A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
Oree Originol
What is your journey as an artist?
I have been a creative individual as long as I could remember. I was that kid in kindergarten who would win all the drawing contests and I remember my mom paying me a dollar to draw pictures of Jesus Christ for her. I always had a big interest in art and sort of identifying myself as an artist early on in my childhood. In middle school,
I interviewed Megan Wilson and Christopher Statton, who are among a few of the major organizers of the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP). CAMP, developed in 1992 by a group of local artists (Aaron Noble, Rigo 92, Sebastiana Pasztor, Michael O’Connor, Mary Gail Snyder, and Arcely Soriano), provides a voice for marginalized groups by creating public art revolving around compassion, respect, and social justice. Megan and Christopher have collaborated on various pieces for Clarion Alley and continue to create art together.
Success as an artist is often the result of talent nurtured by access and opportunity. In turn, certain perspectives—those of people with less financial access to the materials needed to foster their artistic passions—tend to go unseen. Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program is the only free-of-charge arts studio in San Francisco, serving as a welcoming space for those whose socioeconomic difficulties would otherwise impede them from making art. Participating artists benefit from the free materials offered at the studio,
San Francisco, CA – The Coalition on Homelessness’ mission is to address the systemic causes of poverty and homelessness through grassroots organizing, where homeless people themselves are at the forefront of the struggle. Hand in hand with campers, disabled shelter residents, and destitute families we stand up against institutional hatred against homeless people, and push back against mean spirited policies that would hurt those out on the streets. The majority of our time is spent fighting for the creation of housing for homeless San Franciscans.
Time and space work together to both reveal and obscure communities and cultures at work. Today, our world-class art museums sit at the intersection of the Financial District, the Tenderloin, the city’s most dense retail area, and the Filipino Cultural Heritage District. Each community and neighborhood is populated by individuals with diverse values, beliefs, and histories. Often, they are seen to outsiders as a monolith or singular entity with a unified voice. Entering into each space,
Betty Marín, Heather M. O’Brien, and Christina Sanchez Juarez met through organizing work in Los Angeles. Their conversations began in a group called School of Echoes, which operates as an open listening process of community-based research, popular education, and organizing to generate experiments in political action. In 2015, the group joined with other tenants in struggle to form the Los Angeles Tenants Union / Sindicato de Inquilinos de Los Ángeles. LATU/SILA is a membership-based,
When your car is your home, SFMTA becomes your landlord.
The following is a public comment statement by Melodie, a woman who lives in her vehicle, in regards to SFMTA’s Engineering hearing on Friday, August 4, 2017 regarding the establishment of new tow-away zones: Specifically, on the east side Jerrold Avenue between Barneveld and Bayshore and on the west side of Barneveld Avenue between McKinnon and Jerrold Avenues. The former would be no stopping anytime,
what will they say about me when i’m gone?
will i be a peaceful innocent? wrong place wrong time? victim of circumstance?
or a casualty in the culture war who tempted death with his extreme views and political
agitation?
will i have gotten what i deserved, at a stranger’s hands? at the end of the pole on the hood of a car at knifepoint with a bullet in my back
consider this a will.
In 2014, San Francisco police issued over 11,000 quality of life citations under current California state law, according to a 2015 report by the Coalition on Homelessness. The report also stated that 62 percent of all citations went unpaid. These unpaid citations place a myriad of burdens upon poor people. Unpaid fines are sent to collections agencies, ruining credit scores and placing barriers on people searching for housing and employment. But until recently,
The past few years have brought immense attention to the inaccessibility of feminine hygiene products in our country. In an effort to make these products more available for those who need it most, activists and legislators have fought to ban the tampon tax that many states still impose. A total of twelve states currently do not tax citizens for purchasing products like pads and tampons. Despite assembly member Cristina Garcia’s efforts, California is not one of them.
