Stories and
Poems from the February 2006
Street Spirit Publication
What is Street Spirit? -Click Here|To read
all articles and poems from this issue of
Street Spirit, please visit Street Spirit's Website at
http://www.thestreetspirit.org/.
Articles, stories,
poems, statements, and such sharing first-person accounts and opinions do
not necessarily reflect BOSS's organizational views. We offer this site as
a forum to share all views, particularly those not generally heard in
mainstream outlets.
Homeless Children Creating
Community - As you walk through the
grounds of Ursula Sherman Village, a project of Building Opportunities
for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) you might see Rafael playing a game of
“duck, duck, goose” with a group of children. Another day you will see
him playing music and teaching yoga, or he might be showing kids how to
grow plants. Walking into an old double trailer, named the Children’s
Learning Center (CLC) you see young boys and girls engaged in painting
or sculpting or drawing with Jill and others doing their academic work.
Bay Area Transit: Separate
and Unequal - This is the scenario many low-income communities of
color face in the San Francisco Bay Area, where substandard bus service
operates as a "separate and unequal" transit system.
Court
Rules for East Bay Bus Riders: Discrimination Suit Against MTC To Move
Forward - Rejecting arguments by the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC), Judge Elizabeth Laporte of the U.S. District Court
ruled on December 20 that a civil rights lawsuit by East Bay bus riders
challenging racial discrimination in MTC' s allocation of Bay Area
transit funds will proceed.
Housing Authority
Interrogation Is Right Out of Kafka - Oakland's poor have been
targeted by the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) for a massive
investigation that uses unlawful practices in violation of federal law.
The Birdman of Berkeley - The
Birdman of Berkeley and Ms. Pidgy may be one of the most unusual couples
in Berkeley. In July of 2002, then-homeless Dan Hopkins rescued a young
pigeon he saw hit by a car at the intersection of Dwight and Telegraph.
Society Must Act to Stop
Hate Crimes - In recent days, the media has immersed American
viewers in the brutal reality and the vulnerability associated with
living on the streets.
A Dream Denied - The Top 20
Meanest U.S. Cities Practice Police Repression Against the Poorest of
the Poor - For the past 25 years, U.S. cities have increasingly
implemented laws and policies that target homeless persons living in
public spaces. This trend began with cities passing laws making it
illegal to sleep in public spaces and conducting police sweeps of areas
where homeless people were living. In many cities, more neutral laws,
such as open container or loitering laws, have been selectively enforced
for years.
Martin Luther King Would Tell Congress
to Value Workers - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on the brink
of the Great Depression and died fighting for the right of workers to
earn a decent living. On March 18, 1968, days before his murder, King
told striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., "It is criminal to
have people working on a full-time basis -- getting part-time income."
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