Feature Archives

Tiny Garcia was arrested for the crime of living houseless in America. From that experience she co-founded POOR Magazine, a media organization that is much more than a weekly journal. Tiny describes the magazine as "a family of poverty scholars teaching on and speaking on issues of poverty, racism, disability, border fascism and indigenous resistance" in this interview with Angola 3 News.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will soon be voting on a law that would make it illegal to sit or lie on any sidewalk in San Francisco. On March 27th, actions were held across San Francisco to educate local residents that historically sit/lie laws have been discriminative in nature, and are unnecessary. San Francisco had a sit and lie law in the late 1960's through the 70's, but it was ultimately struck down because it was found to be unconstitutional.

On March 23rd some San Francisco Board of Supervisors, community groups, and local residents held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to denounce the "lies and manipulations" in Pacific Gas and Electric' mailers and television commercials over Proposition 16. Supervisors also took this time to re-iterate their commitment to Clean Power SF, which is a plan adopted in 2007 that will set San Francisco on the path to using clean renewable energy from cheaper sources.

On March 21st, Congress approved legislation designed to extend health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and crack down on some insurance company abuses. Members of Direct Action for Single Payer, who continue to push for a system where everyone in America would receive comprehensive medical benefits under a government run organization, pointed out that the bill falls far short of addressing some of the worst abuses of the insurance company industry. They protested inside the building at Anthem Blue Cross offices in San Francisco just days before the legislation passed.

Homeless musicians Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon faced jail for allegedly defying laws against sleeping in Santa Cruz. The city had tried to argue that the pair were in contempt of court as they had been seen by police with blankets and all their possessions. The pair had an injunction preventing them from camping. At a court hearing on March 19th, Judge Timothy Volkman disagreed that the reports showed the pair were intending to camp. For homeless people, taking a nap with your belongings during the afternoon is not the same as camping.

Homeless musicians Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon face 15 days in jail, 240 hours of community service, and fines of thousands of dollars for violating a court order banning them from sleeping at night after 11pm (the City's Sleeping Ban) in the downtown area of Santa Cruz. A contempt of court hearing is being held on Friday, March 19th at 9am, three months before the formal hearing on a permanent injunction.

Roger Mentch, founding member of The Hemporium, a Santa Cruz County medical marijuana collective located in Felton, has been met with more resistance. Santa Clara County recently incarcerated Mentch, as well as Laura Eldridge, a disabled patient. Mentch spent five months behind bars at Elmwood Jail in Milpitas. He has been out of state custody since August 2009, and his next court date is scheduled on Friday, March 19th in San Jose. Mentch argues that he has been the victim of entrapment by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.