven by the elite 1 percent have forced brutal cuts with the claims that governments cannot afford to fund education, healthcare, housing, transportation, infrastructure, community centers and other life-affirming projects. How did the rich get so rich – and the poor get so arrested?

The rise of law and order regimes made notorious by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan – and pushed forward by every administration following – can be seen as a response to liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s inside and outside the U.S., the strength of unions and the end to the post-war economic expansion. The rise of the post-war PIC has played an integral role in broader plans to free markets from their regulatory, geographic and political constraints – leading to deregulation, outsourcing, union-busting, mechanization, privatization and elimination of social goods and services, and wage and benefit reductions now familiarly recognized as neoliberalism.

All workers are disciplined and punished by these economic programs, making the call of the 99 percent resonate with the majority of the population who are deeply impacted by unemployment, foreclosures, social service and education cuts, and steeply mounting debt. The most vulnerable – poor people, people of color, immigrants, queer and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities – have also been targeted for further coercion, containment and control by policing and imprisonment and legalized discrimination against formerly imprisoned people.

Currently, 65 million people have criminal records and are barred from most employment, as well as public housing and food assistance. Eleven million undocumented workers are targeted for wage theft, harassment, raids, detentions and deportations while often working for less than minimum wage in unsafe conditions.

Currently, 65 million people have criminal records and are barred from most employment, as well as public housing and food assistance.

Of those who are paid to work, an increasing number are forced to work for some aspect of the military and prison industrial complexes. As the right wing offensive attacks public sector unions, from teachers to postal workers – and vital social services get sacrificed in the name of austerity and artificial budget crises – police, prison and military budgets are the last to be cut.

In this economic context, police crackdowns on the Occupy encampments mirror the rise and militarization of policing that the most marginalized sections of the 99 percent have lived through and resisted for generations. Police attacks, the mass arrest of protestors, and the threat and reality of police-led evictions have galvanized scores of supporters from across the country to move from passive to active dissent. In the face of this repression, new social solidarities are being formed and solidified as people recognize how policing is used to protect and perpetuate the violent economic and social relationships that have brought thousands of people into the streets.

In Oakland, these solidarities have started to become more formal, as Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly voiced support for the California prisoner hunger strikers, declared opposition to gang injunctions and youth curfews in solidarity with the local Stop the Injunctions Coalition, and held a rally and march against police violence. This resistance draws from the memory and experience of the last several years of protests against police brutality that were sparked by the police murder of Oscar Grant III, as well as the preceding history made by such organizations as the Black Panther Party. With no small amount of contradiction to work through, those whose race, class and gender status have placed them at less oppressive ends of the PIC have opportunities to stand alongside those who experience the onslaught of policing and imprisonment all day, every day.

Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly voiced support for the California prisoner hunger strikers, declared opposition to gang injunctions and youth curfews in solidarity with the local Stop the Injunctions Coalition, and held a rally and march against police violence. This resistance draws from the memory and experience of the last several years of protests against police brutality that were sparked by the police murder of Oscar Grant III, as well as the preceding history made by such organizations as the Black Panther Party.

Police suppressed the Occupy protests amidst one of the worst budget crises in Oakland history. The very day after the raid, five schools were closed to save the city $2 million, while estimates at the cost of policing the night of the crackdown are around the same amount. Unemployment in Oakland is at least twice the national average and Black residents, especially hard hit, are leaving the city at alarming rates.

The very day after the raid, five schools were closed to save the city $2 million, while estimates at the cost of policing the night of the crackdown are around the same amount.

At the same time, nearly half the city’s budget goes toward policing. In Oakland and across the country, neighborhoods hit hardest by policing through gang injunctions, ICE raids, DEA invasions and police murder are the same hit hardest by budget cuts and economic inequity. But those hit hardest often fight hardest.

In Oakland and across the country, neighborhoods hit hardest by policing through gang injunctions, ICE raids, DEA invasions and police murder are the same hit hardest by budget cuts and economic inequity. But those hit hardest often fight hardest.

Amplifying the voices and supporting the leadership of the millions of people living under the PIC is one crucial way to keep building the strength of the Occupy Movement. Can we incorporate work by former prisoners to ban the box that marks one as a convicted felon on employment applications by elaborating employment demands coming from the occupations?

If we use this moment to pull organized labor to the left, can we call on unions to advocate for the millions of potential workers denied access to work because of felony convictions and to take a stand against prison and jail construction that is bleeding state economies? When we celebrate international solidarity with current and historic uprisings, can we include the uprising of thousands of prisoners who went on work strikes throughout the Georgia prison system last winter and the thousands who went on hunger strike throughout the California system this past July and September simultaneously with a hunger strike by thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons?

Can we imagine what it would look like for imprisoned people to participate in General Assemblies? How will we include the voices of communities for which police violence and murder is a daily occurrence that rarely makes the headlines?

As the 1 percent continues to unleash its police forces on encampments across the country, many people will be politically ignited for the first time. Others will mark this moment as a continuation of decades of struggle.

Can we imagine what it would look like for imprisoned people to participate in General Assemblies? How will we include the voices of communities for which police violence and murder is a daily occurrence that rarely makes the headlines?

The PIC is central to the unequal distribution of resources and the systematic denial of life chances. Its violence protects oppressive economic relationships, steals resources that make communities strong and quells dissent.

But even in social and economic crisis, opportunities abound. This is a moment when our work can have a profound impact in dismantling the forces that keep us down, making fundamental changes in the balance of power, and building the new and better world we want and need.

Isaac Lev Szmonko and Isaac Ontiveros are members of the Oakland Chapter of Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex. Isaac Ontiveros can be reached at (510) 444-0484 or isaac@criticalresistance.org. This story first appeared in CounterPunch.

Police turn Occupy Oakland’s Thanksgiving into potty riot

Mary — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 06:44:22 +0000

by Deborah Dupre, Human Rights Examiner

Police wrestle two youth to the ground in their riotous effort to prevent the delivery of two port-a-potties to Oscar Grant Plaza for an Occupy Oakland gathering on Thanksgiving Day. – Video frame: OccupyOakland

Occupy Oakland’s Thanksgiving gathering turned violent Thursday after police orchestrated the removal of portable toilets from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, which the protesters have renamed Oscar Grant Plaza. One of the most assertive and appreciated of all of America’s Occupy groups, Occupy Oakland did not let the human rights abuse of being deprived of toilets stop them from organizing what is slated as a major U.S. port disruption planned for Dec. 12 that aims to shut all West Coast commercial port activities.

Occupy Oakland released video on its Twitter handle at 5:33 p.m., along with posting “Video of OPD tackling ppl today over a couple of Port-a-Potties. Seriously.”

“They also added the hash tag #policebrutality. At 7:45 p.m., a longer version of the video, this one right-side up, appeared,” reported Mercury News.

The video text states that port-a-potties were delivered but police prevented them from being unloaded, as seen in the video.

“Then, for reasons unknown, a scuffle begins between two officers and a man, and the three fall to the ground,” Mercury News reports.

Officers then appear to put handcuffs on the man and another person on the ground.

“Later in the video, you can see a cop drawing his taser, and a resident preventing him from discharging his weapon,” Occupy Oakland says in its video text.

People in the encampment can be heard yelling for an ambulance.

Handcuffed on the cold ground, the two youth await their fate. – Video frame: OccupyOakland

The group announced on Twitter about 12:45 p.m. that it was gathering at the site they call Oscar Grant Plaza to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

University of California placed two of its police officers on administrative leave Sunday due to their pepper spraying passively sitting protesters at UC Davis, while the school’s chancellor accelerated a task force investigation into the incident amid calls nationally for her to resign.

The president of the 10-campus UC system weighed in on the growing fallout from Friday’s UC Davis incident at UC Davis, saying that he is “appalled” at images of students being doused with pepper spray and plans a far-reaching, urgent assessment of law enforcement procedures on all campuses.

Occupy Oakland protesters announced Tuesday on their website that their General Assembly passed a resolution for a “mass mobilization” of various Occupy movements on the West Coast to shut down all commercial activity at all ports on Dec. 12.

The Daily News of Longview, Wash., where International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) members have been barred from working at a new EGT grain terminal, reports, “Dan Coffman, president of ILWU’s Longview Local 21, spoke at an Occupy Oakland rally. Without calling for a shutdown, Coffman thanked protesters for their support.”

“’You cannot believe what you people have done for my people, who have been on the picket line for six months now,’ Coffman said in a video posted on YouTube.”

The Daily News observed, “Among the dozens of Occupy protests that have risen nationwide, the Occupy Oakland movement has been one of the most aggressive, shutting down the Port of Oakland Nov. 2.”

Human Rights Examiner Deborah Dupre holds American and Australian science and education graduate degrees and has 30 years’ experience in human rights, environmental and peace activism. Email her at Gdeborahdupre@gmail.com and visit her website, www.DeborahDupre.com. This story first appeared at Examiner.com. Bay View staff contributed to this story.

Police critic Fly Benzo keeps catching hell since police murder of Kenneth Harding

Mary — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:27:50 +0000

by Minister of Information JR

Fly Benzo (DeBray Carpenter), a straight-A student at City College and lifelong resident of Hunters Point, has been beaten and jailed repeatedly since he spoke out against the police murder of Kenneth Harding over a $2 T-Train transfer. Fly is currently out on $95,000 bail, still owes the bail bondsman $4,000 and is raising funds by selling T-shirts.

You are listening to the Minister of Information on Hard Knock Radio (broadcast on KPFA Nov. 17, 2011). Today we’re going to be talking to San Francisco activist DeBray Carpenter aka Fly Benzo, as he’s known on the streets and in the rap world, about what’s been going on with police terrorism in Hunters Point.

Fly has been very active and his family has been very active in the Hunters Point community. He has been one of the frontline soldiers in this fight for justice in the case of Kenneth Harding, an unarmed 22-year-old Black male who was murdered in Hunters Point by the San Francisco PD over a muni transfer. Fly, what’s happening with you?

Fly Benzo: What’s up?

M.O.I. JR: Can you tell the people a little bit about your history in activism? Can you tell people how did you get active and a little bit about your family and who they are in Hunters Point?

This serene scene in Mendell Plaza, in the heart of Hunters Point at Third and Palou, with DeBray Carpenter aka Fly Benzo (far right) and his father, Claude Carpenter (center), and other residents enjoying community solidarity, is where police have been beating and arresting Fly.

Fly Benzo: My father has been an activist for a long time; his name is Claude Carpenter. My mom (Barbara Banks), she was the first female contractor in San Francisco and she was African American. I really started with my activism when they built the T-Train Line on Third Street around 2003 and I was too young to even work but I was fighting for my people’s rights because it was none of my peoples working that T-Line.

I was too young to even work but I was fighting for my people’s rights because it was none of my peoples working that T-Line.

M.O.I. JR: Well, for people who don’t live in San Francisco, what is the T-Line and why was it important for people to work?

Fly Benzo: The T-Line is basically a train, it’s kind of like BART, it’s kind of like the subway in New York. We never had trains that went to Hunters Point. We had trains that bring goods but we never had passenger trains that come to Hunters Point and they’re basically trying to integrate the City. They’re trying to gentrify Hunters Point and make it easier for people to get to Hunters Point on the train.

M.O.I. JR: But the other thing that was important about it was like a hundreds of millions dollar project that the community didn’t get hired to build. People outside the community got brought in and made the money.

Fly Benzo’s mother, Barbara Banks, the first woman contractor in San Francisco, spoke at the annual October 22nd Coalition rally against police brutality. – Photo: Mesha Irizarry

Fly Benzo: Yes, sir, and even when we did get some kind of cut, the only jobs we got was stop sign jobs, holding up stop signs – and that’s all you’re going to see. You go to any of these construction sites, you’re going to see a whole lot of people holding stop signs and then once the job is over they don’t need them for nothing, nowhere. They don’t need stop sign holders on every job.

M.O.I. JR: So basically what you’re saying is that they were not trained to do any of the high level jobs that would be transferrable at other places of employment or other construction sites. What are some of the other movements that you got involved with before you got involved with this Kenneth Harding case?

Fly Benzo: Another movement would be the Deshon Marman case, where he was arrested for sagging on a US Airways plane. They have no dress code and they let another man fly in nothing but a bikini, nothing but panties and a bra, when they arrest this Black man for sagging and he’s a college student. He only came to San Francisco because his friend was murdered. He was going to the funeral and on his way back he got arrested and taken to jail and he had to get bailed out. Just like me, he has all these false charges. They dropped his charges but he had to bail out of jail.

M.O.I. JR: This was at San Francisco Airport?

Contractor and lifelong community advocate Claude Carpenter, Fly’s father, also spoke at the October 22nd rally on Third Street at Palou. – Photo: Mesha Irizarry

Fly Benzo: At San Francisco Airport, and San Francisco police patrol the San Francisco Airport, but they took him to San Mateo County Jail and then they sent the transcripts or whatever to Redwood City, so it was a whole bunch of controversy with that case.

M.O.I. JR: Yeah, that was in 2011, right?

Fly Benzo: That’s right.

M.O.I. JR: What ended up happening with that case because I did hear about that?

Fly Benzo: Yeah, the case was dropped and I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with the legal aspects of the case. I heard they were offering some free flights.

Then after that I spoke, well, during that, I spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting, and I spoke about how we get criminalized in the Bayview on the T-Train and the police chase people down because they don’t have a transfer on the T-Train while the murderers and the rapists and the robbers get away. I mean we got over 1,000 unsolved homicides in San Francisco. I mean Sharmin Bock (candidate for district attorney) said in her campaign we have 1,000 unsolved homicides – and they chase people down for transfers in Bayview Hunters Point.

I spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting (before the police murder of Kenneth Harding) about how we get criminalized in the Bayview on the T-Train and the police chase people down because they don’t have a transfer.

M.O.I. JR: Well, for those of you who are just tuning in, we are talking to activist Fly Benzo right here on Hard Knock Radio with the Minister of Information JR. Fly, can you tell the people a little bit about the Kenneth Harding case? Kenneth Harding was somebody who was recently murdered by the police in San Francisco, but can you tell them a little bit about the case specifically for the people who have never heard that name?

Fly Benzo: Like I was saying about the Deshon Marman thing, when I spoke before the Board of Supervisors meeting, a couple of days later Kenneth Harding was shot down, and a lot of people in the community know me as an activist so they hit my phone immediately. They was telling me, like, the police killed somebody and then somebody else came up to me and showed me a video and I ran down there as fast as I could from the Monte Carlo. That’s about 8-10 blocks.

M.O.I. JR: And what happened?

Fly Benzo: He was out there bleeding. They had a bunch of cops out there. It was like a big standoff with the police. They had a large area taped off and it was whole bunch of police out there looking everywhere but by where dude was shot for a gun. They’re going up on rooftops and they were looking everywhere for a gun that obviously wasn’t there.

Fly spoke passionately at the press conference and rally held by the community on July 18, two days after police murdered Kenneth Harding over a $2 T-Train transfer. The rally was held at Third and Oakdale in Hunters Point, on the sidewalk where Kenny was allowed to bleed to death while police trained their guns on him and the horrified crowd. – Photo: Bill Carpenter

Kenneth Harding was bleeding on the ground. I think they had taken him off by that time, but then we walked around because they had the area taped off. So we walked all the way around the block the other way so we could get to the news reporters and tell them the community’s side of the story, because this Kenneth Harding incident isn’t an isolated incident.

It’s been women that have been beat up by the police for not having a transfer on the T-Train, and I put it on my show. I broadcast it on Channel 29 public access in San Francisco, and my show is called “It’s Really Real TV” and it comes on late night. A lady got beat up for not having a transfer on the T-Train.

I basically ran from the police and I didn’t have a transfer, but I’m thinking they’re not going to chase me for a transfer but they actually called backup to take me down for a transfer. This is basically criminalizing poverty.

The African American youth in San Francisco have a 70 percent unemployment rate, so our population is rapidly decreasing. It’s going to continue to decrease when the police are criminalizing our poverty in San Francisco. They are already tearing down our low-income housing.

African American youth in San Francisco have a 70 percent unemployment rate, so our population is rapidly decreasing. It’s going to continue to decrease when the police are criminalizing our poverty.

M.O.I. JR: Didn’t you catch a number of cases for being on the front lines and representing the Hunters Point community against police terrorism? How does that tie in?

Fly Benzo: I caught a whole bunch of cases. I spoke on Sharen Hewitt’s show on Channel 29. The next day the police must have seen the show and they arrested me on sight – narc cars and a black and white – and they all hopped out and came straight to me with the handcuffs dangling and arrested me and told me, “You’re not getting cited out this time.” And I was in jail for about five days with resisting arrest charges.

M.O.I. JR: For it to be resisting arrest, what was the initial arrest for?

Fly Benzo: There was no reason to arrest me.

M.O.I. JR: So they arrested you for resisting arrest?

Fly Benzo: Yes, and I didn’t even resist. That’s the cold part.

M.O.I. JR: But I’m saying like how can they get on a charge of resisting arrest when they had no probable cause to arrest?

Fly Benzo: It’s crazy; it’s police misconduct.

M.O.I. JR: OK, what’s the second time?

Fly Benzo: This latest time, a cop pulled out his video phone and started videotaping me after he had unplugged the radio (in Mendell Plaza at Third and Palou, where playing music is commonplace), and the community didn’t like it. He started videotaping me and I’m doing no crime.

DeBray Carpenter, aka Fly Benzo, speaks at his press conference July 28 after his release from jail the first time he was arrested for speaking out against the police murder of Kenneth Harding. – Photo: Brant Ward, SF Chronicle

So I pulled out my phone and I started videotaping him and obviously he felt that a threat to his job or his position or him getting a promotion or whatever – and he wanted to try to knock my phone out my hand. So I told him not to touch me and I recorded him again and he did it again and he tried to grab my arm and tried to put me under arrest.

I wasn’t trying to get arrested because I just got out of jail for five days for nothing, but I know what happens. I mean I was just coming from school, just got to Third Street and Palou.

I saw my brother, I stopped, and I mean they started harassing me as soon as they came to Third Street – like Black people aren’t welcome in San Francisco. If we’re not welcome on Third Street, what makes you think we’re going to be welcome on Market Street? If we’re not welcome on Third Street, what makes you think we’re going to be welcome in Chinatown or Koreatown?

Why can’t African Americans have a cultural mecca in San Francisco? How come every other culture is San Francisco is celebrated in San Francisco? That’s the kind of thing we need to speak on.

M.O.I. JR: So to get to the point where they racked you and your brother up?

Fly Benzo: So they took us, they grabbed my arm and tried to put me under arrest. And by this time, backup was coming and a whole lot of cops were on me.

They tried to charge me with assault on an officer and resisting arrest causing serious bodily harm, but I mean, is videotaping a cop a crime?

Is videotaping a cop a crime?

M.O.I. JR: Where did the assault charge come from? What had happened?

Fly Benzo: I have no idea. I assaulted no one. I didn’t let them just arrest me because I had committed no crime, but I mean at first all they were trying to do was take my phone.

But they put me under arrest, they beat me up. I was hospitalized, and I was put in jail. They gave me $95,000 bail and I had to come up with $7,600 to get out and I’m out on bail right now and I owe the bail bondsman.

They put me under arrest, they beat me up. I was hospitalized, and I was put in jail. They gave me $95,000 bail.

We’re selling T-shirts and I have a Facebook account, Free Fly Benzo. Look it up and you can buy T-shirts. We got all kinds of different designs. Look up my video, “Fly Benzo, War on Terror.” And we have some raw and uncut footage on there and you can check it out.

We have an entrepreneurship program we’re checking out and working on, I Too Have a Dream. We have a club at City College, Black Star Line Coalition. I mean, man, we’re pushing.

I was getting straight As. I was going to court every time. I had a bail reduction hearing. I had letters from my teachers, and the judge refused to reduce my bail.

And this child molester coach from Penn State, his bail was $100,000 and he touched six kids. He’s accused of touching six kids and his bail was only $5,000 more than mine and all I did was videotape a crooked cop. And I’m facing four years in the state pen for videotaping a cop.

This child molester coach from Penn State, his bail was $100,000 – only $5,000 more than mine – and all I did was videotape a crooked cop. And I’m facing four years in the state pen.

M.O.I. JR: One last time, your email address or where people can find you online if they want to get directly in contact with you?

Fly Benzo: Yes, on Facebook, Fly Benzo, or on Twitter, @Fly Benzo.

The People’s Minister of Information JR is associate editor of the Bay View, author of “Block Reportin’” and filmmaker of “Operation Small Axe,” both available, along with many more interviews, at www.blockreportradio.com. He also hosts two weekly shows on KPFA 94.1 FM and kpfa.org: The Morning Mix every Wednesday, 8-9 a.m., and The Block Report every Friday night-Saturday morning, midnight-2 a.m. He can be reached at blockreportradio@gmail.com.

San Francisco Bay View » SF Bay Area

Stand up! Fight back! Surviving police attack on Occupy Oakland

A statement from Occupy Oakland’s Move-In Assembly

The OPD and the city claim that we are outsiders and that we are not from Oakland – even as 93 percent of OPD officers live outside Oakland.

The state fears that one successful building takeover will lead to another. It has nightmares of whole blocks of vacant buildings put to use as social centers and nodes of resistance, inspiring those in other cities to do the same.

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Right outside this stadium, police are killing our children

Interview with Denika Chatman, mother of SFPD murder victim Kenneth Harding, broadcast on KPFA’s Morning Mix/ Block Report on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 8 a.m.

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‘We don’t work, nobody works’

Pack the courtroom (850 Bryant, Dept. 27) to free Fly Benzo Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1:30 p.m., and in the days following; Fly faces four years in prison for copwatching and for fighting for justice for Kenneth Harding, murdered by SFPD last July!

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Community benefits win big: Construction contracts and jobs for Oaklanders

Pack the Oakland City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 7, regarding local hire and a Jobs Center

What she has done will slow down the Oakland process of importing labor and exporting capital.

Her legislation forces all contractors to demonstrate their history of delivering community benefits to a local community in which they work. If they have no such history, they must joint venture with a contractor who has such a history.

Desley Brooks on KPFA’s Education Today

For them to even compete to get that job, 33 percent of their core workforce would have to be Oakland residents.

Oakland spends millions and millions of dollars for construction contracts and should recirculate those dollars in our communities.

Put Oaklanders first!

How you can get involved

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Restoring hope for Black farmers and a healthy Black community

“Black people have been bullied out of their way of life for many years, and to see my friends and family made whole is a blessing.”

The high number of African American communities across the nation impacted by the decline of African American farmers seems to go hand in hand with the lack of access to fruits and vegetables within African American communities.

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Picking up the pieces: Kenneth Harding’s mother calls on community to march for justice this Sunday

Surround Candlestick Stadium during NFC championship game; gather at Third & Palou at noon Sunday, Jan. 22, to march to Candlestick

Since relocating here, I have become an activist, an active protester and a public speaker. My life purpose now is to prevent any other child from experiencing such a heinous death.

This fight for justice is not just about what happened to my son. Many people, such as DeBray Carpenter (aka Fly Benzo), Pladee Clayton and Kilo Perry have had their rights violated, have been assaulted and incarcerated for openly speaking out against the police and the murder of my son.

What if it was your child? Many have come before me and it’s time for the killing, brutality, terrorizing and occupation of our communities by the police to stop.

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Nonprofit housers mourn demise of redevelopment agencies

Affordable housing projects discriminate against the poor

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Santa Rosa: Protesting Wells Fargo profit in private prisons and predatory lending

KPFA Weekend News, Jan. 8, 2012

Transcript

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Vietnam vet issues call to arms to save his home

On Wednesday, Jan. 4, 3 p.m., meet at Lake Merritt’s Snow Park, 19th and Harrison, to march to Wells Fargo Bank

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Acquittal in mistaken iPhone thief case

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There is no place left to go for poor people once all of our public housing is gone.

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Oakland parents question need for school police

“Look at them; they fit the description: They have dreadlocks and they’re Black. So they’ll be targets eventually if we don’t get the police out of our schools,” said Jabari Shaw.

“They sent a message that a Black life doesn’t count. That you can do anything and nobody will say anything about it,” said Philip Byers.

The “few years of having an independent police force actually reduced and worsened services to school sites and reduced the safety of the students in general.”

“Police will most likely arrest the students, and that puts them in the system. The high school students don’t feel comfortable having police on campus,” said Lesley Tiyesha Phillips.

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Oakland exports profit and imports labor.

I walked the BART connector project. I found one worker who was a descendant of slaves on this $1 billion project.

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Support Fly Benzo twice on Friday, Jan. 6:

1) Pack the courtroom for the first day of his trial on Friday, Jan. 6, 9 a.m., at 850 Bryant in Department 22

2) Party with Fly at his ‘Conscious Minds at Work Reggae, Arts and Hip-Hop Mixer & Fundraiser’ on Friday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m., at Twin Space Continuum, 2111 Mission St., Third Floor #300, San Francisco

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The other 1 percent

Thinking about the prison industrial complex, the 99 percent and the movement forward

The last 30 years have led to an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the 1 percent – as well as the creation of another 1 percent: the 1 in 100 people currently locked in U.S. prisons and jails.

In 2011, with 1 percent of the U.S. population controlling 40 percent of the wealth, 7.2 million adults – or 3.1 percent of the population, mostly poor and of color – are under correctional supervision – probation, parole, jail or prison.

Currently, 65 million people have criminal records and are barred from most employment, as well as public housing and food assistance.

The very day after the raid, five schools were closed to save the city $2 million, while estimates at the cost of policing the night of the crackdown are around the same amount.