When House Republicans supported HR 4437, they were hoping they’d found the wedge issue they needed to improve electoral prospects for the 2006 mid-term elections. This has proven to be a gross miscalculation.

By passing legislation that would automatically make felons of an estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants, they blissfully ignored that those 12 million “illegal aliens” are the parents, children, nieces and cousins of yet millions more legal residents. Or, as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina put it: “If we tell millions of people that we will make felons of their grandparents, we (the GOP) will suffer mightily.”

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On April 13th, dozens of families, the Families First Coalition, and community allies gathered in front of the office of the Coalition on Homeless to demand one thing: inclusion in the City’s homelessness plan and to declare a state of emergency for families in San Francisco.

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Money and property have always been more important than people in the United States. In Colonial days, when every colony printed its own money, the reverse side of each note clearly stated: “To Counterfeit is DEATH.” Most financial institutions are such ugly, Godzilla-sized monoliths so protective of what’s inside, that millions worth in guards, security fences and razor wire are necessary to hide and guard it. Outside, hungry, troubled people try to sleep in the doorway and then get busted for it. When future historians look back at this era of unprecedented wealth alongside soul-destroying poverty, known as capitalism, they will be shocked and unbelieving. The United States, a country which called itself “great”, refused to house, feed, and care for its own most needy citizens. Amid such riches, as little capital as possible goes to those who most need it. That is unpardonable. Especially since many in the poor and homeless community are disabled ex-workers, women, people of color, and vets who’ve already paid their dues. “Profits Before People” is capitalism’s proud motto.

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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently found that it is a violation of the most basic civil and human rights to punish a person for involuntary acts caused by homelessness. The court approved an injunction to prevent Los Angeles from enforcing one such law during certain times.

This decision stands for the basic principle that it is inhumane to punish a person for being homeless.

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While the majority of the Board of Supervisors support raising wages for more than 15,000 low-wage workers, Board President Aaron Peskin stalled them in committee.

At the April 5th, 2006 Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who has been on the fence, sided with Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Bevan Dufty in delaying a decision on the Ammiano / McGoldrick amendments to the Living Wage law.

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Today is May Day, a day of worker celebration of the struggle for the 8 hour day around the world. It is fitting today, that we honor the emerging immigrant/undocumented workers uprising taking place here in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and cities around the country.

Today I see the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the Emma Lazarus wrote about on that poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.

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Walking through the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District often feels like stepping out of the U.S. and into a bustling Central or South American city. The neighborhood’s vibrant street life, a medley of packed sidewalks, bright colors, and the smell of freshly cooked food, attracts residents and tourists year round. But on May 1st, yesterday, the Mission felt more like a ghost town.

Rows of shuttered businesses, closed in solidarity with the country-wide May 1st protests held to demand equal rights for immigrants, gave a harsh welcome to anyone venturing into the district’s relatively deserted streets yesterday. Those restaurants and shops that chose to stay open did so at their own peril, telling anyone who asked that business had been terrible due to the rallies.

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