Once the boxes are filled and crammed into car trunks and back seats, the volunteers caravan across San Francisco to make deliveries to expectant and new Black moms.

The “Sunday Show Ups” began at the start of the pandemic when Gebre noticed that few of the Black Patients at her Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital clinic were taking advantage of a pantry a doctor had set up for pregnant patients. Concerned about insufficient outreach to a vulnerable population during an uncertain time, Gebre sought donations on social media for her Black patients and the grassroots effort took off.

“There were disparities in access to masks, access to education and factual information around the pandemic,” Gebre says. “Out of this hard period, we created a space where we can engage in conversations and give back to the community in a positive way.”

One Love Black Community organizer Asmara Gebre speaks with expectant mother Tanisha Bell about resources for her newborn in Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco, on Nov. 13, 2022, during the organization’s ‘Sunday Show Up.’ (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

The focus on Black women is personal and purposeful: Gebre, 34, was living in a home for single moms more than 15 years ago. She relates to the multitude of challenges her patients face. As a medical professional, she has seen Black women suffer from higher rates of pregnancy-related complications and preterm births even as the city’s Black population dwindles.

In San Francisco, Black families make up half of the city’s maternal deaths and 15% of infant deaths (PDF) despite representing just 4% of all births. City data also shows nearly 14% of Black infants are born prematurely compared with 7.3% of white infants. It’s a cause for alarm because preterm babies are more likely to experience chronic disease, not to mention learning and behavioral difficulties in school.

At first, the donations included masks, hand sanitizer, diapers, children’s books, produce and money. The cash donations allowed Gebre to distribute $200 per woman — no strings attached.

As her network of volunteers grew, so did her reach.

Cassandra Perkins (left) and Asmara Gebre pose for a portrait on Treasure Island after making all their deliveries during One Love Black Community’s ‘Sunday Show Up’ on Nov. 13, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

With the help of her most dedicated volunteer Cassandra Perkins —to outreach coordinator for the San Francisco Department of Public Health – they expanded their deliveries to new moms participating in the California Black Infant Health program and pregnant women who are unhoused. They also aligned with several Bay Area initiatives that are trying to address Racial inequalities to improve Black maternal health.

Perkins has spent the last 23 years working in HIV and family planning clinics in the city’s marginalized Black neighborhoods. She has an easy smile and is the kind of person who gives away books, socks and toiletries stashed in her car to give away to people she meets on the street.

She calls the Sunday show-ups her church.

“I look like them so it’s easier for them to relate to me … just to inform, educate and be of service and always treat people with dignity and respect and you get it back tenfold,” Perkins says.

She said after the women leave the hospital and recover at home, many of them miss out on information about services focused on Black women’s health. The home visits are filling a crucial gap in postpartum care and establishes One Love Black Community as a reliable source of information to a community wary of outsiders after experiencing decades of poverty, environmental injustice and racial discrimination.

Bayview-Hunters Point became a Black neighborhood in the 1940s as African Americans from the Gulf Coast migrated to the Bay Area to work at the nearby Navy shipyard. After World War II ended, jobs evaporated. Black people, who were limited in where they could live in San Francisco due to discriminatory housing policy, were left languishing in substandard housing surrounded by pollution left over from the shipyard.

“If they show initiative in how much they care to help you, then that’s the most helpful because they make you want to put more initiative into yourself,” says Charise Haley, who met Perkins when she was living on the streets and pregnant with her now 10-month-old son.

Haley, who continues to cope with losing her partner to suicide, says she’s close to receiving a subsidized apartment.

“Cassandra is one of my favorite people because if it wasn’t for her actually believing in what I can do, I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now,” she says about Perkins.

Haley was among seven women who received deliveries on one Sunday last month.

Charise Haley picks up her son Isaiah from his toy car outside of her home in San Francisco on Nov. 13, 2022, during a visit by One Love Black Community volunteers. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

I ride with Gebre in her SUV that’s cluttered with baby supplies in the back and her half-eaten breakfast in the front. A tireless multitasker, she also finds time to lead Black Centering, a program at UCSF where she organizes nature walks, CPR classes and other community-building activities for expectant Black parents.

Perkins and Katiana Carey-Simms, a midwifery student, follow in two other cars filled with supplies. Meanwhile, Gebre’s son Devin comes along to pack and haul boxes.

We go uphill to an apartment complex overlooking the bay and meet Crystal Hill, who is receiving her first delivery from One Love Black Community. Inside her unit, football plays on the TV while Hill’s 2-month-old boy lays in a baby swing.

Big pots of stew simmer in the kitchen, and the aroma prompts Gebre to offer to sign Hill up for six weeks of meals delivered by Postpartum Justice, an organization that recruits Bay Area restaurants to cook nourishing meals for Black women healing from childbirth.

“I need to start getting healthy because I have high blood pressure and diabetes that stayed with me after [pregnancy],” Hill, 40, tells her.

“This would be a beautiful transition, just having some nice meals and sharing with the family and thinking differently,” Gebre replies.

A short drive later, we stop at the Bayview home of a pregnant woman Perkins recently met while shopping at Safeway. Perkins urges the woman, who declines to be interviewed, to enroll in the Abundant Birth Project because she is in her first trimester and thus eligible. The guaranteed income program gives $1,000 per month to a randomly selected group of Black and Pacific Islander pregnant women who face some of the greatest degrees of income inequality in one of the nation’s most expensive cities.

Sabrina Hall holds her newborn, Harleigh Quin, at her home in Bayview on Nov. 13, 2022, while visiting with volunteers from One Love Black Community. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

The experiment is part of a growing number of guaranteed income programs responding to racial and economic inequality by giving unconditional cash directly to people in need. Abundant Birth’s goal is to ease financial stress for these women and improve their health outcome.

Gebre suspended her monthly cash gifts due to tax reasons, but said she’ll resume it as soon as she receives proper fiscal sponsorship.

She estimates 300 women have received deliveries from One Love Black Community in just over two years. This Christmas, she hopes to show up for 100 families with the help of volunteers from a Black sorority.

She recalls the small acts of kindness that made a big difference for her when she was raising Devin in the Santa Cruz area. Once, when she volunteered at a horse ranch so he could get free riding lessons, a woman slipped a surprise in the book Gebre was reading.

“I remember one day I was running out of gas and was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get through this week of school.’ I opened the book and there was $100 in cash in there,” Gebre says. “There were so many moments where my community showed up for me. Little things here and there, but they add up.”

She says she’s driven to give back because of the support she received.

When we reach Sabrina Hall at her home in an industrial part of the Bayview, Gebre and Perkins pitch the postpartum meals and online support group for Black moms facilitated by UC San Francisco.

Hall, 41, says she developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy and suffered nerve damage and other complications after delivering her daughter, Harleigh Quin, three weeks early. The baby weighed just 5 pounds.

The experience was nonetheless an improvement from four previous pregnancies, Hall says. She participated in the guaranteed income study, and says the extra cash helped her buy baby gear and catch up on some bills.

“With my other kids, no one told me about doulas. [There was] just a lack of education,” Hall says. “This birth, I had a doula, I had Black Infant Health — you know, just the support. I had no one to speak for me with the medical office or the staff. And this time I had an advocate.”

Boxes filled with diapers, formula, and other essentials are loaded into a car to be delivered to mothers throughout San Francisco and Treasure Island as a part of One Love Black Community’s ‘Sunday Show Up’ on Nov. 13, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/ KQED)

Back in the car, Gebre says since the guaranteed income pilot launched two years ago, she noticed patients who receive the money participate more actively in their prenatal care. For example, patients in transitional housing were more likely to find transportation to show up for their appointments.

“I have not met one patient who doesn’t care about their pregnancy or want the best for themselves and their baby, although there are so many factors around them that are influencing their ability to engage or not engage in the kind of quality of care that they want,” she says. “When you’re able to provide additional resources to minimize those stress factors — that burden, that toll is no longer present — you can notice the difference in patients and how they engage in care.”

She drives across a section of the Bay Bridge and exits onto Treasure Island, passing a housing construction project and new ferry terminal. She parks in front of a cluster of townhouses to check on her former patient Danesha Johnson.

“How are you?” Gebre asks while hugging Johnson, who gave birth a month earlier.

“The recovery is fine, no complications. I’m fine,” the 21-year-old says.

When Johnson’s partner, Darrian Burrows, comes out to carry the supplies inside, Gebre tells Perkins that he assisted her in the delivery room and caught his daughter when Johnson made her final push. Perkins remembers seeing him in the hospital when Johnson was in labor, and she’s overcome with emotions.

“That was so beautiful for you to be in the tub with her when she was going through labor to help ease things,” she says as tears fill her eyes.

“You’re giving me the chills because I work in our communities of color and they’re always giving our men a hard time,” Perkins continues. “And some programs, there’s something for the mom and the baby but they don’t want the dad involved. So just to see you all as a couple and loving one another and having a baby brung into this world together …”

Bearing witness to a happy, healthy birth makes her want to keep this thing going, she says.

The post Diapers, Meals and Money: San Francisco Group Helps Black Mothers, One Supply at a Time appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

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The post Oakland Companies Change From Money Solely To Credit score To Cease Assaults On Asians – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Police are looking for two men who stole a cash register from a store on 300 block of Grand Avenue in South San Francisco and who fought with an employee who caught up with them Thursday night.

At about 9:20 pm the two men entered the shop and one tried to break into a machine while the other waited to “watch”. One clerk confronted the two and one of them ran out of the store while the other grabbed a till from a nearby counter and ran. The clerk ran after them and, according to police, caught up with Grand Avenue on the pedestrian street that connects Grand Avenue and Fourth Lane.

The clerk got into a physical altercation with the man who stole the till when the other man waved a taser and tried to intervene. The employee was able to defend himself and both suspects fled on foot, most recently according to police on Fourth Lane west towards Maple Avenue.

One suspect was described as white, about 40 to 50 years old, 6 feet 3 inches, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, with black hair and a black hat, black mask, black and gray jacket, dark pants and boots. The other was described as Hispanic, around 20 to 30 years old, 1.70 m tall, 200 pounds, and wearing a black hat, hoodie and shoes, according to police.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact the South San Francisco Police Department at (650) 877-8900.

The post Two males steal money register, get in struggle in South San Francisco | Native Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco is trying to contain a scourge of car break-ins by partnering with private companies to offer cash rewards for information about the fence operations that carry the stolen goods.

Mayor of London Breed joined Police Chief Bill Scott at a press conference Tuesday morning to announce the monetary reward system, funded by private donors in the hotel and tourism industries. The reward of up to $ 100,000 is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of leaders of organized auto break-in fences.

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“The frequent car break-ins in San Francisco are not victimless crimes, they have real financial and emotional consequences for the victims and we continue to work to hold people who commit these crimes accountable,” Breed said in a prepared statement. “These break-ins hurt our residents, especially working families who don’t have the time or money to deal with the effects, as well as visitors to our city whose experiences are too often tarnished after an otherwise positive experience.”

One of the most recent victims of a car break-in in the city was Australian singer Clinton Kane, who was held at gunpoint on Friday when his vehicle was broken into in the Cow Hollow neighborhood.

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Police say organized criminal fencing operations are fueling frequent car break-ins in San Francisco.

“Organized crime has caused a lot of thefts in this city. The people at the top have raised huge sums of money by paying criminals on the street to steal anything that makes working families unhappy. This initiative will help us tear these rings apart, ”Sharky Laguana, President of the Small Business Commission, said in a press release.

Police said it is estimated that fewer than a dozen regular car break-ins are responsible for the vast majority of the car break-ins that have struck San Francisco and other Bay Area cities in recent years.

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According to police, the peak of car break-ins this year came two weeks after California emerged from COVID lockdowns. For the week ending July 4, 2021, 566 car break-ins were reported across the city.Community-based patrols have resulted in a sustained decline in car break-ins.

The post San Francisco, Tourism Business Provide Money Rewards To Cease Auto Housebreaking Fencing Operations – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

WALNUT CREEK (CBS SF) – After more than a year, California’s eviction moratorium is ending this week, allowing landlords to remove tenants who are not paying rent during the COVID pandemic.

However, officials say the 11:59 a.m. Thursday expiration will not spark a massive wave of evictions across the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Some protective measures for tenants remain in place.

“A landlord must apply for rent allowance before attempting to evict you in court for failing to pay your rent,” state housing officials said in a press release.

Housing advocates held a caravan and rally in San Francisco over the weekend. They hoped to get the message across that the economic challenges of the pandemic have not gone away and that unemployment is still high.

“Today’s reality in America, today in California is not the time for an end to the eviction moratorium,” said housing attorney Brian Zhang. “People are not ready. They haven’t recovered from the pandemic. “

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“In the midst of a pandemic, evicting people from their homes is absolutely criminal,” added housing attorney Nathalie Hrizi. “It’s not just about their wellbeing. It is also a public health issue. “

State officials said tenants in distress can apply for the Rent Relief Program, which pays eligible tenants and landlords 100% of a tenant’s overdue rent and utilities, dating back to April 1, 2020.

“The program is free and currently has no deadline, but as funding may be limited, renters are encouraged to apply as soon as possible,” officials said.

There are also regulations for landlords.

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• Your landlord can give you a “payment or termination” reminder at any time (this is a message from your landlord that gives you a certain amount of time to pay the outstanding rent you owe or vacate your house) at any time , however, you will not be able to legally terminate without first applying to the CA COVID-19 Tenant Facilitation Program.
• If you receive a “pay or cancel” reminder, it is highly recommended that you seek immediate legal assistance to determine and protect your rights. If your “payment or termination” notice includes a “COVID-19-related financial emergency statement” – and you have been financially affected by the pandemic – you should sign the statement within 15 working days and return it to your landlord for your protection to strengthen.

Other things tenants need to know:

• From November 1, 2021, your landlord can sue you for unpaid rent. Until October 1, 2021, a landlord can only terminate a tenant if he presents a legally valid reason.
• It is illegal for a landlord to file a 30- or 60-day eviction complaint with a tenant without giving a reason. This is commonly referred to as eviction for no reason.
• The reason given must match one of the valid reasons the law allows for an eviction for “just cause”.
• Existing eviction orders from local authorities can remain in effect until they expire, but they cannot postpone rental obligations beyond May 31, 2023.
• For example, landlords who lock out tenants, remove personal belongings, or shut down utility services to evict a tenant instead of going through the required legal process can face fines of between $ 1,000 and $ 2,500. These penalties apply until October 1, 2021.

If you believe you have been illegally displaced or if you need legal advice, you should seek help from an attorney. If you need inexpensive or free legal assistance, visit www.lawhelpca.org for more resources.

The post Money Strapped Tenants Concern Finish Of California’s COVID Eviction Moratorium – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Super Kalifragilisticalxpial table! 95-year-old Dick Van Dyke is handing out bundles of money to struggling job seekers to touch an act of kindness amid the pandemic

• Dick Van Dyke was seen returning to his Malibu community on Tuesday
• The 95-year-old actor visited a local CVS pharmacy before stopping by a bank to get a wad of cash
• Van Dyke drove to a Malibu Community Labor Exchange, a nonprofit that helps locals find day jobs in the area
• The actor handed out bills to people standing in line from the window of his car

By Karen Ruiz for Dailymail.com

Released: 2:13 PM EDT, March 31, 2021 | Updated: 2:59 PM EDT, March 31, 2021

Dick Van Dyke lives up to his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most affable and legendary stars after the 95-year-old was discovered handing out bundles of money to people in need amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Beloved Mary Poppins star, who starred alongside Julie Andrews in the 1964 classic, chimney sweep Bert, gave back to members of his ward on Tuesday afternoon running errands in Malibu.

The actor attended the Malibu Community Labor Exchange on Civic Center Way, a nonprofit that helps people find day jobs in the area.

Returning: Dick Van Dyke was seen handing out bundles of money to people in need after running errands in his Malibu neighborhood on Tuesday

The 95-year-old beloved Mary Poppins star stopped at a bank to withdraw money and distribute it to local job seekers struggling during the pandemic

Van Dyke left a small group of job seekers stunned after parking outside the facility and handing out bills from his car window to people waiting in line for employment.

The generous act comes from the fact that millions of Americans struggled to make ends meet after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Van Dyke himself is at increased risk of serious illness from COVID-19 due to his older age, but seemed unwavering and in high spirits when he helped those in need.

Earlier in the day, the star was seen picking up groceries from his local CVS pharmacy.

He later went to a bank to withdraw a wad of cash and give it to the people in the center.

The actor drove himself to the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, where he spent money on people waiting in line from his car window

The small group of job seekers seemed touched by the generous act

The generous act comes from the fact that millions of Americans struggled to make ends meet after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic

The facility is a non-profit organization that helps locals find day jobs in the area

It is unknown how much money the actor spent, but it was clear that the recipients were touched by his heartwarming act of kindness.

The actor wore a green fleece jacket, sweatpants and trainers and protected himself with a face mask with a kiss pattern during the excursion.

Van Dyke is considered a Hollywood icon best known for playing various roles that date back to the 1950s.

Earlier in the day, Van Dyke was spotted collecting groceries from a local CVS pharmacy

He wore a green fleece jacket, sweatpants and trainers, and protected himself with a face mask with a kiss print

Dick Van Dyke is known for playing the beloved chimney sweep Bert alongside Julie Andrews in the 1964 classic

He has also continued to act in film and television roles as a nonagenarian.

In addition to his prominent role in Poppins, Missouri-born Dick is known for a number of other great hits throughout his seven decades career.

He starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, What A Way To Go, The Morning After, The Dick Van Dyke Show alongside Mary Tyler Moore, and The Carol Burnett Show, to name a few.

He has been married to his second wife Arlene Silver since 2012, who at 49 is 46 years his junior.

Van Dyke was previously married to Michelle Triola Marvin until her death in 2009.

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