Hip Hop Congress

TENANT TOWN /USA

Organizer,Poet, Fair Housing Director of Legal Society of Santa Clara County,CA & Mother of Shamako Noble – Cofounder/ President of Hip Hop Congress

FREE Download of Shamako Noble’s Album – Return of the Coming of the Aftermath ft production by Traxamillion

LINK - http://www.divshare.com/download/7105468-a79

Imagine This:

Laws that work for some, agencies that help to perpetuate these laws and judges that  more often then not rule on the side of these laws forcing families & seniors out into the street on a daily basis.

Ordinances that aren’t enforced, law breakers that aren’t arrested for breaking the law because the law that applies for the people, does not apply to the people in tenant town.

Imagine feeling stalked in you own home 5 days a week at any given hour. Imagine living in a house, room, hotel, car, where the doors don’t shut tightly, the windows don’t close and the heater doesn’t work. The water doesn’t get hot, ever.

Imagine an extortionist taking your money that you will pay, or you will not have a place to live. And then imagine a government that establishes an agency that punishes you for allowing yourself to be extorted to have housing for yourself and your children,  and agency that says “How dare you.”

Imagine an employer who pays himself and his board members, takes several vacations every year , gets a new car every year , another house , every 5 years, sends his wife off to the spa regularly and his kids to private school.

Imagine his employee working 12 hour days to get the money to pay for shoes, housing, gas, food and losing both his job and his housing all in the same week.

Now, ….. you’re ready to take a stroll through tenant town:

We ‘ve never lied to get a real estate loan,, We never stole any money from any anyone’s TSA account. And no all you haters, always going on T. V. and showing up in the newspaper lecturing and ridiculing and judging. Always adamantly blaming the person suffering the most spewing poison, about  how“these people” shouldn’t have tried to live outside their means”.

From all of us in tenant town, To all you people on wall street and main street who don’t even know or care that we’re here, (“ we’ve been invisible for years,’) , ha, we don’t have any means to live beyond, we live from day to day. There are days when we don’t eat, the children are first, feeding the grown ups, beyond our “no having means. ” We live on two pair of payless shoes a year because more than that, would be beyond our “no having means.”

Laundry, kids clothes first, we can wash our stuff out in the sink on a daily basis.

Or as needed basis.

Summer vacations, 2 days at the beach we can catch the bus to, anymore way outside of our no having means.

We are so tired of hearing all the clichés that have absolutely nothing to do with our lives because in tenant town we already know that on wall street and main street, our 32-37%    population  every major city  are invisible.

Everyday in our town 20-35 families , which could amount to 100-125 actual people become homeless, some because they didn’t pay their rent okay, but the vast majority lost their jobs, had medical emergencies, which their employment medical insurance would not cover and they don’t have an extra policy laying around, or  those people you keep talking about living beyond their means didn’t pay the mortgage, although we faithfully paid our rent , and they  can’t stop the process of homelessness any day now faacing their families. Why “it’s not in their no having means”

Some of our people, who still believe in justice for all, actually took a little trip to the other world and tried to make their laws work in our town. We;’’ dispute you, There are  ordinances and laws that protect us. You watch, you’re gonna pay,   Mr. Landlord.

Oh what illusions this group…..They didn’t listen when the other residents of tenant town said” don’t go to the city and complain, the landlord will know, your complaint will not be listed on the code enforcement books, with no heat, no water, and roaches remaining out you go evicted, and the for rent sign goes right back up for the next to resident of tenant town waiting to be screwed by main street and wall street. Maybe they’ll have better sense than the last person and won’t complain. Maybe they’ll that the fact is, these people have not and never will include you as something to take care of when they are living above their means.

What’s wrong in a city , a county , a state, a town, where hardworking people who do the right thing the right way , everyday , maintains their family, pays rent every month and still  ends up homeless. What ‘s wrong, when a judge looks at a tenant who is trying to explain how he followed all the steps provided under the ordinance, the regulation, the law and the judge lets Mr. Wall street, Main street speak his piece and when Mr. tenant steps up tells him, “ I don’t want to see your documents.” Looks over at the landlord and says” can you get more money if you rent it to someone else,.?!. Judgment entered for Mr. Main Street , wall street.

Is there anybody out there who can see the residents of tenant town. Their living in their cars, in their relatives garages, in hotels and motels all across the nation. In most major cities the tenant population for 2007 was between 32-37% imagine what it is today.

Have any of these naysayer ever met a resident of tenant town. Have they every been in a position where they would sacrifice , heat, and comfort , and transportation, and food, and clothing , to make sure their family had a roof over their head.. How many of you have ever lived with mice , and roaches, and pigeon shit up in the roof of your unit. How many of you have ever had to borrow money because the main street owner was asking for more than was on the contract and you have to pay him or move. How many of you have ever had bologna sandwiches by candlelight and made it a game for children because you couldn’t let them see you cry. How many of you have ever been in a situation where your 6 year old came home from school and saw you with packing boxes, and looked at you and said, “ We have to be homeless, why did they throw us out of our house.:

You don’t know anything about us. You pass laws and ordinances without our input. You rule against us in your court rooms without even listening to our defenses. You Ignore our existence whenever you can..

Well you know what wall street/main street, we’re angry.. We’re ready to take responsibility for our own agenda. We’re ready to start small and grow large. We’re ready to make ourselves visible. We’re tired…. Watch out Mr. above our means’ We’re out here and we’re coming. No more , we’re not depending on, waiting for , or hoping anymore that you’ll do the right thing.

Today is the beginning. Tenants of tenant town all over America, we’ve got to speak up. We’ve got to unite as one people for all of us. We’ve got to make it clear and say it loud, over and over again. Just us.. Fighting for our justice!

FREE Download of Shamako Noble’s Album – Return of the Coming of the Aftermath ft production by Traxamillion

LINK- http://www.divshare.com/download/7105468-a79