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Posts published in “Essays”

Case Studies

A Misdemeanor in the Haight  July 26, 2001:  Officer flagged down by victim Joshua D.  Said he had just been assaulted. Showed officer bite on his neck. Pointed out man at Haight and Belvedere. Officers…

Halls of Memory

Berkeley, CA, January 11, 2021 — By now, you’ve probably seen the footage many times. Unless you’ve had the discipline and good sense to keep out of your life that which the unavoidable image merchants…

Homer Update #8

My apologies to the patient reader for my tardy update on Homer; but…well, you see, I’ve been under advisement to keep still. That’s because Homer, as I’ve been advised to believe, has shown up. The…

The Singing Publicist

In my two cartons marked SFDA I find some lyrics. (Instead of keeping a diary, I used to write songs.) 911 Willie Brown took the American flagTurned it into a shopping bagCome on baby let’s…

Why I Will Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Here’s a question for readers of the Anderson Valley Advertiser. Why is a white boy like me, who was raised in segregated Virginia, celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr? One answer to…

What Would Grandma Do?

Nearly every day of Covid-infested 2020, I’ve felt my hope drowned by despair. And every time I went under I asked myself, “What would grandma do?” And she pulled my head back above water. My…

Covid & Me: I Was Bad, But I’ll Be Better

I was bad. I admit it and I’m sorry. On Thanksgiving, I joined a dozen or so friends and some strangers, too, for a feast. We sat outdoors on a farm. Sadly, we did not…

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