Rev Andy’s Blog

We had quite a week at Union Rescue Mission.

I received a call at 4:26 A.M. Sunday morning that smoke was coming out of our cashier’s office in our downtown facility. I initially hoped this was due to something minor, like a clock alarm or something overheating, but we had no such fortune. A call a moment later confirmed a bizarre event.

Our secure 2nd floor had been entered, the cashier’s office doors forced open, and our safe broken open. The vault was actually peeled open from the back and nearly $100,000 of Union Rescue Mission’s petty cash and money our residents were saving up to move out of homelessness was taken. Worst of all, the burglar lit a fire and broke off the sprinkler head to both endanger our guests and cover his tracks with a flood of water that heavily damaged our 2nd and 1st floors. The fire alarms had gone off and hundreds of our guests were evacuated out into the cool 40 degree morning weather. I raced down to the Mission to be greeted by a crime scene.

The diligent detectives started their work by questioning the other staff and me. We spent hours being interviewed, unraveling the crime, took time to clean up the mess, and then the phone calls from media began. We discovered not only the huge loss, but also some of the reasons for the loss.

Our cashiers had been convinced by a man afraid of banks to keep his savings in the vault for years. I encouraged them not to join this man in his fear, but to always deposit the money in the bank in the future. Our cashiers had been very busy on their last day in the office before the event and were unable to make it to the bank for their normal deposit. The man happened to hit us at a very unfortunate time. Thankfully, all the cash lost was already documented electronically. The cashiers handed me a list of those whose money had been taken in the burglary.

A difficult moment came next when I had to walk downstairs to tell the news to our Red Badge Men. These men live as guests at the Mission but work outside to earn and save their money to get back on their feet. I looked for the men who had the most savings taken and let them know what had occurred. I felt like the character Jimmy Stewart played in “It’s a Wonderful Life” when he had to inform the people of his community that all of their savings were gone. I hoped this story didn’t follow the same course. A couple of the men stormed off angry, understandably, with their arms in the air, fearful that they had lost everything that they had worked hard and planned for. Then they calmed down and thanked me for letting them know what was going on. One man humbly remarked, “Nothing good is going to happen to the person who did this.” Another grabbed my arm, and sweetly said, “Andy, don’t let this ruin your Christmas.” What an amazing response. I assured all of them, that no matter what, the Union Rescue Mission would not stand by and let them lose their money. Through insurance, police efforts to recover the money, and our own fundraising, their savings and their dreams to visit family or move to their own place would be fulfilled and their savings restored.

Our security team and detectives soon discovered footage from one of our video surveillance cameras that showed the burglar walking down our stairway, pulling his stocking camp down his face a bit, stopping in front of the camera to make a few turns of his head, grabbing his gloves in kind of a “I showed you” statement, and then exited the building with his side bag full of cash slung over his shoulder. Our security team and program men viewed the tape over and over until about 9:30 P.M., then called me to the video monitors where we watched it a few more times. We soon recognized the burglar as a man who left us on Friday with a grudge, bragging that our Security had no idea of what “he was capable of doing.” He is a big strong guy, strong enough to move a 600-800 lb. safe 6 feet by himself and peal it open layer by layer. As we reviewed the tape of him exiting our doors at 3:21 A.M., someone immediately was reminded he had heard the burglar had moved to a specific SRO hotel over the weekend. I immediately called and emailed the police and connected with the detectives very early the next morning.

The detectives met us at Union Rescue Mission, went directly to the hotel, and soon we received a call that they had captured the suspect. They were then in search of the car we heard he had purchased with our men’s money. In total we know that he purchased two cars. While in police custody, he feigned a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. At the hospital a nurse found the jewelry taken from our safe on his person. From her inventory notes, Cindy, our cashier, quickly identified the jewelry by telling the detectives the inscription located inside of the jewelry piece without even looking at the jewelry – a sight unseen! The detective told me that our cashier is a genius, with photographic memory. Until that moment all of the evidence known was circumstantial, but now his fate was sealed.

Sadly, when it happened, we were already in a huge cash crunch. We opened a whole new facility through Hope Gardens Family Center this year, and just this week, to make sure no one will be left out in the rain this winter season, Union Rescue Mission, through our public benefit corporation, Eimago, Inc., had just opened 3 new winter weather shelters at three other facilities across the city. When the burglary occurred, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Now this?”

But I am humbled with thankfulness at the response others have made across the city. Four days later, we received a $50,000 check in the mail! Fabian Nunez, Speaker of the California Assembly stopped by to view the damage and promised $10,000 and a call to the Governor. Another man offered $10,000 and still another donor sent funds to purchase plane tickets for a Red Badge man who lost his money and was saving to see his family for the holidays. Four Safe companies have offered us heavier duty, well protected safes. Our Mission community has pulled together and worked as a team to overcome this challenge. We are looking ahead with hope to see what God is going to creatively do with this horrible event. It is indeed a Wonderful Life! -Andy B.

Some folks may wonder why we fought so hard to give moms and children an opportunity to live a life of hope at Hope Gardens Family Center. With the Lord’s strength, we held up for 21 months, 34 neighborhood meetings, and a cost of nearly $1.9 million, until we finally made it to the day when we moved in the ladies and precious children.

One of the reasons we endured for so long is because we don’t see folks only as they are today – struggling, hurting, and overwhelmed by life. We see them as they will be in the future – hopeful, healing, and overcoming life’s challenges.

Recently, I received a card from a young lady in Des Moines, Iowa, whom I had assisted through a ministry program there that I was involved in. When I first met her, she was nearly 17, expecting a baby, and dropping out of school.

We offered her the kind of help that Hope Gardens offers and she turned us down the first time, but I kept track of her through a school counselor and friend. The next report I received was that she had 3 children, expecting a 4th, and was living in the back of a pick-up truck in someone’s backyard, amidst the snowy ground and the extremely cold temperatures. I encouraged the counselor to tell the young mother to come back for another visit to my ministry in Des Moines. The card she sent me years later says volumes about her choice to give life another try on the second visit:

“Andy,
10 years ago I stood before you an abused, drugged up, broken teenage mother of 3 and 1 on the way. I grudgingly asked you to let me live at Good Samaritan Urban Ministries, you opened your doors and arms and invited us in. Later you invited me to take a class you taught at Des Moines Area Community College. Your invites have shaped my life in more than one way. My life at GSUM introduced me to Christ and a drug-free life, and my first successful college course introduced me to a long journey to a college degree. This October I will be celebrating 10 years relapse free living and a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Sociology and endorsements in Language Arts and Reading! Thank you for loving the broken and poor and thank you for dedicating your life to people like me.

Mary,

Solomon-15
Elizabeth-14
Gabriel-12
Yvonne-9
Juaquin-4 months
Fernando-husband!”

Thank you for supporting Union Rescue Mission and our Hope Gardens Family Center. You are providing a place for miraculous turnarounds! Andy B.

Last Tuesday a dear friend of Union Rescue Mission, Muhammad Ali Nassardeen passed away suddenly last week. Muhammad headed up a radio program and a movement called Recycling Black Dollars. He interviewed me in the thick of our Hope Gardens Battle and strongly urged the community to support URM in our efforts to move moms and children to the safety of Hope Gardens Family Center. Right during the interview, he was also hosting a gentleman who was planning a football event in Los Angeles that featured two historic black universities from the South. Muhammad arranged for more than 150 URM program participants to go to the fabulous game free of charge – it was a real treat for our participants! We won’t ever forget Muhammad’s love and support of Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens Family Center.

Just the night before, I received word that my Dad, Carl Bales, in Iowa, had suffered a massive stroke that has left him completely paralyzed on the right side. This was a horrific blow to my spirits and my children, who love their Papa more than words can describe! I am so thankful that my mom and dad were here in California the day that our women and children moved into Hope Gardens Family Center, and were able to walk the grounds and see how their prayers for our moms and children were answered. Those of you who have kept track of my writings about my Dad may know that I often lift the spirits of the little ones here at the Mission by having them call “Santa” – who is in fact my Dad, or at least, he is my Santa. He loves to say, “Ho Ho Ho” on the phone and has had some great talks with the children. Just 2 weeks ago, 2 year old Roger and 3 year old Carlton had quite a conversation with my Dad, Santa, as I tried to redirect them from grabbing all of the backpacks at a store where I had taken their older brothers to get school uniforms.

Each day as I drive to the Mission I make a practice of speaking to my Dad on the phone as I am stuck in rush hour traffic. 3 weeks ago we were facing a horrible financial crunch and we needed to come up with a $1,000,000 bank payment on Hope Gardens in just the next couple of days. My Dad told me to be encouraged, that he would pray and that the Lord would provide. The payment was due on Wednesday, October 3rd. A one million dollar check from the Lincy Foundation arrived on Monday, October 1st! I know my Dad’s prayers helped it arrive on time, because the Book of James says that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much, or in other words, are very effective!

This week I have been grieving for my Dad’s suffering, loss of mobility, and drastic change to his life. I have also been grieving for my children who are very concerned about Papa. Our URM children are going to miss those exciting calls to “Santa”. I am having a difficult time driving in morning rush hour without hearing my Dad’s encouraging voice and words. I leave today to pick up my Mom and Dad and bring them home to our house in Pasadena so that he can receive adequate care and be around the folks he loves so much. Keep us in your prayers. Thanks, Andy B.

Just a few weeks ago, a team of volunteer staff were out on a hot afternoon delivering very cold water to the folks suffering out on the streets of Skid Row. We have made it a practice to take cold water out when it is 85 degrees or hotter downtown and, for a few days that week, temperatures were approaching 100.

As we were just about to complete the water run, as we call it, I saw a young man who could have been a gang member, attacking a young woman across the street at 5th and San Julian. I had a hunch I knew what was coming, but it came too quickly for me to intervene early enough. I tried to gather up some bottles of cold water and get there to cool things down, but, as I crossed the street, I saw long lead pipes and a tripod came out of people’s hands, swung wildly by men and women. A young gang member was hit in the back of the head and as he turned, he mistakenly knocked out and down the closest man near him, even though it was a young woman who had struck him.

When I finally got there, the young man was trying to stomp the unconscious man’s head into the pavement, so I put my feet on each side of the unconscious man’s head to protect him from further blows. As I juked a kick from the young gang member, I told him that this man was done and out cold and that he had done enough.

The police pulled up just as the confrontation ended and I poured cold water on the injured man’s bloody wound. The injured man seemed reluctant to be rescued and we soon found out why. 30 ounces of marijuana and two very large, menacing knives were found in his backpack. His life was saved, but he went straight to jail.

I share this story because this kind of event is now not common on Skid Row, whereas it used to be the norm before the Safer Cities Initiative and 50 new police officers were added to do community policing on Skid Row. In my first days at Union Rescue Mission, just 2 and ½ years ago, I would run into these situations each time that I left the building.

I attended a press conference last week with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, and the Chief of Police, William Bratton. I attended with a young, handsome man named Steve, who is now enrolled in our Men’s Christian Life Discipleship Program and serving as a program security guard. Steve’s story was shared by the Chief with the press.

During the recent Safer City Initiative, a young, beautiful and kind Officer Yeager of the Los Angeles Police Department found Steve using drugs and misbehaving on the streets of Skid Row. As she arrested him and treated him with great dignity, she said some words that encouraged him to choose a program of help over spending time in jail. He decided to choose a program at Union Rescue Mission. Steve claims that the Safer Cities initiative and Officer Yeager saved his life. He plans to graduate from our program and vows to become a new man.

It was also shared at the press conference that violent crime has been cut down by one half and that death by drug overdose on Skid Row is down 53% from the 98 deaths from Sept. the year before to 58 deaths in the same period this year. From this information, the Safer City Initiative program has actually saved lives. It was noted and I agree that there has been some disbursement of people from Skid Row to outlying areas. I wish there would have been appropriate permanent supportive housing to move folks into instead of out, but even the disbursement has brought the community small benefits from less population density – as high population density causes problems in any population.

I had to run early from the press conference to attend a planned luncheon honoring our own Richard Sykes as one of the top CFO’s in Los Angeles. As I left the press conference, I was attacked by protesters from a local group who do not appreciate my support of the Safer Cities Initiative. They stood inches from my face yelling “Phony Preacher” and other names while foisting their signs in my face. I asked them to back off, questioned their manners, and proceeded to receive 10 minutes of taunting. I was grateful the URM van arrived as previously scheduled to take me to the next event, though it felt more like a rescue!

Later that day when I was in a meeting, I looked out on the street from our conference room window and saw a man being pulled out of the public restroom in front of the Mission by paramedics. As the paramedics from Fire Station 9 attempted to resuscitate him back to life, we learned he had 33 little bags of heroin in his possession, so we ran downstairs to stand on the sidewalk and pray that God would intervene and spare his life. These courageous guys from the busiest fire station in our country worked relentlessly to save the man, but he did not respond.
This loss of life and the devastating effect of the drug trade cause me to continue to support the Safer City Initiative and the caring officers who carry out their work.

On Friday a homeless man reported an increase in crack cocaine traffic on San Julian Street, behind the Mission, and the danger and temptation that it was bringing to him. I called and alerted the police to the activity. We have a lot of work ahead to help create a safer city for our friends who are homeless.
~Andy B.

We just hosted a Feeding Summit at Union Rescue Mission. I was amazed at the big crowd and the interest and passion for this opportunity. The room was filled with people from all walks of life, who have a passion for making sure each and every person on Skid Row is fed.

The event was sponsored by the Central City East Association, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, LAPD, and the Los Angeles Central Provider’s Collaborative, of which Union Rescue Mission is a part of. Usually, when you meet on a potentially controversial issue, things don’t go so well, but, as various leaders from the city, environmental services, the police, the business association, the health department, and area agencies spoke, their message was received very positively. Issues were raised concerning feeding on the streets everyday: trash left behind, folks being fed without facilities to wash their hands, proper preparation of food, not linking those fed to services. Surprising to me at least, the many groups who feed on the streets readily accepted the admonitions and spoke up to their willingness to partner with Missions and others to make sure that all of these issues were remedied.

I was given the opportunity to share my own story; how I preached 6 messages regarding Matthew 25:31-46 and taught my students the importance of caring for a hungry person.

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I shared with the Feeding Summit crowd that after delivering that message to my students, I was approached by a hungry, homeless man. When he asked for my sandwich, I had turned him down. I realized then what a hypocrite I was and tracked him down a few weeks later. I then fed him and was invited to begin working at a downtown rescue mission in Des Moines, Iowa. That was 22 years ago. I have been trying to practice what I preached since that time.

After beginning work at the downtown mission in Iowa, I realized that men like the one I fed were not utilizing the mission. I went out on my motorcycle with sandwiches and hot chocolate, sharing it with the men under the bridges and in abandoned buildings. I then invited the men to move into the mission. People said that folks had made a choice to live on the streets and that I should leave them alone. I responded that if a man had made a choice to live under a bridge in Des Moines, Iowa, where it can get down to 20 below zero, that it was a choice made out of hopelessness and really no choice at all.

My time of going out on the streets and seeing men move into the mission proved my point. We fed one man 32 Saturday nights in a row before he finally moved into the mission. My mentor caught me early as I went out with hot chocolate and sandwiches. “If we are going to do this,” Chaplain EE Peters said, “Let’s do it first class with a van, hot food, including BBQ chicken, and a team of volunteers.” For several years we went out on Saturday nights, one night a week. Our philosophy was, and still is, that a nice dinner served with dignity makes a big impact and statement of love. Taking a dinner out every night tells someone to continue living in misery, wait here, and we will bring your food to you. That is still our approach.

Every hot day over 85 degrees in downtown, Union Rescue Mission takes cold, bottled water out onto the streets. We do it out of love to make a statement of love and provide an impact to the receiver. We see it as a tool to build relationships and good will, to help folks make a decision to move into the Union Rescue Mission.

This is the approach we shared at the Feeding summit: If we are going to feed, let’s all do it first class. Provide the food in a way that promotes hygiene and affirms dignity; let’s all clean up after ourselves and don’t add litter to a growing trash problem on Skid Row. Serve the food from a Mission or in a way that provides connection and relationships with a service provider in the community. Pretty simple and well received. We are now working together to make it happen. It was a good day.
~Andy B.

My Monday was hectic and long, but I had to keep my promise to the two newest children to arrive at Hope Gardens Family Center. It was one of the youngsters’ birthday and I had promised to get her a bike! When you start a trend, you should count the cost. I write this because as the first few children arrived at Hope Gardens when it opened this summer, I noticed that they were borrowing the bikes of our residential staff. I thought, “This can’t be.” So, I came up with the brainy idea to buy bikes for them. Well, 30 children later, this is getting kind of expensive! But, fairness and consistency are important, so now it is my job and delight to get new bicycles for each new child who arrives at Hope Gardens.

I picked up my new friends, Earl and Angela, at about 5:00 P.M. on Monday evening. We received permission from their parents to take them to the store to pick out their own bikes. On the way Earl, 5, spoke up first, “My biological father does not like to spend time with me. He likes to spend time with his new kids, but not me!”

I replied, “Well, I like to spend time with you, Earl, you are a fun kid to spend time with!”

“How old are you?” answered Earl.

“How old do you think?” I asked.

“My mom is almost 30, so you must be 26!” I really liked hanging around Earl now!

As I delighted in his reply, Angela, 15, leaned over and whispered in his ear that I was closer to 55! I laughed on the inside.

“Angela, how could you do that to me!” I asked playfully, since I will be 49 next month!
She blushed and we all laughed together.

Then Earl, more at ease, began singing his version of “I Can Fly” – something about Burger King and a chicken wing. He indeed was 5 years old, despite his wonderful vocabulary and breadth of knowledge.

We went into the store, purchased the bikes, and stopped at McDonalds to have a birthday dinner, as it was in fact Angela’s birthday. Angela purchased the food with the money I gave her while I picked up a bike, a scooter, 3 helmets, a horn, a tricycle for a little one, and a stroller for a new mom with a new baby.

Earl didn’t buy any food. “I am too excited about riding my bike! I can’t eat!”

“I know how you feel!” Angela exclaimed. “When I heard that we were moving to Hope Gardens Family Center, I couldn’t eat for 3 days! It is the first time in my life that I have my own room!”

Thanks for your support. It is my delight to bring joy and so much excitement to children that they are too excited to even eat! — Rev. Andy B.

Recently, I have been sharing with our friends like you who have made Hope Gardens Family Center possible that if they are ever in need of a hug, then they should stop by Hope Gardens Family Center with me. I stopped in last night to say “Hi” to the 13 moms and 24 children who are now living a life of hope at Hope Gardens Family Center. The cafeteria is being renovated, so I had to wander down to the future day care center to find everyone eating their evening meal. As I walked in the room, I was mobbed by 20 children from 2 years old to 10 years old! I am not kidding – I received a heartfelt hug from each one of them. “When are you going to come out and play with us on the playground again?” they asked. What in the world is more priceless than that? The children under two either had too much food on them or were too little to get out of their chairs to hug me, but their precious smiles were just as heartwarming. Imagine getting a sweet smile from some beautiful 4-month-old little ones. What a great way to end a day of work and see the fruits of your labor!

Earlier in the day, as temperatures rose to 97 degrees, I joined about 10 other staff and volunteers to take extremely cold water out onto the streets of Skid Row. This is our common practice when it is 85 degrees hot or above in downtown Los Angeles and lately we are out on the street so many days in a row that we are running out of bottled water! However, we are not running out of the joy that we receive when we hand a cold bottle of water to a struggling, thirsty person on the street, whose hope and even life is waning. We receive some of the most heartfelt thanks, wonderful smiles, and sincere words of encouragement that you could imagine.

Thanks for your support and keep us in your prayers! I will be on the receiving end of these priceless rewards for you until you can come out and join me soon. — Rev. Andy B.

I usually do not struggle with a theme to blog about, but this week each time I tried to prepare and write, my heart hurt a bit too much to get it out. Even as I was interviewed by the LA Times writer, I couldn’t get out the word ‘involving’ as tears came to my eyes when I said, “We are used to tragedies, but not ….babies.”

The thought of a two month old baby dying overnight at Union Rescue Mission was too much for me to bear, but that is the news I received over the phone on the day we were getting ready to celebrate my son’s wedding out of state. I hope I held up well during what should have been a happy day in my family and the happiest day in my son’s life, but I have to admit I was extremely brokenhearted for the precious baby, her mom, and for all involved. All of the details are not in, but what we do know is that our staff, concerned for the baby’s health and safety, called the Child Abuse hotline Tuesday morning and the Department of Children and Family Services showed up on Wednesday to connect with the mom and child but could not find her. So, DCFS came back on Thursday and connected with mom and baby, but did not decide to take the baby into protective foster care. Early Friday morning, the young mom dressed her baby, as if she was still alive, and tried to leave the building quietly in the early morning hours. Our staff was alerted and stopped the mom at the door. Meanwhile, a Department of Children and Family Services staff member was in our elevator on her way to see mom with an order to take the baby into custody and the police had been called, but it was too late to save baby Jasmine’s life or prevent tragedy from striking this young mom and Union Rescue Mission.

Last Saturday at 6:00 A.M. I awakened to a phone call from a concerned lady from Tennessee – Jasmine’s aunt – and I then realized the story had broken into the news. I tried to quickly wake myself up and console the sister, after which, I came down to work to await the throng of media that might show up at the Mission. Jasmine’s aunt sent pictures of the young lady during a happier time in her life, showing a young beautiful mom who had been a successful Atlanta businesswoman before struggling with bipolar disease, leaving home for the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, but only to find the mean streets of Skid Row – my heart was even more broken for this family. I went out and searched the streets for the young mom, now childless and apparently wandering the mean streets yet again, as I hoped to connect her with her family, someone who could help her through this horrible circumstance, but I could not find her.

Some want to blame the Social Worker, some want to blame DCFS, while others want to cast all of the blame and responsibility on the young mom. We at Union Rescue Mission have decided to mourn for the precious baby, weep for the young mom, pray for those who are dealing with the load and burden of guilt, encourage our staff to not grow weary in doing good, and shape future policy to make sure not one child ever slips through the cracks again. Here is the note that I sent to our staff. Keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.

TEAM,
I always pass good news in the media about URM, and so I also feel obligated to share some heartbreaking news in today’s LA Times. As I said in the article, we are going to step up our efforts to be extra vigilant and diligent to connect families with County Workers and get children full health screenings right away, in order to make sure we never suffer such a loss again, but our staff did take the action that could have saved this precious child, and I am thankful for all of your hard work and ministry here at Union Rescue Mission. Please take time to weep and mourn this tragic loss, but do not grow weary in doing good.I am honored and blessed to serve here with you.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Philippians 4:5-7 (ESV)
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Your co-worker in Christ, Andy B.