Tag: Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal

These days many seniors find themselves without enough to make ends meet. Then you turn on the TV and hear Robert Wagner, Pat Boone, Alex Trebek, Fred Thompson and even “Fonzie” telling us about the easy money provided by reverse mortgages. A reverse mortgage is a loan for senior homeowners, age 62 and older, that uses the home’s equity as collateral. The loan generally does not have to be repaid until the borrowers move out of the property or pass away.

Is your driver’s license suspended due to unpaid traffic tickets? If so, you may qualify for the California Amnesty Program! Through the California Amnesty Program, if you have unpaid traffic tickets that you received before 2013, you may be eligible to have the amount of the ticket reduced up to 80 percent and get your driver’s license reinstated. If you have more recent tickets, you may still be able to get the hold on your driver’s license lifted.

At age 77, Gloria has lived in the same house in Bayview for over 40 years. Despite being severely sight impaired, she remains an active member of the community by volunteering her time to read to kids in schools, taking modern dancing classes and swimming on a regular basis. Gloria’s lifestyle came to a halt, however, when she discovered that someone had stolen her identity.

Update: Thanks to all, Bayview Legal is a winner! It is startlingly clear that legal aid is essential to achieving justice and equality. Fewer than 20 percent of low income people’s legal problems are addressed with the help of a lawyer. So, what’s to be done? This is the question that Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal is actively working to address. Vote for us in the Google Impact Challenge and help us win $500,000. We’ll use the money to prove “justice for all” is not just a slogan but an achievable goal.

Civil law, intended to protect the vulnerable in our society, has been shown to be extremely effective at protecting the housing, property, family and employment rights of our neighbors when utilized. Sadly though, poor people in our society are almost never able to use the civil law to protect their rights. Simply put, this is because there aren’t enough trained lawyers available to help the poor, vulnerable and oppressed enforce their civil rights.

Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal cordially invites you to our Third Annual Gala Nov. 16 at the Russian Center of San Francisco. This event will feature a deluxe auction with a variety of items from local merchants and artisans, wine and beer from local vendors, hors d’oeuvres crafted by a local chef, and great music performed by a local blues artist. Our featured speaker will be Jeff Adachi, elected public defender of San Francisco.

In 2006, Ariane divorced her husband, who, before and during their marriage, had racked up over $74,000 in tax debt to the IRS. After their divorce, her ex-husband’s whereabouts became completely unknown, so the IRS went after her for the entire debt. She brought her case to Jeff, one of BHP Community Legal’s staff attorneys. In January 2014, Ariane received a court judgment legally freeing her from her ex-husband’s tax debt.

Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal is hosting our first annual Summer Benefit Concert on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2-5 p.m., at 4100 Third St. Join us for a day of fun, music and community. We will have live performances from local musicians Alvin Jett and The Third Street Project, great food prepared by a neighborhood chef for sale and a silent auction with items donated by several local artisans and businesses, including Giants tickets!

According to a recent report by the San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee, 76 percent of the funding from the City’s Grants for the Arts will go to arts organizations with primarily white audiences. In the fall of 2013 the Bayview Hunters Point Arts Council asked Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal to investigate grants made by the San Francisco Arts Commission that had been earmarked for local artists.

On Aug. 14 we signed an engagement letter with Bryan Cave, one of the largest law firms in the world, to represent the Bay View in our fight against censorship at Pelican Bay. This miracle was set in motion by an amazing little law office, Bayview Hunters Point Community Legal, that some young, idealistic lawyers opened in a storefront in our hood to help the many of us here who can’t afford legal help.

Justice is the backbone of civil society, the very core of a democracy. The law, however, is a confusing morass of conflicting rules and decisions that is often impenetrable to the average citizen. Until last month, there was nowhere permanent that residents in Bayview Hunters Point could go to for basic legal help.