Casa de Paz

During 2015 summer, I participated in a non-profit organization called Soulforce. During that time we learned to self advocate and learn about peace.

Well during that process, a small group of us took a trip to Oakland to visit a peace activist named Francisco Ramos Stierle also known as Pancho. Pancho was born in Mexico, but registered for a student visa to come to America to study astrophysics in the Ph.D program at UC Berkeley. But he had great courage to leave the school because they were using the studies to do research on nuclear weapons development. He had strong feelings about it and he didn't think it was justice for him to focus his studies to create dangerous weapons.

Pancho then became a peace activist, he turned to meditation and peace techniques. He was going to be deported but people had his back and allowed him to  stay.

Fast forwarding.... he became well known because for meditating at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland early in the day to raid against police brutality. I think he mentioned that him and other activist started meditating since 5 in the morning. The meditation lasted hours. He was arrested and turned to immigration services, and to be deported. But luckily around 7,000 people signed a petition to free him. He was arrested for meditating.... makes no sense I know. What I found really fascinating was that the officer who arrested him was saying some disgusting words to Pancho, but Pancho replied to him by saying, "I love you Brother."  

That's a little bit of background info.

But when we went to visit him in Oakland, we went to what is known as Casa de paz. Technically it's a house that the community helps pay for. This house is literally open to anyone, there is no lock. It's opened 24/7. And Pancho is not afraid of doing that. In this house he has food, shower, rooms and a meditation room for those who are in need and need a place to stay at whenever they would like. And plus he has this huge and beautiful garden that he plants himself, and a lot of chickens and  parakeets.

When I met him and hugged him, I felt like i had known him for a long time. When we were meditation, I felt his positive energy and I felt at peace. He is a true inspiration and I am more than pleased to have met someone like him. It's hard  to write about him in this post but if you're interest to know more and in more detail check these websites.... 




  http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=4616 
http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/pancho-ramos-stierle-nonviolence-is-radical 
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=127