Street SpiritJ U S T I C E N E W S & H O M E L E S S B L U E S I N T H E B A Y A R E A

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by Lydia Gans

The Berkeley Food and HousingProject (BFHP), one of the EastBay’s major homeless programs,was founded in 1970, and does

exactly what the name implies by provid-ing food and housing for people in need.

The food part is relatively simple.BFHP workers provide sit-down meals ortake-outs several days a week at twoBerkeley locations. Their well-knownQuarter Meal is provided free to all com-ers at Trinity United Methodist Church on2362 Bancroft Way in Berkeley. Freelunches are offered to homeless womenand children at their Women’s Shelter,located at 2140 Dwight Way.

The housing part is complicated andgetting more so every day. It started wayback in the mid-1980s with an overnightshelter where homeless people wereadmitted in by a specified time in the

evening, and had to leave the shelter by8:00 in the morning. A person could besure of a bed up to some maximum num-ber of days, usually 30 days.

At that time, when the relatively newsocietal problem of long-term homeless-ness was first being recognized, it wasassumed that whatever problems causedhomelessness could be solved in time toget them into permanent housing. Advice,housing referrals, and help, in the form ofcase management, was available.

The expectation back then was that ifshelter residents wanted housing and theyreally hustled, they should be able to findsomething before their shelter stay wasup, with help from BFHP staff. But withthe economic crisis creating ever greaternumbers of homeless people, and over-whelming the shelter system in the EastBay, things began to change.

According to BFHP Executive DirectorTerrie Light, service providers in Berkeley

began to notice a steady increase in thenumber of people coming for food, begin-ning in 2007. “Some weeks were prettyalarming,” she said. Meanwhile, Lightadded, “Some of our donations wereshrinking and we saw people coming intothe agency that were first-time homeless.”

This increase in the need for services

“is an indicator that people are on theedge.” Being compelled to choosebetween paying the rent and buying foodis causing more and more people to fallinto homelessness.

“Every night now the shelters are full,”Light said. “Zero vacancies. Emergency

Food Project Faces NewChallenges in OvercomingHomelessness in Berkeley“Every night now the shelters are full — zero vacancies.Emergency beds are full. We often put out cots, and thenthey get full.” — Terrie Light, BFHP executive director

by Lynda Carson

At nearly the same moment as peo-ple in Oakland, San Francisco and150 other cities across the country

held Homeless Memorials this pastDecember to remember homeless personswho died on the streets, a series of brutalmurders of homeless men in OrangeCounty delivered a shocking warningabout the hazards of living on the streets.

The murders in late December andJanuary caused widespread fear in thehomeless community in Anaheim, Calif.

Finally, on Jan. 13, 2012, OrangeCounty police arrested an alleged serialkiller of homeless men. Itzcoatl Ocampo, a23-year-old Iraq war veteran, was bookedin the Anaheim jail as a suspect in the stab-bing murders of four homeless people thatbegan on Dec. 20, 2011.

The timing of the murders was deeplyunsettling to many homeless advocates,since people had gathered in 150 cities allacross the nation to mourn the prematuredeaths of homeless people on the streets.

Most of these memorials took place on

Dec. 21, 2011 — the day after the firstmurder of a homeless man occurred.

During the very same time period inlate December when clergy and homelessadvocates gathered at these memorials toreflect on the many tragic causes of deathof homeless people, Ocampo went on amurderous rampage, and left a bloodytrail of homeless victims on the affluentstreets of Orange County.

Itzcoatl Ocampo is being held withoutbail in Orange County Jail, after beingcaught and charged in the stabbing death ofan elderly homeless man named JohnBerry, age 64, a Vietnam veteran. Berrywas stabbed repeatedly by the 23-year-oldex-Marine, and died of fatal wounds latethat Friday night, Jan. 13, in the parking lotof a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Anaheim, Calif.

People who knew John Berry told thepress that he was “a spiritual man” who wasso well liked by his neighbors that they cre-ated a large memorial for him at the cornerof La Palma Avenue and ImperialHighway, where he was murdered.

“Say Not What You Did For Your Country…” Art by San Francisco Print Collective

See Berkeley Food and Housing page 7

Studies show California has 20 percent of the nation’shomeless veterans. In response, Berkeley Food and HousingProject launched a new program for military veterans.

Serial Killer Stalked Homeless Men in Orange County

In Orange County, the homeless commuity was terrifed by a serial killer who stalked and murdered homeless people.

Photo courtesy of NationalCoalition for the Homeless

See Serial Killer Stalks Homeless page 6

The authorities place very little value on the lives ofhomeless people. Orange County offered the same paltry amount of reward money for the conviction of a serial killer of four homeless men as pet owners in thesame affluent area offer for finding a lost dog or cat.

February 2012ST R E E T SP I R I T2

In San Francisco, the CaliforniaDepartment of Corrections (CDC)has unveiled a new campaign of busshelter ads to confront America’s

home foreclosure crisis.During the week of January 16, the

CDC successfully apprehended, rehabili-tated and discharged more than one dozenbus shelter advertisements throughout SanFrancisco, including one at the intersec-tion of California and Davis Street, oneblock from the Federal Reserve Bank ofSan Francisco.

The CDC’s red, white and blue adver-tisements declare: “MORTGAGE INTROUBLE? OCCUPY THE BANKS”along with listing the website,www.OccupyWallStWest.org. Producedwith the assistance of the U.S.Department of the Treasury and the U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment, the corrected advertise-ments feature the rooftop of an Americanhome set against clear blue skies with thephrase: “Making Home Affordable.”

The corrected ads were released justprior to January 20, in anticipation of a day-long, nonviolent shut down of SanFrancisco’s Financial District by OccupySF. January 20 also marks the one-yearanniversary of the controversial CitizensUnited decision by the U.S. Supreme Court,which granted First Amendment protectionto corporate political expenditures.

Occupy protesters are demanding ahalt to predatory foreclosures and evic-tions by banks and the end of “corporatepersonhood.” The demonstrators tooktheir demands directly to the offices ofbanks and corporations in San Franciscoto stop business as usual on January 20.

The rehabilitated advertisements arecurrently at liberty and seem to have suc-cessfully readjusted to public life.

However, these ads will remain under sur-veillance by department staff to preventrecidivism and any potential lapse intoprior criminal behavior.

Founded in 1994, the CaliforniaDepartment of Corrections is a privatecorrectional facility that protects the pub-

lic through the secure management, disci-pline, and rehabilitation of California’sadvertising. The department was initiatedby individuals who felt that public correc-tional facilities were insufficiently manag-ing the state’s most criminal elements andthat effective care and treatment would

improve under the supervision of a privateinstitution.

For more information on the operationsand programs of the CDC, contact theCalifornia Department of CorrectionsOffice of Communications at cdc@revo-lutionist.com.

Commentary by Lynda Carson

As so-called charities and nonprof-it affordable housing developersare grabbing more and more

funds from the nation’s affordable hous-ing programs to pay their extremely highsalaries, there is less money to go aroundfor the needs of the poor, and to subsi-dize low-income renters.

As a direct result, on behalf of theaffordable housing industry that wants tokeep these high salaries in place, the fed-eral government is about to remove thecap that limits the amount of rent that canbe charged to the poorest of the poor.

Yet, there are no caps on how muchmoney the executives in the so-calledaffordable housing industry can grab fortheir often excessively high salaries andwage compensation.

A revised draft of the proposedvoucher reform bill was released byRepublican staff of the House FinancialServices Committee on Jan, 13, 2012. Inessence, the voucher reform bill wouldend an existing cap on the amount ofmonthly rent that poor residents can beforced to pay. If the proposed new mea-sure is passed into law, it would nega-tively affect low-income residentsthroughout the country who reside inpublic housing, or live in subsidizedhousing units, or hold Section 8 vouch-ers.

Rather than asking affordable housingdevelopers to reduce their exorbitantsalaries, the poor are being asked to givemore of what little they have, or face

eviction from subsidized housing.As an example: Project-based Section

8 tenants typically pay 30 percent of theirmonthly income toward rent, with rentalassistance making up the differencebetween what the tenants can afford andthe approved rent. But even tenants withvery little or no income are required topay something. Currently, if 30 percentof a tenant’s income is less than $50, heor she can be charged a minimum rent ofup to $50 a month.

Under the draft of the new law, thecap on the minimum rent would be lifted.The new minimum rent would be set atleast $69.45, and would be annuallyindexed to inflation.

If the caps are removed there will beno limits to rent increases. “The currentHUD secretary, or the next one could gobeyond,” said Linda Couch of theNational Low Income Housing Coalition.With the cap removed, “there is nolimit.”

Any and all tenants that cannot paythe new rent increases being demandedof them face eviction.

Meanwhile, covetous executives inthe so-called affordable housing industryare allowed to continue grabbing morefunds for their excessive salaries.

All tenants living in affordable hous-ing projects are urged to unite andprotest. They are urged to demand inwriting that executives and employees inthe organizations that own and managethe buildings they reside in must rollback their salaries and wage compensa-tion to less than $80,000 per year!

Liberated Ads Confront the Foreclosure CrisisAmerica Pilloriesby Sue Ellen PectorPoverty reachesits wintry gripbeneath blankets.America’s homeless shelterslack justice and safety.On city sidewalks and in parksdestitute people arerousted and reproached.Only the pillory is missing.America exposesthe vulnerableto public abuse.

Do Unto Others by George WynnSome peoplestay the sameno matter howmuch they prayCatholics withsuspicious eyeswalk out of St. Patrick's down Mission Streetgiving homeless people looks of disdainSome po' folks get angrysome cover their eyesto hide their pain.

Federal Voucher Reform BillWill Harm Poorest Tenants

by Jack Bragen

As a writer and as someone withsome affluent relatives andfriends, people may assume that

I would never have to deal with low-income housing situations; and in mypresence, they may feel at ease to criti-cize people who live in such housing.

In a writing group, a woman bemoanedher fear that low-income units would bebuilt near where she lived. In the samespirit of meanness, she was insultingtowards the work of writers in the group.

After living in several very difficulthousing situations, my wife and I finallyfound an apartment five years ago wherewe don’t face harassment and a high-crimeenvironment. The landlord even installed anew air conditioning unit so I could getthrough the hot summer months.

In the most recent bad place where mywife and I lived, a couple blocks awayfrom the “drug area” of downtownMartinez, I was forced to stand myground against people who seemedextremely threatening. We had next-doorneighbors who held incredibly loud androwdy parties every night. I witnessedthat neighbor, along with another man,beating up a third man.

A random partygoer knocked on mydoor at four in the morning to try and geta cigarette. I didn’t give in despite hisgangster-like look and manner. I said thathe should go to a gas station. I called thepolice on these tenants and I complainedto the landlord. They were evicted.

At the same building, we had other

neighbors who weren’t much better. Aman was drinking hard liquor on theporch. The son had recently been to juve-nile hall. He and another kid in the build-ing used a cactus for target practice withtheir guns; the noise was maddening.

I don’t know if it is worse to deal withthe snobbery of the rich, or the obnox-ious and threatening escapades that canhappen in low-income properties. Whena disabled person is living on SSI andSSDI, it can be very difficult to get into agood housing situation in which a personis neither threatened nor harassed.

A good credit rating has become amatter of survival. At one time, it maynot have been a big deal to have somebad debt on one’s record. Now it canmake the difference in your ability torent in a good area.

When forced to live in a bad area,your life may be in the hands of violentcriminals who prey on impoverishedrenters. I will never forget the feeling offear I had when dealing with people whoI believed might pull out a weapon andshoot me if I said the wrong thing. Or thefear that I could get shot merely for beingin the wrong place.

Safe, clean, accessible, affordablehousing ought to be given to personswith psychiatric disabilities, across theboard. Instead, we are left to strugglewith the hardships of surviving in hous-ing in which few people, if given achoice, would dwell. This dilemmaforces many disabled people to remaininstitutionalized, which can be a dismalway of living.

Struggling for Survival in Low-Income Housing

This doctored ad shows how to resolve the foreclosure crisis: Occupy the Banks.

February 2012 ST R E E T SP I R I T 3

DDoonnaattee oorr SSuubbssccrriibbee ttoo SSttrreeeett SSppiirriitt!!Street Spirit is published by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Homeless vendors receive 50 papers a day, earnincome and find a job providing a positive alternative to panhandling, and educate the community about social justice issues. Pleasedonate or subscribe to Street Spirit ! Help us remain an independent voice for justice!

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Send Donations to: AFSC65 Ninth Street,San Francisco, CA 94103

February 2012

by Paul Boden, Wesern RegionalAdvocacy Project

“They want us out of our community!”“We’re always told to move on, but to

where? There are no places for us to be.”— Survey Respondents

Western Regional Advocacy Project(WRAP) and USA-Canada Alliance ofInhabitants (USACAI) are calling on ourmembers and allies throughout the UnitedStates and Canada to join us on April 1for a national day of action for the right toexist — a day to protest the ongoing crim-inalization of poor and homeless people inour communities.

We are building a movement to reclaimour communities for all members — notjust those who set the rents. In order tobuild this movement and assert our humanrights, we must make clear the myriad ofways in which our community members aretreated as though they are less than human.We must “connect the dots.”

INVESTIGATING THE POLICIES THATHAVE MADE MORE PEOPLE SUFFEROver the past 30 years, neoliberal poli-

cymakers have substituted private gain forpublic good. They have abandoned eco-nomic and social policies that supportedhousing, education, healthcare, labor, andimmigration programs. WRAP andUSACAI are at work identifying andtracking such policy, in order to publicizetheir spread and their effects. This is not amatter of theoretical analysis: this is aninvestigation of the policies and tools bywhich more and more people have beenmade to suffer.

Three decades ago, the deregulation offinancial industries came simultaneouslywith the withdrawal of government supportfor affordable housing. Just since 1995, theUnited States has lost over 290,588 exist-ing units of public housing and 360,000Section 8 units, with another 7,107approved for demolition/disposition sinceMarch of 2011. At the same time, 2.5 mil-lion foreclosures have taken place since2007, an additional 6.9 million foreclosureshave been initiated, and a projected 5.7million borrowers are at risk.

In those same 15 years, more than830,000 new jail and prison cells havebeen built, draconian immigration lawsand eligibility screening criteria have beenimplemented in housing, healthcare, edu-cation and jobs programs, and America’sthree largest residential mental healthfacilities are now all county jails — LosAngeles, Chicago, and New York.

NEW WAVE OF CRIMINALIZATION1982 marked the beginning of home-

lessness as a “crime wave” that wouldconsume the efforts of U.S. police forcesover the next three decades. Crime statis-tics show that across the country, millionsof homeless people were sitting, lyingdown, hanging out, and — perhaps worstof all — sleeping. To take one city as anexample, by the end of 2011, these new“crimes” comprised roughly one third ofall prosecuted offenses in San Francisco.

We all suffer from governments thatwaste resources and refuse to develop realsolutions to social problems, but the peo-

ple whose survival is criminalized sufferthe most.

SURVIVAL-RELATED ‘CRIMES’Over the past year, WRAP has led a

survey effort with its West Coast mem-bers and allies in Portland, Berkeley, SanFrancisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver,Houston and Worcester, MA, document-ing homeless people’s experiences withthe criminal justice system for survival-related “crimes.” USACAI has helpedWRAP to take this effort broader byreaching out to their members and survey-ing homeless people in cities throughoutthe United States on these issues.

WRAP is now releasing preliminaryresults from discussions with over 668 peo-ple. Of those surveyed, 78 percent ofrespondents reported being harassed, citedor arrested by police officers for sleepingoutside. Also, 75 percent reported beingharassed by police for sitting or lying down,and 76 percent were criminalized for loiter-ing or simply “hanging out.” These were farand away the top crimes for which home-less people were charged.

A sad corresponding fact is that only25 percent of respondents believed thatthey knew of safe, legal places to sleep. In

California, the public lodging law makessleeping outside always illegal for home-less people. The law, by its nature, makesa large class of poor people inescapablycriminal.

It can feel easy to scoff at these crimes.Most of the relevant laws, nationwide, aresummary offenses (“infractions” inCalifornia; “violations” in some otherstates), which means that they can’tdirectly result in any jail or prison time.However, 57 percent of respondentsreported bench warrants issued for theirarrest as a result of these citations: that is,if they couldn’t afford to pay the fines thatthese tickets carried, or if they wereunable to make court dates, then theybecame subject to arrest.

USING THE WORD “WE”Core to our success in this survey

research was the active, engaged outreachof volunteers from nearly a dozen differ-ent organizations throughout the UnitedStates. Using an organizing method thatWRAP members have developed and pol-ished on the streets of cities on the WestCoast, they were able to procure goodinformation, and, far more importantly,begin important conversations within our

communities about the real nature ofcriminalization and its impacts.

By seeking out homeless people in theplaces where they really spend time andengaging our communities on their ownterms, we were able to develop true, com-munal knowledge, founded in collectiveexperience, and we are able to use theterm “we” to talk about our communitiesin ways that isolated “experts” never can.We are organizing in a more honestlydemocratic way.

‘LET US WORK TOGETHER’This is not about caring for or even

advocating for “those people.” This isabout all of us. As Aboriginal leader LillaWatson said, “If you have come here tohelp me, you are wasting your time. But ifyou have come because your liberation isbound up with mine, then let us worktogether.”

The rise of repression in the UnitedStates and Canada is a war against all ofus. We need all of us to act in this strugglefor dignity, fairness and human rights.The people who pay for and profit fromthe criminalization of homeless people arethe same people who benefit from ournations’ refusal to meet basic humanneeds. They are using these laws to dowhat invading armies do: they attack us atour most vulnerable flanks — the commu-nities of poor and homeless people whohave been subjected to shame and blamefor decades.

The sit/lie law that Seattle passed in1993 is nearly verbatim the same sit/lielaw that San Francisco passed in 2010.The sit/lie law that San Francisco passedto use against homeless people is the samelaw that San Francisco police now use toharass Occupy protesters.

If you are not homeless, if you are notthe target now, then understand that youare next. Isolated and fragmented, we losethis fight. But we are no longer isolated.

We can only win this struggle if we useour collective strengths, organizing, out-reach, research, education, art and directactions. We are continuing to expand ournetwork of organizations and cities andwe will ultimately bring down the wholeoppressive system of policing poverty andtreating poor people as “broken windows”to be discarded and replaced.

WRAP is calling for a national day ofaction on April 1st to raise awareness onthis issue. We will publishing informationon ways to get involved in the comingweeks. Stay tuned!

Street SpiritStreet Spirit is published by AmericanFriends Service Committee. The ven-dor program is run by J.C. Orton.

Editor, Layout: Terry MessmanWeb designer: Ariel Messman-Rucker

Contributors: David Bacon, Claire J.Baker, Paul Boden, Jack Bragen,California Department of Corrections,Lynda Carson, Terri Compost, CarolDenney, Arthur Fonseca, Lydia Gans,Mary Rudge, Christa Occhiogrosso, SueEllen Pector, SF Print Collective, JuliaVinograd, George Wynn

All works copyrighted by the authors.

The views expressed in Street Spirit arti-cles are those of the individual authors,not necessarily those of the AFSC.

Street Spirit welcomes submissions ofarticles, poems, photos and art.. Contact: Terry MessmanStreet Spirit, 65 Ninth Street,San Francisco, CA 94103E-mail: spirit@afsc.orgWeb: http://www.thestreetspirit.org

National Day of Action for the Right to Exist

The sit/lie law that Seattle passed in 1993 is nearly verba-tim the same sit/lie law that San Francisco passed in 2010.The sit/lie law that San Francisco passed to use againsthomeless people is the same law that San Francisco policenow use to harass Occupy protesters.

February 2012ST R E E T SP I R I T4

by Terri Compost

The University of California’srecent bulldozer “maintenance”in People’s Park in Berkeley isproblematic in several ways.

First, it is a violation of trust and respect.The University snuck into People’s Parkin the early hours on December 28, andtheir bulldozers plowed through the westend of the Park, and destroyed the com-munity garden — with no notice to thecommunity and longtime Park volunteers.

The pergola, or trellis, in the west end ofPeople’s Park, which UC officials rathermysteriously decapitated, was designedand agreed upon during almost a year ofmeetings with University architects and thevolunteers who built it. And the informa-tion that UC officials are providing fortheir recent attack is misleading, if not out-right falsehood. I’ll eat my hat if People’sPark sports a native grass and poppyprairie. And how does destroying a trellisdeal with rats? Please!

Secondly, the University of Californiahas destroyed precious natural resourcesthat were purchased, planted and tended byvolunteers. The list of food-producingplants destroyed in the bulldozer assaultinclude: plum trees, native manzanita, olive,grape vines, kiwi plants, maguay, nopalescactus, and a mature rose bush, as well asbeautiful plants like pink amaryliss bulbflowers, pyrocantha and a palm-like plantdonated to the Park by Mario and Rosalindathat was growing by the entrance to theirproperty in the back of the Park. It will takeyears to replace the food and beauty thoseplants were producing.

Thirdly, UC officials are trying to erasehistory. The incursion is a test to see if thePeople will hold this place as the sacredground we liberated from the folly of UCofficials in 1969 and have held all theseyears. Bulldozing is not user development.

The pergola trellis, that was cut in half,was made out of the old-growth redwood

that was recycled from the volleyballcourt fiasco of 1991. Volunteers workedwith UC architects until UC officialswere satisfied with the earthquake safetyof the trellis. It beautified the park andheld native grapes, jasmine and kiwivines. It was a beautiful example ofrecycling — recreating and providinghealing from the wound that the volley-ball court made on People’s Park andthe community.

Also, the berms that were removedwere actually piles of asphalt that wereripped up by people in 1979 when theUniversity lied, then, about a free park-ing lot. And the Council Grove sur-rounded by the plum trees has long beenthe Park’s best meeting place. These areliterally testaments of our history thatwere destroyed.

The berms created a peaceful placebetween two busy streets. They were afeature that good landscape designersdesire. The University is trying to imple-ment control and “security.” It is up tous to decide if we want recreationalareas to resemble prison yards or be liv-ing, inspiring, beautiful refuges.

Well, now there is a void. I hope peo-ple will rise to the challenge and recre-ate with their friends and their owndreams. Viva People’s Park.

PEOPLE’S PARKby Julia VinogradThe wizards in old talesused to bury their hearts in secret places.And unless you dug up the heart and

destroyed it,they were invulnerable and heartless.Part of my heart is buried in People’s Park.Not all of it, not even the largest part.Other places, people and I’m no wizardso I keep some of it myself.Part of my heart is buried in People’s Park.Leave it alone.It’s the part that will never be reasonable,never grow up and know betterand do worse.It’s young;breathing is sweet to it, and wild and scary.It remembers meeting soldiers’ bayonets

with daffodils.It remembers tear gas drifting

over swing sets.It will always be young.Leave it alone.I go to the park sometimes to talk to it.Not often. Time passesand it doesn’t always recognize me.But it tells me there are many heartsburied with it.All young, all proud of what they madeand fought for. Do not disturb them.Do not build on them.Do not explain that times have changed.Do not tell them it’s for their own good.They’ve heard that before. They will not believe you.There are many hearts buried in People’s Park and a part of my own as well.Oh, leave them alone.

People’s Park was protected by many years of protests, and it has flowered due to years of volunteer gardening. Lydia Gans photo

Bulldozing People’s Park Is Not User Development

UC officials are trying toimplement control and“security.” It is up to us todecide if we want recre-ational areas to resembleprison yards or be living,inspiring, beautiful refuges.

The Flowering of the Colorfulby Mary RudgeIt was tie-dye on the peace march, tie-dye in the park tie-dye “in the sky with diamonds” singing through the dark when the Beatles were imagining and Deadheads came to town and in Berkeley Wavy Gravy was more king than clown — was mayor more than ice cream flavor — every pantry full of sharing in abundance and no need for choosing “dull”

Love-Ins, Be-Ins, fields and meadowsit was a new beginning of a garden on the sidewalks in a world where peace was winning, leaving money and technology and other things-gone-wrong for all colors celebrated and poetry, dance and song let free-wheeling color-wheel the drab majority still mystify with Tree-of-Life true values, and tie-dye multiply.

For an era flowered here telling of youth compelled to try peace, love; the psyche’s history holds it, not to fade or to deny. Together, colors permanent, no time change can defy, with tie-dye still a rainbow sign of dreams that never die.

“Let A Thousand Parks Bloom.” The People’s Park mural depicts ancestral spirits of Native Americans and activists who inspired the creation of the Park. Lydia Gans photo

These are literally testaments of our history that weredestroyed. UC officials are trying to erase history. Theincursion is a test to see if the People will hold this place as the sacred ground we liberated from the folly of UCofficials in 1969 and have held all these years.

February 2012 ST R E E T SP I R I T 5

by Arthur Fonseca

Ever since the University of California created aconflict with the Berkeley community by build-ing a volleyball court in People’s Park in 1991,the war for People’s Park has primarily been a

war of perceptions. The University of California has inplace a standard policy of obfuscation and obstructionthat hinders community participation, as well as occa-sionally attempting to criminalize the efforts of commu-nity volunteers.

This is not just a conflict over perceptions, but ulti-mately over our values, the quality of life in our commu-nity, and ultimately, how we function together to resistthe degradation of our history by the corporate military-industrial complex.

Unfortunately, Berkeley has experienced a wave ofdevelopment over the last decade that has put unprece-dented pressure on People’s Park, so much now that theUC Regents are in the process of spending somewherebetween 70 and 200 million dollars building a dormitoryfor out-of state students right across the street fromPeople’s Park.

All of the money for these capital improvement pro-jects is, literally, money that they don’t have, and theyare making this community, as well as their students andworkers, pay for their financial ineptitude.

It is a popular perception that People’s Park is some-how a detriment to Telegraph and the Southside neighbor-hood. It is my belief that if the residents and business own-ers actively take pride in People’s Park (i.e., contribute tothe improvement and better functioning of the Park.), thebenefits to commerce and the general quality of life in the

Telegraph area would be immediately apparent. After all of these years, is it not glaringly apparent that

the the City of Berkeley treat People’s Park like a pariah,and the University would just as soon get out the tear gasand the truncheons? How else shall we make People’sPark a functional place other than with our own individ-ual efforts in combination?

One of the most positive attributes of People’s Park isthat it is an awesome place to have free concerts, and, assuch, could be a tremendous draw for business onTelegraph. Volunteer activists have organized free con-certs in the Park in the past, and their efforts made itapparent to everyone involved that there was a great dealof potential in these events for the Telegraph community.

The potential is there for a really fun event thatinvolves a broad cross-section of the community, moti-vates the students, and shows off the Park and Telegraphto their best advantage.

It seems that if we the community can get together onprojects such as free concerts, or perhaps holiday celebra-tions for the community in People’s Park, a lot of othergood things can fall into place for People’s Park, andtherefore our community.

A Modest Proposal for BuildingCommunity in People’s Park

The Universe’s Ancient Lightby Arthur Fonsecagazing through the field of viewprojected from the jewel within your heartyour organism exudes emotionin liquid form of imperceptible densityshifting focus, color and intensity.

from the central flower growswhorls and flowschanging form and perspectivemoving patterns in fluctuationfeelings become memories in gradationfloating remnants of past incarnations

streaming with the strength of feelingweightless... soothing... invisible... healingthe colors of remembered dreamscharged with the force of spirit,an astral song, yet we barely hear it

in this pool of felt memory we are floatingsurrounded by our solid light coatingwhere the mundane obscures the sublimewe are bound to matter, blind to dreamtime

so...with that charged auraas you channel power from the florafrom the flexibility of your fieldusing nature as your shieldwith compassion for all your relationscreating love with inspiration

Become a conduit for the starry nightfor it is the universe’s ancient lightthat shines through your will.

by Arthur Fonseca

By some accounts, it was as earlyas 4 a.m. on Dec. 28 that UCBerkeley Police and contractedlandscape workers hired by

UCB started setting up orange plasticfencing around the west end of People’sPark. By 2 p.m., the damage had beendone: Bulldozers, backhoes and bobcats,chainsaws and chippers.

The berms of pavement lifted byactivists in 1979 and stacked next to boththe Dwight and Haste sidewalks as areminder of our history were leveled.Dozens of mature plants tended by com-

munity gardeners were turned to mulch.Long-existing pathways were indiscrimi-nately blocked off with no considerationfor handicapped access.

Perhaps worst of all was the indiscrim-inate vandalism of a volunteer-built struc-ture that existed along the fence line onthe west side of the Park, starting near thenorthwest corner and running southwardsabout 72 feet. This structure, called a“pergola,” was built by volunteers in 1999and 2000 out of the old-growth redwoodlumber that had been recycled from theUniversity’s ill-fated volleyball courts.

The University of California hadrequired an incredibly involved and

drawn-out approval process for the pergo-la structure that took almost a year toaccomplish. Both the City of BerkeleyPlanning Department and University ofCalifornia Landscape Architect JimHorner signed off on the project. Thestructure was inspected after it was com-pleted and passed, also by Jim Horner.

That the University sent workers in themiddle of the night and chain-sawed offthe trellis portion of the pergola, killingboth a mature grape vine and a maturekiwi vine in the process, was dreadful.

That they ran the old-growth redwoodthat had been transformed by volunteersfrom a volleyball court to a pergola

through a wood chipper before anythingcould be done about it was shocking.

That they carried out their vandalismwithout once notifying any of the manyvolunteers who had worked on that pro-ject about their plans, although they them-selves had required the volunteer activiststo go by the letter of the book, was a rape.

There is some possibility of redress, per-haps a civil case against the University ofCalifornia, as the project was documentedthoroughly from beginning to end.

Park activists are working on a benefitto be held at the Art House Gallery AndCultural Center at 2905 Shattuck Avenuein Berkeley on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012,from 6-10 p.m. It will feature perfor-mances by Phoenix, Antioquia, AndreaPrichett and Friends, and Food NotBombs! For information about the benefit,contact: (510) 830-7787.

UC Berkeley Officials Desecrate People’s Park

UC officials sent bulldozers to People’s Park to destroy trees, flowers and the garden on December 28. Carol Denney photo

REMEMBERINGPEOPLE’S PARKby Julia VinogradI remember trading a poetry book for a potted plant from a street vendor and bringing it to the park only to be told it was a house plant, it wouldn’t grow outside, didn’t I know anything? No, I didn’t. I think it was a poinsettia. I put it down and pretended it wasn’t mine. Planting surged around me like waves. Bare backs heaving small trees into big holes to shouted orders and many hands grabbing at once. Spades and picks, flying earth and shaken petals. I didn’t know anything but I didn’t go away. Then tear gas and time. Wings of war. The cyclone fence, storms in the street and James Rector dead. Each spring the flowers are as young as they were that morning when I didn’t know anything but I didn’t go away.

After all of these years, is it not glaring-ly apparent that the City of Berkeleytreats People’s Park like a pariah, andUC would just as soon get out the teargas and the truncheons?

February 2012ST R E E T SP I R I T6

Chris Juarez described Berry to KABCEyewitness News: “He was just like thekindest person ever. A homeless man thatnever asked for anything, never begged.He stuck to his own thing. He was per-fectly happy.”

Ocampo was finally captured by apoliceman after being chased on foot bywitnesses and bystanders from the fast-food restaurant where he allegedly stabbedBerry. Berry was Ocampo’s most recenthomeless murder victim. Ocampo ischarged with four counts of first-degreemurder, for the four homeless men he isaccused of killing over the holiday season.

Ocampo first was charged with mur-dering James McGillivray, age 53, onDec. 20, 2011, at a mall in Placentia.Next, on Dec. 28, Lloyd Middaugh, 42,was found stabbed to death near the SantaAna River Trail in Anaheim. Then, onlytwo days after this murder, Paulus Smit,57, was found stabbed to death near theYorba Linda Public Library on Dec. 30.

The recent spate of killings terrorizedhomeless people in Orange County. Asthe unsolved, highly publicized murderscontinued for weeks, homeless personswondered if they were going to be thenext to die at the hands of the serial killer.

According to authorities, every one ofOcampo’s victims were stabbed a shock-ing number of times. His first victim,James McGillivray, was stabbed morethan 40 times. Lloyd Middaugh wasstabbed more than 50 times, Paulus Smitwas stabbed more than 60 times.

The police realized they were trackinga serial killer who was terrorizing thehomeless population. It was reported thatthree of the people killed by Ocampowere attacked and stabbed to death whilethey were sleeping alone on the streets.

John Berry was stabbed to death onJan. 13, and Anaheim Police Chief JohnWelter admitted that only days before thehomeless man was brutally murdered, hefiled a report with the police stating that

he believed he was being stalked by theserial killer. Apparently he was right, yetthe authorities failed to protect Berry, andkeep him safe from the serial killer.

Orange County District Attorney TonyRackauckas confirmed that even whilepolice sought the killer, Ocampo had twicedriven through vehicle checkpoints set upin an attempt to gain information about thekiller from the public. Ocampo was neverapprehended at these checkpoints.

To further compound the tragedy,District Attorney Rackauckas stated thatOcampo chose Berry to be his fourth vic-tim because Berry had appeared in a newsarticle about the serial slayings, warninghomeless men to be careful.

Evidently, the Association of OrangeCounty Deputy Sheriffs placed such a lowvalue on the lives of the homeless, thatthey only offered the public a mere$5,000 reward for information leading tothe capture and arrest of the serial killer.This was barely the same reward amountthat people are currently offering for lostpets in the same affluent region.

The miniscule reward of $5,000offered by the Association of OrangeCounty Deputy Sheriffs for the captureand arrest of a serial killer in OrangeCounty, one of the wealthiest counties inthe nation, reveals how the authoritiesplace little to no value on the lives anddeaths of the homeless men that werestalked, stabbed and brutally murdered bythe ex-Marine, Itzcoatl Ocampo.

District Attorney Rackauckas filedcharges against Ocampo on Jan. 17,including four counts of special circum-stances murder, with additional chargesfor multiple murders, and for murderscommitted while lying in wait, and withthe use of a deadly weapon.

The district attorney commended thecitizens whose actions led to the appre-hension and filing of the charges againstOcampo, the same citizens that now maybe eligible for the $5,000 reward, for risk-ing their lives in the capture of the allegedserial killer. Ocampo was captured by a

policeman after being chased on foot bywitnesses and bystanders from the parkinglot of Carl’s Jr. after stabbing Berry.

It paints a very grim picture of the sta-tus of homeless people in America to real-ize how very little their lives are valuedby the authorities. Consider the paltry$5,000 reward offered for the arrest of aserial killer who brutally murdered fourhuman beings — in affluent OrangeCounty where the pet dogs or cats ofwealthy people often are worth the sameamount in reward money.

For what it’s worth, on Jan. 7, 2012, itwas reported that a pet owner in SimiValley (an hour and a half drive fromOrange County) was offering a $5,000reward for a lost Chihuahua. In nearbyGlendale (34 miles from Anaheim), a carowner offered a $5,000 reward for astolen 1959 Chevy Impala. On Nov. 10,

2011, elsewhere in California, it wasreported that a reward of $5,000 wasoffered for a lost Doberman puppy.

On Jan. 17, 2011, in Seattle, a $5,000reward was offered on Craigslist for astolen male pit bull. On Dec. 6, 2011, inHouston, a $5,000 reward was offered fora chocolate labrador retriever. On Aug. 8,2011, a woman in British Columbiaoffered a $5,000 reward for her lost cat.

Considering that the authorities ofOrange County believe it is a fair deal tooffer the same amount of reward moneyfor the conviction of a serial killer ofhomeless men, as some people are beingrewarded for finding a lost dog, or stolencar, it is evident that homeless personshave virtually no value to the authorities.

Lynda Carson may be reached at ten-antsrule@yahoo.com

Serial Killer Stalks Homeless Peoplefrom page 1

Orange County authorities released this photo of accused killer Itzcoatl Ocampo.

by Jack Bragen

People don’t seem to fully realize howdependent we are on technology andmodern infrastructure. Being pre-

pared for the world has come to mean sim-ply having your cell phone, car keys anddebit card handy. When the infrastructurefails even momentarily, in the event of apower blackout or an earthquake, we real-ize how difficult it is to survive.

Think of how unsettling it is when aflat tire on the freeway strands us at theside of the road. Or, think of a train, theAmtrak Coast Starlight, that makes itsway from the Bay Area farther north,through miles of wilderness, up toOregon. Imagine being forced to get outof the train, and being stranded in thewilderness, with no people around forcountless miles, and the ground coveredwith a thick layer of snow. The goalwould be to get “back to civilization” —meaning, back to being taken care of bysociety’s technology and infrastructure.

Imagine what it would be like to be sud-denly stripped of our cars, our houses (withindoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning,refrigerator and television), our cell-phones,our computers and our money that buyspractically anything we need. If we werestripped of all these amenities, our survivalwould be imperiled.

When we are without the comforts oftechnology and subject to the elements, lifebecomes so much harder. Suddenly, the sunand the wind and the cold have the powerto make us suffer. When we are hungry, we

no longer have a big refrigerator. If we needto go anywhere, the only available trans-portation will be our feet. Even simpleerrands become difficult and time-consum-ing because it takes so long to walk acrosstown. Homeless people know this very wellfrom personal experience.

If we become homeless, we find that,suddenly, the police aren’t here to protectand serve. Instead, they have become thestrong arm of the law that tells us wherewe can’t be, the same arm that might beraised to beat us. It is the same arm thatcould punish us by taking us to jail forpanhandling, trespassing, and disorderlyconduct. And jail is not the place wherewe want to be.

Homelessness is equivalent to life out-side the infrastructure. It means we don’thave technology to take care of our needs.It is a hard existence. No one in their rightmind chooses the distress and hardshipsof homelessness over the much easier andmore comfortable existence that the“inside” of society offers.

However, once you are homeless, it isa very hard circumstance to get reversed.Few business owners will hire a homelessman or woman to work in their company.Finding such a benefactor would be hard-er than finding a needle in a haystack.Yet, it is unrealistic to expect someone to“get a job,” without first taking othersteps on the narrow road back to society.

You would first need to get some typeof transitional housing and establish amailing address. You would need to havesomeone take phone messages for youand deliver them to you in a timely man-ner. You would need a place to shower,wash your clothes and shave. You wouldalso need access to a computer and an e-mail account, since very few jobs nowdon’t include computer literacy.

Homeless people are those who havefallen through the cracks of society, for anynumber of reasons. They may not be ableto work full-time and, may have beenturned down for disability benefits. In thecase of being unsteadily employed, it leadsto having a poor credit rating as well as apoor rental record. A good credit recordand a big pile of cash are two things need-ed to get into an apartment.

If you have no choice but to rent in adestitute area, then you could be subjectto the physical dangers that come with adrug-infested neighborhood. In suchneighborhoods, you could be harassed orattacked by criminals. This makes lifemore difficult if you are trying to fightyour way back from homelessness.

Fear and danger are no strangers tohomeless or poorly housed persons.Someone who has survived hard situationsin the past, but who has come out of thisexperience, may suffer from post-traumaticstress for years afterward. When we see aperson who appears homeless or down andout, we should not scoff at them. “There butfor fortune go you or I.”

Homelessness Means Being Cast Out of Civilization

A homeless person may feel abandoned to live in exile even in the midst of society.

Art by Christa Occhiogrosso

February 2012 ST R E E T SP I R I T 7

beds are full. We often put out cots — andthen they get full.”

The overloading of the shelter capacityis occurring at the men’s shelter in theVeteran’s Building and also at the women’sshelter. Many homeless people are forcedto sleep in their cars or on the street.

The overriding need of the clients com-ing to the BFHP is getting into affordablehousing. Some people have lost their jobsor have reduced incomes. Most of theclients are not working. They are people onfixed incomes, seniors, and disabled ormedically fragile people who are living ondecreasing SSI benefits or entitlement pro-grams for which funding is being cut.

At the same time as lifeline benefitsare being cut, rents in the Bay Area aregoing up. As a result, a large proportion ofBFHP’s resources are now devoted tofinding affordable housing.

“We’re really focused now on helpingpeople find housing.” Terrie Light said.“So we have housing specialists that actu-ally go talk to landlords, drive people toapartments, help them fill out applica-tions, and advocate with landlords fordeals or work for part of their rent.”

Connie Green, shelter supervisor at themen’s overnight shelter, described the dif-ficulties of finding housing. Rents in sin-gle-room occupancy (SRO) hotels —which used to be the least expensive hous-ing option for people with extremely lowincomes — are all going up. Also, thearea’s growing poverty rates means thatan increasing number of very poor peopleare competing for the limited housingstock, resulting in a severe shortage ofaffordable housing in the East Bay.

Green said, “We had a landlord who hadover 500 units between August andSeptember. He has 6 units now—the cheap-est being a studio at $1150 a month.”

Landlords hesitate to rent to peoplewith fixed incomes. Green said that thislandlord told her that he would never rentto anybody with a subsidized income. “Hesaid, ‘Why rent to somebody with lowincome? If something comes up andthere’s an emergency, they’re going tobuy food before they pay the rent.’”

It has become clear that a stay of 30nights in a shelter is not enough. The wors-ening shortage of affordable housing meansit now takes longer just to find housing.Clients now need more help in accessingother resources, so the BFHP now has morestaff to provide client services.

The focus of the program has changed.Green said, “This was typically a 30-dayshelter and it’s changed into an interimhousing model.” A person can stay longerif he or she is seriously looking for hous-ing and works with a case manager.

A BFHP housing clinic is available atTrinity Methodist Church all day long. Ifa person is jobless, they are referred to anemployment program at Rubicon, St.Vincent de Paul, or another agency. Greensaid, “If you’ve successfully done that andbrought in a resume and a cover letter anda name of a job coach who we can collab-orate with, you can stay longer.”

The women’s center has case workersto help women become independent andthe women’s shelter also allows residentsto stay longer if needed.

NEW PROGRAM FOR VETERANSLast spring, the Berkeley Food and

Housing Project started a special programfor military veterans. Terrie Light tells ofapplying to the Veteran’s Administrationfor funding, noting that statistics showthat California has 20 percent of thenation’s homeless veterans, many of them

living in the Bay Area. Given the history of the anti-war

movement in Berkeley, Light said, “I havea feeling we have more vets that aren’tidentifying as vets because this isBerkeley. So we need to do things to letvets know we’re welcoming them.”

The new veteran’s program is calledWelcome Home Berkeley. According toLight, Berkeley City CouncilmemberKriss Worthington said at the program’sdedication that this was “healing for thecity to be able to reach out to vets.”

The program is housed in the Veteran’sBuilding, but it is separate from the men’sshelter located in the same building. Thenew veteran’s program is in an enclosedsection, almost like a small apartment,with a kitchen, living room and bunks for12 vets. They have access there all day.

“This is where they live,” Light said.“Because they’re all former military,they’re a military unit and it’s interestinghow they work together, and cooperateand support each other in their search forindependence. So most of the men thereare looking for work, one has gone backto college at UC and the initial 12 that westarted with in May already have had sixmove out into housing.”

I dropped in one afternoon and foundthree of the vets there. All had lost theirhousing because they were not able tokeep up their rent and they are trying tofind work. All three are applying for theirveteran’s benefits, a process which is tak-ing an inordinately long time.

Raymond Jackson served in the Navyduring the Vietnam era. When he got outof the service, he went back to his job atthe University of California, but he is nolonger working. “I’m 64 years old,” hesaid, “and things happen. I’m working ongetting a pension from the Navy. It takes awhile, like a year to process.”

Another veteran, Willie Robinson, saidhe is applying for his benefits “for a lot ofinjuries.” He was denied three months agoand now is in the appeal process.

Patrick Lewis entered the military in1980 and served for 16 years, primarily inSaudi Arabia. He was a diesel mechanic inthe military, and is now looking for work.He is applying to the VA for disability ben-efits for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lewis said, “The occupation of SaudiArabia lasted for so long a lot of peoplewere never recognized for the disabilitiesthey came back to the states with.”

He launches into a description of thecomplicated process of applying for bene-fits at the Federal Building in Oakland.“You start on the 11th floor where you ini-tially pick a veteran’s personnel that’sgoing to represent you,” Lewis said. “Thenyou go to the 12th floor where they pull allyour records to find out if you have a casethat should be pursued, then you go to thethird floor where they take a look to see ifyou have a legitimate claim. Then you’reon the waiting scale and they may have tosend back east, to find out your records toverify you were in conflict.”

By this time, I was wondering how hecould be so calm about the arduousprocess. “I produced all my militaryrecords — that I was fired on while in thewar situation,” he said. “I’m still waiting.”It’s been almost a year and, like the otherhomeless veterans, he’s worried that hisallotted time in the shelter will run out andhe could again be homeless.

Light said, “The increase of servicesrequires more staffing” because helpingpeople overcome homelessness no longerjust involves checking them into the shel-ter and giving them bedding. The BFHPnow helps people find housing, refersthem to employment services, and helpsfigure out what to do with their children.

“We give our staff oodles of training,”said Light. “We have a whole componentof training for staff — from new employ-ee orientation, to case management train-ing, to housing case management.”

The BFHP now employs more than 60people, half of them full-time staff, andthe rest part-time and on-call.

“And we have had to do fundraising todo that,” Light adds. “A lot (comes) fromthe City of Berkeley. We’re the biggestgrantee of the City of Berkeley. We getquite a bit of federal money, a modestamount of county money and absolutelyno state money. About 30 percent comesfrom private donations and foundations.”

from page 1

Patrick Lewis, Willie Robinson and Raymond Jackson (from left to right) are homeless veterans who live in theBerkeley Food and Housing Project’s new veterans’ program. Many military veterans return home from overseasafter serving their country, only to end up living on the streets because housing and jobs are in scarce supply.

Lydia Gansphoto

How Sad He Must Beby George WynnWhen the flashbacks come he goes off by himself to Muir Woods to see images he alonemust watch for endlessmoments of torture andwhen he comes homehis friends who havenot been to the warlaugh and talk but he does not

For All the Danny Boysby Claire J. BakerI imagined I was a baritonesinging "Danny Boy" on a smallrosy stage in Shangri-La.Lambs minced down from greenpastures, stood listening,

their little bells stilledlike a held breath.

They seemed to sense that Danny,their much-beloved shepherd,was off to war — that whateverthe season in Shangri-LaDanny was not coming backuntil every war had ended.

Master Sergeant on the Streetby George Wynn"One third of the nation isill-housed, ill-clothed, and ill-fed."

— Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Master Sergeant on the streettells me I hearmyself breathinghow much longeris it really what I want?

I barely surviveit angers methings should havebeen better at 65

It's a damn shameno one's in charge ofmaking things better

The Berkeley Foodand Housing ProjectFaces New Challenges

Volunteer or Donate to BFHPTo donate, send checks to Berkeley

Food and Housing Project, 2362 BancroftWay, Berkeley CA 94704, c/o TerrieLight. Donate by credit card by going tothe BFHP website at http://bfhp.org/donateor call the Development Department at(510) 649-4965, ext. 585. To volunteer,contact Volunteer Coordinator DanielleKnutson at dknutson@bfhp.org or call(510) 649-4965, ext. 506.

February 2012ST R E E T SP I R I T8

by David BaconSACRAMENTO — Early Tuesday

morning, on Jan. 24, 2012, busses ofdomestic workers and their children beganarriving at the huge grassy mall in front ofCalifornia’s state capitol building inSacramento. Dozens of Mexican, Filipinaand African American moms, kids in tow,poured out onto the steps leading into thelegislature’s chamber. When the crowdgrew to several hundred, they took up theirplacards, pushed their strollers out in front,and began marching around the building.

Some of the kids had clearly donethings like this before. One five-year-oldraised her fist in the air as the crowdchanted, calling on members of the StateAssembly and Senate to pass theDomestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Another girl, who looked about three,knew the chant by heart: “We are the chil-dren, mighty, mighty children, fightingfor justice and our future.” She didn’tmiss a beat, and as one of the organizersheld the bullhorn up to her mouth she dida little militant dance to accompany it.

With balloons and even a couple ofclowns, it all seemed very festive. But thehappy atmosphere didn’t hide a moreunpleasant truth. Many of the moms thereprobably see less of their own childrenthan the youngsters they care for. And inthe case of those caring for the aged, sickor disabled, the conditions of that workcan seem like something a century ago.

Domestic workers often don’t get abreak to eat, even when working manymore hours than the eight-hour workday.Others cook for the families they workfor, but can’t use the same implements tocook for themselves.

If they have to sleep in the homes ofclients, they often have to get up duringthe night several times to perform basicservices for them, like taking them to thebathroom, or giving them medicine. Andthe night is considered a rest period, forwhich they sometimes don’t get paid.

One Filipina caregiver from the EastBay said that she sleeps in the same bed asher client. “What I’d like would be a bedwhere I could sleep by myself,” she said.

Even at the ages of five or six, the kidsmarching with their moms are old enough

to understand a little of those bitter truths.When one young girl, who looked aboutkindergarten age, held up a sign saying“trabajo digno,” or “decent work,” sheknew enough to explain that her mother“doesn’t get enough money, and sheworks too hard.”

Last year, the California Assemblypassed AB 889, authored by Assemblymembers Tom Ammiano and V. ManuelPerez, that would give domestic workerssome state-recognized rights in their effortsto curb abusive conditions.

It would provide meal and rest breaks,overtime and reporting pay as enjoyed byother workers, and expand domestic work-ers’ access to workers compensation. Italso would guarantee eight hours of sleepfor those who work around the clock, andallow them to use kitchen facilities.

The bill would affect the 200,000 peo-

ple who work in California domestic ser-vice, who are almost entirely women, andimmigrants or people of color. Whiledomestic workers face the same excusesfor substandard conditions faced by otherwomen, namely that they’re only workingto supplement the income of men, most ofthem are either the sole source of incomefor their families, or are bringing homepay that their families can’t live without.

One woman explained that she wasstill working many more than 40 hours aweek, and was in her 70s.

The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights ismodeled on one that was enacted in NewYork State in 2010. It is supported bydozens of statewide worker and communi-ty advocates, including the CaliforniaLabor Federation and many other unions,Filipino Advocates for Justice, theCoalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of

Los Angeles, Mujeres Unidas y Activas,the Women’s Collective of the SanFrancisco Day Labor Program, a numberof churches and synagogues, and Hand inHand, the Domestic Workers EmployersAssociation. Its main opponent is thebusiness association for agencies that pro-vide domestic workers to clients.

At the end of the last session of thelegislature, the bill was in the appropria-tions committee of the State Senate. Themarchers hoped to pry the bill loose, get itpassed through the Senate, and convinceGovernor Jerry Brown to sign it.

One of several legislators who spoke tothe crowd, Watsonville Assembly mem-ber Bill Monning, explained in Spanish,“This bill is just, and we’re going to makesure it becomes law and that domesticworkers finally get the same basic rightsas other workers.”

Domestic Workers and Their Children March for Rights

Women and their children rallied at the Capitol in Sacramento to seek justice for domestic workers. Photos by David Bacon

Short story by George Wynn

Some people lie down on the street atmidnight and are dead at dawn. 64-year-old Mitch taught creative writ-

ing at a prison in the Great Northwest andhad a weakness for the bottle — whichintensified when he suffered the doublewhammy of a pink slip and divorce froma red-haired beauty half his age.

After months of depression and passiv-ity, he arrived in the Golden State andwound up sleeping on the cold concrete ofGolden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.

Mitch and the stocky fellow next tohim stretched out their aching limbs.Mitch extended his hand and smiled,“Name’s Mitch.” The stocky man gave afirm handshake, “Joey.”

“Let’s have some cheese and Frenchbread,” said Mitch, while taking the foodout of his big pack. He broke off a bigpiece of bread and sliced a hunk of cheesewith his pocketknife and handed it toJoey, and cut a small piece of cheese forhimself. Between bites, Mitch proceededto tell Joey the story of his life.

“You’ve been around some baddudes,” said Joey.

“They weren’t all bad,” said Mitch.“Lot of smart ones in prison.”

“Guess so,” said Joey, sounding uncon-

vinced. “Anyway, I was a prizefighter, lostmy left eye in the ring. Detached retina didme in. It’s been a struggle ever since.”

“I bet it has,” said Mitch. “How’s thecheese?”

“Good, real good,” said Joey. Mitchtalked to him in a language he couldunderstand. They hit it off right away,perhaps because both men were honest,salt-of-the-earth types. The next day,Mitch gathered together some fishing gearand they went fishing down at the wharf.At Muni Pier, they cast for fish in silencewith mindful intent, as if they were cast-ing to quiet their troubled minds.

Mitch gave Joey a dog-eared copy ofHermann Hesse’s spiritual novel,Siddharta. A few days later Joey reported,“Mitch, this is the best little book I everread. I’m ready for another book.”

Mitch slapped Joey on the back, “Let’sgo to the Main.” At the Main Library, heintroduced Joey to Hemingway’s stories,which also engrossed Joey.

Around Mitch, Joey had a sparkle inhis right eye. Something had been missingfrom his life before. When Joey dwelledon the aura of language, his body —grown cold during evenings spent onTenderloin pavements — seemed to warmitself. Often, Mitch would drift off, prefer-ring to drink in private, not bother anyone,

not be a nuisance. One evening, Joeyturned a corner and saw a man of bulkrummaging through Mitch’s pants andstripping him of his watch. Joey snatchedthe watch out of the man’s hands.

“What the hell?” exclaimed the big man.“This watch belongs to a good friend

of mine,” Joey shot back. “Walk away.”The big man stared at Joey but took a

step back after seeing the wild look inJoey’s eye, and the tension in the veins ofhis bull neck, vibrating with latent aggres-sion, and the balled-up fists which stillcarried dynamite in either hand.

“Wasn’t nothing but a cheap watch,”said the big man and walked off.

Joey woke Mitch up, and said, “I gotpaid today for some casual labor work Idid last week. We’ll get a cheap hotel forthe night.”

“I owe you, Joey,” replied Mitch.“No you don’t. You taught me to grab

on to life. I owe you!”One morning, Joey woke to a terrible

sense of big loss. Mitch didn’t wake up. Acombination of liver damage from boozeand Tenderloin evening chills did him in.Now Joey was left alone in this gentrifiedcity with the dispossessed fighting overscraps. Once again Joey was in darkness.Mitch was the light. His last words toJoey were, “You have to escape from the

streets of broken dreams.”“I’ll try.”“Not good enough. Trying is dying.

Promise me.”“I promise,” said Joey. It was those

words that led Joey to the Zen centerwhere he meditated to quiet his mind andget focused, like Siddhartha Buddha of hisfavorite book. After a month of steadywork, Joey decided it was time to leave.

He would visit his 90-year-old grand-mother in Kansas City whose ramshacklehouse was in dire need of repair. For sev-eral months, he dedicated himself to theworld of wiring and roofing and paintingand all kinds of patch-up work.

Suddenly one morning, just like Mitch,his grandmother didn’t wake up. ToJoey’s amazement, she left the house tohim. A neighbor told him, “She reallyappreciated your help and the other rela-tives were doing fine and you needed abreak big time.”

Joey got a job in a fast food diner topay off the mortgage. One evening, hesaw a contest for inspirational people inthe Kansas City Star. Joey sent in his sub-mission about Mitch and to his disbeliefhe won. “Imagine that, Mitch, I got pub-lished in the same newspaper whereHemingway got his start,” he said outloud — as if Mitch was still around.

Finding an Escape from the Streets of Broken Dreams