Berkeley

Unhoused Berkeley Writer With Neck Cancer Seeks Chemo Recovery Shelter

Published

4 years ago

December 3, 2020

Kiki

Timothy Busby on Gilman Street in Berkeley in early 2020. Photo courtesy of Timothy Busby

Timothy Busby, a 56-year-old writer who lives in a van in Berkeley, just started chemotherapy for cancer in his neck. He has tried to plan ahead by arranging indoor shelter for his recovery through his healthcare, non-profit, state and county programs but has been unable to secure it. A friend of his, Alastair Boone, is putting together a fundraiser to secure him a hotel room to recover in, and Busby is accepting the help.

“There are so many different systems that are failing in this case,” said Boone, who criticized Busby’s healthcare provider for not taking into account his shelter needs, a crucial factor in his recovery. Busby pays $507 a month to Blue Cross Blue Shield Mississippi, the vast majority of his $733 disability income. They have not agreed to provide him a private space for his recovery once he exits the hospital.

Robbi Montoya, the program director for Dorothy Day House, describes Busby as “a personal friend.” She has offered him shelter space for his recovery, which was difficult to arrange. In order to reduce the risk of COVID for those that use their shower, laundry and shelter services, Dorothy Day House has reduced their services by about two-thirds.

Busby is worried about the risk of infection if he is sharing space, particularly showering space, with other people who live on the street during his recovery. He is hoping to secure a hotel room instead for a two- to three-week period after he exits the hospital, which Montoya also thinks would be his best practical option.

“A shelter environment would be a last resort,” she said. “If he can’t continue to be in a medical facility throughout his full recovery, the next best thing would be a hotel room where he can be safe and clean.”

“My immune system will be really low as it is with anybody who receives chemo and radiation,” said Busby. “So, I’ll be more susceptible to COVID. Given the circumstances of being on the street, that could very easily be a death sentence.”

Although the County of Alameda and the State of California launched programs to protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19, these programs are failing to meet Busby’s needs. At the time of writing, data shows that Operation Comfort, a state and county program, has secured 873 hotel rooms and that 129 of them are currently empty. But Busby doesn’t qualify for this program as it is currently limited to people who are COVID-19 positive, symptomatic, or have had contact with those who have tested positive for COVID.

Project Roomkey and Operation Safer Ground, which are temporary COVID response state and county-funded shelter programs for COVID-19 victims, could possibly have been options for Busby a little over a month ago, but he is not been able to access them now.

The County of Alameda’s web site states that as of November 1, “no additional guests will be placed in Safer Ground sites.” Of Project Roomkey, the site says, “the program will soon be winding down.”

In an e-mail, Alameda County Communications Director Jeri Randrup claimed that “stimulus funds are no longer available” for Project Roomkey hotels. State funding could change and it is possible the programs could expand between now and January when Busby is set to be released from the hospital, but none are known at this time.

When I interviewed Busby over the phone a few days before his chemotherapy started he was becoming accustomed to using a feeding tube at The Acute Care Tower in Highland Hospital. He said breathing too deeply felt like someone was hitting him in the ribs. His tone sounded subdued and rugged. He saw his cancer and chemo as small bumps in the road compared to more traumatic past events in his life. He anticipates receiving help, and he also had fond memories in his past that he felt were “just part of the balance.”

“Ying yang, tit for tat, whatever you want to call it” he said. “You can’t have extreme happiness without extreme unhappiness.”

Busby grew up in Mississippi, then moved in California at age 19 and learned about asbestos abatement. He moved back to Jackson, Miss., at age 24, starting his own successful and lucrative asbestos abatement business. He described the times when his business was booming as “unbelievably good,” and that he “got to see and experience a lot of things that most people don’t.”

But Busby said he “experienced some unbelievably horrific times as well” in Mississippi. He moved from Jackson to Ocean Springs where, during a two-year period, he lost six close family members and friends as Hurricane Katrina destroyed his house and everything he owned. He tried to start his business back up, but continued to face setbacks and never came close to succeeding at the level he previously had. Worse times were soon to come.

In 2011, he was shot at point-blank range on the left side of his face. His doctors told him he had a 5% chance of survival. It took him two years to have a minimal understanding of what even happened. The injury required 14 different surgeries. Eventually, his wife left and he started living under a bridge in New Orleans.

“It was very dangerous,” Busby said of being homeless in New Orleans. “People got killed there all the time and it was never shocking.”

He moved back to California in his mid-40s, eventually settling in Berkeley, where he has published articles primarily about life from the viewpoint of being homeless. Although he currently lives in a van, much of his writing is informed by the five years he spent sleeping on cardboard, under a bridge or in front of stores and dumpsters. Recently he published an article in Street Spirit which serves as a grave warning to those at risk of eviction related to COVID-19 where he described five stages of becoming homeless. It was through his work with Street Spirit, where he has published about a dozen and a half articles, that he met Alastair Boone, who edits the publication.

“We were just talking and he mentioned that he was worried that he wouldn’t be housed throughout his recovery,” Boone said. “It’s not like he asked [for help]. I think the assumption with most people in Tim’s situation is that you just have to make it work, do your best to find a safe place.”

Boone is happy to help Busby with her fundraiser but laments that so many others are likely in a similar position and cannot get the help they need through healthcare or state and county programs.

“It’s heartbreaking knowing that he wouldn’t have had anything come through for him if we didn’t happen to be connected,” she said.

Last summer, Busby published an article in Berkeleyside that served as a tribute to a close friend, Michelle Marie Larson, and described how her lack of shelter contributed to her death.

The tribute also spoke of her generosity and how she would always share the little she had, including her food stamps, feeding Busby and others who were hungry. When he is able, Busby also helps to feed people, and volunteers regularly with Food Not Bombs.

“I really like Berkeley and I really enjoy life,” said Busby. Berkeley is where he claims he has found the best people he has ever met.

Shortly after moving to Berkeley he witnessed his “first experience of agape love.” He saw a woman, who was also experiencing homelessness, give a homeless man who appeared to have even less than her, both materially and in terms of cognitive capability, her only coat on a cold night.

“That guy doesn’t have the ability to get a coat,” he recalls her saying in reaction to his baffled response to her choice, “I do.”

People like her, Boone, Montoya, and Larson have all impressed Busby who said lately he has “met more and more people that do things because they’re the right things to do, and not because of what they’ll gain.”

Boone finds that relying on individuals to do the right thing is not a sustainable model and said that what “should fall on a welfare program, falls on the people.” She wishes government programs met people’s needs more often.

“One of the reasons we see such a high mortality rate amongst people that live on the street is that when you are unsheltered and you fall upon bad health you usually don’t have resources” she said. “You just have to make use of what’s available to you outside and in most cases that makes your chances of survival very low. That’s unacceptable.”

Readers who wish to donate to help shelter Busby during his recovery can do so through this link:https://www.gofundme.com/f/house-tim-busby-during-his-chemo-treatment

Kiki

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Activism

A Student-Run Group Provides Critical Support Services to Underserved Residents

Those visiting The Suitcase Clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers. Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

Published

5 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

UC Berkeley Law Students help a clinic visitor with legal advice at their Tuesday night services. The Clinic offers a variety of resources, including medical, to those in the community who have little access to these services. Photo by Magaly Muñoz

Part One

By Magaly Muñoz

Every Tuesday evening, the dining hall of First Presbyterian Church fills up with dozens of people eating, laughing and moving from table to table, receiving much-needed services from UC Berkeley students – just a few blocks away from the university’s campus.

Individuals seeking support services can be found in this multi-stationed room on the south end of the church talking to law students, student case managers, or receiving medical attention in a corner by healthcare professionals.

This weekly event is hosted by Cal students through a volunteer-run program called The Suitcase Clinic.

The clinic, founded in 1989, was intended to offer free resources to underserved communities in Berkeley and surrounding cities. The majority of the clinic’s clientele are unhoused or low-income people looking for extra support.

Those visiting the clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers.

Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

During their tenure in the program, many of the students say they become strong advocates for homelessness rights.

Visitors of the Suitcase Clinic can receive haircuts and foot washing by student volunteers every Tuesday evening. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re also standing in solidarity with them. So, it’s not saying, ‘I’m going to help you, but I’m also going to stand with you,’” Golchini said.

Student volunteers get extensive training prior to working directly with clients. Those interested have to take a semester-long class to become versed in areas such as outreach, intersectionality, how to interact with unhoused people, how to sign people up for social services. and more.

Volunteers then get to pick from three different clinics: General, Women’s, or Youth and LGBTQ+.

The General Clinic is the most popular among visiting residents, while Women’s and Youth/LQBTQ+ have more specialized services for attendees.

The Women’s Clinic has many of the similar services to General, but also includes nail painting, childcare, and massages.

The Youth and LGBTQ+ Clinic offers a safe space for young people navigating living on the streets, with services that include housing referrals, wellness and recreation classes and employment resources.

Golchini explained that it’s important for them to keep these clinics separate because the different demographics experience poverty and homelessness differently than those who visit the General Clinic.

Suitcase Clinic student workers posing for a photo with a frequent clinic attendee. The Clinic is open to Berkeley unhoused and low-income residents who need medical or legal service, or a hot meal. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re able to provide spaces where people can come in and feel safe and not feel like they’re constantly worried that something’s going to happen to them,” she said.

An outreach team also visits encampments every other Saturday in the Berkeley area to provide hygiene kits and encourage people to visit the in-person clinic, if possible.

However, Golchini said engagement has been low for some time now due to a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows cities to ban and cite people for sleeping on the streets.

She said a lot of their clientele got displaced to other cities over time, making it difficult to stay in contact with the services the Clinic was providing for them.

But that hasn’t slowed down the students at the Clinic, if anything, it has pushed them to do more for the community they serve.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Promise Marks Performs Songs of Etta James in One-Woman Show, “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley

“The (show) is a fictional story about a character named Etta, aka Lady Peaches,” said Marks. “She falls in love with Johnny Rhythm, leader of the Rhythm Players Band and headliners of Madam G’s Glitta Lounge.” Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

Published

5 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy Of Promise Marks.

Special to the Post

It was “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Group Theater in Berkeley on Saturday night, Dec. 7. The one-woman musical based on the music of Etta James featured the multi-talented singer Promise Marks

Marks, who wrote and directed the musical, also owns PM Productions.

Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

In between her soulful songs, Marks narrated impactful moments of the love story and journey of blues and forgiveness.

Marks sultry voice carried the audience back to an era that echoed with the power of Black music and a time of great change.

Marks said James shared love for the Black community by singing at gatherings during the Civil Rights Movement uplifting the people.

“She spoke to the movement, spoke to the people, and let her music speak for itself,” Marks said.

Backing the musical’s monologues, images and videos of Etta James are projected for the audience to view. While the production is fictional, Marks infused script with the unfairness and heartbreak James experienced while performing.

Marks performed gospel artist Donnie McClurkin’s “We Fall Down” as she narrated acts of reconciliation and forgiveness among the characters at Johnny Rhythm’s deathbed.

Marks, who regularly sings for the Miss America Pageant, was asked to perform as Etta James last year. “(At the event) a lady yelled out to me: ‘You’re Etta James!’ And then the audience went crazy. I said to myself, ‘I may have something here,’” she said.

Within 12 months, Marks created the musical production, which featured a dozen songs honoring “the great legacy of Etta James,” she said.

Marks says she was saddened to see how Etta James was often judged by the struggles in her life and wanted to offer attendees a more layered view.

“Etta’s life was so big. I want people to know that she was more than her drug addiction,” said Marks. “We can’t make that her legacy. Her catalog is too amazing. You can’t just be that and have the catalog that she (created). I don’t want the addiction to be the focus: I want her music, her element, her sassiness, and what she brought to be the focus – her woman-ness, that she was strong, and I wanted to honor that.”

Set Designer Nora Burnette says she created the set segments to mirror James’ life story. A set designer for BRG since 2016, she explained that her process of researching the scenario and the character serve as her inspiration for her design.

“I try to design a set as close to real life as possible so that the actress can deliver the performance sincerely,” said Burnette. “By creating the right setting, it helps the actors release the true essence of a character.”

The set brought the story to life and absolutely floored Marks. “Once Promise (Marks) saw the actual set, she understood my vision: ‘Wow, you get me. You get it,'” Marks told the designer.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins, Etta James, began her career in 1954 and gained fame with hits such “At Last” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” She faced a number of personal problems, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album “Seven Year Itch.”

Co-producer and BRG Development Director, Sean Vaughn Scott, works with Overseer Production. According to producer Pamela Spikes, “Marks talent truly does Etta’s life story justice.”

Pam Jacobs of Hercules, a friend of Marks’ mom, Jackie Smith, said, Marks “was fabulous and sang all of those songs flawlessly.”

“I’m so proud of my daughter,” said Smith.

Marks, who has served as an instructor for BRG, will return on Feb. 21- 23 for an encore run of the musical.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the BRG (Black Repertory Group) family and continue our executive director Dr. Mona Vaughn Scott’s vision for the Black Repertory Group theater,” said Marks.

The Black Repertory Group Theatre is located at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703. For information, visit: BlackRepertoryGroup.com

Oakland Post

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Activism

BWOPA Honors Black Leadership and Legacy at 2024 Ella Hill Hutch Awards Dinner

On Dec. 5, BWOPA held its Annual Ella Hill Hutch Awards Ceremony, at the Fairmont Claremont Hotel in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills. At the event, the group comprised of Black women from various professional backgrounds, honored distinguished local and state leaders whose contributions have shaped civic engagement and advanced critical social issues impacting Black communities.

Published

5 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

L-R: BWOPA State Executive Director LaNiece Jones; State Asm. Mia Bonta; BWOPA 2024 Man of The Year/Urban League SFBA CEO Ken Maxey; BWOPA State President Hon. Dezie Woods-Jones; State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; Rowena Brown, Oakland Councilmember At-Large, Elect; BWOPA State Regional Director Vashone Huff. Courtesy photo.

By Oakland Post Staff

Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) is a statewide non-profit advocacy and membership organization committed to solving problems affecting Black Californians.

On Dec. 5, BWOPA held its Annual Ella Hill Hutch Awards Ceremony, at the Fairmont Claremont Hotel in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills.

At the event, the group comprised of Black women from various professional backgrounds, honored distinguished local and state leaders whose contributions have shaped civic engagement and advanced critical social issues impacting Black communities.

The evening was hosted by Dr. Shawna Charles, founder of The Charles Communications Group (CCG) headquartered in Los Angeles. Charles served as mistress of ceremonies.

With a track record of elevating voices and empowering communities, Charles’ leadership and insight brought a certain dynamism to the celebration.

“Each year, this event not only celebrates the enduring legacy of our beloved BWOPA founding member, Ella Hill Hutch, but also reaffirms and amplifies our unwavering commitment to building and sustaining Black political power across California,” said Dezie Woods-Jones, BWOPA founding member and State president.

“Ella Hill Hutch’s trailblazing leadership continues to inspire us as we forge ahead, empowering Black women to lead, advocate, and shape a more equitable future for all,” added Woods-Jones.

This year’s event introduced the DWJ Rising Star Award, honoring young leaders like Solano County Board Supervisors-elect Cassandra James, Danielle Motley-Lewis, Naomi Waters and newly elected State Assemblymember elect Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

According to organizers, the awardees all exemplify “the next generation of changemakers.”

Other awardees included:

Lifetime Achievement Awardees: Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) and Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson
Man of the Year: Kenneth Maxey, CEO of the Greater SF Bay Area Urban League
President’s Corporate Award: Yvette Radford, Kaiser Permanente
In the Spirit of Ella State and Chapter Awards: Dr. Carolyn Greene, Dr. Marcella K. Smith, Dr. Carolyn Drake, Tinisch Hollins, Jackie Jones, Gloria Burgess Johnson, Tamika L’Ecluse, Ellen Nash, Betty Reid Soskin, and Ay’Anna Moody.

BWOPA also celebrated local champions across its chapters, including leaders in voter education, healthcare, criminal justice reform, and community advocacy.

In a statement, BWOPA said, “Honoring Ella Hill Hutch’s legacy, BWOPA recognizes her pioneering efforts as the first Black woman elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Her tireless work amplifying underrepresented voices continues to inspire BWOPA’s mission to build Black political power across California.”

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to our members, partners and allies who believe in BWOPA’s vision to invest in building power for Black women’s leadership,” said LaNiece Jones, BWOPA State executive director. “Your support ensures that Black women have a voice at decision-making tables locally, regionally, statewide, and nationally, advancing diversity and equity in leadership spaces.”