NO SUMMER CLASSES PUTS YOUTH IN JEOPARDY (03/29/10)

Five summers ago and again four summers ago the youth in the Bayview Hunters Point that are our leaders today, hopefully are prepared to nurture to represent tomorrow - were left to fend for themselves with no sound Recreation Facilities. The leaders that be, decided to simultaneously closed down the Joseph Lee Gym and the Milton Mayer Gym and Auditorium, including the Gym next door - now known, as the Willie Mays Boys and Girls Club. I was the only one that bought this fact to the attention of the authorities. Those two Summers I remember hundreds of youth were incarcerated and hundreds more would have fallen prey to the fake policies of the authorities, the Mayor of San Francisco, the SF Board of Supervisors, the SF Unified School District, authorities from City College, and the many Community Based Organization that pander the SF City Hall for money and grants. Hundreds are now lingering in jails and many more that have survived those hard and dangerous times - may have survived because of Summer School. This year City College has cut the Summer Classes by eighty five percent. There has been no comment on this issue, an important one affecting about 3000 youth. It must be noted that some years ago City College stepped in to fill in the void left by the SF Unified School District and its abject non-performance in servicing our youth in the SF Unified School District - to create and fund Summer Classes. The void being filled helped City College to bring students that could be prepared and more give an opportunity to many a student and many a poor student to learn and investigate the college curricula and surroundings. These Summer Classes have prepared thousands, more, help hundreds to graduate over the many years. We must not forget the vision of those that created Summer Classes - especially at City College. Twice the SF City and County of San Francisco through the vision of now Assembly person Tom Ammiano saved the SF Unified School District with the Rainy Day fund. Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to take credit for this "Rainy Day" fund but as I said - it had all to do with Tom and nothing to do with the fake - Gavin Newsom. The SF Unified School District comes under the jurisdiction of the State of California that has shirked its obligations in the last five years. The many Administrators that receive high salaries in the SF Unified School District are saving their jobs and higher salaries - pitying one hard working teacher against the other. The students will tell you that and anyone that has a keen sense for educational programs will tell you that. But, the Superintendent and the SF Unified School Board will talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. When they are in the cesspool and keeping drowning in the mess they have created. They will pay thousands of dollars to consultants, to create fake data and conjure fake models to pretend they are addressing the situation at hand. One has just to watch the long, drawn meetings - always running in circles and each one trying to have their fifteen minutes of fame - over and over again on the City government TV channels - TV 26 and 78. Truancy is a problem in San Francisco with over 6000 youth on that list. Not all of them are chronic but there is no way to fine tune this number without a sound plan and resources. If you talk to the many experts they feel about sixty percent need immediate help and if nothing is done - they will land in jail and their entire future will not be bright. It should be noted that while many think the problem is only with the boys - they would be alarmed to find out the girls have been involved in truancy, gang raids, focused beatings on rivals, and even in the killing and maiming of a few innocent victims. It is not uncommon to find girls armed with chains, knives, guns, maze, and bent on fulfilling the mandates of the leaders of the gangs that have been created to protect their turfs. In Public Housing the land belongs to the Government in most cases the Federal Government given on lease to the SF Housing Authority. The SF Housing Authority has with intent permitted Public Housing to be run down. Now, efforts are afoot to lease these lands and tear down the former Public Housing at Portero Hill, Hunters View, Kiska Road, Oakdale, Sunnydale, and in other places. Those that will develop these sites are Bridge Development, Mercy Housing, and the John Stewart Company. They all will create "gated communities" and the people living in these gated community will NOT look like the people that live there today. The youth that live now in these Public Housing will be thrown out - it is called gentrification. Five and four Summers ago fifty percent of the youth were incarcerated between the ages of fourteen and eighteen that live in Public Housing. Those above eighteen found their names on Injunction Lists in areas like Oakdale Public Housing. It is a shame that we do not have leaders that are educated on issues to address these issues and have a plan in place to save lives and bring hope to the youth. Redress to the parents and educators. The so called eighty churches in the Bayview Hunters Point area have pastors and church leaders that are lost in the dark, when it comes to supporting the youth. They are not to be found when needed. Hide behind their vain talk that lacks action. Quote the bible, in all the wrong ways, and are a disgrace to decency, ethical values, and most of all the teaching of Christ. Christ was a revolutionary who took on the status quo and changed the ways of the time - HE taught about love and action. He walked the walked. Church attendance by youth is meager and the elders are confounded, perplexed, bewildered and pray to God to give them guidance. They receive no support from the mostly Black pastors - that are into greed, money, and not into protecting the sheep. Lost shepherds who flee when the see the wolves coming. It is a circus at City Hall when they supposedly man of God, dress in yellow and green suits and if a red painted small ball was put on their noses - they could all perform in the Circus For the Lost Cause. At San Francisco City Hall they come because they are paid to do so - I call them Sell Outs and have named them before - one of them Aurelious Walker. There are some leaders in the community not pastors that have delved into their experience and created documents that favor "Community Policing". However, there is no sound leadership, with keen information about Law Enforcement, Educational Institutions, Restorative Rehabilitation as has been the case in New Zealand and other progressive Nations. We say rather foolishly that the youth are our future leaders - while all the time putting them down and not giving them the attention, love, and tools, to represent. Recently, at Oakdale on 3rd Street there were two incidents. Some youth in the first incident kicked an elderly Chinese man in his eighties, who died a few days later at SF General Hospital. He was on his way to visit his ailing wife in a hospice. The poor man did not deserve to fall prey to such an atrocity but he did. Not a word from the many churches and the pastors. W hat has become of us - where is our moral compass? A few days later a woman also Chinese was choked, fell to the ground and was further kicked to the road side from the Oakdale 3rd Street Light rail platform. In this case the youth has been apprehended and I hope justice - prevails. This type of behavior must not be condoned. Society as a whole - fails to respect our elders and you see this behavior on the Public Transportation all over the City and County of San Francisco. However, it is the worst on the Third Street Light Rail and Nathaniel Ford of Municipal Transportation Authority (MTA) is fully cognizant of this fact. Summer is here and the youth have nothing much to do. Mayor Gavin Newsom talks the talk but has failed on many fronts to walk the walk. The Youth Commission must call for a hearing and force the SF Board of Supervisor to do something. The SF Police Chief must put some programs in place to embrace our diverse community. He seems to be running his mouth, putting his foot where it does not belong - and then, once he makes a mistake - takes his sweet time to apologize. His remarks about the Middle Eastern population was totally uncalled for and speaks volumes about his understanding and prevailing mentality - he needs to take note of this incident and get some quality help, orientation, and rehabilitation. A blog has been created on Facebook - it says a one way ticket out of San Francisco is in order for Chief George Cascon. There is a Tsunami that has hit San Francisco - Rogue Developers like Lennar. Backed by sordid politicians the likes of Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, and the Pacific Heights Mafia and condoned by the SF Board of Supervisors - these Big Developers are polluting the land, the water, and the air. The pollution affects all but mostly our youth and young children. The Elderly fall prey to pollution and no one is talking about Cumulative Pollution. Much of it radiological in the Bayview Hunters Point that I am now address in this article. The SF Police Department continues to conduct its operations at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and the SF Police Laboratory is a few hundred feet from the worst toxic sites Parcels E and E2. Most of it radiological in nature. Already, seven SF Police Officers that I know have come down with cancer. Willie L. Brown Jr. decided to rent the facilities with little rent through the SF Redevelopment Agency to the SF Police Department. It is such stupid decisions that bring the decision making and policies of our so called leadership to the level of morons. No operation involving human beings should be conducted at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. For the thousandth time may I suggest that we follow the Precautionary Principle that is an Ordinance - a law, that mandated that states that if we as a City and County of San Francisco have any doubt - that may adversely impact any life form - then we must stop and investigate. We know that Hunters Point Shipyard is a Superfund Site and with intent the authorities that be - have put innocent folks in harms way. Lennar a Rogue Developer has not followed Article 31 of the San Francisco Health Department - the Dust Mitigation Plan. Thousands of youth, the neighboring schools, the Elderly, the MUNI bus 29 that sits at the Gate of the Shipyard at the end of its run - are all bombarded and carry toxic dust, particulates, and asbestos friable all over the City and County of San Francisco from Parcel A at Hunters Point. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) could not care less. Lennar was fined over two years ago and the fine of $515.000 is still sitting in some fund. We the community fought Lennar and Lennar was fined- the least the BAAQMD can do is test our children and elders and let us find out what is it that is triggering the bloody noses, migraine headaches, loss of appetite, poor sleep, vomiting, bloody eyes, and so on. No one in their right mind but least the SF Unified School District and its Superintendent is mum of the adverse affects inflicted on our youth. The San Francisco Health Department favors BIG DEVELOPMENT and works against the community. Especially those in the age group from six years to eighteen. If the community was predominantly White there would have been a hue and cry. The Main Media is silent. They love gossip and will prey on victims and that is more with Matier and Ross, and the other yellow journalism found in the Examiner and the Chronicle. Not once have these sordid sources, steeped in ploys and machinations, tried to speak and write about the truth. They are for Lennar and anyone that doles out the money and is for GREED. The above facts affect the youth and the Summer Classes have given the youth some reprieve to stay away from areas where they can get and fall into trouble. Any Black or Latino youth once incarcerated - cannot find a job easily. Once this happens - incarceration in the jails such as San Quentin and the other many State and Federal jails - is the next step. Our many pastors do not visit the jails and that includes Chowchilla where each of the two Women Jails - house forty thousand women - inmates. But, let me ask this question to the leaders and the pastors - how many of you visit the schools - in the SF Unified School District system? How many of you have decent on going programs in the Juvenile System. How many of you have sat down and spoken to William Sifferman? How many of you have spoken to Michael Hennessey the head Sheriff who has been in office for about 31 years? How many of you have called our fake Mayor Gavin Newsom and whopped his arse on this pertinent issue? How many of you have called our District 10 Supervisor, Sophie Maxwell and the other Supervisors and asked them what they are really doing, positive for our youth? It is easy to talk about violence, killings and shooting, and the other negative actions that follow when no one cares, loves, and treats our youth with respect, but rather like fourth class citizens. Wake up San Francisco - and bite the silver bullet.

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