Because Capitalism
Recently, I randomly got into a 15-minute conversation with a talkative building maintenance guy in San Francisco’s Mission. He lives deep in the East Bay. “Who can be here when … Continue reading
Solidarity, as Weapon and Practice, versus Killer Cops and White Supremacy (Revised Version)
This piece by Cindy Milstein is a greatly revised version of an earlier post on this blog, written during the height of nightly street demos and freeway shutdowns in … Continue reading
“From Libraries to Climate Change”: An Interview by Mark Hand
Months ago, writer Mark Hand asked if he could sit down with me to chat, and here’s the result, long overdue in sharing. Unfortunately, it seems to be lacking paragraph … Continue reading
Tech Talk
Perspective is everything. Being in Montreal illuminates how thoroughly dystopic San Francisco has become. I’m finding it hard to even describe. For one, there’s the near-constant presence of uniformed and … Continue reading
Part of the Problem
Today, an overly peppy, overly hands-on owner of an independent coffeehouse in Montreal (where I’m on a self-created urban writer’s retreat) chatted me up while he made me an espresso. … Continue reading
An Open Heart Points Beyond Itself
A dear real-life friend of mine wrote the following on their Facebook page yesterday, and it really touched me. This dilemma feels key to us staying put, and staying human, … Continue reading
Waking Up on the Wrong Side of Capitalism
I woke up this morning feeling disgruntled, out of sorts, and down for no apparent reason. Then I walked out of my home at 16th and Mission streets in San … Continue reading
The Art of Remembering, Which Is Also the Art of Seeing This World of Pain and Love
Too many people avert their eyes to the pain of this world. As a friend of mine pointed out the other day, it’s a “natural” response; pain hurts, so people … Continue reading
“My Neighbors . . . “
Just as I was about to snap this photo, two guys walking by stopped to read the pavement, too, and said, “Another arson. They keep happening here in the Mission.” … Continue reading
“It’s a War Zone”
“It’s a war zone,” said the man, a neighbor across from this murder site, now a makeshift shrine, on Folsom Street near 24th. Amilcar Perez-Lopez, 21 and a Guatemalan immigrant … Continue reading
Outside the Circle 