(updated 2008-01-12)
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — No one knew when Diane Bailey began asking odd questions in October 2007 that it was the beginning of a serious attack on the Uhuru Movement that would see people associated with the movement lose their jobs, lose their housing and in one case, be framed and sent to jail.
Diane Bailey’s son, Omavi Bailey, is a member of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) and the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP). She, on the other hand, is a member of the treacherous African middle class that has time and again betrayed the interests of the masses of African people and aligned itself with our imperialist oppressors.
Diane Bailey herself is opposed to her son’s membership in the Uhuru Movement because she hoped that he would follow in her footsteps and join the ranks of the African middle class in helping to administer the colonial system for white power for a piece of the pie stolen from the rest of us.
This opposition led her to attack the movement and her son. She went to Boley Centers, Inc., the non-profit multi-million dollar organization that owns the housing complex where Omavi and some other Uhuru Movement members reside, and made the claim that the Uhuru Movement had an improper relationship with Boley’s complexes.
Now, Boley Centers, Inc. is funded partially by the City of St. Petersburg and receives federal Housing and Urban Development money to run its operations. It is an organization that is supposed to provide housing and other services to people who are disabled, homeless or have low income. It is, however, involved in the City’s land grab operations happening in St. Petersburg that are displacing African communities to create economic development for white people.
Boley launches attack
Boley Centers, Inc. took advantage of this woman’s claims to launch an attack on the Uhuru Movement. In November, two African women employed by Boley and associated with the Uhuru Movement, Angelia Waller (APSP Chairman Omali Yeshitela’s daughter) and Valerie Sanders, were suspended from their jobs and fired shortly afterwards.
Boley did not stop there. Boley Centers, Inc. apparently used an employee who worked under Angelia Waller as an informant to identify all of the people associated with the Uhuru Movement who were on its housing programs. This employee had herself initially been suspended by Boley when the attacks were initiated against Waller and Sanders.
Then Boley issued notices on Saturday, December 1 to four African families informing them it would make them homeless effective on New Year’s Eve. In the notices it stated that their housing vouchers were being revoked and that the reason was because they “did not comply with the City of St. Petersburg housing criteria.”
Of course, the letters did not state what the issues of non-compliance were, nor did Boley give these African families the legally required chance to comply or appeal the decision.
It was clear however that these were not compliance issues. It was clear that, from the firings to the evictions, this was a general attack on the Uhuru Movement with whom all of these forces were associated.
This was an attack on the only force in the city that would be capable and willing to challenge the plans being made by the City of St. Petersburg and Boley Centers, Inc. to displace masses of African people for a new project that would turn the Tropicana Field — a failing economic venture that had already displaced the African community of Laurel Park to be built — into a new center to build white wealth.
Boley had begun attacking the leadership of the African working class and that it was only a matter of time before the attack became one against the general African community, much like the U.S. government did in the 1960s when it launched counterintelligence programs against Black Power organizations and then the African community in general.
Uhuru Movement’s response
The Uhuru Movement responded to these attacks by launching a strong political offensive. It began distributing leaflets exposing Boley’s attack and calling on the African community to unite with the Uhuru Movement’s demands.
Letters were sent to Boley Centers, the City of St. Petersburg and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stating the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movements demands.
InPDUM demanded that Boley reinstate the housing vouchers and guarantee housing for those whose vouchers were revoked, that Valerie Sanders and Angelia Waller be given back their jobs and paid for wages lost, and that Ken Heller be fired.
InPDUM demanded to the City of St. Petersburg that it stop funding Boley Centers, Inc. until it meets the just demands made. The Uhuru Movement then took to the streets.
Every year around Christmas time, Boley sponsors a fundraiser called the Jingle Bell Run. Thousands of white people run through downtown St. Petersburg in this fundraiser.
Boley’s website promoted the December 12 run saying, “The course glows with hundreds of luminaries and the sound of sleigh bells fills the air.” This year, the sound that filled the air was the chant, “Stop Boley’s jingle bell run; they’re evicting Africans!”
The corner of Beach Drive and 2nd Avenue Northeast was filled with Africans and allies led by the Uhuru Movement who refused to allow business as usual.
Boley Centers was clearly impacted by this demonstration. Boley’s Director of Operations, Ken Heller, was so flustered that he began frantically running around throwing his middle finger up at the demonstration and making noise with his megaphone.
This was to no avail. He could not drown out the demands for justice.
Boley escalates attack
Boley retaliated. A long-time veteran of the Uhuru Movement who is a disabled resident under Boley’s programs, was given a notice on Tuesday, December 18, stating she would have to leave her home within 13 days.
Ken Heller also initiated an effort to get Valerie Sanders locked up on false charges. On yesterday, December 20, following another demonstration at the steps of St. Petersburg’s City Hall, Valerie Sanders was imprisoned on manufactured charges of grand theft.
Now, InPDUM is waging a campaign to free Sister Valerie and intensifying the struggle to defend the housing rights and worker’s rights of those affected by Boley’s assault. InPDUM is calling on all freedom-loving people to stand in defense of the Uhuru Movement!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Participate in the call-in campaign.
Who to Call:
(Call each of these numbers)
Boley Centers Inc.
(every Monday call Boley [if you don’t talk to a person, still leave a message])
Office: (727) 821-4819 ext. 5760
Director of Operations: Kenneth Heller
Tampa HUD Office
(Every Wednesday call HUD)
Office: 813-228-2026
Field Dir: Karen Jackson
Fax 813-228-2431
City Of St. Pete
(every Friday call the city)
(727) 892-5536, (727) 893-7247 phone
(727) 893-4100 fax
Contact: Stephanie Lampe, housing@stpete.org
Housing and Community Development
One, 4th Street North,
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
When to Call:
Every Mon., Weds, & Fri (until further notified) 8AM – 4 PM
What to Say:
My name is ________ and I am calling from ____(city/country)____ And I want to know why people are receiving letters from Boley Centers saying that their housing is being terminated and for no reason.
The rights of African people to have decent housing are being attacked all over this country (U.S.). It is obviously no different in St. Petersburg, FL.
The money that comes to St. Pete for housing is based off the statistics of extreme poverty in South St. Pete where the majority of Africans live, yet the Black people have no access to that money.
(City and HUD calls Only) And I am outraged that you are giving funds to an agency that will push Africans out of their housing, while they use the money as if it were their personal dollars.
The money belongs to the African community!
People have a right to live, despite their political affiliation.
And they are attacking the Uhuru movement because they defend the rights of working class and African people.
Stop the attacks on the African Community; stop the attacks on the Uhuru Movement!
Let us know that you called:
Call (727) 821-6620 and leave a message to say how many calls you
made, the day and time that you made them, and how they responded.
