25 signatures reached
To: U.S. Department of Civil Rights; Rep. Barbara Lee; Social Security; U.S. Department of Fair Housing and Employment
Stop harassment of Afro/indigenous Author
My name is Anita Wills and I am a 76 year old Afro/indigenous person living in San Leandro California. I am disabled and low income and receiving housing subsidies from HUD. The Housing Authority I am under is Alameda County Housing Authority and I until recently received SSI and Social Security. I am also an Activist for Social Justice here in the Bay Area. I have written 7 books since 2004 which are self published through LuLu and Amazon. Most of my books are about the history of my Afro/indigenous families and the historical oppression they suffered. I guess they would these days fall under CRT. The books are not best sellers and until recently I received no push back. My most recent book Minqua Unami Okehocking & The Down River Nations was published in October of this year.
As I was preparing to publish my book I began receiving letters from the Social Security Office accusing me of receiving royalties and not reporting them. Mind you I may get $200 a year in Royalties. They said that the IRS reported that I was receiving Royalties from Amazon and not reporting to The Social Security Office! I sent them a copy of the statement they asked for and then they demanded another one! They told me the IRS sent them my 1099’s and then demanded that I send them the same document, This is Only about my Royalty’s from the books I published. This is the same harassment the Housing Authority came up with that I was hiding income from them. That was several years ago after my 4 th book was published. When I complained they backed off because the income is not consistent.
I believe that I am being targeted by these government agencies because of the content of my books. My income has been suspended by Social Security as of October 24, 2022 right before the holidays.
The week of November 5, 2022 I received a call from someone from the Social Security Office who was loud and rude. She said her name was Rodriguez and she was screaming at me saying why didn’t I comply with her request. My worker at that Office is Ms. Doan and This is the first time anyone has called me. She was so loud and rude to me that I told her I was hanging up. She called me the next day again and said if I come in the office and sign a paper they would restore my benefits. She was lying! I went into the Office November 15, 2022 and asked for her. I was told there was no Rodriguez working from that office. I told the worker about the document she wanted me to sign 85-1 and he said no such document existed. He did not call Ms. Doan my actual worker to speak to me. I left the office and the next day got a call from the same loud woman screaming that she never told me her name was Rodriguez and her name was Gonzales. I know she said her name was Rodriguez because I wrote it down. I always take notes so I remember people and conversations. She told me to come to the office that day November 26,2022 which I did. I met the worker face to face and she shoved these papers at me in front of her aid! She said I needed to sign the papers to get the information from the IRS although she previously told me she had the documents from the IRS! Once I signed them she screamed and laughed your appeal (I appealed their decision which suspended my Social Security and SSI) will be denied now cause you have No Basis! Then she said and don’t file no other appeals! She and her aid were both Hispanic and thought it was funny! This is my main source of income and I am facing homelessness!
There is a similar situation with housing and I filed a Civil Rights complaint with HUD which they kicked back to the Alameda County Housing Authority. I believe they are targeting me because of my books articles I have written and my Social Media Presence.
That is why I want to do a Free Speech Campaign to show how the Government comes after African Americans who speak or write about the atrocities committed against black and brown people.
I am not the first person to be targeted and my goal is to seek support. My rights as a disabled senior citizen of Color are being violated! I want the Government to protect my right to free speech and stop harassing me and my family. I want a petition signed my my family and community delivered to the above referenced Agencies!
As I was preparing to publish my book I began receiving letters from the Social Security Office accusing me of receiving royalties and not reporting them. Mind you I may get $200 a year in Royalties. They said that the IRS reported that I was receiving Royalties from Amazon and not reporting to The Social Security Office! I sent them a copy of the statement they asked for and then they demanded another one! They told me the IRS sent them my 1099’s and then demanded that I send them the same document, This is Only about my Royalty’s from the books I published. This is the same harassment the Housing Authority came up with that I was hiding income from them. That was several years ago after my 4 th book was published. When I complained they backed off because the income is not consistent.
I believe that I am being targeted by these government agencies because of the content of my books. My income has been suspended by Social Security as of October 24, 2022 right before the holidays.
The week of November 5, 2022 I received a call from someone from the Social Security Office who was loud and rude. She said her name was Rodriguez and she was screaming at me saying why didn’t I comply with her request. My worker at that Office is Ms. Doan and This is the first time anyone has called me. She was so loud and rude to me that I told her I was hanging up. She called me the next day again and said if I come in the office and sign a paper they would restore my benefits. She was lying! I went into the Office November 15, 2022 and asked for her. I was told there was no Rodriguez working from that office. I told the worker about the document she wanted me to sign 85-1 and he said no such document existed. He did not call Ms. Doan my actual worker to speak to me. I left the office and the next day got a call from the same loud woman screaming that she never told me her name was Rodriguez and her name was Gonzales. I know she said her name was Rodriguez because I wrote it down. I always take notes so I remember people and conversations. She told me to come to the office that day November 26,2022 which I did. I met the worker face to face and she shoved these papers at me in front of her aid! She said I needed to sign the papers to get the information from the IRS although she previously told me she had the documents from the IRS! Once I signed them she screamed and laughed your appeal (I appealed their decision which suspended my Social Security and SSI) will be denied now cause you have No Basis! Then she said and don’t file no other appeals! She and her aid were both Hispanic and thought it was funny! This is my main source of income and I am facing homelessness!
There is a similar situation with housing and I filed a Civil Rights complaint with HUD which they kicked back to the Alameda County Housing Authority. I believe they are targeting me because of my books articles I have written and my Social Media Presence.
That is why I want to do a Free Speech Campaign to show how the Government comes after African Americans who speak or write about the atrocities committed against black and brown people.
I am not the first person to be targeted and my goal is to seek support. My rights as a disabled senior citizen of Color are being violated! I want the Government to protect my right to free speech and stop harassing me and my family. I want a petition signed my my family and community delivered to the above referenced Agencies!
Why is this important?
Our rights are being violated every day and we have few left that are impactful. My right to be treated fairly and without discrimination is being violated by two Government Agencies HUD and Social Security. I am being subjected to verbal and discriminatory abuse because I wrote books that some Higher up does not agree with. But they will go to the mat defending the 2nd Amendment Rights of other citizens. I know it is about my published books because they specifically told me. The next step is for them to jail me on trumped up charges. It is important that others in the community understand how devious and racist this system is that we live under. If I was a white person writing the books I write I would be celebrated.