General InformationThis is where all of PODER's general information goes PODER! to Rep on the SF Committee on Community DevelopmentNeighborhoods from Chinatown, SOMA, Western Addition, the Mission, Excelsior/OMI, and Bayview are really feelin’ the pain during this economic crisis. After surviving years of disinvestment, community residents are aching for responsive government and community based planning. Our barrios are ready for long lasting solutions that strengthen our workforce, develop our local economy equitably, create affordable housing, upgrade our community infrastructure, and empower our communities. San Francisco’s Office of Community Development will invest up to $2 billion in working class communities over the next five years. This Thursday, the Board of Supervisors will consider appointments to the Citizens’ Committee on Community Development, including our very own PODER! This Committee’s work has to lead to a real community process … and push for the city to invest in the vision and solutions that are coming up from our barrios. Check out a recent SF Examiner article that reports on recent Board of Supervisors legislation to empower the Citizen's Committee on Community Development.
Kermes & Community Planning FestivalFrom The Ground to the Sky: A Neighborhood Vision Rises From the Concrete Team up with us for an inspirational day of art and movement activities with neighborhood residents, local artists, health promotoras and community organizers. Neighborhood families will be engaged in community affirming exercises that capture the possibilities of developing a holistically planned community site with environmentally friendly affordable housing, public park, education and job center at this Public Utilities Commission-owned parking lot. Community art activities will culminate in neighborhood families positioning a colorful mural depicting their vision on the chain link fence surrounding the parking lot. Saturday, August 15, 11am-2pm
Nuestro Voto = Nuestra Voz! Vote May 19thOn Tuesday, May 19, 2009, there will be a statewide Special Election in California. The six measures on the ballot are meant to fill the gap of the massive budget deficits that the state is facing. However,instead of proposing long needed budget reforms, the propositions attempt to fill the gap with measures that will take away much needed services for the most vulnerable, especially our children. Tell the Governor and legislature not to balance the budget on the backs of poor people and our children!
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Wachale! Community Action Bulletin PODER Sept/Oct (Wachale = something important that needs attention drawn to it) *News & Updates* From the Ground to the Sky: A Neighborhood Vision Rises From the Concrete
In the height of the summer, PODER joined forces with the Filipino Community Center, Coleman Advocates, and Balboa HS for a summer bash at Crocker Park. Highlights included a high stakes watermelon eating contest with successive rounds for the kids, the women, and the guys, all throbbing in sync in one community heartbeat. That was followed by a high energy game of One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish, Blue Fish where we got in a huddle plotting how to demand justice from our Mayor, charging across the field with sweat pouring down our brows. Later, we played Lotería, with guest appearances from El Vaquero, El Diablito, and El Corazon, just like playing with the family back at home, except that our living room was the grass at Crocker Field. And we topped it off with a game of Power to the People filled with love, movement, and celebration. Together, our organizations are forging a fierce new political agenda for the Excelsior, creating a solid vision for youth empowerment, a just economy, affordable housing and land reform, and immigrants' rights. check out our action pix!
Reflections & Summer Stories from Up & Coming PODER Youth Leaders Yo, my name is Fernando Miguel Ramirez. I am a youth organizer in San Francisco California with PODER. Since I’ve started, I have organized walk outs in schools, block parties, concerts, youth gatherings, bbq’s, workshops, and many other community get-togethers. As a youth organizer I have experienced many incredible victories, but one I am especially proud of is … becoming part of the movement. Through PODER I have learned alot about injustices around the world and in my community; knowledge regular schools leave out of their curriculum. I am able to see the world through a new perspective, a perspective that I can share with my friends and family. When I started as a youth advocate at PODER I did not know what to expect. But through youth coordinators and other organizers I quickly learned what organizing was really about. Organizing is about bringing the people together, planning together what is best for our community, and organizing to make our visions a reality. These get-togethers bring different people together. Cultures, customs, and traditions are shared and through this the movement grows. This summer, we helped other organizations like Unite Here Local 2 to demand justice for hotel-workers. We supported the work against the Lennar Corporation that wants to build housing on top of the contaminated navy shipyard for high income residents in a poor community of color, leading to the further gentrification of our city. Together, we are sharing, comparing, analyzing and creating strategies to fight a global struggle against environmental racism. PEACE AND LOVE! check out the pix! From Frisco to the YOTI, PODER Leaders Take It To Albuquerque My name is Raul Barrera and I’m a youth organizer at PODER. Many of us youth leaders at PODER had the opportunity to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico to teach our experiences and to learn from other organizations in the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice. At the YOTI (Youth Organizing Training Institute), we went to places all around Albuquerque - it was like a tour but not in a tourist perspective because we went to communities where people had fought for years organizing for environmental justice but in some campaigns they didn’t win. At the Petrogyphs, a sacred site of the indigenous people, they could not stop the development of houses and roads that was placed over them.
The YOTI was a really intensive program because it was like 8 to 10 hours of workshops a day, learning, discussing, telling stories, acting and creating new ways to develop strategies that will work in our communities and organizations to create environmental justice. My experience was new and fresh. I went with the idea of learning from other people and their cultures. For me, this was the best opportunity to open myself to people and to give my opinions about the topics we discussed there like: globalization, consumerism, Environmental Racism, Environmental Justice, Systems of Oppression and many others. The best part for me was when we created skits every time we had learned something new. Through YOTI, I was rejuvenated to organize even more in my community. I believe there should be more programs like this for our youth because it gives us another view of the world and how we are being exploited by corporations and the government and how we can fight against that. check out the pix! Chikas in Action! Every Saturday morning, with clipboards and pens in hand, Las Chikas of PODER tour up and down from the Mission to the Excelsior, searching our barrios for candy and soda pop contaminated with harmful lead. Through this Project with the Center for Environmental Health, four PODER women leaders are raising consiousness about harmful lead that rubs off from paint in candy wrappers or coca cola bottles and often marketed overwhelmingly to low income spanish speaking consumers. When they find dangerous candy and soda pops, Las Chikas take note of the vendors and have the products tested. On a mission for justice to safeguard our community’s health against environmental racism, Las Chikas are taking our struggle to the streets in search fo the good, bad, and ugly candies and coca colas. Check out pix! *Upcoming Events* Dance A Thon If you thought our Pachanga was a good time, get ready for the first-ever PODER & SOMCAN family-style dance-a-thon. Get ready to shake down your cumbia, salsa, hip-hop, and old skool dance moves on Saturday, November 14th. Check us out at the Excelsior Fest! For six years, the Excelsior Action Group has brought together Excelsior residents, mom and pop businesses, and local organizations to close off our neighborhood streets, party in the streets, and celebrate our unity at the annual Excelsior Festival. This year, join in on the fun at our booth in the Kids & Family area together with PODER and our Excelsior allies the Filipino Community Center, Coleman Advocates, and Balboa HS Law Academy. Sunday, October 4th, from 11 to 5. FREE. Cine Excelsior Join PODER for a free outdoor family movie night, with all the fixins’ … hot chocolate, popcorn, churros, kids flix, and family movies. Friday, October 16th from 6 to 9pm. Location TBA. *Pics, Tidbits & Chisme of the Month *Check out Two Hot New PODER Videos 1. Mario Estrada and Fernando Ramirez coproduced a video about a day in the life of a futbol player. Using digital storytelling skills they developed this summer with PODER, they created a funny and provocative video on how diesel trucks contaminate and hurt our community when they pass through our schools and parks. See "A Day in the Life of a San Pancho Futbolista". 2. Self-taught expert videographer Douglass Ramirez of PODER created a video of PODER’s Noche de Conciencia that took place at wonderful Mama Art Café in the Excelsior on May 15th complete with poetry, music, and action clips. *Pachanga Pa’l Pueblo A Giant Success Gracias to everyone for making Pachange Pa'l Pueblo a fun and amazing time. It was a huge success! We made new friends, reconnected with dear ones, and raised over $3,200 all going towards environmental and economic justice projects in the Mission & Excelsior Districts of San Francisco. Heartfelt thanks and abrazos to all our friends and family that made this possible! check out the slideshow! *Tshirt Art PODER staff & members have been reveling in our silkscreen press, generousy shared by Liberation Ink, and have produced tees and tanks complete with our PODER graphic art. Contact PODER to purchase a tee! Check out pix of the silkscreen press in action! If you like what you read, consider sharing some of your hard-earned cash to keep the good work flowing by clicking on the donate button above….. *Contributors for this issue include: Laura "La Tarasca" Melgarejo, Charlie "Carlo" Sciammas, Oscar "Lucha" Grande, Tere “La Changa” Almaguer, Fernando “Miguel” Ramirez, Raul “Jarocho” Barrera
Wachale! Community Action Bulletin
PODER • MAY
(Wachale = something important that needs attention drawn to it)
On a warm and beautiful Saturday morning on April 18 in San Francisco's Mission District over two dozen new and old friends got together for a rousing and inspirational meeting at Parque Ninos Unidos. Young and adult community members shared conversations and ideas about current neighborhood inspired land and environmental health campaigns in the Mission and Excelsior Districts. Folks were treated to an electrifying presentation by youth organizers busily working on a couple of dynamite projects: a youth conference which took place on April 25 at the City College/Mission campus; and current efforts surveying and educating local Mission District merchants who sell harmful lead-tainted soda and candy products.
Staff member, Laura Malgarejo, received a strong round of applause as she presented the launch of the new and improved membership program. The program is a result of nearly two years of planning, evaluation, focus groups and conversations with members and staff on the need for strengthening authentic leadership within the organization. Members put on their best face as we took pictures of them for personalized membership cards. Click here to view the pictures. ORALE George! Young Community Organizer Speaks Out Against SF Budget Cuts A few weeks back George Ruiz, an up and coming young organizer, spoke with passion and conviction as he addressed a 300+ crowd at a rally and march through the Mission District. This is an excerpt from his speech...
Reducing money for programs that help out young people like me is a bad idea. After school programs and youth employment services help keep youth off the streets and involved in their communities. We don’t need any more cops harassing us even more then they do now. We need to fund youth programs not the Police Department. Improving youth programs will bring opportunities and strengthen our community. Through these opportunities we will be able to improve ourselves. Keep investing in the youth! They are today's and tomorrow's leaders. No budget cuts to youth programs... Click here to see George in action. Local Stimulus, Green Jobs, and a Community Response to an Ailing Economy The following is a recent opinion piece written by our own Oscar Grande for the locally-based newspaper El Tecolote on our current effort to shed some light and equity concerning federal stimulus funds & "green job" development in San Francisco.... Green jobs could save bad economy, printed in El Tecolote on Apr 08, 2009
**UPCOMING EVENTS Evening of Consciousness with PODER @ Cafe Mama in the Excelsior District We all have a right to dream, yet our communities are starved for the resources to make our dreams come alive. On Friday, May 15th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm @ Cafe Mama in the Excelsior, join PODER for an Evening of Consciousness. Organizing our Excelsior with love, have been coming together at Cafe Mamas– youth educating adults, elders telling stories, everyone putting their dreams on the table. Join us for an evening of poetry, music, theatre, and dialogue as we look forward, beyond our budget & economic crisis, to plant seeds for PODER’s organizing.
If you are new to the PODER familia or it's been a long time since you've stepped out to an event, then please join us for our first ever new member bienvenida and orientation. No need to toss and turn all night cause you haven't paid your yearly dues or have not been to a community event since Willie Brown was the Mayor. At this special event you can meet and mingle with the neighborhoods best and brightest as we breakdown the history, vision, leadership and membership structure of Frisco's finest non-profit. Dinner and kids art activities are provided.
Wednesday, May 27 **Cositas: Tasty Tidbits of the Month
Three ways to keep up with PODER:
1. In Person: Come visit us at our organizing headquarters at 474 Valencia St. near 16th St. 2. On the Phone: Call us at (415) 431-4210 3. The Web: at http://podersf.org/ Be good to your friends and family... give the gift of a PODER Donation :)
*Contributors for this issue include: George Ruiz, Tere "la changa" Almaguer, Charlie "Carlo" Sciammas, Oscar "Lucha" Grande
Wachale! March Bulletin
(Wachale = something important that needs attention drawn to it)
UPDATES & NEWS
POWERFUL RECIPE FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS: EDUCATION, LEGAL SERVICES & GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY The two year-old San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network (SFILEN) has been dedicated to provide free educational and informative workshops for low-income immigrant families of San Francisco. These workshops cover several immigration topics on Know Your Rights, AB-540 Law, Sanctuary City Ordinance, and Access to City Services. In addition to the informational workshops, PODER staff member, Laura Malgarejo, has been busily connecting community members to much needed free legal services. Much of her outreach efforts has been focused on Latino/a families in the Mission District. However, through the SFILEN collaboration, partner organizations are reaching out to Asian, Arab, African and other immigrant communities throughout the City. Laura and the hardworking people of SFILEN are here serve the needs of our immigrant community. If you have any questions or concerns regarding immigration issues or want to refer family members, friends and/or co-workers feel free to contact us through the immigration advice line (415) 504-4987. Also click here for the website.LARRY DEL CARLO, WHERE IS THE LOVE? In 1995, an abandoned and burnt out parking lot stood at the corner of 21st Street and South Van Ness in the Mission District. With courage, vision, and strong organizing, community residents and neighborhood organizations came together to convert that land into thriving family housing and housing for people living with HIV. Since then, a generation of families and children have grown up at Juan Pifare Plaza (JPP). JPP helps to show us that when families have long term affordable housing within reach of every day working people’s salaries, they help to build strong, vibrant and healthy communities. Unfortunately, all this is currently being threatened by the recent underhanded actions of JPP’s landlord to raise rents between $100 and $360 per month. The landlord is Mission Housing Development Corporation (MHDC) and led by CEO & President Larry Del Carlo (you may remember his name from our previous newsletter in his failed attempt to shutdown the Secret Garden). It's a slap in the face and a heavy blow to the dozen hard working families struggling to make ends meet during these times of economic crisis. Since receiving notice, residents are continuing to pay rent but refusing to pay the increases because of their commitment to defend the rights of all the tenants in the building. They are calling on Larry Del Carlo and MHDC to disclose building budgets and legal agreements with the city that are designed to maintain JPP as housing for low income tenants and families.After years of mismanagement and no new affordable housing projects in the pipeline, MHDC is starved for funds to pay for its overpriced executive salaries, and they’re taking it out on the working families at JPP. At a time when community leaders, advocates, city officials, and politicians are searching for solutions to our deepening crisis of affordable housing, MHDC is looking out for its own bottom-line. They are strong-arming low-income residents and siphoning hard-fought community-based assets for their own private gain.
This past Valentine’s Day, residents and their families visited Larry Del Carlo to demand him to keep their housing affordable. Mission Housing may have abandoned its mission to continue serving the community, but the residents of JPP have demonstrated that they will not step aside as Larry Del Carlo works to rip off tenants and continue deteriorating community-based assets that have helped make our Mission District community thrive for generations. The residents are demanding the following:
MISSION STREET vs. VALENCIA STREET
PICTURES, TIDBITS & CHISME OF THE MONTH
*Contributors for this issue include: Charlie "Carlo" Sciammas, Oscar "Lucha" Grande, Laura Malgarejo
Wachale!
Community Action Bulletin
November/December '08
(Wachale = something important that needs attention drawn to it)
UPDATES & NEWS We focused our attention on the local Proposition B, the affordable housing fund, and the statewide Proposition 6, which would've directed billions of dollars to prisons and police. We were happy that Proposition 6 lost because it would've have spent billions of dollars on criminalizing youth like us. We were sad that Proposition B lost; this will make it harder for working families like mine to have a safe and affordable home to live in. At the beginning of the project we were very nervous because it was our first time talking to voters and trying to convince them to support us. But with practice and support we conquered our fears and we were able to raise our voices. As an organization we focused on educating voters to vote Yes on B and No on 6. We supported Proposition B because our families in San Francisco need affordable housing. We all know it is so expensive to live here, many people in our community have had to move outside the City. We were opposed to Proposition 6 because we do not support racial profiling of youth by the police and we don't think that youth should be put in adult prisons for non-violent crimes. We also don't believe that the government should use our tax dollars to build more prisons instead of schools, parks and housing. We are proud to be a part of PODER and we are happy to have participated in this election campaign because through it we are able to make our community stronger. MTA to Plan For Our Health, Not For More Pollution! This last Monday, November 17 we saw the fruits of our work. We were humbled by the testimony of Victoria Sanchez, an elder in our community, who has lived on the 100 block of Cayuga for more than 20 years, and experiences daily a steady stream of trucks and moving traffic on her block. Due to her and the efforts of PODER and CPA leaders, the Board of Supervisors took its first step to pass a resolution that would make our MTA plan for health and environmental justice and reduce diesel truck pollution where our community lives, learns, and plays. Community United For Health & Justice: District 11 Candidates Forum Neighborhood leaders stepped up one by one to turn the table on our candidates. We framed the issues facing our community and proposed solutions to build a healthy and just District 11. Community members then graded the candidates on our community's top priorities: youth empowerment, immigrants' rights, and affordable housing. The voters must have been watching the forum because District 11 elected John Avalos, who came away from the event with the highest marks. We look forward to giving our new Supervisor a hearty community welcome and to organize a community tour filled with our hopes, dreams, and solutions to build a healthy and just District 11. Look out for more great collaborating and solid community organizing to create real opportunities for the young people and families of our District.
Planting Seeds of Love & Justice: Dia De Los Muertos @ the Secret Garden
Fresh off the heels of one of the most historical elections of our lifetime, one hundred plus neighbors, friends and familia came out on a gorgeous night to celebrate the 9th Year of Dia De Los Muertos at the Secret Garden. This annual Mission District event, near Harrison & 23rd St., was born out of the need for local families to express and celebrate their cultural traditions in a public, reverent and friendly space. This year's celebration took on an especially significant meaning for a couple of reasons- friends and family commemorated a true community leader and longtime PODER member, Carlos Jimenez, who passed away a few months ago. Community revelers also celebrated a years worth of organizing to keep the beloved garden open.
Mercedes Jimenez, wife of Carlos, with the help of her son and daughter in-law assembled an amazing altar depicting over 50 years of triumphs and treasures of her husband. The altar was elaborately decorated with his favorite congas, beads, CD's and dozens of pictures of their five children, grandkids, friends and families. The event was also a time to appreciate the efforts of a group of neighbors, gardeners, artists and community organizations that worked hard over the past year to keep the garden open and flourishing for the entire community. As many of you may remember reading from past Wachale! bulletins the garden was under attack by the landlord Mission Housing Development Corporation. Through the power of community organizing the green space has been kept open and is currently going through a community visioning process led by 114 year old Good Samaritan Family Resource Center with the help of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center. Stay tuned for upcoming neighborhood-based workshops that will be engaging local families and youth on how to nurture the space as an environmental justice & ecology community center.
Many great stories, laughs and tears were shared by all who attended this year's celebration. Muchisimo props go out to the organizational allies and wonderful people that made this a very special evening: Leonard Flynn School, The Family School, Robert Marosi, Cynthia Meza, Maria Jimenez & her family, CISPES, St. Peters Housing Committee, El Coro Jornalero, The Friedenbach Family, Carmen Yes, and Danza Xiuhcoatl. Feel the love... Check out the slide show.
UPCOMING ACTIONS & EVENTS
*Fiesta Navidena
If you are new the organization or a longtime member you probably know that PODER doesn't throw elaborate or expensive annual events that cost your average Jose & Maria a weeks paycheck. Instead we get down in the barrio and hold a holiday party for the community. Join us in celebrating another year of fortifying community, deepening friendships, supporting leaders and doing our best towards creating a better world.
Mark your calenders and don't forget to join us for some delicious food, piñata, IPOD raffle, christmas caroling, dance contests & mucho mas. And just added.. a special surprise visit from Panchito Clause who'll be taking pictures with all the nice homeboys and homegirls. Bring your favorite dessert to share! Call Oscar to RSVP.
Friday, December 19 6pm-9pm Parque Niños Unidos
*Contributors for this issue include: Charlie "Carlo" Sciammas, Olga Hernandez, Oscar "Lucha" Grande, Cassandra Garcia & Adriana Ramirez
Read Tere's Interview in Left Turn Magazine Teresa Almaguer, Youth Program Coordinator of PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights), San Francisco, CA
What is the work you’re involved in? We’re 16-years-old, founded in the Mission district in San Francisco. We work on environmental justice issues, primarily in the Latino community to improve quality of life. Gentrification has led us to do popular education on developers. The community has a voice and leadership development is a way to channel that voice. We are always trying to get more community participation. We ask ourselves, how do we build assets? How do we increase the number of homeowners? Our neighborhood is disappearing. Our communities are being dispersed. We develop youth leadership. The youth work on a hands-on campaign, under the principle that we are the experts in the neighborhood and are therefore best suited to address the problems in our communities. The youth do research, surveys, organize community meetings and trainings, and advocate on behalf of their community. We use all kinds of avenues for social change. In the past, youth have also worked on city planning. If there is a space available in the community, who is going to have access to it? What will be built on it? What opportunities will be available for youth? We have an Environmental Justice program that combines these issues with housing issues. We work with cross-cultural leadership—Chinese and Latinos—through the Chinese Progressive Association. Both communities live in the same neighborhoods and face a lot of the same problems, like lack of resources and access to resources. How do you see the work you’re doing intersecting with a larger movement or movements? We are part of an international community because we work with immigrants. Latin America is always in our hearts. We are constantly faced with the question of why people are unable to stay in their homes in Latin America and have to move here. Good jobs, union jobs are leaving and causing unemployment in the United States. It is important to make those connections. Environmental justice is not just for us, locally. It’s an issue that affects many communities. How do we all work together to achieve environmental justice? We contribute to the larger movement by building leadership in our own communities. How do you see the US Social Forum relating with your work? The USSF is an opportunity to build and expand on ideas and energy and support one another. As of now 25 members are going, 18 of which are under 18. Through their participation in the Youth Organizing Training Institute with the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, a network of 60 affiliate organization, our youth members will be linking with other youth groups and learn from one another. We will be driving there. Many of our members are families. Youth in the program go through training and often their parents are training them. They are given a lot of support and encouragement. We try to be as intergenerational as possible. I grew out of the youth movement, which can be isolating. I like to think of social change as being most effective when the work is intergenerational. We will organize a training day before and throughout the USSF to educate youth about global justice issues and the civil rights movement. Project South is organizing a civil rights tour for our youth. I feel that this is very important that our members, especially our youth, don’t feel lost throughout the USSF. We would like our members to take part in meaningful exchanges and be really trying to have a voice in the process. It’s important to try to make the movement exciting and not get bored by intellectuals. We are thinking about how to meaningfully participate, and to carry the work forward and plan actions locally. We want to be able to contribute what we have learnt to others. In the Bay area, planning for the USSF has brought many organizations together. We have been focusing on fundraising and political education workshops to talk about the different issues that will be raised at the USSF. We would like to collaborate with other organizations to work together after the USSF. We have already started networking with other organizations and look forward to networking more at the USSF. Also, our members will be joining the Gulf Coast People’s Caravan in New Orleans. Read full article on the Left Turn site.
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