1 10 18 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/1a17aad2f1bfbb1e6eb1e623ad228f10.pdf e1738a7bf5d4518b68bb8dfc003bb81e PDF Text Text Master Luthier in OTR Page 11 Gap Year Page 8 STREETVIBES $1 A p r i l 2 0 0 9 • I s s u e 1 5 3 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e Healer and Brother Marianist doctor’s specialty is caring for homeless people By Paul KoPP Contributing Writer is located in an old mansion on Washington Avenue in Avondale, once owned by “some Brother Bob Donovan, kind of steel tycoon,” as DonM.D., has been giving medi- ovan puts it. Walking up the cal care to the homeless com- grand staircase, one can almunity in Cincinnati for 16 most imagine what the interior years. He was “instrumental of the house must have looked in starting like. the healthThe cen“A lot of times you know care syster sees exactly what the person tem for the about 130 needs but it’s just so patients homeless hard to get them in.” in Cincinyearly, the nati,” ac- - Br. Bob Donovan, M.D. majority of cording to whom are treated by Mary Beth Meyer, executive director of Donovan unless he is out of the Respite Center in Avon- town. The illnesses he treats dale. most often at the center in“He is such a gentle person, volve recovery from surgery, so humble that you wouldn’t broken bones and cellulitis, a necessarily ever get any of skin infection that usually octhat information from him,” curs in the legs, he says. Meyer says. “You really kind The second floor is where of learn about him from other Donovan sees patients, in a small wing directly off people.” The Respite Care Center, a the staircase. The halls are 24-hour medical and nursing cramped, and the air feels facility for homeless people, slightly oppressive, in stark contrast to his demeanor. Raised in Cincinnati, Donovan attended St. Xavier High School, received his undergraduate degree at the University of Cincinnati, then studied at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, returning home to start a private practice in the suburbs, which he held for four and a half years. “I loved my practice but I felt like I wanted to do something different, to help people with less access to health care,” he says. At the same time Donovan was beginning to explore the matter of his own spirituality. Though not quite sure what he was looking for, he began to learn about the Marianist community through a recommendation from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He says the Marianist mentality clicked with him largely due to its “prayer life“- a group prayer twice a day. “It’s a time for us to come together and in a sense remind ourselves that God is a part of all of our day,” Donovan says. See Healer, P. 4 Brother Bob Donovan, M.D. dedicates his life to caring for homeless people without insurance. Photo by Andrew Anderson. Treatment Center Under Attack In the face of tragedy, city council lashes out By GreGory Flannery editor Do you want to live near sex offenders? Too late. You already do. What do you want to do about it? Hamilton County is home to about 1,500 people who have been convicted of sex offenses. There is only one residential treatment center for sex offenders in the county, and Cincinnati City Council wants the state to “shut it down,” as its letter to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland put it. Last month a former resident of the Pogue Rehabilita- tion Center, where sex offenders and other former prisoners receive treatment, allegedly killed a 13-year-old girl. In response, six of council’s nine members demanded the facility be closed. Raw emotion seldom makes for sound public policy, and no one made the point better than the victim’s father, who in the midst of his grief said that city council is wrong, and the Pogue Center should remain open. ‘Vote pandering’ The Pogue Center in Overthe-Rhine houses 90 to 100 former offenders, about half of whom have been convicted of various crimes classified as sex offenses, according to Chris Lohrman, president of the local chapter of the VOA, the non-profit agency that operates the facility. On March 7 Anthony Kirk- the Cincinnati community,” land allegedly strangled Esme the letter to Strickland says. Kenney. The Pogue Center “Please shut it down.” had evicted This is, him eight as MarRaw emotion seldom days earlier gie Slagle makes for sound for strikpoints out, public policy, and no ing another an election one made the point resident. year for The center better than the victim’s city councalled the father, who in the midst cil. An atCincinnati torney with of his grief said that Police about the Ohio city council is wrong, Justice and the incident and the Pogue Center Policy Cenbut Kirkshould remain open. land wasn’t ter, she says charged. c o u n c i l ’s The center notified Kirkland’s position ignores facts about parole officer the next business sex offenses and the most efday, as state rules required. fective response to them. But as public outrage over “The politicians really love the girl’s death mounted, city to blow it out of proportion,” council responded by blaming she says. “It’s vote pandering, the facility that had tried to and they rely on the fact that treat Kirkland. their constituents don’t know “VOAhas, at the least, failed what’s going on.” miserably in their mission and Research in the past 10 destroyed all public trust with years shows that, contrary to public perceptions, most persons convicted of sex offenses don’t repeat the crime, according to Slagle. Repeat offenses decline significantly when offenders receive the kind of treatment offered by the Pogue Center, she says. “What we should learn from this is there aren’t enough programs like this in the state,” Slagle says. “If the VOA is closed, most of those folks are going to become homeless.” Which is, of course, the state Kirkland was in the night he allegedly committed murder. If the city wants to protect public safety, closing the Pogue Center is the wrong step, according to Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. VOA is a member of the coalition. See VOA, P. 6 �2 News Briefs Name it What it Is The upscale shopping and residential district planned for nearly a decade along the Ohio Riverfront in Cincinnati hasn’t had much construction activity but at least it had an apt name for a long time: The Banks. That’s fitting for the nearly $1 billion project. But it seems banks are none too popular these days, and so the Atlanta-based developers overseeing the 18-acre site asked for public input on a new name. The deadline has passed, but the survey was pretty limited anyway, with participants asked to pick between Riverfront District, Park District and Parkside or keeping the original name. Apparently no serious consideration was given to Rich People’s Enclave, Wealthy Village or We Got Ours Town. Cincinnati Judge Gets U.N. Post Hamilton County Appeals Judge Mark Painter has been named to the new United Nations Appellate Tribunal. A longtime supporter of Streetvibes, Painter has been on the local appeals court for 14 years. He has acquired an international reputation for teaching lawyers how to write in ways that lay people can understand. But more important, Painter has distinguished himself as a judge who requires respect for the rights of defendants and insists on prosecutors playing by the rules – qualities not often in evidence among his fellow Republicans, who have long dominated the local judiciary (see “Eight Minutes with an Honorable, Jan. 1 edition). Next issue: When Painter leaves for the United Nations, will Hamilton County finally break its longstanding racial barrier? We’ve never had an African-American appeals judge. Correction An article in the March 1 edition (“Fire Damages Grace Place”) incorrectly stated that Grace Place Catholic Worker House charges rent for guests who are able to pay. The house charges no rent but helps residents to save their wages for future housing needs. The article also incorrectly stated how long Grace Place has been open. Joyce Asfour and Sandy McCoy co-founded the facility 10 years ago. The Vibe Streetwise By GreGory Flannery So You Want to Help the Homeless, Do You? The closing of the Vernon Manor Hotel is going to pose hardships for homeless people. It’s not that they’ve found a place to stay there, but rather two agencies that provide essential services will lose their offices when the hotel goes out of business. The overall U.S. economic downturn is pushing the Vernon Manor to close. That means the Cincinnati Health Network and the Greater Cincinnati AIDS Consortium will now be homeless, like many of the people they serve. If your church or organization is interested in helping these non-profit agencies find quarters to continue their work, please call Charles Wallner of the AIDS Consortium at 513-910-5985 or Kate Bennett of the Health Network at 513-961-0600. If you’d like to help an organization that helps homeless people but don’t have office space to share, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is in constant need of basic household supplies such as paper towels and toilet paper. The coalition serves coffee to homeless guests, so it also needs coffee, sugar and creamer. If you are able to provide office supplies such as copier paper, Lynne Ausman, administrative coordinator for the Homeless Coalition can tell you what kind is needed. To donate supplies, call 513-421-7803, ext. 11. Why, Some of Their Best Friends Are Poor People We mustn’t assume that everyone wants to help homeless people or addicted people or hungry people, their protests to the contrary notwithstanding. The Over-the-Rhine Foundation trumpets its goodwill on a section of its Web page titled, “Improved Social Services”: “The OTR Foundation is not opposed to helping people, feeding the hungry or giving shelter to the homeless. In fact, we want to encourage improvements in social service delivery to assure that these goals are more effectively reached and that increasing numbers of people can find substantive life change.” But the foundation’s real goal is limiting the number of agencies in the neighborhood that help poor people. Michael Morgan, executive director of the foundation, supports Cincinnati City Council’s efforts to use zoning regulations to restrict the places that human-services agencies can locate and to “de-concentrate” the number of agencies in Over-the-Rhine. Unfortunately, some of his arguments are as uninformed as city council’s proposals. “These agencies often function with no intra-organization collaboration,” the foundation’s Web site says. But, in fact, the Homeless Coalition, for example, is a collaboration of dozens of agencies. The foundation says, “The result is massive replication of services.” But, in fact, various emergency shelters specialize in the needs of different individuals; some house homeless men, some house homeless women, some house homeless families. The foundation’s most curious assertion is this one: “Most of these facilities are run by people from outside the neighborhood.” But, in fact, both the past and present executive directors of the Homeless Coalition, to pick just two people, have lived in Over-the-Rhine. More to the point, even if the “outsiders” assertion were true, what’s the point? Unhappy Anniversary to You The anti-war movement isn’t what it used to be. As Lew Moores pointed out in the February edition (“What’s Next for the Resistance?”), a number of factors, including the election of an anti-war president and the focus on the massive U.S. economic crisis, seem to have taken some of the vigor out of the peace movement. A couple dozen local activists gathered March 19 at a corner in University Heights to mark the sixth anniversary of the U.S. war on Iraq. One year earlier, hundreds lined Clifton Avenue on the fifth anniversary of the war. Of course, that was an election year, and the economy hadn’t yet bottomed out. The important point isn’t that the numbers of protesters are down but rather that the war continues and therefore the peace struggle must go on, as attested by the stalwart activists who turned out March 19. STREETVIBES April 2009 Streetvibes is a newspaper that provides relevant discussions of homelessness, poverty and other related social justice issues. It is published monthly by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Contributing Writers Stephanie Dunlap, Margo Pierce, Lew Moores, Paul Kopp, Alecia Lott, David Heitfield, Dave Scharfenberger, Angela Pancella, Mike Henson, Larry Gross, Lynne Ausman, Andrew Anderson, Ariana Shahandeh Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Lynne Ausman, Paul Kopp, Anthony Williams, Aimie Willhoite Advisory Committee Joe Wessels, Steve Novotni, Andrew Freeze, Georgine Getty, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Steve Gibbs The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Programs include Streetvibes, “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau, Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE), Homeless Curriculum, and Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. All donations support these programs and are taxdeductible to the full extent of the law. We are members of: �STREETVIBES April 2009 Community News Eight Minutes 3 with two ‘Outlaws’ Risking their lives for journalism By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer I was with three other guys. There was a third person inbetween who actually set us Lack of profits – not death up – I didn’t know the person threats or government raids who was printing the editions. – close down newspapers in It was very purposeful. the United States, but that “We were not supposed to kind of problem is only wish- meet because it was dangerful thinking for Nasim Fekrat ous for us to say we know and Gibbs Dube. These jour- each other. And if one of us is nalists regularly receive death arrested, then it’s easy for us threats, have to say, ‘It’s been beaten published Threats of jail and up when by (somedeath were regular they gave a one else.)’ occurrences. But government ” that didn’t stop them When the or an official unfavorable newsletter from publishing The was just an press and Whirlwind. keep a runidea, Dube ning total of was talkthe number of their peers who ing about it and an American are jailed or killed each year. overheard the conversation. Fekrat, a freelance jour“She said, ‘I’ll find you a nalist from Afghanistan, and person, but you’re not going Dube, a journalist from Zim- to know the person.’ So then babwe, are both in the United she found that person,” Dube States on fellowships to learn says. “After doing the editomore about their craft and the rial, we just give her the maresources available to help terial and she will take the them when they return home. materials. Then later we’d see For Fekrat, that means going the publication on the street. back to wearing a disguise It was really permeating the when walking the streets of urban areas. Unfortunately, it Kabul to avoid arrest. Dube wasn’t getting into the rural might not be allowed back areas.” into his home country. The The men writing the editorigovernment banned his last al copy communicated via enpublic newspaper, The Weekly crypted messages to each othTimes, and his effort to keep er to meet at a specific place to his secret connection to a fol- write their copy and then not low-up publication – equally meet again until it was time to unpopular with the officials prepare the next edition during of the Media and Information the four-year run of the paper. Commission – has probably In between, their personal ofbeen revealed. fices were raided many times “What I did was to form a – they didn’t have an address four-page newsletter, which or phone number for the pubwas underground,” Dube says. lication – and threats of jail “It was called The Whirlwind. and death were regular occur- rences. But that didn’t stop them from publishing The Whirlwind. “At the end of the day it was effective in terms of people reading it and people talking about it,” Dube says. “You hear people talking about it a lot and we’d say, ‘Fine, we are doing a good job.’ It was very popular. “The day we stopped was when I was coming to the (United States.) Those other guys said, ‘Stay safe.’ One of them had to leave the country … because somebody, I suspect, leaked the information to the state security agents. He fled and went to Botswana. The other left and went to South Africa.” Dube told me about his experiences when we were on break between sessions at the Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution Conference in Philadelphia in February. His smiles and passion for journalism were as intense as his concern for his family. During the year of his Hubert Humphrey Fellowship at the University of Maryland, Dube’s wife and children had to move in with his brother for a while because she feared for their safety during the police raids on their house. He said the risk is “absolutely” worth it. He believes there is no freedom without a free, independent press. Fekrat, who lives 4,380 miles away in the middle of a war zone, believes the same thing. “I’m writing to inform people,” he says. “If I’m on line I can (bring a b o u t ) change if I am changing the motivation of a person. I’m doing a kind of education, informing people, which is the base of change.” When he Gibbs Dube, left, and Namal Perera. Photo courtesy of the Peter Jennings Project for Journalist and the Constitution. Gibbs Dube. Photo courtesy of the Peter Jennings Project for Journalist and the Constitution. isn’t doing translation work to earn rent money or moving apartments every few weeks to avoid being caught, Fekrat is reporting for the BBC Persian, Radio Free Europe and publications run by NATO and the United Nations. But his true passion is teaching “citizen journalists” how to access digital media (http:// afghanpress.org/) so they can tell about day-to-day move beyond the war. At one session he had 35 people sharing 10 computers. “The mission of launching workshops in different parts of Afghanistan, for me, it was important to bring Afghans to the digital world,” he says. “Why? Afghanistan is now defined as a war country in Western media. But what we’re going to do is we’re going to change this. We have very, very weak media – print and electronic – 95 percent is private. Using new tools – digital photography, Web – informing our society and making a window open to the world and telling from Afghanistan what is going on. “Present Afghanistan through the digital world (with) a different face, not war. We have lots of underground cities discovered. We have Buddhas discovered last year – 17 meters (tall). We’re going to give a real picture of our history, connect people, maybe some people like students will (create) a connection with Afghan people, to know more about the country.” Self-taught in everything digital, Fekrat also taught himself to speak and read English and is now in the midst of a one-year media fellowship at Duke University. Also a Jennings Fellow, Fekrat talked about why he’s risking his life for journalism. “You can’t be silent. You have to write something,” he says. “There’s a lot of domestic violence against women. That’s your mom. Your sister is living this – you feel responsible to tell something to society. “I was also writing about discrimination, which is very sensitive in Afghanistan. Today it’s growing. Now what we’re going to do, we want to bring more Afghan people to the digital world to talk about their own society, their reality about what’s going on, about war, love, hate, music, culture – everything.” So what do two journalists from foreign countries have to do with making Cincinnati a better place? Both men were surprised and pleased to learn that a non-profit organization helping homeless people could and would publish a newspaper. Unpaid journalists offering their time and work to support such as cause, they say, is just like what they do. The comparison feels overly generous when the only threat I’ve ever gotten is a potential lawsuit from a developer (which never happened) and the worst thing the cops do to me is ignore my messages to call back. But the underlying point isn’t lost: A newspaper can serve as the voice for people who don’t usually get to speak or are ignored when they try to express themselves. While the life-and-death struggle for providing that printed voice isn’t as obvious here in the states, Fekrat articulates the importance of doing that work of communication, regardless of where journalists live. “If I have today, I have today and I’m going to spend today for today, not tomorrow because I don’t know that I’m alive tomorrow.” Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in Greater Cincinnati. “Eight Minutes” is an effort to learn who they are and what motivates them. �4 STREETVIBES April 2009 Community News Juvenile Justice Reform Underway Ending excessive force and extended sentences By lew Moores Contributing Writer Court for the Southern District of Ohio in 2008 found DYS facilities around the state The juvenile corrections “overcrowded, understaffed system in Ohio was broken and underserved.” It posited: and now it’s in the process of “Excessive force and the exbeing fixed. cessive use of isolation, some of it extraorA lawsuit “What we’ve created dinarily profiled in 2004 challenged now is a system that is longed, is the way the centered on the youth endemic to Ohio Dethe ODYS and the hope we all partment of system.” have for rehabilitation.” The reYouth SerAl Gerhadstein vices (DYS) port also adtreated judressed how veniles in custody and how DYS employees were treated, it determined the way they’d saying juvenile correctional be released. A settlement was officers complained about reached a year ago. Last month “excessive use of mandated DYS announced a new pro- overtime” driven by undercess for releasing juveniles. staffing. Instead of holding youthful The report went further: offenders beyond their release “The needless and excesdates because of deficiencies sive use of force is engrained in the system itself – such as within ODYS. … We consislack of medical care, lack of tently found flawed training, a mental health system, inade- deficient oversight, seriously quate education opportunities, inadequate reporting and subpoorly trained staff and “arbi- sequent review of ‘incidents.’ trary and excessive discipline” Our findings support the con– DYS will release them on clusion that ODYS youth, time once their minimum sen- with varying degrees of intensity depending on the facility, tences are completed. “Once a youth completes are not provided with the contheir minimum sentence, they stitutional minima relating to will not be continued except a safe environment.” in cases where they are con“What prompted this is that sidered a risk to public safety, it’s part of an overall reorgathere is time added for serious nization of the entire juvenile misconduct while in custody, corrections system,” says Al additional treatment is nec- Gerhardstein, a lead attorney essary or when other special for the plaintiffs. “We have circumstances are determined started from the front door and by the full Release Authority worked our way to the back Board,” according to a state- door. This is the back door.” Gerhardstein says youthment by DYS. A fact-finding report sub- ful offenders are sentenced to mitted to the U.S. District six months but kept beyond that depending on arbitrary factors, which especially included factors such as “institutional deficiencies” – “Oh, you need anger management, which we haven’t had enough staff to give,’ so we’ll flop you for another six months,’” he says. “That was just incredibly counter-productive for the health of the youths and safety of the public. That just creates bitterness.” DYS Director Tom Stickrath said this in a press release from late February: “I want to make sure we are making sound, informed decisions about release that are consistent with public safety. The complexity of the previous system seemed to lead to uncertainty for the youth and their families as to how and when the youth would be released. Under the revised process, there will be increased consistency in the decisionmaking process because the parameters for a youth’s release, or continuance, are clearly defined.” In a stipulation from early last month, the state and plaintiffs agreed that DYS will provide young people entrusted to its care with a “safe and humane environment” and that it will provide treatment in the “least restrictive setting” that is consistent with youths’ transgressions and “generally accepted professional standards of care.” “What we’ve created now is a system that is centered on the youth and the hope we all have for rehabilitation,” Gerhardstein says. “It’s not just a “For me, it’s a way of putting that as an integral part of my day because without that it’s easy to get lost and frustrated over all this stuff that I know could be better.” Donovan lives in a shared apartment building in Overthe-Rhine with several Marianist brothers. Brother Mike Murphy, a housemate of Donovan’s and the manager of the Canticle Café, says the brothers have developed a strong support system. “We both have very active types of work dealing with the homeless,” he says. “There is a lot of personal sharing that is going on. We have a very good relationship. When he’s stressed out, I help him; and when I’m stressed out, he helps with me.” Murphy says Donovan is quiet and introverted, with a tremendous loyalty to his profession and to working with “You have to go through financial systems first; and when you get that done, then you can make the referral, and then it takes anywhere between six weeks or threefour months before the person can get in,” he says. “A lot of times you know exactly what the person needs but it’s just so hard to get them in.” In Kentucky, the situation is much worse due to lack of funding, Donovan says. “It is almost impossible to get a referral over there,” he says. There is a marked frustration in his voice when he talks about the health-care system. Others, however, point to what he’s done to help. Harry Walter Duncan Jr., a patient, recalls first meeting Donovan six years ago. “It was kind of intriguing because he actually cared about the people he was helping,” Duncan says. Al Gerhadstein, attorney for the plaintiffs. speculative hope. It’s a realistic hope based on evidence. We know from an extensive amount of research that, if you use the right type of programming, you will be able to make a positive difference in the youth’s life and into their success for re-entry so long as you don’t lock them up too long. “There are a large number of youth called ‘moderate risk’ in the system, and the research shows that, if you institutionalize them excessively, they will get worse as offenders. Their re-offending rate will go up. So you need to do a good dosage right away and get them out of there. This isn’t something like Scared Straight. This is not built on fear. It’s just built on appropriate programming.” Healer and Brother (continued from page 1) homeless people. On meeting Donovan, one wouldn’t guess that he is a Marianist brother, Meyer says. His faith is more of an internal mechanism, Meyer says. “I think, to him, his faith is what drives his behavior,” she says. “His compassion and his spirituality -- I think that is his motivation for everything that he does.” After resigning from his private practice, Donovan began to fully dedicate himself to serving the medical needs of homeless people. In addition to his work at the Respite Center, he also works a weekly shift at the Pike Street Clinic in Covington, Ky., and sees patients on a medical van. Providing medical care for homeless people, even after they’ve been treated in hospital emergency rooms, is full of obstacles, according to Donovan. Even arranging appointments is difficult. Each youth in DYS gets a unified case plan geared to what’s appropriate to him or her. About 1,400 youths are currently committed to DYS. “If you release (juveniles) who’ve got a chip on their shoulders, who haven’t learned how to behave, you’re going to have more trouble,” Gerhardstein says. “You’re just going to make things worse. So that’s what we’re dedicated to changing. I think this is an excellent plan for getting that off on the right foot. “These reforms will reduce future criminal activities because we are tailoring the treatment to the real needs of each youth. When they reemerge back into society, they will have better skills and better motivation to stay out of trouble.” In the med van, Duncan learned that, in addition to high blood pressure, he was also suffering from diabe- Harry Duncan is one of many patients served tes. Duncan by Dr. Donovan. Photo by Andrew Anderson. was able to that, I had just gotten off to counteract both conditions of drugs; and you know you with Donovan’s help, but still go to ask someone for some has become partially blind due money, and you know the first to not taking his medication. thing they are thinking.” He calmly broaches the topic This isn’t the first time of his vision loss, not blaming Duncan has lost his vision, he anyone else. says. In 2004, after he had a “Every time I would go off stroke, Donovan helped him lagging on what (Donovan) to see and even drive again. said, I had to suffer the re“I’ve got nothing but the utsults,” he says. most respect for him -- and it’s Duncan says the problem not just about me; it’s about was paying for the medicaeveryone,” Duncan says. “Evtion. eryone I see, I tell ’em, ‘Get “You get tired of asking on that dang medical van.’ ” for (money),” he says. “Prior �STREETVIBES April 2009 Community News 5 Slaves Look Like Us Human trafficking is a local and global issue en, would be domestic slaves in the homes of the masters,” he said. “Sometimes these slave workers would tell the If you imagine that slavery masters, ‘I have a child. Would is a crime of the past or is lim- you like the child to stay with ited to foreign countries, con- you?’ sider this: Since the founding “After independence the of the End Slavery Cincinnati term ‘stay-with’remained. The Rescue and Restore Coalition Africans, the former slaves, in September 2007, the group they would go into the rural has received 16 referrals. areas and ask the poor famiSix of those cases are under lies, a family with too many investigation by law enforce- mouths to feed … where there ment, according to Jessica was no school in the area, and Donohue-Dioh, a coordinator they would offer this family, of the group. Half the victims ‘If you let your child to stay involved in the local cases are with me, your child will go school U.S. citito zens and The worst part is that I will take half are care of your the child is not allowed child.’ And foreign nato speak until spoken the family tionals, she to. The child cannot be would say, says. Aw a r e ‘Sure.’ A seen by anybody but ness of the child has to remain ‘stay with’ contempowithin the sound of the defined the rary slavery child.” person’s voice. is growing C a d e t ’s thanks to ordeal beevents such gan when he as a March 5 conference at was handed over by his family Isaac M. Wise Temple. More as a “stay with” at age 4. than 200 people heard the ac“That child really has no counts of two former slaves: value so the child usually Jean Robert Cadet, a native sleeps under the kitchen table Haitian who is executive di- on the floor or on the back rector of the Restavec Foun- porch,” he says. “The child dation, and Theresa Flores, a is the first one to get up in the social worker who grew up morning and the last one to go in the Midwest. While their to bed. The first thing in the enslavement occurred worlds morning, around 4:30-5, the apart, their stories echoed the child fetched the water. Often same sense of fear, degrada- it’s a girl. She goes out and tion, hopelessness and tri- sweeps the yard. She washes umph. the car, she cooks, she empSlavery legally ended in ties the chamber pots. Even Haiti when it gained indepen- though the house may have dence. But the change in law indoor plumbing, the people didn’t eliminate the reality, would have a chamber pot Cadet says. because they’re too lazy to go “During slavery, when the to the bathroom because they slaves would be out in the have a child to do it. fields working, their children “But the worst part is not or other people, usually wom- the chores … it’s not the fact By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer Jean Robert Cadet, a former slave in Haiti. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. that the child is the last one to go to bed at night … it’s not the fact that the child is beaten. The worst part is that the child is not allowed to speak until spoken to. The child cannot be seen by anybody but the child has to remain within the sound of the person’s voice. When the person says, ‘Bobby,’ the child has to magically appear. So the child usually stays around the house, behind the door or in the corner of the kitchen. They do not talk to the child. If the family goes out at night or spends the day or the weekend (away), they lock the door and the child is in the yard. If it’s raining, too bad. This is the type of slavery that I experienced as a child in Haiti.” The family that Cadet ‘stayed with’ smuggled him into the United States when he was a teenager. When the family learned about mandatory school attendance in the United States, they told Cadet The audience at the Issac M. Wise Temple conference on human trafficking. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. to leave their home. As terrible as it sounds, it was good that Cadet was kicked out in this country, where he was able to get help. High school turned out to be Cadet’s ticket to freedom, but that is where a two-year hell began for Flores. “I lost my voice when I was 15 years old,” she said. “My silence was mandatory and others profited off my silence.” A new student at a high school in the affluent Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Mich., Flores met one of the “others” in school. He went her church so she disregarded warnings from her new friends to stay away from him. The youth drugged her, raped her and then said she had to “earn back” sexually explicit pictures of her. “They threatened to show the pictures to my father,” Flores said. “They threatened to show them to my father’s boss at work. They threatened to post them around school. And they threatened to show them to the priest of the church I attended. This is a typical way that men ensnare girls into human trafficking rings, to this day. They watched my every move – they knew where I was at all times – they were in class with me, even in the same church. They would come by my work and stand in the door. They would find out where I was babysitting and call the house. Cars would follow me home from school.” She would get calls telling here when to meet a car that would take her away to serve as a sex slave for one or dozens of men at a time. “We as Americans often envision trafficking as Indian boys making soccer balls or carpets, girls in Thailand or Cambodia for sex for sale for tourists or African slaves, not prostitutes, not in America – the land of the free – and not with kids living in $300,000 homes in the suburbs,” Flores said. “No one wanted to hear that trafficking looks like me, too. So I remained silent.” Her father’s job transfer to another state along the east coast allowed Flores to escape her captors. For those who think it doesn’t happen in Ohio, Flores had a sobering message. “The FBI has identified Toledo, Ohio, as the numberone recruiting hub for teenage prostitution, which is human trafficking,” she said. “If we … know for a fact it’s in Toledo, we are foolish to believe that it’s not happening in Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati.” More people live in slavery today than at any other time in history, according to Julie Arostegui, a coordinator of the End Slavery Cincinnati Rescue and Restore Coalition. “Today there are between 12 and 27 million people enslaved worldwide,” she, said. “It is estimated that 200,000 more are enslaved every year; of that amount, between 14,500 and 17,500 are trafficked into the United States annually. Add to this the 100,000 to 300,000 American youth who are at high risk of being trafficked for forced sexual exploitation – prostitution and pornography. This is a major human rights issue.” To learn more about human trafficking visit the Department of Health and Human Services web site at www.acf. hhs.gov/trafficking/. �6 STREETVIBES April 2009 Book Review Alone Again, Naturally Sheeple Who Need Sheeple Are the Luckiest Sheeple of All By DaviD HeitFielD Contributing Writer When my neighbor Terry Reed asked me if I'd like to read a copy of his latest book, he warned me: “It might piss you off.” It didn't, because I, too, am one of those “lone wolves” who sees more value in writing book reviews for a no-budget newspaper sold by homeless people than engaging in the cliquish banter of what passes for social intercourse. Of Herds and Hermits: America’s Lone Wolves and Submissive Sheep serves up an ironic aspect of our national self-image: While we like to think of ourselves as a culture that values the individual, this is just mass delusion, a mythology employed to hide the banality of our evolving social constructs. We are a nation that worships the team player, the sheep who join fraternal organizations, the company man. We’re LinkedIn and Facebooked. We reward the followers and fear the independent thinkers. Our anti- intellectualism has transmuted that “loners” are maladjusted from a defiant transcendental- and die much earlier than the ist and Romantic tradition rest of the herd. Being alone is found in Thoreau or Emerson implied to be damaging in evto a culture that abhors, rejects ery way, not just to society but and stigmato the individual. Still, it is amazing tizes any“That, of one with course, is egreto think that in a brain. gious stupidity,” this 24-hour news Wa l d e n Reed snorts, apworld, where every provingly quotP o n d story is reported, has been ing Montaigne, blogged, youtubed dammed “The greatby Joe the est thing in the and twittered, I P l u m b e r, don't recall seeing world is to know you betcha. how to be selfone thing blaming After sufficient.” groupthink for our laying the To be fair, one current economic literary could find a lot to mess. foundation quibble about in for the exalthe book. It's not particularly well tation of individualism over collectivism edited. Some rather obscure in the first chapter, Reed starts sources (and sometimes inexmaking his case that despite plicably anonymous sources) our American literary heroes often seem strung together of the 18th and 19th centuries, for no particular reason. One a “loner” is a pejorative term could easily deconstruct the in almost every other context, narrative as a requiem for the be it from literal dictionary loss of the male hierarchy – or, definitions to sensational news perhaps more accurately, as a stories about murderous “lon- lament for the feminization of ers” to modern sociological American culture. and medical studies indicating But that's also what makes much of this fun to read. This isn't so much a dogmatic polemic as it is a heart-felt, impassioned defense of people who just want to be left alone, who just can't see what the big whoop is about joining groups and making new social contacts. Don't look down on people who lack your need for approval from others. And if you think most social constructs are stupid, just go your own way and don't look back. Reed rails against “the sixhour dinner death march,” suggesting that one way out is to argue some wildly unpopular idea at the party, so you may then leave early: “One of the rewards of ostracism is to devote what would have been dinner party time to some far higher purpose, such as contemplating a ceiling.” You probably have to be a hermit to appreciate that line. Even worse than a dinner or party invitation, though, is the dreaded wedding invitation: “Weddings are a dilemma for the lone wolf, because he can find no cause to celebrate what appears to him as a perfectly dismal idea”; and un- See Herds, P. 10 Treatment Center Under Attack (continued from page 1) Chris Monzel “It is far more dangerous for all involved, including our city and region as a whole, to have people who are sex-offenders living on the street. … Without the Pogue Center, the level of possibility for crimes to be committed against others in our area would simply increase exponentially,” Spring said in a statement issued after council’s letter. The city’s response ignores a salient fact: People who commit sex offenses are eventually released from prison. Are the rest of us safer if they receive treatment, including help finding jobs, as the Pogue Center offers? “People who go through appropriate treatment programs re-offend at a much lower rate than people who are imprisoned and never treated,” Lohrman says. State law and a city ordinance restrict former sex offenders from living near cinnati like the Pogue Center, schools, day-care centers and which has been operating for I other places where children don’t know how many years.” congregate. Their job prosThe answer is VOA has pects are dismal. operated a halfway house for “We kick them out of their former offenders in Cincinnati homes, for 50 years, The city’s response away from Lohrman ignores a salient fact: their famisays. lies,” Sla- People who commit sex That’s not gle says. offenses are eventually all that Mon“We won’t released from prison. zel doesn’t give them know about jobs. And the center. then we expect them not to He says he’s never visited it, commit more offenses.” although he allows, ‘I’ve drivAt present, an estimated 40 en by it many times.” He says to 60 homeless former sex of- he’s never read the inspecfenders live downtown, Slagle tions by the Ohio Department says. of Rehabilitation and Correc“If city council insists on tions or the Ohio Department closing the VOA, those home- of Alcohol and Drug Addicless sex offenders are going tion, both of which license the to be right there in downtown Pogue Center. Monzel didn’t Cincinnati,” she says. say whether he knows the facility is accredited by the Monzel doesn’t know American Correctional Association. But it is. The back-pedaling is alMonzel says the Pogue ready under way. Councilman Center – one of only three Chris Monzel, one of VOA’s residential treatment facilities most vigorous critics, now for former sex offenders in says closing the Pogue Center the state – belongs out where isn’t really the point – never there are cows and cornfields mind the letter he signed call- and such. ing for the governor to “shut “This location should be in it down.” a more rural area,” he says. “The correct word is “We’ve done our fair share.” Meanwhile, having exten‘moved,’ ” Monzel says. “We do not want a center in Cin- sively studied public policy on sex offenses, Slagle hopes the public will remember: • Eighty to 90 percent of sex offenses involve someone known by the victim – family members, neighbors, teachers, coaches, priests – not strangers lurking in the shrubbery. “We’re looking at the bushes and not next door,” she says. • Children in the United States are seldom abducted and killed by strangers, as Esme Kenney was. In 2005 that happened to 100 children, compared to 500 killed by drunk drivers and 1,100 killed by parents or other caregivers. “It’s not stranger danger,” Slagle says. “Thank God people like Kirkland are very rare.” • Sex offenders are not all alike. The recent arrest of teenagers in Greater Cincinnati schools for “sexting” – sending allegedly obscene photographs of nude minors to one another via cell phone – constitutes a sex crime under Ohio law. “The first thing the public doesn’t quite understand is that, when you use the term ‘sex offender,’it’s such a broad range of crimes that you can’t make generalities,” Slagle says. “The ‘sexting’ trend is a sex offense, and it’s actually a more serious offense than the one Mr. Kirkland was charged with.” Kirkland was at the Pogue Center for a conviction for importuning – that is, trying to lure a child into sexual activity. That’s a crime, of course, but it’s not the same as physically abusing a child, and it’s a reminder that the matter of sexual offenses is complex and doesn’t lend itself to easy solutions, such as shutting down a center that has successfully treated many former offenders – the ones who haven’t been in the news. “The VOA provides a very, very valuable service to all of us in the community,” Slagle says. “They’re treating sex offenders before they come back into our community. They help them have jobs and save money. The question we should be asking as a community is, ‘Do we want these folks to succeed? Of course we do. We should be creating an environment that guarantees their success.” �STREETVIBES April 2009 Book Review 7 First You Have to Have Your Own Bootstraps Year of experimental poverty doesn’t yield much insight By lynne ausMan Staff Writer Scratch Beginnings is a memoir of one man’s journey into and out of homelessness. This story is nothing like the stories I hear every day at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Adam Shepard, the author, did not grow up in poverty, he did not experience violence at home or in the street, he did not suffer any type of drug or alcohol addiction, he did not have a mental illness – or any signs of one. He did not have to worry about money, he had a roof over his head and a college degree, he was the stereotypical college kid. When Shepard graduated from college he felt “disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him and incensed after reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s famous works Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch – books that gave him the feeling of hopelessness over the state of the working class in America.” This feeling sparked an idea and a journey, an idea to refute Ehrenreich’s theory that people who start at the bottom tend to stay at the bottom and a journey of self-discovery. Shepard set out to achieve the “American Dream.” He placed his past, including his contacts, his pricey college education, his bank account and even to some extent his family, on a shelf for later use. In addition to wiping his past away (for the year), he vowed not to panhandle, only use services available to everyone and not break the law, aside from illegally sleeping in a park or under a bridge. These parameters are the first clue that this is a book took pity on him and got him in. He was surprised when no one was interested in hearing his fabricated story of how he arrived at the shelter. The police officer gave him four “[My story] is the story of rags-to-fancier rags. My goal is to better my lot and to provide a stepping-stone over the next 365 days for everything else I want to accomplish in my life. I aim to find out if the American Dream is still alive, or if it has, in fact, been drowned out by the greed of the upper class coupled with the apathy of the lower class.” – Adam Shepard about the realities of homeless- pieces of advice: 1. Don’t take ness and poverty influenced blankets from the floor; you’ll by a middle-class background. get scabies. 2. Keep your beShepard took $25, the clothes longings with you or they will on his back and a sleeping bag, disappear. 3. Ignore guys who boarded a train to Charleston, bother you; walk away. 4. Do S.C., to find his way with noth- not work day labor; go to the ing and to make something. employment office and get a At the end of his journey, he real job. hoped to Shepard He blames poverty on measure didn’t listen laziness; he blames his sucto the police poverty on being cess by a o ff i c e r ’s few posadvice and unmotivated to better sessions one’s situation. He has no p r o m p t l y -- an opempathy for such people. went to the erable day-labor automohall for a bile, a furnished apartment job. He caught on quickly to and $2,500 in cash -- and a what day labor is: indentured foundation on which he could servitude. He writes about the exploitation, the bad wages, continue to improve his life. Taking a train from his the rude employees, the extra hometown to Charleston, fees. He eventually found a S.C., Shepard arrived at a job at a moving company. The homeless shelter well past job that allowed him to find curfew, but a police officer an apartment. He furnished it with items that clients no longer wanted. He bought a truck and saved money. He met his goal. The moving company taught also Shepard about low-wage workers. He met Derrick, the extremely hard working mover saving every penny to buy a house. There was BG, who was also a mover and became Shepard’s roommate. BG preferred to skip through life coasting off little work and the generosity of friends. Along with his reflections on his year of “rags-to-fancier rags,” Shepard makes recommendations to help those who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. First, he says, life can be a bitch. Second, there are happy people and unhappy people. The happy people are not necessarily the richest, but they are the ones who are going somewhere. They have a plan, they have a dream, they have a purpose and they are happy with it like that. Third, we need more clean, safe, affordable housing and training in parenting, financial literacy, housing maintenance and other life skills. Oddly, he doesn’t mention better jobs or more jobs. Shepard’s main conclusion, however, is that “moving up” is reserved for the few who are willing to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But what if they don’t have bootstraps to begin with? What do you pull up from? He calls this the “It ain’t my fault” society. He blames poverty on laziness; he blames poverty on being unmotivated to better one’s situation. He has no empathy for such people. His final plea is to upper-middle class America to donate money, to volunteer, to mentor, to be “neighborhood heroes.” In the end, Shepard’s memoir isn’t really about being able to achieve the American dream when you start at the bottom. It’s just a middleclass perspective on poverty. He says he spent the year not relying on his past success, his college degree, his family or anyone he knows; but in reality, it’s impossible to separate these. He still had his middleclass values, his middle-class pride and his middle-class knowledge. In the first chapter, he was irritated that he’d been asked for money so many times and assumed that the next person to talk to him would ask for money; it almost resulted in a fight. Shepard’s middle-class values told him that he needed to find a job quickly, not rely on others and work his way up. He had bootstraps: the knowledge and values he was taught growing up. There will always be people who defy the odds, like Chris Gardner in Pursuit of Happyness or Jeanette Walls, who wrote The Glass Castle; but the reality is that a vast majority of those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom. It’s a complex issue and there is not a fix-all Band-Aid that we can apply to make everyone middle-class. Creating more affordable housing and intervening when families are at-risk goes a long way to helping end homelessness, but they are not the total solution. We need good jobs with good pay and benefits; we need to help people get bootstraps. Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery at 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com �8 Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Which of the following is true? A) Vegetarians are generally healthier than meat-eaters. B) Vegetarians are generally thinner than meat-eaters. C) Vegetarians spend less on groceries than meat-eaters. Trick question! If said vegetarians avoid processed foods and eat a balanced diet, all three answers are true. Let’s talk about groceries, baby. In addition to being better for our health and waist- Mushroom Curry with Brown Rice Serves four moderately hungry people or two very hungry people Your tour guide into the steamy side of vegetarian cuisine By alecia a. lott Contributing Writer STREETVIBES April 2009 Local News 1 lb. button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded 2 tsp. ground coriander 1 medium onion 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. chili powder 2/3 cup coconut milk (use light coconut milk to save a few calories) 3 tbsp. canola oil (or other neutrally flavored oil) Salt to taste 2 cups brown rice Photo by Andrew Anderson. lines (among other things) than a meat-based diet, a plant-based diet is also good for our wallets. Let’s face it, meat is expensive. You can pinch those pennies until they scream if you strut your grocery cart away from the deli and dairy sections and toward the produce section of the supermarket. Keep your pantry stocked with inexpensive staple foods and a few basic spices, and you can feast like a king or queen without spending like one. “I can eat veggies when I’m by myself,” you say. “But I have a hot date coming over and I need to make something, well, special.” Not to worry! My mildly spicy, filling mushroom curry looks fancier than it is, and that‘s the beauty of it. Enjoy it whether you’re solo or ready to wow your paramour (or your family), and adjust the spices to your taste. If you hate chopping mushrooms (I do), you can buy them presliced but it will cost more. Brown rice is healthy, but any rice will do. Are you ready? Optional toppings, not pictured: Paprika Chopped fresh parsley Coarsely chopped cashews Cook rice according to package instructions. • Put jalapenos, coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion and coconut milk in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. • Pour canola oil into a saucepan, add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are soft, about five minutes. • Add coconut milk mixture, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, another five minutes. • Serve the aromatic mushroom mixture over a bed of hot rice. If you’re feeling especially showy, top with a sprinkle of paprika, parsley and/or cashews. Take a Break Some find ‘gap year’ after high school most educational 1 By ariana sHaHanDeH Contributing Writer a few minutes of listening can be to people who don't get out much,” she says. With growing pressure to Although her gap year attend college immediately was so productive, Pratt-Harafter high school, many kids rington’s decision was first are guided toward a path more met with hesitation and low suited to society than the in- energy. dividual. But more and more “Most of the pressure to students are opting to more not take a year off actually broadly explore came from their academic teachers,” “I would say that possibilities by she says, taking time off taking a gap “They were year before definitely helped me happy that I mature and make college. was taking Abbey Prattbetter decisions in the opportuHarrington, a nity, but you the future.” sophomore at could tell - Matt Southworth Wi l m i n g t o n they didn’t College, spent think it was a year before the best opseeking her degree volunteer- tion.” The gap year encounters ing, traveling and participating in humanitarian work. apprehension for many others “I spent three months trav- as well. eling around the British Isles,” “My friends thought it was she says. “I took a few tours, a bad idea,” says Seth Huff, a did sightseeing and got to- recent graduate of Lakota East tally lost on a few occasions. High School. “My brother, my When I got back, I did a little sister thought it was a stupid volunteer service at a local art idea.” gallery and then got a summer Since graduation, Huff has job with Meals on Wheels.” passionately pursued a career Upon her return home, in music, drawing a growing Pratt-Harrington continued to support base for his band, Armake a difference in others’ cher’s Paradox, despite othlives. ers’ original doubts. He started “A lot of my time was spent with a humble myspace page with older people, and that (www.myspace.com/archerwas a learning experience sparadoxmusic). Now he will just to realize how important be featured on episodes of the Seth Huff of bands Archer’s Paradox and Mia and the Retros is featured in MTV’s Taking the Stage. new MTV reality series, Taking the Stage, as part of the band Mia and the Retros. A 2002 high school graduate, Matt Southworth, used time off to enlist in the U.S. Army for two years. He held two part-time jobs after his tour ended, gaining life and work experience before enrolling at Wilmington in 2005. He saw the time off as a useful learning advantage. “I would say that taking time off definitely helped me mature and make better decisions in the future,” Southworth says. The opportunity wasn’t lost on Pratt-Harrington either. “If I hadn't taken a year off, my first year (at college) would not have been much fun,” she says. “I think I would have hated some of my less interesting classes, felt helpless sometimes when facing things in the system I wasn't familiar with and I probably would have been a lot more stressed just trying to deal with all the changes.” Unexpected changes aren’t exclusively a part of college life. Even when plans are made, time away from home and straying from the direct route to college can still inspire a plan to turn another direction. Asked which decision he was most grateful he made in his time off, Southworth says, “I am probably most grateful that I did not reenlist in the Army. I was going to re-enlist in Iraq, giving me a $10,000 tax free signing bonus. But some things hap- pened that made me change my mind. As a result, I ended up in Ohio and so many doors were opened for me.” Sometimes the most rewarding aspect of a gap year can be the surprises a dorm room might not otherwise inspire. That was certainly the case with Southworth. “You can make plans, but life never goes as one would expect it to, so roll with it,” he says. “Go with the flow. You will always end up where you are supposed to be, no matter which road you take.” Time off after high school can be a rewarding adventure when executed with passion and intent. Ultimately, there is a difference between a plan and an endeavor. A plan is a structured account for a goal — ideas and timelines that ideally lead to a specific achievement. An endeavor is an earnest and industrious perseverance to materialize a dream. For some, the gap year isn’t the best direction to take if there isn’t something very specific an individual seeks to attain outside the academic arena. But for others, a rich future is most adequately attained through a seasoned past. And time off after graduation can provide that for those most suited for it. �STREETVIBES April 2009 Poetry/Artwork 9 First Lady By JaMar MalcolM KinG Dear God, please send me a “first lady.” The ones I care about be treating me shady. I need someone to help with all my task. I crave love and understanding. Is that too much too ask? Artwork by Anthony Williams Malcolm had Betty, Martin had Coretta. These strong women made them better. In all the struggle and the pain, These men had love as their gain. Barack has his Michelle. Will I find mine? Only time will tell. Maybe one day I, too, will be a president. I need a lady on my side to represent. Berta’s Art Corner Cleo’s Joke Corner Flamingo, (1974), Alexander Calder, Federal Center Plaza, Chicago, Illinois What did the digital watch say to the grandfather clock? “Look, grandpa, no hands!” 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM �Column 10 Eating While You Can Poverty and the culture of immediacy “It’s the first of the month. You can’t fill ‘em up.” That was Jeanetta, waitress at Tucker’s on 13th Street, surveying the whole families in the back booths. For many years, she served me breakfast at the counter -- eggs, fried potatoes, toast and very strong coffee in white china cups of a sort you don’t see anymore. Jeanetta leaned against the cash register and shook her head, She evidently did not approve of how these people ate so much at the first of the month. They should have been working, for one thing. For another, they should have been planning out how to spend their money. Making it stretch. Budgeting. Prioritizing. Planning. Instead, they were eating. They were eating more than they were likely to eat the rest of the month. They were eating more than it made sense to eat, given how little they had to make it through the month. By the end of the month, they would be coming around to churches to beg a bag of food to carry them through the last week of the month. They would be working under the table and hoping no one called in on them. They would be buying groceries on credit at the stores that would allow for that. They would be hungry. And it happened every month, so you would think they would know. You would think they would do what the social workers told them. You would think they would plan. I think some of them did. I think some of them planned a planned it well, and you made the food stamps stretch across a whole month, that meant you were bound to be a little hungry for the full 30 days. But if your planning were a little bit off, if someone got arrested, or your car got towed out of a 4-to-6 p.m. zone or if you got robbed, your budget would fall apart. Any little bump in the road could derail all your planning. That last week of the month –- or more — might mean real hunger. Any way you planned it, you were bound to be hungry. by MiChael henSon So here you are, with money in your pocket once-per-month feast into their and the chance to be full, rebudgets. But I think, for most, ally full, no stinting, no filling the hunger they had felt in the yourself with beans or macalast week led to the gorging of roni just to keep from starvthe first week. ing, It’s guaranteed, at least And why not? For, no mat- this once, you will be full, satter how well you planned, no isfied, sated. matter how carefully you proWhat do you do? jected, that check would not ***** stretch to the end of the month. No matter how you juggled it, that check would not cover all Payday loans. Instant tax your needs. Something was returns. Scratch-offs. Rent-tobound to be missing. If you own. These are just a few of ammered H Herds: Alone Again, Naturally less the wolf hates the groom, a wedding is “a painful thing to witness.” He includes much colorful language detailing “this insidiously feminine carnival.” Attending religious services is for sheep, naturally, and universities no longer (if they ever did) allow the freedom of thought and speech that the lone wolf requires: “The muddleheaded bureaucrats who mismanage our overpriced universities tacitly endorse thought control.” Reed reminds us that all learning is ultimately a solitary experience, and he traces the roots of political correctness to America's long history of anti-intellectualism. He advocates for a broad, liberal education – obsession with vocational training is just another result of our anti-intellectual culture. He really, really hates television and shopping malls. He later explains (unsurprisingly) that “politics is dirty” and has no place for a lone wolf. Corporations are collectivist, too, and so Reed hates them just as eloquently as he hates all other collectivist atrocities and vents against them in a most endearing fashion in the third chapter. Anyone who has ever worked for a corporation can surely appreciate this assessment: “(Joiners) exact satisfaction in the knowledge that they're a small (if all but Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. the ways that the poor reach fication will eventually come. what would normally be out But what if nothing in your of their reach. In a society like experience has ever taught ours, the poor see what every- you anything like that? What one else sees on television and if the lessons of your experilearn to want what everyone ence have taught you that, if you don’t else wants. As Rich and poor watch Michael Harget it now, rington said in the same TV ads; rich y o u ’ l l his book, The and poor children learn never get New Amerito become consumers it? Becan Poverty, cause that before they learn to the rich and is precisebecome producers the poor “have ly what or earners. What you the same sopoverty cialization teaches, consume becomes a of desire.” especialpart of who you are. Rich and poor ly when watch the poverty is same TV ads; rich and poor linked to addiction. There are children learn to become con- just too many ways things can sumers before they learn to go wrong. become producers or earners. There are many people who What you consume becomes a buck that trend. Most people part of who you are. work their way out of poverty precisely by doing the right thing. They go to school; they ***** work. It’s a long haul, and ofThe ability to delay gratifi- ten they slide back, but they cation is supposed to be a key keep trying. to achievement, progress, adSo maybe once a month or vancement, success, that house so, they’ll go to a place like in the suburbs with two cars Tucker’s on 13th and enjoy in the driveway. But it helps what’s there. Maybe once to have evidence that, if you a month, it’s nice not to feel delay gratification, then grati- hungry. (continued from page 6) ture on the former site of the World Trade Center. Chapter Four is outing everything fraternal, from the We are a nation that worships the team player, the sheep who join fraternal organizations, the company man. We reward the followers and fear the independent thinkers. useless) part of a big, not especially dynamic, faceless team mismanaged by moronic bureaucrats whose objective is to control whomever and whatever is controllable.” Team players are praised in all forms of our culture – he repeats the “there is no 'I' in 'team'” mantra a few times in the book, as if he still can't get over how banal it is – but Reed reminds us what actually makes up a team in a bureaucratic setting: “A room full of lumbering lard-asses who will require 24 to 36 hours to destroy an excellent idea, far better left in the hand of one individual.” He then almost whimsically reels off recent failures of “teams” who could not save themselves from selfdestruction: the auto companies, Enron, FEMA and that wonderful committee of folks who built that beautiful struc- STREETVIBES April 2009 Greek groups at universities to fraternal organizations outside universities to sports teams to the military to shopping on Black Friday. One imagines the Grinch looking disapprovingly on Whoville, complaining of all the “noise, noise, noise.” The concluding chapter deals with the intellectual loner finding a triumphant place in society. Reed tries to engage some sort of misanthropic optimism, but it is hard for me to read it without thinking of Stanley Fish and his interpretive communities, wherein meaning is found not by the individual, but by the community in which he places himself. “The individual is king,” Reed opines, and thus the soul who chooses to reject the masses and go it alone gains self-knowledge and self-reliance, and hence has fulfilled his duty to life itself. Devote yourself to music and exercise and knowledge, a sort of Platonian self-help assessment. It's a conclusion the hermit would find satisfying … but, methinks, only the hermit. If one of the mindless herd reads the last chapter, he would be overwhelmed with evidence that such a life appears to be quite pointless. The intellectual loner has no place to go except the university, but he hates the university, which has its own corporate structure and is filled with students proud of their anti-intellectual passions, whom the intellectual doesn't want to waste his time teaching. The intellectual could write books, but then he goes on for pages about the number of great alcoholic writers from the loner world. Without stating so, his prose evidences a tautological fact: If you're a hermit, there's no acceptable place for you in society, really. “They like more than anything to discourage, undermine, derail and detract.” Reed is speaking of the herd mentality here, taking one last shot at its utter uselessness. But he just spent an entire book discouraging, undermining, derailing and detracting, and he seemed to enjoy it. The intellectual won't see the irony as a problem at all and in fact would delight in it. But for the herd, it's just further proof that, if he is to find any real meaning in life, it's gonna be through other people. Still, it is amazing to think that in this 24-hour news world, where every story is reported, blogged, youtubed and twittered, I don't recall seeing one thing blaming groupthink for our current economic mess. Credit default swaps, giving worthless assets AAA ratings, convincing everyone that 401Ks are the best way to a comfortable retirement (not to mention the war in Iraq) … It's delusional bureaucratic incompetence at its best and it was conducted by some of the best minds in the country, all of whom were forced to think as a team. It's because of our anesthetized reaction to a clear failure of groupthink that this book serves to remind us that maybe we've overvalued our commitment to committees, our cultural acceptance that two heads are better than one. It makes me mad enough to want to get drunk, sleep with some disgruntled housewife, and howl at the moon. �STREETVIBES April 2009 Column 11 An Artist Among Us Master luthier lives and works in Over-the-Rhine ment in the Mideast, as a child. By anDrew anDerson He quickly found his way to the violin and fell in love. He Contributing Writer made his first violin at 16, and Most people would be then made six more, winning shocked to know that a master a scholarship to study his craft luthier not only lives in Over- in France. the-Rhine Azzi reA shop you would only ceived his but has run expect to find in the a successful, diploma cultural enclaves of world-class from the famed Miviolin shop old European cities for the past recourt or possibly New York seven years. violin-makthrives right here. A shop you ing school would only in eastern expect to find in the cultural France. While there he worked enclaves of old European on instruments for top violin cities or possibly New York soloists including Vladimir thrives right here. Spivakof and Yury Bashmet. A silent buzzer has alerted He traveled to Paris and studthe shopkeeper, Jules Azzi, ied with master luthier Roger that he has a guest. Upon en- Lanne and developed a spetry it takes a moment for your cial talent for copying rare eyes to adjust to the subdued Italian violins. From there he light. You immediately know traveled to New York to refine things are different. The cha- his technique with Jacques otic, noisy, urban landscape Francais for a couple years, of Over-the-Rhine contrasts then opened his own shop in sharply with the silent, still, Brooklyn. In 1996 he won slightly austere elegance of the silver medal at the Violin the shop’s interior. Competition of America for Azzi stands before you his viola, as well as a certifidressed smartly but understat- cate of merit for a violin. ed; his calm and steady voice Andy Wolf, a former bassist welcomes you in an accent who played and toured with you can’t quite place. You the Cincinnati Symphony Orhave entered his violin shop at chestra (CSO) for 39 years, 14th and Elm streets. introduced Azzi to Cincinnati. Azzi is a world-class lu- Their shared passion for viothier, someone who makes or lins and other bowed, stringed repairs stringed instruments. instruments and their friendOriginally from the Lebanese ship resulted in Wolf’s urging Republic, he started playing Azzi to move to Cincinnati. the lute, a traditional instruAzzi saw Cincinnati as a city with a rich musical heritage, a strong orchestra in the CSO, half a dozen other orchestras within a short distance from the city, and no one around with his level of artistry and craftsmanship. He moved to Cincinnati seven years ago and has since started a family here. While the local market is what attracted Azzi to Cincinnati, the unbridled growth of the Internet has changed marketing for almost everyone, including Azzi. He now sells his services to a global market and reaches a geographically wider audience than he did when he had his shop in Brooklyn. Azzi’s main focus now is collecting and selling old and rare Italian instruments and French bows, because those items are the most valued and desired by fine musicians across the world. While these are the facts of Azzi’s story, they only hint at the enthusiasm and genuine warmth that he exudes. He is one of those rare people who has found his passion in life and lives it. “It doesn’t matter what troubles are happening in the world or my personal life,” he says. “When I walk into my workshop, I am happy.” Azzi spent over an hour demonstrating how he lovingly and meticulously crafts his instruments. He showed in detail how he cuts and as- Jules Azzi, master luthier in Over-the-Rhine. Photo by Andrew Anderson. sembles selected pieces of wood that are up to 300 years old and creates masterpieces. He detailed the huge significance of the proper varnish on an instrument and how it can either make or break the quality of sound produced. Azzi is not only an artisan but also a scientist. Azzi is also an example for all of us: When you do what you love, work becomes play, and the days become brighter. Azzi’s shop of violins, violas, cellos, bass and bows is open by appointment. Call 513 665-9663 or visit www. azzi-violins.com. down on my luck these days,” Mr. Westcott replied. “When you’re down, you’ve got to pull yourself back up. You know that, Robert. You’re a banker.” “Yes, sir,” Robert said. “It’s been a rough road for us lately.” “That bailout money – how much did you get?” “Oh, four or five billion.” “I won’t be needing that much,” Mr. Westcott said. “What happened?” “Lost a bunch of money in the stock market, made some bad investments,” Mr. Westcott replied. “You might say everything kind of snowballed.” “Well, let me turn on my computer here and get your current account information,” Robert said. As Robert turned on his computer, he noticed that his old business associate’s hands were shaking. Mr. Westcott noticed him noticing. “I guess it’s a little early for a drink,” he said, “but Handouts and Bailouts A banker’s story At 11:20, Sally buzzed Robert on his office phone and told him Mr. Westcott was waiting in the conference By larry Gross room. That was just like him, Contributing Writer Robert thought to himself. Mr. Robert normally didn’t Westcott was always punctual meet with customers who if not a bit early. Before heading toward the were inquiring about consumconference er loans. He room, Robstopped doing - “Where are you ert grabbed those 15 years currently living?” his laptop and three - “Garfield Park, just in case promotions Westago – but he Bench #6, Cincinnati, Mr. Ohio, 45202.” cott needed remembered to look over Mr. Westcott. some loan It had been a number of years since he’d rates his bank was offering. When he reached the conferseen him. Maybe it was curience room, the door was open. osity that made him agree to He saw a man sitting in one of the 11:30 a.m. meeting. He told his assistant Sally the chairs to the left, next to he would meet with Mr. West- the conference table. Beside cott in the conference room on him on the floor was a beat-up the second floor. This would suitcase. The man’s back was give them a comfortable place to him. Robert wasn’t sure if it to meet and maybe catch up was Mr. Westcott. “Mr. Westcott?” Robert on old times. said, noticing the dirty smell in the room. The gentlemen stood up and turned around. His hair was white and over his collar. He hadn’t shaved in days. He was wearing a tan suit that was wrinkled and dirty. So were his white shirt and tie. Robert sniffed. The dirty smell was coming from Mr. Westcott. “How you been, Robert?” Mr. Westcott said, extending his hand. “It’s been a while.” Robert shook his hand. “Good to see you, sir,” he said stammering a bit. “Please have a seat.” Robert walked to the right of the conference table, taking a seat opposite Mr. Westcott. He looked at his old customer’s puffy face and sad brown eyes. Robert wondered what he was letting himself in for. “What can I do for you?” Robert said, trying to force a smile. “Well, Robert, as you can probably tell, I’m a bit �12 STREETVIBES April 2009 Short Story Handouts and Bailouts (Continued from page 12) maybe after we get this business transaction completed, if you’re interested.” “I’m sorry,” Robert said interrupting, “I have a luncheon appointment.” “Yeah, I used to have those,” Mr. Westcott replied. “Now, are you still at your old address?” Robert said, looking at his laptop. “Oh, hell no.” “Where are you currently living?” “Garfield Park, Bench #6, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202.” “What?” “You might say I’m currently homeless,” Mr. Westcott said. “That’s why I need the loan, to get started again.” Robert looked at the information on the laptop. Mr. Westcott no longer had any money in the bank except for a checking account with a balance of $4.10. “There’s no way you could personally guarantee that a loan would be repaid,” Robert said. Mr. Westcott laughed. “I guess I could guarantee you my suitcase and the clothes on my back,” he said, “but that’s not what you’re looking for is it?” “Well, no, we need --” “This is what I need,” Mr. Westcott said, leaning forward and putting his shaking hands on the conference room table. “I need a favor. You and I did business for a lot of years. I helped make this bank money. I can do it again if I can just get a little help to get started.” “But you have no capital,” Robert said. “We have nothing we can work with here.” “I’m looking for a loan based on past history,” Mr. Westcott said. “What you’re looking for,” Robert replied, starting to feel annoyed, “is a handout.” Mr. Westcott smiled, leaning closer to Robert. “When you’re forced to wear dirty clothes, forced to try and get yourself cleaned up at the public library and forced to sleep on a park bench, I can see how a banker would think I’m looking for a handout,” he said. “Of course, if you’re one of those bankers wearing a Brook Brothers suit and get down on your luck, you can go to the government and get yourself a bailout. Where am I supposed to go?” Robert stared at Mr. Westcott, not knowing what to say. “Don’t be one of those bankers. Help me, Robert,” Mr. Westcott said. “We’ve known each other for years. You know I’m a man of my word.” Robert continued to stare at Mr. Westcott. He remembered the old days, when he was a proud businessman who always had good ideas as to how to make money. He felt sad for his old business associate. “How much money are you looking for?” Robert finally said, reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out his checkbook. “I’m thinking a couple thousand will get me going.” Mr. Westcott replied. “I’ll write you a check for four thousand,” Robert said. “Give me a couple hours to transfer some money out of one of my savings accounts and put it in my checking.” “Robert, I’m not looking for a personal loan from you.” “It’s the only way I can do it, sir,” Robert said. “You don’t have enough assets to cover a bank loan.” “Robert --” “I know you’re good for it,” Robert said, writing the check. “As you said, I should base this on past history. I trust you.” As he ripped the check from the checkbook and handed it over, he noticed tears in Mr. Westcott’s eyes. “I – I don’t know what to say,” Mr. Westcott said. “Just say you’ll pay it back to me when you can,” Robert replied. “That’s all I ask.” “Well, I most certainly will. You have my word on that. Thank you so --” “Mr. Westcott, I have to go,” Robert said. “Remember; give me a couple hours to get funds into that account.” “Not a problem,” Mr. Westcott replied. “I’ll wait until much later today.” “I’m sorry to rush off, but I’m going to be late for my lunch appointment,” Robert said. “Do you know the way out?” Mr. Westcott said yes. Robert smiled, shook his old business associate’s hand, grabbed his laptop and hurried back to his office. When he reached his office, he called the maintenance department and instructed them to have a cleaning person go to the conference room and spray flowery sprays that would make the room smell better. As he gathered papers he needed for his luncheon appointment, he thought of Mr. Westcott and his bad luck. He wished he could do something meaningful to help him. He also hoped Mr. Westcott’s dirty smell hadn’t rubbed off on his Brook Brothers suit. Before leaving his office, Robert called his assistant Sally, gave her the number of the check he’d given Mr. Westcott and instructed her to stop payment on it immedi- Crossword ately. He also told Sally to call security and have them review the film from the cameras and to write down a description of Mr. Westcott. Robert didn’t want him allowed in the bank again. As Robert left the bank and rushed down the sidewalk, he felt proud. He’d avoided a nasty scene of having to call security to have Mr. Westcott escorted out of the bank; he’d saved an old customer that embarrassment. He’d handled the situation well. Nearing the restaurant, looking at his watch, he thought again of Mr. Westcott and how he was now beyond help. He couldn’t possibly get involved with an old customer’s bad situation, couldn’t open the door to him wanting even more money in the future. It could also lead to others down on their luck knocking on his door for a handout. It was better to stop it now. When he opened the door to the restaurant for his luncheon appointment, he also reminded himself not to get involved with consumer loans ever again. Robert stopped doing those 15 years and three promotions ago. Sudoku 8 Down Across 1. Workers 5. Misty 9. Dope (Southern) 10. Furry 11. Living spaces 13. Go up 15. Most tidy 15. Remove illegally 21. Highland 24. Faint 26. Rustic 28. Dog 29. Bore 30. Henry and Jane ----, thespians 31. Bulks large 1.Bush 2. As well 3. Solitary 4. Renown 5.An act avoiding a loss of dignity (4,5) 6. Slippery liquids 7. Breakfast dish 8. Exercise establishment 12. Mexican general (5,4) 14. Obtain by paying 17. School transport 18. Smooch 19. Oddity 20. Functions 22. Flashy 23. Car 25. World Health Organization 27. Provide with weapons 3 5 8 7 4 6 6 9 8 1 7 8 4 6 1 9 5 3 1 2 4 8 5 Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column, and subsection only once. Answers on Page 15 �STREETVIBES April 2009 Short Story 13 Paddy A pound for a pint denied, a proper kiss bestowed 1 By anGela Pancella Contributing Writer at him. "Sex," he replied. The doors of the club would His matter-ofopen at 8; it was now 6. She fact manner caught had gotten to the London sub- her off-guard. She urb of Harlesden purposefully managed to say, early with the intent of getting "Sorry, not interacquainted with the area: the ested," and walk bus line, the route to the club. away without beShe was a very long way from ing accosted furhome and not all that close to ther. But now she where she was staying, either, was leery of findand didn't want to get lost in ing another bench such alien territory. and attempting again to read But she had two hours to kill her Roald Dahl book. before the concert. She walked In the end, her aching feet in and out of the only interest- made the decision for her. She ing shop -- a record store with sat where benches circled the prominent displays of Menu- Harlesden Jubilee Clock, this do albums -- five times. Now suburb's idea of a town square. it was closing, as everything An old wino sat on the bench else was. opposite. She did The old wino had been "Old winos have a book are better joined by a young than young with her, one, a sturdy fellow though. The winos" had with short-cropped trick was been her hair trying to beg finding an reasonmoney for a pint from ing when inconspicuher in a brogue so ous place to choosing read it. thick she could barely this locaReading tion. Maybe understand him. this book with him had gotten sitting there, her in trouble earlier in the no one else would bother her. day in Hyde Park. She'd been She flipped open the book. Its sitting in a garden area by a cover was black, with a large trellis covered in roses when eyeball painted in psychedelic she noticed a man with white colors. and red sneakers passing by "Excuse me, sweetheart," and grinning. He passed by said a voice a short time later. and grinned several times. She Lo and behold, the old left the park; he followed her wino had been joined by a out. young one, a sturdy fellow "Excuse me?" he called. with short-cropped hair trying She turned and glared, more to beg money for a pint from annoyed than frightened. her in a brogue so thick she "What? What do you could barely understand him. want?" She turned him down several "I want to ask you some- times -- he was quite persisthing." tent as well as incomprehen"About what?" she barked sible -- and tried to get back to her book. "Are ye lost?" "No, I'm seeing a show at the Mean Fiddler." "That's just up the road! Can ye get me in, too, love?" "No." "C'mere," he said, patting the bench beside him. The old wino was still at the other end, looking zoned; she wondered if he'd heard any of this exchange or would come to her aid in a time of trouble. She balked about moving for a long time, then finally thought, oh, whatever. As she sat, he leaned in. "In exchange for getting me in to the Mean Fiddler, I'll give you an ipener." "Sorry?" "Look." He pointed to the cover of the Roald Dahl book. "There's an eye, right? I'll give you an eye op'ner." She got it. He grinned. What's the deal with this city, she wondered. "Sorry, not interested." She went to sit on her bench again. He let her sit in peace a few minutes. "What's yer given name, sweetheart?" She told him. "My name's Paddy." She had to laugh. "Could've guessed that." He laughed, too. "It's me red face that does it, isn't it? Look, today's me birthday, so how 'bout a pound to buy me a drink for it?" "You win points for trying, Paddy, you really do, but I'm a mean, nasty person, and the answer's no." A few more minutes passed in silence while she tried picking up the thread of the short story again -- something about a woman and a husband and an elevator. "Know what you remind me of?" Paddy said suddenly. "A turneyose." "A what?" "Ever been in a rose garden? A turney rose." "Oh! Thorny! I get it." Successful conversation was beginning to seem like victory. "I take that as a compliment." "I meant it as one." An old lady came and hailed Paddy. He left for a while as she introduced herself -- her name was Mary, and she had the filthiest mouth imaginable for a grandmotherly type. Paddy came back with two beers -- one for himself, one for Mary -- and a cigarette that he tried to give the old woman. "Stick it up yer hole," she grumbled. "I would, but it's lit. I'm not as kinky as you, Mary." Paddy was somehow less threatening with someone else there. The girl put down Roald Dahl and engaged him in conversation. "I've been divorced, separated from my children, I lost my job, my dog got run over," he told her. As random pedestrians passed, he called out to them. "Sugar Ray Leonard!" he yelled as a skinny black man passed. "I'm beginning to understand your strategy," she remarked. He winked and grinned. A blonde lady walked by next; he yelled, "Michelle Pfeiffer!" She turned with a laugh but kept on. "If they laugh, you've won half the battle," he said seriously, like sharing a trade secret. So the evening passed in a mix of deep but incomprehensible monologues from Mary, who gripped the girl's shoulder like she was her long-lost granddaughter, and dark jokes from Paddy. "See that over there?" He pointed to the Harlesden Jubilee Clock; at its base was a little sign, "DO NOT FEED THE PIGEONS." "Back when I had a job I added a sign o'me own: DO NOT FEED THE TOSSERS. Drunks, y'know. Now look where I am!" He laughed. He had a great laugh, she thought. He used it often. "Things always come back to you, don't they?" "That's the truth, sweetheart. That's the very truth." Concert time. She got a kiss from Mary in farewell. Paddy wanted to walk her to the club. "Stay!" she ordered. "Mary?" The old lady grabbed his arm, and the girl left. But Paddy followed. "Just let me walk you over. Let me walk down the street with a pretty girl. You're wily as a fox, you know? I think you're a few roads ahead of me, and that's saying somethin'. Didn't we have a good time? Don't I get a birthday kiss? Here we are at the Mean Fiddler." He turned his head away like a protest. "If I get a kiss, you better give it to me now." She took his hand and kissed it. They walked to the very door of the club. "Don't I get a proper kiss? How can I go without a proper kiss?" She let him kiss her cheek; she kissed his scruffy cheek in return. "Now go away, Paddy," she said with a stern laugh and a push. He took her hand with a warm smile, almost wistful "God bless. Listen..." His eyes were unsure now, an unusual expression for such a seemingly practiced con artist. "I'm a bum and a tosser, but I'm pretty all right anyway, right?" She shook his hand, holding the fingers tight and holding his gaze. "That's right. God bless, Paddy." He walked off and she never saw him again. �14 STREETVIBES April 2009 Local News Explosive Idea: Food, Not Bombs Volunteers save food from going to waste, serve it free By alecia a. lott Contributing Writer It had never occurred to me that Cincinnati would have its own chapter of Food Not Bombs, the international grassroots movement that works to call attention to poverty and homelessness by distributing free vegetarian food made mostly from ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste. Formed in Cambridge, Mass., in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists, in books and online, the simple philosophy of Food Not Bombs made me long to join: “Food is a right, not a privilege, and if governments spent more money on feeding their citizens than they do on wars, no one would go hungry.” I thought such a group would only exist in cities notorious for their huge homeless populations, such Los Angeles or New York, until I walked past a flyer on a telephone pole. When I contacted the Cincinnati chapter, which has been meeting on-and-off since 2001, the members invited me to help them cook for their next gathering. The group would be serving food at its usual location, Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. Eager to assist, I asked what I should bring. “Just bring something you inside had been found in a think would be good in a garbage bin behind a gour- stew,” one of the members, met grocer in Kenwood. Anna Dave, told w a l k e d me. Once the serving area in with a “ S t e w, flower in was set up on a bike huh,” I her hair and trailer draped with a thought, two colorc o n j u r i n g Food Not Bombs sign, ful, though visions of a a hungry crowd quickly s o m e w h a t grey, Dick- grew. About 50 people wilted, bouensian gruel quets, reof various ages and sloshed into trieved from races lined up to be fed. bowls by a florist’s the ladleful. discards. I arrived March 21 at the Charlie played his mandogroup’s cooking location, lin. Shane and Nina quartered which turned out to be a spa- apples and smothered them cious loft where a few of the with sunflower-seed butter, members live. When I walked something I’d never tried but in with my bag full of canned quickly became addicted to. beans and corn, I noticed an Braxton began frying crispy, abundance of fresh vegetables golden-brown potato panand fruit on the kitchen coun- cakes, only a small quantity ter. Dave and another mem- of which actually made it to ber, Chris, proudly told me Washington Park because the food was donated by an everyone wanted to, ahem, eccentric local farmer. inspect them. All the while, Soon, the the stew kept growing until it cooking and reached the top of the pot. socializing The vegetables weren’t began. A large perfect; some of the tomatoes soup pot was were mushy and therefore placed on the difficult to slice. The celery stove, and we was yellow. The eggplant was began chop- overripe, with tough skin and ping carrots, well-developed seeds. But tomatoes, cel- from such humble beginnings ery, eggplant — food that would have othand potatoes; erwise ended up in a landfill opening cans — came a colorful, hearty, of beans and tasty (or so I’m told) meal for crumbling tofu. All were sim- many people. So much for my mered into stew. visions of Oliver Twist. More members showed At 3:30 p.m. we arrived up, greeting everyone with in Washington Park via foot, hugs and stories about what bicycle and, in my case, a trithey brought. Ryan and Mike cycle, ready to share the food. plopped a large cardboard box It was sunny and warm, and on the kitchen island, noting many people were already sitthat the fruit and vegetables ting on the wall surrounding Two women protesting the Iraq War and promoting the Food Not Bombs movement. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. the park. We stationed ourselves on the sidewalk at 12th and Elm streets. Ryan later said Food Not Bombs has been approached by police officers — he used a less polite name for them — because a permit is required to serve food in parks. Once the serving area was set up on a bike trailer draped with a Food Not Bombs sign, a hungry crowd quickly grew. About 50 people of various ages and races lined up to be fed. Some were homeless, some were not. All were welcomed with a smile, possibly a hug and conversation and a plate of food. Members quickly took on various duties, serving, washing plates and silverware, entertaining children with their music. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes I blinked and the stew, along with the rest of the food, was gone, and our little gathering was over as quickly as it began. As the other members packed up to leave and the crowd dispersed, I stared down into the empty pot and was at first disappointed that I didn’t get to taste any of its contents. But then I looked up and saw people who were likely much hungrier than I was, initially approaching but quickly turning on their heels with a frown once they realized there was no more food. Frustrated, I knew I’d be back the following Saturday to help again. If you would like to join or donate food to Food Not Bombs, write to cincinnati_ fnb@yahoo.com or visit www. myspace.com/cincinnati_fnb. �STREETVIBES April 2009 Local News 15 The Crisis Next Door Foreclosure is no longer a hidden problem By Mary MetzMeier Dave scHarFenBerG Contributing WriterS There were 6,673 new foreclosure filings in Hamilton County last year — an increase of 6.3 percent over 2007 filings Marilyn Evans, president and double the statewide avof the South Cumminsville erage increase of 3.1 percent. Community Council, knows In addition, there were 5,382 firsthand the impact that fore- Hamilton County homes listclosures can have on a com- ed in the first week’s Sheriff munity. Listing. This In the county, “South Cumnumber indiminsville is a the communities cates how many proud commu- hardest hit were homeowners are nity,” she says. facing severe fiCleves at 3.84 “Many of our percent and Golf nancial difficulresidents have ties with their Manor at 3.65 lived their whole mortgage loans. percent. lives in the While the neighborhood. area’s larger For some, they neighborhoods are the third or fourth gen- continue to experience the eration in this community. We most foreclosures, smaller have women who are in their neighborhoods are losing 90s and still working. We large numbers of homeowners have a homeownership rate of to foreclosure. For example, in 58 percent. Now that is threat- Cincinnati, the neighborhoods ened by foreclosures.” of Lower Price Hill, South Foreclosures in Hamilton Fairmount and Mt. Auburn County are rising and are par- lost over 5 percent of their ticularly impacting smaller homeowners to foreclosure communities, according to last year. In the county, the a new report by Working In communities hardest hit were Neighborhoods (WIN). Seven Cleves at 3.84 percent and years ago WIN issued a re- Golf Manor at 3.65 percent. port on foreclosures called, Busch tied another con“The Silent Crisis.” That title cern with foreclosures to the wouldn’t work today. gloomy economy. “We’ve move to a very “One of the saddest things loud crisis,” says Sister Bar- about this report is that only bara Busch, WIN’s executive 3.1 percent of the homes were director. “In 2009 there is no sold to anyone but the lender,” neighborhood left that is not she says. “In most cases, the affected by this foreclosure lender retained ownership of crisis. … We have lost almost the property after the sher4.3 percent of all Hamilton iff’s sale. This is the first time County’s housing stock to we’ve seen this trend, and it’s foreclosure — that’s huge.” because the market is bad.” WIN’s new study, “The WIN’s report shows that the Crisis Next Door,” shows that top six lenders with the highHamilton County experienced est number of foreclosures 3,081 foreclosures in 2008. have remained the same since anD 2002. The lenders generating the most foreclosures in Hamilton County for 2008 were US Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Bank of America, JP Morgan and Chase Bank. Busch called for business and government to take action in order to retain home ownership in Hamilton County. “Much to my despair, we only see mandatory loan modifications,” she says. “Lenders are fearful that they will be sued by the investors if they modify loans. I think the government needs to protect the lenders from this threat.” The foreclosure crisis shouldn’t come as a surprise, according to Roger Davis, president of Communities United For Action and cochair of Citizens Against Loan Sharks. “When we started organizing around foreclosures and predatory lending eight years Marilyn Evans says it’s time for a moratorium on foreclosures. ago, nobody else wanted to Photo courtesy of Working in Neighbhorhoods. admit the problem existed,” he says. “Now everyone is af- moratorium. We have testified eowners to get loan modificafected, whether it affects you in favor of this bill and encour- tions and avoid foreclosure,” age others to do the same.” Busch says. “The support or someone else you know.” In spite of all the bad news, from the city of Cincinnati and Davis endorses a proposed Busch sees Hamilton County has helped moratoriof us reach more families.” um on fore- “We started organizing signs hope. She Working In Neighborclosures. around foreclosures points out hoods, a Cincinnati-based “ W e and predatory lending that the pro- non-profit organization that need a moreight years ago. portion of strives to stabilize neighboratorium on homes sold hoods and families through Nobody else wanted forecloat sheriff’s home ownership, last year, ofsures now,” to admit the problem sales com- fered foreclosure counseling he says. existed.” pared to to 225 families and saved 135 “We are - Roger Davis those listed homes from foreclosure. WIN excited that has steadily also teaches families how to state repredeclined. purchase their first home and sentatives “Certainly, we know that educates neighborhood leadDenise Driehaus and Michael our housing counselors have ers to improve their commuFoley have introduced legislamade a difference for hom- nities. tion to establish a six-month Puzzle Solutions 8 2 1 7 4 6 9 5 3 5 9 6 8 1 3 7 2 4 7 4 3 2 5 9 8 6 1 4 6 5 9 8 7 1 3 2 9 1 7 3 2 5 4 8 6 2 3 8 4 6 1 5 9 7 6 5 4 1 3 8 2 7 9 3 7 1 8 2 9 5 6 9 7 4 2 6 3 1 4 8 5 �16 Vendors Resource Guide STREETVIBES April 2009 Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 25 cents and sell the paper for $1, keeping the money they have earned. The vendors can be identified with a white badge and can be found selling the paper in downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northern Kentucky and area churches. The money they earn helps them meet basic housing, food and health care needs. Not all vendors pictured. Josephine Baskerville Doris Binion Terry Ranson Anthony Williams Nell Williams Grady Cook Cleo Wombles James Davis Jon Darby Dede Stoops Julie Walker Kenneth Stonitsch Antonio Hodge Leonard Jackson Samuel Jackson Riccardo Taylor Alfred Woolfolk Berta Lambert Mary Mueller Brandon Nelson Mark Shears Terrence Williams Raynard Jones Richard Tyree Karen Collett Charles Cole Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point...381-SAFE Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6907 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter...872-9259 Talbert House...684-7965 Resources Treatment: Women First Step Home ...961-4663 Treatment: Both City Gospel Mission...241-5525 Justice Watch...241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Worker House...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter...661-4620 AA Hotline...351-0422 CCAT ...381-6672 Joseph House ...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center ...281-7422 Sober Living ...681-0324 Talbert House...641-4300 Shelter: Both Advocacy Anthony House (Youth)...961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS)...761-1480 Drop Inn Center...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network...471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center...221-3350 St. John’s Housing...651-6446 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency ...569-1840 Contact Center...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 Greater Cinci Coalition for the Homeless..421-7803 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center...5798547 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center ...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids ...363-3300 Stop AIDS...421-2437 Shelter: Men Housing: CMHA...721-4580 Excel Development...632-7149 OTR Community Housing...381-1171 Tender Mercies...721-8666 Tom Geiger House...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Food Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry..961-1983 Our Daily Bread...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House...784-1853 DIC Live In Program...721-0643 Prospect House...921-1613 Starting Over...961-2256 Health Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network ...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center ...381-2247 Hamilton county Mental Health Board...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control ...946-7628 Health Resource Center ...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County..458-6670 Oral Health Council...621-0248 PATH Outreach...977-4489 Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside...591-2246 Emmanuel Community Center...241-2563 FreeStore/FoodBank...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart...381-0111 Goodwill industries...771-4800 Healing Connections...751-0600 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...2715501 Mary Magdalen House...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...351-7921 St. Vincent de Paul...562-8841 The Caring Place...631-1114 United Way...721-7900 Women Helping Women...977-5541 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center...859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House...859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission...859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth...859-581-1111 Mathews House...859-261-8009 NKY Homeless & Housing Coalition...859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen...859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic...859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc...859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY...859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary...859-559-5011 VA Homeless...859-572-6226 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels...863-3184 Salvation Army...863-1445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource April 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Healer and Brother Treatment Center Under Attack Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minute with Two ‘Outlaws’ Pg 4: Juvenile Justice Reform Underway Pg 5: Slaves Look Like Us Pg 6: Alone Again, Naturally Pg 7: First You have to Have Your Own Bootstraps Pg 8: Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: Eating While You Can Pg 11: An Artist Among Us Handouts and Bailouts Pg 12: Handouts and Bailouts Continued Pg 13: Paddy Pg 14: Explosive Idea: Food, Not Bombs Pg 15: The Crisis Next Door Pg 16: Resource Guide Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Stephanie Dunlap Margo Pierce Lew Moores, Paul Kopp Alecia Lott David Heitfield Dave Scharfenberger Angela Pancella Mike Henson Larry Gross Lynne Ausman Andrew Anderson Ariana Shahandeh Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Anthony Williams Aimie Willhoite Joe Wessels Steve Novotni Andrew Freeze Georgine Getty Michael Henson Steve Gibbs Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Arts & Poetry Dave Scharfenberger David Heitfield education Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Hate Crimes Human Trafficking Joe Wessels Journalism Juvenile Justice Reform Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Mike Henson Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp poverty reform Slavery Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Steve Novotni Students Treatment Center Volunteers https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/89ca41f70292dce45fcb08d9f9f6c8fa.pdf 721abd9f3750c73273cc99fdd3251821 PDF Text Text Vendor Profile Page 13 Cheap Caskets Page 8 Film Review Page 9 STREETVIBES $1 August 1 - 14, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 158 Insane Budgeting Decisions Budget cuts imperil community mental health By Eli Braun Contributing Writer H undreds of advocates ral­ lied June 24 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to protest proposed budget cuts to community mental health and substance abuse services. “Treatment works, people recover,” said their placards. “Behavioral health care IS health care.” But when Ohio lawmakers passed the 2010-2011 budget July 13 after weeks of negoti­ ations, funding for communi­ ty mental-health and addiction services took a substantial hit. For fiscal year 2010, the Ohio Department of Mental Health lost nearly $78.5 mil­ lion compared to 2009 funding levels. The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addic­ tion Services lost approxi­ mately $10 million. Funding levels for fiscal year 2011 are similar. The cuts will primarily af­ fect community-based men- See Budget, p. 4 Advocates and clients rallied at the Ohio Statehouse for mental-health funding. Photo courtesy of Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities. Art for Hard Times No New Deal but a reawakened solidarity By Pat Clifford Contributing Writer political art. Hazelwood is the curator of an exhibit called “Hobos to Street People: Artrowing unemployment, ists’ Responses to Homelesstent cities and foreclo- ness from the New Deal to sures ... One starts to wonder the Present,” on display at the if it is 1929, California not 2009. Historical “It’s an ironic Is it enough Society in image to use, to make San Francissince what the you hum a co through shopping cart few bars of August 15. initially stood for “Brother, Can This exhibit was the basket of You Spare brings toplenty, of American a Dime?” gether the abundance, even Some powork of visuper-abundance.” litically ensual artists - Art Hazelwood gaged artists dealing with believe it’s poverty and time to do a homelesswhole lot more. ness in the hopes of encouragCalifornia-based artist and ing this type of work now and printmaker Art Hazelwood in the future. thinks that the conditions deThis past year has seen a mand a resurgence of relevant, presidential administration G that professes a new era of federal responsibil­ ity. Major programs to stimulate the economy and shore up the financial industry are being rolled out. Is this a new New Deal? Not quite. Re­ member, the Third Street Corridor, 1998 by Christine Hanlon. New Deal Photo courtesy of M. Lee Stone Fine Prints, San Jose, CA. not only inFair Labor Standards Act, and The new shopping cart cluded public works projects the National Labor Relations such as the Work Projects Ad- Act, which molded the busiThe old New Deal also cul­ ministration and the Civilian ness environment for years to tivated a cadre of significant Conservation Corps, but also come. artists. Starting in 1933 artists a host of legislation such as the Social Security Act, the See Art, p. 5 �2 The Vibe By The Numbers Streetwise By GrEGory flannEry editor 4 the number of Florida cities that made the “Ten Meanest Cities” list (see page 8.) Panhandling Discouraged, Pandering OK TV stations need ratings, and politicians need votes. This explains the flurry of attacks on poor and homeless people in various forums in Cincinnati in recent weeks. It started the number of dollars with a July 9 report on WKRC-TV (Channel 12) highlighting the fact that homeless per month it would cost people sleep outside the Hamilton County Courthouse and that, because the building is to establish the Bill closed at night, they urinate and defecate on the courthouse grounds. By the tone of the Cunningham Memorial coverage, you’d have thought some godless communist had strategically squatted Outhouse over Old Glory and taken a dump. (see page 12.) News media are social animals, usually traveling in packs, and so five days later the Cincinnati Enquirer picked up on the theme set by Channel 12, saying, “Streams of urine runs from the walls down the cracks of the sidewalk.” Oh, the horror! That same day Bill Cunningham of WLW (700 AM), never one to miss an opportunity to stir an ugly mob, described the behavior of the homeless campers at the courthouse as “peeing on the sym­ the percentage drop in bol of justice.” (See “Justice, Toilets and Bill Cunningham,” page 12.) federal funding for low- Even County Commissioner David Pepper, often a source of reason in matters of com­ income housing between plex social policy, couldn’t help himself, telling the Enquirer, “It’s clearly unacceptable 1976 and 2007 for (the courthouse area) to be used this way. The building needs to be clean and safe and (see page 3.) perceived that way.” Never mind that safety was never an issue. Never mind that the building isn’t involved; it’s locked at night. What is worth noting is the fact that Pepper is positioning himself for election to statewide office next year. the cost, in dollars, of a Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, plain burial box criticized Channel 12’s report and the ugly response it generated. Media reports casting (see page 8.) courthouse employees and visitors as the victims of the publicly expressed bodily needs of the approximately three dozen people forced to sleep outside the courthouse utterly missed the point, he said. “It is shameful that Channel 12 reported this story in this manner,” Spring said. “The victims in this situation are the 35 people who are forced to be homeless. The system has the Metacritic score for failed them, and they no longer have a place to call home.” Brüno (see page 9.) 85 56 500 54 Why Not Work Together? But one mustn’t generalize about politicians any more than any other group. It seems they can learn. Consider the case of Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Berding, who made the year Leonard a splash July 15 with the noxious suggestion that panhandlers be forced to register with Jackson started selling the city, pay earnings tax on their gleanings and carry signs advertising how much (as if Streetvibes it were a lot) that the city spends to help homeless people. (see page 13.) Berding was apparently ignorant of the fact that city council has already tried requiring panhandlers to carry city licenses, which it abandoned in 2007 in order to settle a lawsuit in federal court. (See “The Crime of Being Poor,” page 8.) His proposal brought a swift response the next day from Gary Daniels, associate direc­ tor of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. the code number that “The city simply cannot randomly force a person to display a sign of their choosing or made Dmitri’s fellow prevent them from carrying their own sign,” he said. “In addition, charging a fee and re­ Soviets think he’d been quiring registration to panhandle will limit those who are unable to pay the fee or secure drinking one of the limited number of available permits. The effect of this legislation would likely (see page 6.) only exacerbate the plight of the homeless and silence this community further.” Spring, executive director of the Homeless Coalition, convinced Berding to drop the proposal. They’ve agreed to cooperate to find ways to actually do something to elimi­ nate the need for panhandling. million, the daily “I let Mr. Berding know that the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless will amount, in dollars, spent fight such a license to the end but is more than willing and is in fact eager to collaborate by the health industry to on real, lasting and homeless-ending solutions,” Spring said. “We discussed the need for lobby Congress more outreach workers to duplicate and multiply the success we have been experienc­ (see page 11.) ing, we discussed the placement of donation boxes with attached literature about what homelessness is, how we can solve it and make available resources for people who are homeless to pick up and use to get connected to solutions. The only way panhandling can end is if people no longer have a need to panhandle. We are making this happen for many and we can, through collaboration, make this happen for more and more people. In the the year the federal end, GCCH will pull together a small team of people who do outreach and GCCH will Public Works of Art lead a collaborative effort including both the outreach group and Mr. Berding to create Project began lasting and positive change relative to panhandling for all involved in our city.” (see page 1.) 1997 41 1.3 1933 STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Georgine Getty, Angela Pancella, Paul Miller, Will Kirschner Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Ranjit Rege The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Column Eight Minutes with a 3 Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. ‘Nest Filler’ How one woman helps young adults pushed out of the nest too soon By MarGo PiErCE Contributing Writer How many 18-year-olds do you know who, having graduated from high school, find an apartment, land a full-time job, get to work on time every day, pay their rent, keep their refrigerator stocked and have aspirations of going to college? How many stay off drugs and out of jail and do all of that alone, with no parent or guardian to help? Lea Drury knows quite a few young adults who accomplish all of this but they start out homeless before they accomplish all the rest. A case manager for Lighthouse Youth Services, Drury works with homeless people aged 24 and younger. “I’ve had a lot of clients that I have given resources and they have followed through … and managed to get themselves into an apartment,” she says. “I’m just really there to guide them, give them resources. Survival skills are also helpful … just knowing how to live from day-to-day, like knowing where the soup kitchens are … living in an abandoned building without any electricity, where are they going to go to get a flashlight?” Referring to the determination, follow-through and timeliness as the “assets” that help young adults leave homelessness, Drury says the desire to succeed is what inspires them to accept assistance. “By the time they come to me, they’re pretty determined to do it, to help themselves,” she says. Drury meets a lot of her clients where they live - on the streets. “We provide case management for anybody 18-24 that’s homeless and whatever falls into that category – people with mental health, chemical dependency, displaced or pushed out of the nest on their 18th birthday. Half of my week I spend on the streets doing outreach for the entire community, walking around handing out condoms, sandwiches, socks – just basic survival gear.” After several casual conversations and building up some trust, Drury is able to learn which kids are ready and able to move beyond merely sur­ viving. There are many who need that assistance. The 2008 Homeless Management Infor­ mation System Annual Data Report notes that 1,317 of the 8,372 registered homeless people in Cincinnati are 18-30 years old. Many young adults who are homeless are former foster children, left without help after turning 18. “There are lots of people that are homeless (aged) 18­ 24, absolutely,” Drury says. “What I come across most fre­ quently are people who were in state custody. People in state custody when they turn 18 or 19 … (are) released or termi­ nated – they’re just kind of pushed out. The problem with that is young people have not learned self-sufficiency skills and don’t really know how to live independently. They’re released from state custody and end up in a shelter in a very short period of time.” One key reason is a lack of available and affordable hous­ ing. “One of the biggest prob­ lems that I have found is that it’s hard to get into housing,” Drury says. “It’s hard to get an 18- or 19-year-old into an apartment because a lot of landlords have had bad ex­ periences with young people. And low-income housing is challenging because a lot of the low-income people won’t even take anybody un­ til they’re 21. There’s a very small amount of low-income housing that will take people under the age of 21 … (and) the waiting lists are so long. “Because housing resources are so limited, and that’s usually the number one objective for the group that I work with, I say upfront, ‘Your options are I can put you on this wait­ ing list and we can just sit and wait and hope that your name gets called eventually or you can be proactive about this and … if you’re willing to work, you can do this job-training program.’ This is very chal­ lenging when you don’t have a place to lay your head.” The lack of housing isn’t surprising when taking into account how thoroughly the federal government has gutted housing assistance to those Lea Drury, case manager at Lighthouse Youth Services. Photo by Lynne Ausman. trapped in poverty. Federal funding for low-income housing fell 56 percent from 1976 to 2007, according to “Changing Laws, Changing Lives,” the 2007 Annual Report on Homelessness and Poverty by the National Law Center. “In 1976, federal housing funding was $87 billion, and 435,362 new affordable units were built,” the report says. “In 2007, funding had fallen to $38 billion, and zero new housing units were built.” Drury lists the kinds of difficulties most people don’t consider when handing out the dismissive “get a job” advice so frequently dispensed by those who have no experience with homelessness: no alarm clock to make sure you get up on time; no place to take a shower; no place to safely store clean clothes; no phone number with voicemail for potential employers to call to schedule an interview or a permanent address to use when filling out a W-2 once a job is offered. A lack of resources is one of the biggest hurdles she faces. “We need more shelter beds,” she says. “We need to be able to more quickly access mental-health services and chemical dependency services. The city could use another medical de-tox center other than Cathouse (the Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment).” The Mental Health Access Point has a two- to three-week wait time for appointments. “I have clients that need a lot more help,” Drury says. “Clients that have mentalhealth issues and maybe need to be in a group home or need to be in some sort of quick access program – I’m literally going everywhere with them until they’re stabilized.” Those with less severe mental health concerns are referred to Centerpoint Health for therapy appointments, but those take two to three months to get. Every person age 18-24 has challenges to overcome, and the systems in place to help them are also dealing with hurdles, but that’s not going to stop Drury. “We need more, just more,” Drury says. “But I think it’s always going to be that way.” �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Community News 4 Insane Budgeting (continued from page 1) tal-health services, as state psychiatric hospitals operate on a fixed budget. The community mental-health system covers supportive housing, medications, illness self-management, case management, counseling, diagnostic assessments, crisis intervention and crisis residential services. It provides treatment in less restrictive settings and at lower costs than psychiatric hospitals and emergency rooms. The budget leaves just $183.7 million for community mental-health services after state hospitals take their cut. That’s $23.3 million less than the $207 million in fiscal year 2009. The budget totaled $50.5 billion, about $2 billion less than the previous biennial budget. ‘Brink of collapse’ Advocates, providers and people with mental illness emphasize that Ohioans with mental illness have a right to community-based mentalhealth treatment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 10 years ago in Olmstead v. L.C. that mental illness is a protected disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In this historic pronouncement for civil rights, the court held that the unnecessary segregation and institutionalization of the mentally ill constitutes unlaw- ful discrimination. It directed about human beings and famistates to develop strong com- lies that can have productive munity-based lives with mental-health the right services to health care. Significant cuts to complement These are community-based institutional our family mental-health placements members, services undermine for the menneighbors Ohio’s obligation to tally ill. and friends support community In the who need days before help – integration, as the budget they are mandated by the passed, the the most Supreme Court. Center for vulnerable Community citizens.” Solutions, an People Ohio advocacy and research who do not receive sufficient group, warned that cuts to the care in the community often community mental-health sys- show up in other systems. tem would leave many Ohio- Many land in jails, prisons, ans without access to treat- homeless shelters or other setment, with potentially dire tings less conducive to recovconsequences. Their report ery. was titled, “Proposed Funding The criminal justice system Levels Push Community Men- has become the new asylum. tal Health System to Brink of A 2009 study in the journal Collapse.” Psychiatric Services found Significant cuts to commu- that 14.5 percent of men and nity-based mental-health ser- 31 percent of women in lovices undermine Ohio’s obli- cal jails suffered from serious gation to support community mental illness. Those rates are integration, as mandated by three to six times higher than the Supreme Court. rates in the general populaHealth-care advocates tion. In Hamilton County in warned that cuts would come 2008, 40.1 percent of the adult at a heavy price. homeless population were “Behavioral health care mentally ill, according to the has been historically under- Partnership Center. funded in Ohio, but these pro“If we expect people to reposed cuts would put lives in cover, we have to put in them danger,” said Cheri L. Walter, in a recovery environment,” CEO of the Ohio Association said Gloria Walker, chair of County Behavioral Health and acting director of Urban Authorities. “We are talking Greater Cincinnati Network on Mental Illness, a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If communitybased services aren’t funded, she said, people will get sicker, and some will die. Pay now or pay later Inadequate community funding will result in increased use of emergency rooms and hospitalization, both of which carry large price-tags. Ohio’s Coalition for Healthy Communities sent an open letter to Gov. Ted Strickland two weeks before the budget passed. “Reducing funding to behavioral health services does not save taxpayer dollars,” the letter said. “In fact, the opposite is true. The choice is simple. Ohio can invest an average $7,400 per person on treatment for mental illness and $1,600 for addiction treatment at the community level. Or we can spend $25,000 per adult and $79,000 per juvenile in our state correctional facilities, $1,600 per day on avoidable emergency room visits or $18,000 a year for every child in foster care. Or we can add to the list of avoidable deaths.” Does the 2010-2011 budget meet our legal and societal obligations? Fewer people will receive community-based mentalhealth care in the next two years. Without treatment, more people will end up homeless or in jail, marginalized for lit- tering, trespassing, loitering or other petty offenses that begin as symptoms of untreated mental illness. In an essay – “Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?” – economist and social critic Glenn Loury wrote, “When we hold a person responsible for his or her conduct – by establishing laws, investing in their enforcement, and consigning some persons to pris­ ons – we need also to think about whether we have done our share in ensuring that each person faces a decent set of opportunities for a good life. We need to ask whether we as a society have fulfilled our collective responsibility to ensure fair conditions for each person.” Budget allocations regarding community mental-health services have real-world im­ pact in the lives of Ohioans. Advocates like Susan, an Ohioan and parent of a mentally ill child (who asked that her last name be withheld) ar­ gue that neither homelessness nor criminal activity is inevi­ table. “There is so much commu­ nity outrage when a severely mentally ill person commits a crime,” she says, “but few resources to help them dayto-day so a crime doesn’t get committed.” Healing a Nation How much is universal health care worth? By Will KirsChnEr Contributing Writer Forty-six million people in the United States lacked health insurance as of 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2008 Ohio Fam­ ily Health Survey counted 1.3 million uninsured in this state. The numbers will have certainly risen with the cur­ rent economic crisis and the increase in unemployment. Almost everyone believes that there is a problem with the in­ surance system, and proposed solutions are myriad. President Obama has brought the issue to the fore­ front with his plan to reform health care. His proposal in­ cludes an option for all people to get health care while allow­ ing those who already have it to keep what they choose. The plan wouldn’t tax people making less than $350,000 a year. Families making over $1 million a year would pay a surcharge based on adjusted gross income, including capi­ tal gains and dividends. Some businesses would face ad­ ditional taxes. A preliminary analysis by the Congressional Budget Office said Obama’s plan would cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years and re­ duce the number of uninsured by nearly 37 million. Eight years ago six people met in a union office in Cleve­ land and formed the Single Payer Universal Health Care Organizing Committee, later changed to the Single Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio). The group’s objective is to have the state guarantee health care for all Ohioans, regard­ less of income. Unlike other plans, this system would get rid of all private health insur­ ance and put the government in charge – the “single payer.” This system is more common­ ly known as universal health care. ‘Waited too long’ SPAN Ohio wants passage of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act, which would create a single payer system in Ohio, seeing it as a precedent for other states to follow. His­ torically, issues such as wom­ en’s suffrage and child labor laws began at the state level. Carolyn Park, a member of the Cincinnati chapter of SPAN Ohio, believes this change should be immediate rather than gradual. But she says Obama’s plan is a step in the right direction. Park says her experience in the health-care industry moti­ vated her to join SPAN Ohio. She worked as a pharmacy technician in Detroit. She is now a paraprofessional in the one,” Rucknagel says. Cincinnati Public Schools. One of the biggest problems “I just saw the need that with the current system is that people have,” uninsured peo­ Park says. “I ple can’t get saw the prob­ health care and SPAN Ohio lems they had they end up in believes with paying for the emergency switching their prescrip­ room, he says. to a single tions and all “By the time health-care the problems many people bureaucracy that go along go to the emer­ will lower the with health gency room money spent care, the high or see about a on the complex prices.” situation, they bureaucracy of Retired Dr. have waited health care. Don Ruckna­ too long,” he gel has been says. “When it in the medical is caught at an field since 1952. An emeritus earlier stage, there could have professor of pediatrics and in­ been a much better outcome at ternal medicine at Children’s a much better price, and that’s Hospital of Cincinnati, he is a what preventative medicine is member of SPAN Ohio’s ex­ all about.” ecutive board. Rucknagel has a good ex­ “It has always incensed me ample of how having so many that the richest nation cannot uninsured harms the system. pay for health care for every- See Healing, p. 7 �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Art Review Art for Hard Times 5 (continued from page 1) Breadline, 1935 by Iver Rose. Photo courtesy of M. Lee Stone Fine Prints, San Jose, Calf. were employed by the Public Works of Art Project. This effort was eventually subsumed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to engage artists in printmaking, public murals and documentary photography. Many artists rose to prominence in this era, including Dorthea Lange and Walker Evans. Unfor­ tunately for the Tri-State, 80 percent of WPA art commissions in Ohio went to the Cleveland area. The most prominent in Cincinnati are the murals in Lunken Airport by William Harry Gothard. But the WPA was not just about employing artists, of course. It was also about molding public opinion in support of the New Deal. “Roosevelt and those running the WPA were trying to get public support be­ hind the New Deal to justify all they were building,” says Paul Boden, director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project. Political art is increasingly important, according to Hazelwood. “It brings a message and speaks to people who are in the struggle,” he says. “An image can be powerful in giving support to those people. That is no small thing in itself.” Many of the works included in the exhibit are posters meant to be used in organizing campaigns. These are important tools, Boden says. “That’s what people put on their wall,” he says. Even so, artists sometimes lapse into caricature or stereotype when they are trying to represent a class of people. When it comes to homeless people, that often means tragic or “pathetic” images meant to pull on the viewer’s heart­ strings. “I think this partly is due to lack of a political framework for the artists to work in,” Hazelwood says. “They don’t really know the issues. In many cases, homelessness is an issue that has not been connected to the mainstream left movements. Artists don’t know how to think about it, so they go for the easy pathos, which is what people see thrown at them from the aid agencies. Empow­ erment is a difficult image to portray unless you know the issues.” This becomes problematic for Boden. “You’re not going to hire bums and yokels to build your public school or pay them prevailing wage,” he says. “It’s hard to do that if you’re defining everyone who’s homeless as chronically dysfunctional.” Hazelwood notes that one recurring image in the exhibit is that of a shopping cart. “It’s an ironic image to use, since what the shopping cart initially stood for was the basket of plenty, of American abundance, even super-abundance,” he says. This image of abundance is turned on its head, providing a critique to the type of society that leaves large numbers of its citizens living on the street. al government nowadays. “Government has got­ ten out of the business “Artists today are more altogether,” Hazelwood likely to take an activist role says. “The artists emagainst the government’s ployed by different fedlack of action. Artists who eral agencies in the Dedo get involved are often pression served different connected through homeless functions but they were rights organizations.” - Art employed, and that did Hazelwood two things. It gave them solidarity, and it allowed them to look to the gov­ ernment programs in a positive light.” This solidarity must be formed in other ways. “Now artists are divided from each other by competition, from solidarity with issues of poverty, in many cases by wealth, and from any sense that the govern­ ment is helping by the reality of the lack of government action,” Hazelwood says. “As a result, artists today are more likely to take an activist role against the government’s lack of action. Artists who do get involved are often connected through homeless rights organizations.” Despite these difficulties, Boden feels an urgent need to connect serious art­ ists to the struggle for economic equality. “We need to start identifying issues and give those messages to serious artists,” he says. “When the artwork is serious, it’s amazing how much it resonates.” Although more related to street art than to the legacy of the New Deal, Shep­ ard Fairey’s iconic poster of Barack Obama effectively joined contemporary art to a political program at the highest levels. However, those who are being portrayed must be the ones to frame the debate. One might wonder, with all the baggage the term “homeless” implies, is it time to reconsider the term itself? Just as the term “hobo” has become antiquated, in the future will the term “homeless” mark the poverty of a particular historic moment? “I believe that terms of identification have to come from the people they refer to,” Hazelwood says. “If people who are homeless feel the need to choose a name that describes them in a more empowering way, that is great. Taking own­ ership of your name is important.” The new Okies Though the spending associated with World War II is widely credited with lifting the country out of the Great Depression, the New Deal programs provided a safety net for the poor. This safety net was gradually dismantled throughout the past two decades. Boden has fought this roll back, committing over 20 years of his life to activism on behalf of the poor and homeless. “A couple of years ago we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the New Deal,” he says. “Back then the issue was with the aggressive anti-Okie laws. You know: ‘If you’re looking for a job, don’t stop here.’ Now we would call them ‘anti­ homeless’ laws.” Is there a current generation of new New Deal artists working hard to docu­ ment inequality and promote systemic change? One shouldn’t look to the feder­ Brother Can You Spare A Dime, 1933/36 by Albert Potter. Photo courtesy of M. Lee Stone Fine Prints, San Jose, Calif. �Issues 6 Warm Beer and Cold War STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 In South Korea, exploitation was a way of life for U.S. military By david hEitfiEld Contributing Writer “LBJ,” after our 36th presi- shoes shined and uniforms dent: “One toke, and you go pressed and hung – six days on welfare state.” One of my a week. My houseboy would [Editor's note: This is the favorite idioms expressed a maybe once a month ask me second part of a series in which long passage for a favor – the author recalls his experi- of time as milk or ciga­ Clinton is a ences as a Korean linguist in “when the tirettes usually. “funny lady” who the U.S. Navy 30 years ago, ger smoked Otherwise, is “by no means in an attempt to address the cigarettes.” he was a pro, intelligent,” conservative White Guilt that W h e n as reliable as according to a results in the need to cease- drinking with mallard rape. North Korean lessly Support Our Troops, a group of The bars spokesperson last even though they mostly have Koreans, we were segre­ week. “Sometimes no idea who these troops are would order gated by race she looks like a or what they are doing.] several botand were filled primary schoolgirl I never thought I'd say this, tles of beer with “busi­ and sometimes a but Secretary of State Hillary at a time for ness women” pensioner going Clinton and I share something each person. – they would shopping.” in common: We've both been When I menget really mad called names by the North Ko- tioned that if you called reans. said custom them prostiClinton is a “funny lady” resulted in drinking a lot of tutes – who were not just trywho is “by no means intel- warm beer, I was told, “Yes, it ing to sell nightly fun, but most ligent,” according to a North is a stupid custom, but it is our were hoping to land a “yobo.” Korean spokesperson last custom, and do you know of A yobo would live with you at week. “Sometimes she looks any customs that are not stu- rack rates starting around $200 like a primary schoolgirl and pid?” You could call someone monthly and upwards. Many sometimes a pensioner going a sonovabitch, a number 10 marriages started with yobo shopping.” sonovabitch, or a number 18 relationships. The bar segreNow, before you reach an sonofabitch, but if you called gation assisted the business epiphany that the North Ko- someone, say, a number 15 woman who wanted to make rean News Agency works in sonovabitch, you'd be laughed a little extra money when her concert with Rush Limbaugh at for being illiterate. The yobo went on a deployment: and the Republican National ultimate bar-fighting insult If she found her yobo in a Committee, you should know roughly translated to “your white bar, she'd hit the black that the People’s Republic of mother has 100 pubic hairs.” bars; and vice versa. Since the Korea likes to insult all Amersegregation extended to most icans, not just the liberals. social relationships as well as Love and other American values the bar, there was little chance Some of my recent favorites: President George Bush was of the yobo getting caught. “a hooligan bereft of any perWhen I think of my time in The business women were sonality of a human being” and the country, I often think of memorable not just because of “a half-baked man in terms of how we were often awakened the pathetic situation in which morality” who looks like “a in the morning by a ringing we were of course complicit chicken soaked in the rain.” bell, which meant there was – heck, they could be thrown Vice President Dick Cheney animal fornication going on. in jail if they were found to be was “a mentally deranged “Duck fuck! Duck fuck!” Mr. skipping out on their weekly person” who was “hated as the Han would scream, laugh- required checks for venereal most cruel monster and blood- ing and getting his little bar disease – but because of their thirsty beast as he drenched area ready for the day if any- hard sell. At least, that's what various parts of the world in one wanted to start eating or I'll never forget. “American blood.” Secwomen are all retary of Deselfish and only A college woman I befriended from fense Donald think of themYonsei University (who would never Rumsfeld selves. Korean dare date an American) told me it’s a was “a powoman will take good idea to marry a Korean business litical dwarf, good care of you; woman, because even if she’s a human scum American wom­ drug-addled alcoholic who slept with or hysteric” an will cheat on thousands of men, that’s still better and a “huyou and cry and than what any self-absorbed American man butcher scream and take female has to offer. and fascist all your money.” tyrant who This was a line puts an ogre you heard from to shame.” drinking or playing cards. Mr. every Korean business wom­ While stationed at Camp Han had one of the better jobs an, even the ones who were Humphreys in a small base on base – I think we paid him not directly involved in the sex town about an hour south of around $50 a week, plus gen- trade. Even a college woman I Seoul called Anjong-ni, just erous tips. befriended from Yonsei Uni­ outside Pyongtaek, I soon beBy contrast, my houseboy versity (who would never dare came impressed that Korean worked for $20 a month and date an American) told me it's people were hard-working, a little black market action. a good idea to marry a Korekind, and had a rather wick- (Of course, he had several an business woman, because ed sense of humor, which I clients, so he did make more even if she's a drug-addled presumed was built through than $100 a month for his la- alcoholic who slept with thou5,000 years of mostly being bor.) What did you get for $20 sands of men, that's still better conquered by other nations. a month? Your living quarters than what any self-absorbed When one Korean described were cleaned, your laundry American female has to offer. some good pot, he called it done and folded away, your A group of construction workers walk away after paying their respects to a statue of Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang. Photo by REUTERS/Reinhard Kraus. The big ROK candy mountain how Americans had broken up families during the war and continued to keep them apart. I spent a month on the DMZ Just learning about North Korea was itself a lesson on a “goodwill mission” with in the Cold War. The Great the Republic of Korea (ROK) Leader Kim Il-Sung, father of Army when one of the loud­ identi­ speakers the current dying fied me, and it Dear Leader Kim Five-yearwas damn scary. Jong-Il, was heold children There have been a roically revered were armed number of people to an extent simand learned killed on the DMZ ply unimaginable to recite since the end of the to most people. the antiwar in 1953, perStories of his exAmerican haps the most griz­ ploits during the catechism. zly being the “Axe Korean War were Murder Incident” fantastical, and in 1976, when two museums were Americans were axed to death dedicated to the atrocities of Americans during the war. after trying to chop down a Five-year-old children were poplar tree that was obstruct­ armed and learned to recite the ing a checkpoint. The complexities of the anti-American catechism. The newspapers had front-page relationship between Ameri­ news only about the Great can servicemen and Koreans Leader getting congratulations is too deep to adequately de­ from one world leader or an- scribe in this article. For inother. If the newspaper carried stance, the Kwangju Incident, a picture of the Great Leader, in which a 2007 movie, May it was against the law to throw 18, recounts, took place in the paper away – you had to 1980. Initially, students protesting the closing of Chon­ burn it, like a tattered flag. In a country of limited food nam University were attacked and transportation, the first by the military using bayo­ two cars of each commuter nets, and over the next several train would be filled daily with days some 100,000 Koreans fresh flowers adorning a large came out to protest. The army portrait of the Great Leader. used paratroopers, machine There were loudspeakers guns and, as some witnesses on the demilitarized zone said, tanks to quell the unrest, (DMZ), continually broad- and civilians formed militias casting propaganda messages and got their own machine to South Korean troops about See Beer, p. 7 �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Local News Healing a Nation “Say a person has a strep throat and they start worry­ ing,” he says. “Well, they don’t have a doctor to go to, so they go to the emergency room. Just checking yourself in an emergency room can cost $500 before a doctor or nurse even lays an eyeball on you.” The U.S. Chamber of Com­ merce opposes any steps to­ ward more government in­ volvement in health care. It argues, as do most groups, that the insurance system needs to be restructured to elimi­ nate unnecessary spending. The American Medical As­ sociation estimates that waste due to inefficient health-care claims processing, payment and reconciliation could be anywhere from $21 billion to $210 billion. SPAN Ohio believes switch­ ing to a single health-care bureaucracy will lower the money spent on the complex bureaucracy of health care. Although retired, Ruck­ nagel still spends one day a week working at the Adult Sickle Cell Center at Univer­ sity Hospital. He often has to spend upwards of an hour (continued from page 4) on the phone with insurance companies explaining the ne­ cessity of a more expensive medication compared to a cheaper, less effective alterna­ tive, he says. ‘Take your pick’ The biggest question in health-care reform is where the money will come from. SPAN Ohio’s plan includes an income-tax increase of 6.2 percent for people making over $94,200 a year. People making over $200,000 would pay an additional five percent of their gross income. A tax on business would cost 3 percent of gross receipts and up to 3.85 percent on payrolls. Opponents of various pro­ posals object to the way the taxation is set up. “We believe that marketdriven health reforms are the best approach to reducing costs, promoting efficiency, wellness, and quality of care,” says a U.S. Chamber of Com­ merce statement on the health care plan pending in the U.S. Senate. “Using convoluted subsidies, employer mandates and legal structures to force Warm Beer and Cold War (continued from page 6) guns to fight the army. The “official” casualty toll was 144 civilians, four police and 22 army troops. The movie put the casualty toll at 207 deaths, almost 2,400 wounded and nearly 1,000 missing, al­ though it says those numbers are also in dispute and could be higher. The popular theory was that the South Korean govern­ ment had an agreement with U.S. forces that they could not move nor fire upon anyone without the express consent of the U.S. Command. Hence, we Americans were ultimately to blame for the massacre. It was later confirmed that the United States had authorized the retaking of Kwangju by the South Korean Army to restore order, but who authorized the first order to fire on and beat civilians is still unanswered. Anyway, a fellow sailor and I were going to spend a month on this mountain with the ROK Army to help them with their English, while we worked on our conversation­ al Korean. (Needless to say, their English was far better 7 than our Korean.) When we first arrived, a young officer started kicking the shit out of everything in a show of force, demanding our unquestioned obedience in all things. My partner freaked out over this; I was pretty confident the of­ ficer was smart enough to know that laying a finger on an American meant the end of his career. Still, I recall mak­ ing radio contact with some people in Seoul that night, and the next day the lieutenant was our bestest buddy, and stayed that way for the next month, although he made no secret of the fact he hated us. For a month we slept in an open barracks with no privacy, ate our daily ration of fish head soup (it is just what you think it is), kimchee and rice; and then the North Koreans, having ob­ viously spotted at least one of the Americans, started calling us names over the loudspeak­ ers at night: “You have an American bastard among you! He rapes your sister! Kill him in his sleep!” So you see, Hillary got off easy. Carolyn Park, member of Cincinnati chapter of SPAN Ohio. Photo by Andrew Anderson. people into a connector and then into a public governmentrun plan fails to tackle the un­ derlying challenge of control­ ling costs, improving care and expanding coverage.” Some people are afraid of more government involve­ ment in something as personal as health care, but Rucknagel sees it as a clear choice. “So there are two institu­ tions you can trust: insurance agencies or the government,” he says. “Take your pick.” A press release by U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) calls for a middle path. “In addition to expanding access and reducing costs for families, I believe any mean­ ingful reform must ensure that patients cannot be denied cov­ erage because of pre-existing conditions and that individu­ als won’t have to worry about losing coverage if they change jobs,” the statement says. “At the same time we need to en­ sure that protections are put in place so that small businesses are not unduly burdened by the costs of reform efforts.” Almost everyone agrees that the system in place now is ineffective. “What we have now is not working,” Park says. “People are hurting, people are suffer­ ing and people are dying.” �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Local News 8 Death on the Cheap Burial doesn’t have to cost so much By larry Gross Contributing Writer where an old lady in Costco has a casket in her cart and she’s pushing it through the When you walk by 722 store. They made a funny out Main St. downtown and look of it, but it stuck in my head.” in the show­ Lusain room win­ went online, dow, you’re r esearched An Internet going to see Costco and search turned up something saw that it a casket store in you don’t sells caskets, Indianapolis that see every but they have day: caskets to be shipped. had the same for sale. He didn’t casket he wanted, “Initially, want to pay and it was $1,300 I was go­ without see­ cheaper than ing to have ing the casket buying from the a wall here first. An In­ funeral home. in front and ternet search have a show­ turned up a room in the casket store back where people could see in Indianapolis that had the them,” says Eric Lusain, own­ same casket he wanted, and it er of Main St. Casket Co., “but was $1,300 cheaper than buy­ someone said, ‘No, you need ing from the funeral home. to put them in the window so Lusain started researching when people see them, they’ll the Federal Trade Commis­ remember.’ ” sion’s regulations on the sale Lusain also wants you to of caskets, which led him to remember the price of his dis­ open his store in Cincinnati. counted caskets. You can save “The FTC had to start regu­ up to 80 percent off the prices lating the business because at most funeral homes. funeral homes were price“Nowadays with things be­ fixing them along with the ing as tight as they are, people casket companies,” he says. are thinking twice,” he says. “People can buy their caskets Lusain discovered the high somewhere else, the register cost of burial last year in In­ book somewhere else and also dianapolis. the flowers. People think you “Back in September, we have to get them from the fu­ had a loved one who passed,” neral home. You don’t.” he says. “We were respon­ The FTC regulation, issued sible for the burial, and we in 1982, has become known as had to pay out-of-pocket. I the “Funeral Rule.” Most fu­ never buried anybody before, neral directors don’t educate and we got sticker shock. I their customers on the subject, had no idea that it would cost but some consumers are catch­ that much. I tried to figure out ing on, according to Lusain. ways to shave the price down. “I’ve had one funeral home I remembered some movie call me and say, ‘Why are you Eric Lusain, owner of Main St. Casket Co. in downtown Cincinnati. Photo by Andrew Anderson. taking money out of my pock­ et?’ ” he says. His store has been open for more than six months, but Lu­ sain had to wait for one of his tenants, a clothing retailer, to move. “Before the store opened, we were warehousing (cas­ kets) in the back,” he says. “People would pull up in the alley and take a look at them. We were selling them back there. It just didn’t feel right.” Lusain says business is good. His most popular cas­ ket is the Neapolitan Blue. It has a navy blue finish with light blue velvet interior in a French fold design. This cas­ ket, which also features an ad­ justable bed, goes for $999. At a funeral home, you’ll pay at least $3,050. Another popular casket is the Going Home Blue, which has a light blue crepe interior. At a funeral home, you’ll pay an average $2,635. At Main Street Casket Co., it’s yours for $799. Most of Lusain’s caskets are imported. “What a lot of people don’t know is some big casket com­ panies that are domestic are now made in Mexico,” he says. “There’s not a lot that’s truly domestic these days.” Most of Lusain’s caskets start at $999, including deliv­ ery to a funeral home. If you need to go cheaper, he’s also got boxes for $500 or even less. “Funeral homes carry them,” Lusain says, “but they won’t tell you unless you ask.” He also sells vaults that start at $499 and also offers pet caskets that start at $199. If cremation is your thing, you can pick up an urn for $135. Lusain says he doesn’t “store” caskets until the time of need, but does offer a pre­ plan set-up with a contract. He says he’s never had a custom­ er who wanted to try one on for size, but you don’t need a dead body to buy a casket. “It’s merchandise,” Lusain says. “It’s not against the law. A guy had cash, his own truck, came in, got the casket and we’re wheeling it down the street, sticking it in his truck. The guy actually had a 1961 hearse he was restoring, and he wanted to put a casket in it.” Most of Lusain’s custom­ ers have lost loved ones but he says he doesn’t see a lot of tears in his store. “When families come in here, they’re not grieving,” he says. “They’re excited. They’re saving at least two grand.” The Crime of Being Poor Discrimination against homeless people is the American way By GrEGory flannEry editor Laws that punish people for being Mormon, lesbian, African-American or deaf would never stand in the United States. But laws that punish people for being poor proliferate. “Homes Not Handcuffs” is the ninth report on the criminalization of homelessness by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. The report documents ordinances in cities across the country that make it a crime to do things that people do precisely because they are poor: panhandling, sleeping on benches and under bridges, ! ? t a h W y a relieving themselves in public. Based on research in 273 cities, the report decries the use of jail cells as housing for the poor. “Even though most cities do not provide enough affordable housing, shelter space and food to meet the need, many cities use the criminal justice system to punish people living on the street for doing things that they need to do to survive,” the report says. “Such measures often prohibit activities such as sleeping/ camping, eating, sitting and/or begging in public spaces and include criminal penalties for violation of these laws. Some cities have even enacted foodsharing restrictions that punish groups and individuals for serving homeless people. Many of these measures ap­ pear to have the purpose of moving homeless people out of sight or even out of a given city.” The Cincinnati Park Board, for example, restricts the distribution of food to poor people in Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. Churches and groups such as Food Not Bombs sometimes flout the rule and sometimes sidestep it by setting up food stations on sidewalks near the park. A few years ago the crimi­ nalization report named Cin­ cinnati the Sixth Meanest City to Homeless People. Cincin­ nati didn’t make the cut this year. These days sunny climes seem to be especially mean to See Crime, p. 9 Words sing. They hurt. They teach. They sanctify. They were man’s first immeasurable feat of magic. They liberated us from ignorance and our barbarous past. ~ Leo Rosten S _____________________ �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Movie Review Getting Famoüs 9 We have met ‘Brüno,’ and he is us By david hEitfiEld Contributing Writer mistake to be made in Bruno: We have met the enemy, and it is us. The scene from Brüno that There's nothing subtle lingers with me – and how about it. Early in the movie, “staged” it was is irrelevant Brüno sets out on his quest – is not the talking penis, nor to “be famous” by setting up the swingers' club a focus group meeting where to view his new The amazing thing about the movie show idea on D­ Brüno is repeatedly slashed by list celebrities. is that, given the focus group and a female domiYou see what the the reaction of other people in natrix, nor the focus group sees the film, Cohen and Charles had near-riot caused – hell, you are to know this movie was probably by caged manthe focus group gonna bomb, and yet they made it on-man action in – and Cohen, anyway, and the distributors spent a front of a crowd quite literally, is shaking his dick that loves its hethuge amount of money promoting it. erosex. No, it's in your face. the scene of Paula Just as the focus Abdul mindlessly sitting on a spirator. group responds with disgust Mexican laborer as he is on all I've talked to people who – and they're only watch­ fours to provide her a “chair” refuse to even watch Borat ing it on a small television, in the absence of furniture. because “it just makes fun whereas you are watching it As she sits atop this poor of rednecks,” (pity the poor on a large movie screen – so man's back, Abdul earnestly Republican, who must look has been the reaction of many talks about how she “eats and to Ann Coulter and Larry the audience members and crit­ breathes” to help and be of Cable Guy for his humor) and ics. I was fully one-fourth of service to others. it turns out many people who the audience for the screening In one respect, Brüno is a like the movie agree with that I watched, and the Metacritic corrective to Sacha Baron Co­ sentiment, as if Cohen and di­ score for Brüno is a dismal 54, hen's 2006 Borat: the earlier rector Larry Charles decided compared to Borat's score of movie allowed the audience to make fun of the racism and 89. to keep some distance, watch­ bigotry of the South. I saw While I agree Borat is the ing Borat make his documen­ the satire as much more broad better movie, nothing in Borat tary while chasing his dream than that, but there's no such really surprised me, mostly girl to California. Brüno takes the same mockumentary style, without the making-a­ documentary conceit, and the result is disorienting. At the very least, you are a voyeur; more likely, you are a co-con­ because being a white male, I've seen and heard much of the overt racism and bigotry that movie took to its core (and no, it's not just in the South). Watching Brüno evoked far See Famous, p. 11 The Crime of Being Poor (continued from page 8) homeless people, with Florida and California dominating this year’s 10 Meanest Cities: Los Angeles, Calif.; St. Pe­ tersburg, Fla.; Orlando, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Gainesville, Fla.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; San Francisco, Calif.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Bradenton, Fla.; and Berkeley, Calif. Cincinnati did, however, earn mention for the settle­ ment of a four-year legal bat­ tle over an ordinance requiring panhandlers to obtain licenses and for a legal challenge to state laws that prohibited a homeless sex offender from staying at the Drop Inn Center because of its proximity to a school. The case was eventu­ ally dropped because the man left the area, the report says. Because of state law, the Drop Inn Center still cannot give shelter to sex offenders, no matter how cold it is outside or how hungry they are. Thirteen cities have installed meters that resemble parking meters to accept money that people would otherwise give panhandlers. The proceeds go to agencies that help homeless people. While better than laws restricting panhandling, the meters are still a prob­ try, the response by city officials has been re­ lem, the report says. “If meter programs pression. are combined with “Since early 2007, St. campaigns telling peo­ Petersburg has passed ple not to give to people six new ordinances that asking for money, they target homeless people,” can have a detrimen­ the report says. “These tal impact on people include ordinances that outlaw panhan­ who are in dire need of assistance and can dling throughout most discourage the human of downtown, prohibit connection that occurs the storage of personal when one person gives belongings on public to another person in property and make it need,” the report says. unlawful to sleep out­ “Finally, the amount side at various loca­ of money raised by tions. In January 2007, the meters may not be the Pinellas-Pasco Pub­ significant enough to lic Defender announced make an actual impact that he would no longer on the larger issue of represent indigent peo­ poverty in any given ple arrested for violating community. municipal ordinances to The report details the protest what he called Some cities repurpose old parking increase in homeless­ excessive arrests of ness across the country meters so that potential givers can give to homeless individuals services instead of panhandlers. by the city of St. Peters­ as a result of the Bush burg.” Recession: ing in shelters rose by • Some 311,000 tenants • 33 percent in the past year. The report also highlights nationwide were evicted • Cities surveyed for the re­ constructive responses by a from rental properties in port experienced an aver­ handful of cities in the United the past year after lenders age 12 percent increase in States. foreclosed. • The city of Daytona Beach, homelessness. • Massachusetts reports that Fla., worked with service In many parts of the coun­ the number of families livproviders and business groups to set up a program that provides homeless people with jobs and hous­ ing. Participants are hired to clean up downtown and receive shelter. • The city of Cleveland con­ tracted with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless to provide an indoor food-sharing site to groups that wish to use it. • The city of Portland, Ore., began “A Key Not a Card,” with outreach workers able to immediately offer people living on the street permanent housing. That kind of response points to the report’s chief recom­ mendation: “Instead of crimi­ nalizing homelessness, local governments, business groups and law-enforcement officials should work with homeless people, providers and advo­ cates for solutions to prevent and end homelessness,” the report says. “When cities work with homeless persons and advocate for solutions to homelessness, instead of pun­ ishing those who are homeless or poor, everyone benefits.” �Poetry 10 Only the Deaf Want to Listen STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 The poetry of Daniel Thompson By MiChaEl hEnson Contributing Writer It’s hard to imagine Cincinnati – or any other city I know of – honoring a poet like Daniel Thompson. It’s hard to imagine a city honoring a poet at all. But in Cleveland, there is a downtown street renamed for a poet who spent his life as an advocate for the homeless and the poor. It’s a short street. It’s not like they’re going to give up the naming rights to an interstate highway to a mere poet. But it’s a street, a real paved street: Daniel’s Way. And they even have a plaque installed on a wall to explain who Daniel was. In Cincinnati, the people who get to give names to streets would just as soon have the poets go away. Say what you want about Cleveland, but they have at least some of their priorities right. I first encountered the poetry of Daniel Thompson this year in May. The poet and singer Bree Zlee and the poet/publisher/bookseller Charles Potts had put together a weekend of poetry events, and I was along for the ride. This particular part of the ride took us downtown to the spot where the plaque had been installed on the street known as Daniel’s Way. May in Cleveland is not the same as May in Cincinnati, and I did not go dressed for the cold. So I shivered in a small circle of about a dozen as we read the poems of – and poems dedicated to – Daniel. Then and there I became a fan of the poetry of Daniel Thompson. Daniel was an activist for the homeless and the poor in the city of Cleveland who eventually became poet laureate of Cuyahoga County. He never published a book, but several collections of his work are floating around, including a special edition of The Homeless Grapevine, the Cleveland version of Streetvibes. Daniel seems incapable of writing a bad poem. He hits on old themes (there are, after all, no new themes), but in his work, everything is fresh, everything is sharp and clear, everything reflects in sharp detail the cruel ironies of poverty in a land of wealth. At no time does he resort to stereotype or cliché. There is no ranting, no flat ideological droning. There is only clarity of language and relentless compassion. Here are a few samples: Again A New Beatitude Walking to starlight in a dark season, I hear a new beatitude, America. Listen, Blessed are the homeless, for they shall inherit the street, the sidewalk, the bushes, the cold, cold ground, whatever falls from heaven, pennies of rain, of snow, any spare change of weather, day-old manna, the donut and the hole in the donut, the hole in the sock, in the sole of the shoe, and in the cold, cold ground, and, O, I almost forgot, America, this, too, from you, the cold eye of the stranger… you’re returning to the haunts of the lonely, the broken, on the childhood side of town. Read the signs: IGNORE ALIEN ORDERS ROAD NARROWS Till another deserves one good turn, forgetting nothing, exit on the off chance you may leap from your car in ecstasy, hunger after light, divine for water, turning over the heart’s new leaf to the dark music inside, night coming on quickly. Listen: If you were homeless you’d be home now. News From Home The dogs have turned wild… since you’ve gone, the moon, blue; and my heart in Hell has fro­ zen over…It’s Heaven. Your work is cut out for you when you return… All your calls have stopped…save the mimes; and they’re good. You can’t hear them breathe. Otherwise every­ thing’s business as usual. Only the blind want to read your poems; Only the deaf want to listen. Many thanks to Christopher Franke, a friend and poetic colleague of Daniel who shared these poems with me. 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Editorial 11 The Struggle for National Health care – and Steve Driehaus We must act while we have the momentum By Martha stEPhEns Contributing Writer ter, for government help on the premiums – to private insurance – of people losing their jobs. No mention, though, of Driehaus’s positions on President Obama’s health plan, with its public option. And this is exactly the point, it seems – the ad’s lack of reference to the bills being debated in Congress and the public option. It is made to look like a campaign ad from himself, perhaps: “Hey! We’re telling people that everybody admires your work on healthHomeless people need nacare! We admire you and will tional health care – that's for stick by you. You don’t need sure. Sick and disabled people to back a controversial bill need it. Low-income people with a public option that atneed it. In reality, we all need tacks our industry.” it – birth to grave care, that is, A recent report has calcu­ from doctors and hospitals of lated that $1.3 million a day our choosing, government to is spent on lobbying Congress pay the bills, those who can to by the health industry. pay a premium or a health tax, For the first time in our hisas in other countries, tory, Ameri­ but according to incans are seecome. No connecing a vital and We might be on the verge of getting vociferous tion to employment. genuine reform through a strong We might be on grassroots public option in health care, where the verge of getstruggle for everyone could choose between a ting genuine reform a national Medicare-like public program and through a strong health service. private insurance. A recent poll public option in health care, where by the New everyone could York Times choose between a Medicare- Driehaus, but if you turn it and CBS found that 72 percent like public program and pri- over, the fine print on the back of Americans now believe that vate insurance. page says this: “Paid for by everyone who wants it should In the meantime the battle Pharmaceutical Research and have government insurance of with private insurance goes Manufacturers of America.” the Medicare type. We hear on. In mid-July a strange Driehaus’s offices in Cin- less and less about the dangers four-page ad on health care cinnati and Washington say of “socialized medicine.” appeared in Cincinnati mail- he had nothing to do with this But we must watch with boxes. This glossy, fold-up flier and did not know it was fierce concentration the votes brochure, full of the happy appearing. of our representatives on the faces of kids and families, Is it a dirty trick, then, bills in Congress, including mostly African-Americans, by the pharmaceutical asso- Driehaus’s votes. It was an featured Cincinnatian Steve ciation? So it seems, and we intrepid Driehaus, of course, Driehaus. hope Driehaus will publicly who slew the dragon on the “Congressman Steve Drie- renounce this ad. Deceiving west side of town last year – haus,” the ad says, “wants fliers such as this one have Steve Chabot, a Republican every Ohio child to grow up gone out, we assume, in select in the U. S. House who had healthy and happy.” It de- districts across the country, voted over 90 percent of the scribes Driehaus’s support for wherever it is felt that politi- time with George W. Bush. the expanded kids’ care pro- cians can be pressed into ser- Driehaus received a lot of gram, for Children's Hospital vice for private insurance. The help from progressive and and the Veterans Affairs Cen- real message is for Driehaus disaffected people in his dis- Getting Famoüs more personal reactions. For instance, in one scene where Brüno talks to his agent while getting an anal bleaching, I found my rube mind thinking to itself, “Really? They have stores in LA that specialize in anal bleaching? My God, we've gone to hell.” The amazing thing about the movie is that, given the fo­ cus group and the reaction of other people in the film, Co­ hen and Charles had to know this movie was probably gon­ na bomb, and yet they made it anyway, and the distributors spent a huge amount of money promoting it. That takes some guts, just as it took some guts to insult a terrorist, or to go on a stroll in the Middle East in some gay Hasidic garb until offended people start chasing him. Many of the scenes seem better a few days after view­ ing. The swingers' meeting, where Brüno was trying to turn heterosexual, seemed a little pointless as I watched it, but, given time, now strikes me as brilliant: Married peo­ ple trying to find some mean­ ing in their lives by swapping partners, demonstrating such sexual positions as “pile-driv­ er,” and yet they judge Brüno as a pervert. The mimed fel­ latio that Cohen brilliantly performs before a psychic who communicates with the dead is another scene that gets better with age. You recall the psychic looking almost embarrassed as Brüno, who All who care about this issue should call Driehaus at 513-6842723, as well as the local office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) at 513-684-1021. Ask them to support a bill with a public option open to all, affordable to all and without private insurance. trict, including many African Americans. People sent mon­ ey, put up signs, staffed tables, got voters to the polls. Now we can ask that these favors be returned. In a meeting in Norwood in May, Driehaus was confronted by many citizens asking him to support universal care. He told them that he supported a strong public option. “We’re going to get that bill through,” he said. But at the July 4 parade in Northside, he seemed some­ what less confident that the public option would make its way. Five hundred and fifty-two unions have come on board for what is called “single-pay­ er healthcare,” in which gov­ ernment is the single payer of medical bills as in Medicare, and which many think would ensue if we win a bona fide public option. Many nurses and physicians are at the fore­ front of this struggle. Three Cincinnati physicians are among the activists in the local Single Payer Action Network; they walked with this group in the July 4 Parade and helped to give out nearly 1,000 fliers. In June, the Contact Cen­ ter held a public forum at St. Monica Church in Clifton, where people with chronic ill­ ness spoke out about their need for government insurance. Pat Clifford, executive director of the Drop Inn Center, told the group that the center insures its employees, but that when two of the staff became ill this past year, the private insurer raised the center’s premiums by 55 percent. “We don’t know what we're going to do,” Clifford said. Lynn Williams, the action leader of the Contact Cen­ ter, asked everyone present that night to get out their cell phones right then and there and call Driehaus, and people did. Will the bills in the House and Senate provide a way out of the abyss of pain the health industry has driven us into? Can we grow up and join the rest of the sentient world in providing public care for all? “The struggle for universal healthcare is the great civil rights struggle of our time,” said Senator Bernie Sand­ ers (I-Vermont) on a C-Span show in July. (continued from page 9) asks if he can give the spirit a hug, instead gives the air a great BJ, and you think, dude, you sell people on the idea that you can channel a dead person's thoughts and charge them money for it! Really, who's behavior is more em­ barrassing? Ultimately, I'm thankful that I was able to go to a theater in suburban Cincinnati and watch this film. I recall grow­ ing up here when The Exorcist came out, showing at the same theater where I watched Brü­ no, and it was slapped with an X rating here, so no one under 18 was allowed to be corrupted by a girl vomiting pea soup. We’ve come a long way to watching a grown man show his pee-pee. The best American humor has a sense of anarchy – the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Mae West, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and so on. It’s a reminder that our brains are there to make sense of the world, and in doing so it fools us as much as it enlightens us, and that our institutions are woefully inadequate social constructs that never deliver what they promise. The disturbing lesson is that we are far more alike than we are different. You can’t just look at a frat boy from the South and laugh about his stupid worldview, because his view isn't all that removed from your own. We are the world. It’s an idea Paula Ab­ dul would heartily endorse. Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a proofreader, writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@ yahoo.com �12 STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Issues Justice, Toilets and Bill Cunningham By lynnE ausMan Staff Writer Today, I tuned into WLW via its online podcasts. I never thought the day would come I think it’s safe to say that when I willingly sat down I grew up listening to Bill to listen to Cunningham, but Cunningham. alas that day He has been has come. I a household was joining So the issue of name in the my parents for answering nahome I grew dinner; and ture’s call after up in since when I walked dark is more before I was in the door, my born. mom quickly than a probI distinctly told me that lem of respect. remember the neighbor People do not family vacahad heard want to take tions – listenCunningham care of that sort ing to WLW talking about of business in (700 AM) the the Homeless entire way. Coalition on public. WLW has one the radio. It’s of the strongest happened bebroadcasts: At fore, but today night when many regional sta- I felt the need to tune in. tions go off air, WLW would To my surprise I was mencome in clear all the way to tioned by a caller who apFlorida. This was before iP- parently wrote me a letter. I ods, so I always made sure I haven’t received this letter had enough batteries to keep yet, but I look forward to it. my personal CD player run- The caller suggested that the ning for the entire trip. Lucki- coalition put port-a-potties at ly, my dad was not completely the Hamilton County Courtwithout mercy. By the time we house for the people sleeping hit Tennessee, my brother and outside there. She stated that I could usually talk him into the portable toilets are free. listening to the Beatles, Elton Frustrated with the lack of John or Billy Joel. To this day public restrooms for homethey are three of my favorite less people, the coalition has singers/songwriters: After all, looked at purchasing a port-athey saved me from AM Talk potty. They aren’t free, by the Radio on more than one occa- way. They cost about $85 per sion. month. I plan to tell her that and the following: The only available public restrooms downtown close at 7 p.m. The bathrooms at Washington Park are closed during the winter and they close at dusk in the warmer months. Restrooms at homeless shelters are only open to shelter residents most of the time – and shelters are at capacity. So the issue of answering nature’s call after dark is more than a problem of respect. People do not want to take care of that sort of business in public. Who would? Taking a crap in an ally is potentially the most degrading and humiliating thing someone would have to go through. Have you ever used a bedpan? That’s as close as I ever want to come to shitting in the street. Some homeless people urinate outside the courthouse at night. Cunningham calls it “peeing on the symbol of justice.” What justice? Is it just that my neighbor’s dog shits in my yard everyday and my neighbor doesn’t pick it up because he assumes that, because I have dogs, I won’t mind? Is it just that businesses slam their doors in the face of people looking for an appropriate place to pee? Is it just that we turn the very activities that one must Crossword engage in to survive (sleeping, peeing, eating) into crimes? Is it just that we no longer open our doors to strangers looking for a meal? Is it just that we treat people who are sick and in need of care with disgust and disdain? Is it just that we outsource our jobs overseas and stand idle when people have no work and no money? Is it just that we are willing to allow people to pay their employees less than minimum wage? Is it just that we would rather see someone on the streets than swallow our “pull yourself up by your bootstrap” mentality and give him/her/ them a home? Is it just that we as a society stand idle as people are forced from their homes and into the streets? Frankly, we have bigger problems to worry about than people peeing and pooping near the courthouse. When we have enough affordable housing and permanent supportive housing to meet the need. When we have enough living wage employment available so no one is unwillingly unemployed. When we have the ability to prevent homelessness. When all of the children in our community have enough nutritionally balanced food to eat. When schools have adequate funding and resources to educate their students. When all students finish high school. When everyone has access to higher education. When all couples (gay or straight) are free to be together without ridicule or judgment. When there are no dogs or cats living without a loving family and home. When the neighbor’s yard is mowed. When my neighbor’s dog stops shitting in my yard. When the mosquitoes no longer bite me as I’m enjoying the great outdoors. I think you get my point. When these bigger injustic­ es are solved, I’ll worry about the fecal matter at the courthouse. I know this probably isn’t the answer you were hoping for or expecting, but I hope it answers some questions. But I’ll take this one step further. If you make a taxdeductible donation to the Homeless Coalition of $85 per month, we’ll find a place to put a porta-potty. And by the way, my name is pronounced “Lynn” – you know, like Lynne Cheney. That’s a name you recognize, right? Sudoku Across 2. In the greatest number 5. Beat up 7. Two times 8. The right-hand side 11. Navy 13. Woody plant 14. Permanent army post 15. Capital of Greece 16. Open -----­ 19. People in general 22. Scheme 23. Self-respect 24. Traditionalists 25. Tugs 26. Furnace 27. Fast aircraft Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. Down 1. Employees 2. Skinflint 3. Eight singers 4. Chair 5. Thin soup 6. Conceals 9. Part of verb to be 10. Leased 12. British astronomer 15. Chopping tool 16. Ghost 17. Sorrowful 18. Male name 19. Freshwater fish 20. Small mountains 21. Something that causes fermentation 23. Bishop of Rome The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Community News Nurse, Nun and Advocate 13 Sister Phyllis Kemper takes healing to where it’s needed By Paul MillEr Contributing Writer She wanted to be a nurse or a teacher, but Sister Phyllis Kemper, R.N. couldn’t stand the sight of blood while growing up. Soon after joining the Ursulines of Brown County, however, she helped out with the health care of the older sisters of her community. She found her calling and made the decision to become a nurse. The people of Over-the-Rhine and surrounding areas are cer­ tainly glad she did. Kemper is part of the Parish Nurse Program of TriHealth, a community partnership of Bethesda North and Good Sa­ maritan hospitals. She is one of 10 nurses and three com- munity health workers and a social worker employed in the program, which is based out of churches in nine low-income neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Kemper’s home base is St. Francis Seraph Church at Liberty and Vine Streets. At 10 a.m. every Monday you’ll find her in a small office at Our Daily Bread on Race Street, taking care of the health needs of people in Over-the-Rhine. When doing an initial assessment of health-care needs in Over-the-Rhine, Kemper found that Our Daily Bread had a space where people could see a nurse. “I was always interested in community health nursing,” she says. “I realized people were falling through the Our Daily Bread is a food and hospitality ministry at 1730 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, serving a mid-day meal for more than 500 people every weekday. To volunteer or contribute, call Joan or Kathy at 513-621-6364. Giant Leaps ‘Streetvibes’ vendor now has stable housing By JErEMy flannEry Contributing Writer Getting off the streets and into stable housing is an enormous step for a homeless person to rebound from rock bottom. Streetvibes vendor Leonard Jackson now lives in Section 8 housing in Winton Terrace after being homeless for three years, he says. “I’m not trying to brag about it,” he says. “I’m just really thankful to have it.” Jackson expressed gratitude to organizations in Cincinnati such as the Salvation Army and the Drop Inn Center that provide the homeless and disadvantaged with food, housing assistance and bus fare to seek employment. The city of Cincinnati should do more to help, he says. “The city should pay for homeless people’s rent for a year and pay for their gas and electric, too,” Jackson says. “That would give people a real chance to get themselves back together. I know some people might try to take advantage of that, maybe turn it into a dope house or something, but not everyone. If someone gives me a chance, you bet I’ll try to help myself and do what’s right.” Jackson has been a Streetvibes vendor since 1997, when the Greater Cincinnati Coali­ tion for the Homeless, which publishes the newspaper, had its office on Elm Street, he says. His route spans from Walnut and Race streets in Over-the-Rhine to Knowlton’s Corner and Chase Avenue in Northside, he says. “(Streetvibes) helps pay the bills and keeps bus fare in your pocket,” he says. “It lets people know what’s going on with the homeless, it tells the truth and it reports better than the other newspapers like the Enquirer or before with the Post, because they don’t report on these types of issues much.” Jackson says he is one of the few Streetvibes vendors who venture across the Ohio River to sell the newspaper in Cov­ ington and Newport. Patrons have told Jackson that both Kentucky cities need more vendors like him, he says. “This one lady in Cov­ ington came up to me and she gave me $25,” Jackson cracks, and I wanted to find a way to help.” For a few hours on Monday mornings since 2001, Kemper sees anywhere from four to 14 people at Our Daily Bread. She provides health education and identifies health issues. When necessary, she refers patients to health facilities for treatment, whether a hospital, a clinic or the Medical Van for the Homeless, which parks outside Our Daily Bread ev­ ery Tuesday afternoon. “The emergency room is still used as a source of prima­ ry care,” she says. “Transpor­ tation is a challenge for people to get health care outside of the neighborhood.” High blood pressure and diabetes are common ailments among the population she ministers to. “People don’t feel bad with high blood pressure,” Kem­ per says. “Unless they get it checked, it isn’t identified, and they are at high risk of a heart attack or stroke. And people can’t get or afford the medicine.” Kemper refers people to the Cincinnati Health Department or the Saint Vincent De Paul Charitable Pharmacy so they can have access to the medication they require. She also teaches them how to take their medication. “People get care and realize that they don’t have to feel bad all of the time” she says. “Some don’t remem­ Sister Phyllis Kemper. Photo by Paul Miller. ber what feeling “It’s a blessing to be here” good is like.” Kemper says. “People know Kemper visits people at I am a nurse and watch out home who can’t get out. She will go to the doctor with pa- for me. Once I was walk­ tients who can’t advocate for ing down Vine Street and a crowd had gathered around themselves. “(Many times) it’s just mak­ someone who was in medical ing the doctors instructions distress. A couple of the guys yelled, ‘Clear out of the way! understandable” she says. Kemper also collaborates Here comes the nurse.’ I am with Joyce Cue, the social blessed.” Because of her, so are the worker at Our Daily Bread, people of Over-the-Rhine. when someone needs a referral for social-service needs. Leonard Jackson, uses the money he earns from selling ‘Streetvibes’ to help pay bills and bus fare. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. says. “I asked her what that’s for and she said, ‘That’s from God.’ Then she gave me $2 for newspapers. I thanked her very much for that. That is a bless­ ing from God. Some people say they don’t care about the homeless when I’m selling. I try to tell them, ‘You might be there one day – homeless and with a fishing pole by the river struggling to survive.’ I hope not, but you never know what might happen in the future.” Jackson says Streetvibes could also do more to help its vendors by providing T-shirts so people are more aware of their presence. Vendors would also be able to replenish their stock of papers during the weekend if the office would be open for a half day on Sat­ urdays, he says. Both suggestions are under consideration, according to Lynne Ausman, administra­ tive coordinator for the Home­ less Coalition. “We are working on get­ ting T-shirts, bags, hats or something,” she says. “We’re working on the pricing or rais­ ing funds to do that, or seeing if they can be donated so it can provide them with more legit­ imacy so people don’t have to wonder, ‘Hey, who is this guy?’ The paper is about the vendors and providing for them with something, and to provide a service to the community. But it’s mostly about the ven­ dors.” Opening the office on Sat­ urdays might require resched­ uling staff hours and seeking volunteers, she says. “We only have four staff members and we all work 40 hours per week or more,” Ausman says. “We’ve thought about using volunteers, but we still need staff here. As Streetvibes and our staff grows, maybe we will be able to be open on Saturdays in the fu­ ture.” �Vendor Voice 14 Suicide STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Cleo’s Joke Corner By MaCK l. russEll Vendor Suicide, I hate you. You take away and never give back. You make promises of false dreams, convincing those who follow you that death is better. Suicide, where did you come from? I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s a place of sheer coldness and darkness that will welcome you. Did you hear about the crime that happened to the house that was being remodeled? The showers were stalled, the curtains were held up, the doors were hung – and the windows were framed for it. Suicide, you take from people, never reaping the consequences. You kill without a cause. If pain is all you have to give, pass over, keep on keeping on. There’s no room at this hotel, no vacancies. Your kind is not welcome. Go back where you come from. Please go back. Suicide, I hate you. For my friend Ed, departed March 2007. What’s Happenin’ August Events BEnEfits: Northside Community Yard Sale. Benefits Churches Active In Northside. August 8. 9am-2pm. http://northside.net/sale for more info. MusiC: Grammy-Award Winning Charles Ford Singers. August 23. 4pm. at St. Mark Christian Fellowship 820 Ezzard Charles Dr. aCtivitiEs: Health Care Reform Informational Forum. August 3. 7pm. First Unitarian Church in Avondale. Hosted by Women’s City Club. US Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) will speak. Homegrown Permaculture: Water Use Workshop. “Water: Natural Resource or Commodity?” August 8. 9:30am-4pm. Reservations required. Contact 513/683-2340 or www.grailville. org. Healing Emotions: Briding East and West. August 21. 7pm. Gaden Samdrupling Buddhist Monastery hosts a conversation between a Buddhist monk and a western psychiatrist to explor the integration of East and West in emotional healing. 3046 Pavlova Drive, Colerain Township. More information at 513/385-7116. $10 donation suggested. Read the Streetvibes blog for stories between issues at streetvibes.wordpress.com Ongoing Events 2nd tuEsdays Cincinnati-Ohioans to Stop Execution Meeting. IJPC Peaslee Center (215 E. 14th Street, OTR). 7-8pm. 3rd WEdnEsdays IJPC General Peace Committee. Peaslee Neighborhood Center. 7-9pm. 1st thursdays Benefits Rights Advocacy Group. Contact Center (1212 Vine St. OTR). Noon-1:30pm. Northern Kentucky Peace and Justice Group. Mother of God Church (119 W. 6th St. Covington). 7pm. 2nd thursdays CeaseFire Cincinnati. Church of the Living God (430 Forest Ave). 9:30am. Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati �STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Resources 15 Need Help or Want to Help? Our Daily Bread Shelter: Women and Children 621-6364 Health 535-2719 591-2246 Center for Respite Care 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 557-2873 FreeStore/FoodBank 681-2365 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 562-8841 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Crossroad Health Center 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 872-9259 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Treatment: Men Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 784-1853 721-0643 921-1613 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4080 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment: Both 721-0643 AA Hotline CCAT 471-1100 221-3350 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 351-0422 381-6672 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Advocacy 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 558-8888 981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 458-6670 977-4489 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS Other Resources Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 Hamilton/Middletown 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House Starting Over 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. Puzzle Solutions �16 Vendors’ Artwork Artwork by Anthony Williams STREETVIBES August 1 - 14, 2009 Berta’s Art Corner “Oasis,” Federal Reserve Bank, 150 East Fourth St., Cincinnati, Ohio Double Take “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon Aimie Willhoite captured the dignity and gifts of individuals in Over-the-Rhine. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource August 1–14, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Insane Budgeting Decisions Art for Hard Times Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a ‘Nest Filler’ Pg 4: Insane Budgeting Healing a Nation Pg 5: Arts & Poetry Pg 6: Warm Beer and Cold War Pg 7: Healing a Nation Pg 8: Death on the Cheap Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: Arts & Poetry Pg 11: The Struggle for National Health Care Pg 12: Justice, Toilets and Bill Cunningham Pg 13: Nurse, Nun and Advocate Giant Leaps Pg 14: Suicide Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 1 – 14, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Lew Moores Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Georgine Getty Angela Pancella Paul Miller Will Kirschner Andrew Anderson Aimie Willhoite Jennifer Blalock Ranjit Rege Advocate Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Angela Pancella Arts & Poetry Bill Cunningham Budget Cuts Cold War David Heitfield Discrimination Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Hate Crime health care Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Justice Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce mental health Michael Henson National Health Care Nun Nurse Paul Kopp Paul Miller Ranjit Rege Sister Phyllis Kemper South Korea Stephanie Dunlap Steve Driehaus U.S. Military Will Kirschner https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/eeb603a892a23f4b0cc230dfdf524623.pdf 74fe47996510ea6dd1ff9324deef5276 PDF Text Text Hope, Health Care, Sloppy Joes School Bored Page 6 ‘Homeless’ Millionaire Page 10 Page 3 STREETVIBES $1 August 15-31, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 159 Celebrating This Thing We Do Street-paper conference shares ideas for improvement and growth 1 ‘Streetvibes’ staff and volunteers along with representatives from 20 other street papers in North America attended the 2009 NASNA Conference in Denver, Colo. Photo courtesy of NASNA. Staff report Denver, Colo. – The North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) held its annual conference July 30-Aug. 2 at the University of Denver. Forty-two people from 18 different organiza­ tions attended. The conference, hosted by the Denver VOICE, was both a celebration of the burgeoning street-paper very poor and movement “It is very gratifying to have this story the wider pub­ and an op­ recognized in this way because it goes lic by helping portunity for to the very heart of what we do – we who people to un­ participants work for street newspapers and care about derstand the to share ideas people who are homeless, marginalized, issues and the for improving disenfranchised and so often despised.” personal sto­ their editorial - Gregory Flannery ries of those content, ven­ on the lowest dor programs rung of the and fundraising. ing the conversation around economic ladder,” said Andy “Street newspapers across poverty and homelessness by Freeze, executive director of North America are chang­ building a bridge between the NASNA. Freeze is the former education coordinator for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. The coalition, which pub­ lishes Streetvibes, sent four staff members and contrib­ uting writer Margo Pierce to the conference. Pierce, a 2009 Peter Jennings Fellow, was one of two presenters at a workshop on the theme, “The See Celebrate, p. 9 First the Banks, Now the Rest of Us Federal Reserve officials hear victims of housing crisis By Dave ScharfenBerger Contributing Writer Last year, in a plan de­ signed by the Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve, the federal govern­ ment, bailed out major banks in this country. Yet home fore­ closures are still rising and communities are reporting more vacant properties Federal Reserve officials came to Cincinnati July 21 for a meeting sponsored by Work­ ing in Neighborhoods (WIN) and Communities United for Action. Community leaders and homeowners packed the room to get answers about their mortgages and the va­ cant houses that blight their neighborhoods. Mary Bridges of Kennedy Heights was one of the resi­ dents who went to the hear­ ing looking for answers. When she and her husband refinanced their home several years ago, they ended up with an adjustable-rate mortgage. Her mortgage payment has jumped from $824 to $1,500 a month. Last year her husband died, and Bridges lost her job. She is now facing foreclosure and is asking for a plan to help her keep the home where she has lived for 19 years “I think that my mortgage company can do better,” she said at the hearing. “I like my home and my neighborhood. There has to be some hope out there. I cannot get my mortgage company to work with me.” Bridges was one of many who attended the meeting with Fed officials to tell their stories of the horrors of lend­ ing practices and the effects of foreclosures. Others complained about the number of foreclosed, vacant properties in their neighborhood. “The house next door to me is vacant,” said Pat Hendricks of North College Hill. “Behind me is a vacant house. Two doors up from me is vacant, the corner house is vacant and the house around the See Banks, p. 5 Marilyn Evans, executive director of CUFA, talks to Federal Reserve officials about expanding the Community Reinvestment Act. Photo by Rev. Joe Fozenlogen. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers Streetwise By gregory flannery editor 8,000 the number of police hours spent enforcing the city’s marijuana ordinance (See page 13.) 10 the number of community meetings called by the Federal Reserve (See page 1.) 6,373 Freecycle’s Cincinnati membership (See page 8.) 13 the number of years Jason Haap has been teaching (See page 6.) 300 the size of Grailville’s acreage (See page 14.) 6 the size in ounces of terrorist toothpaste (See page 2.) 18 the number of years Anthony volunteered at the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen (See page 4.) 175 the number of vendors selling the Denver VOICE (See page 5.) 116:8 James Brown’s favorite verse in Psalms (See page 6.) 6 the hour at which Dan La Botz had breakfast in Sacramento (See page 11.) 1989 the year Rick Barnes started working in downtown Denver. (See page 2.) Keeping Us Safe from Terrorist Toothpaste I was packing a six-ounce tube of Close Up toothpaste when I tried to board a flight at Day­ ton International Airport July 30. But the vigilant staff of the U.S. Department of Fatherland Se­ curity was on to me. They knew exactly what I was up to, and they disarmed me. Lest we forget, we live under an orange terrorism alert; and no liquids, aerosols or gels in quantities greater than three ounces may be transported in carry-on luggage on commercial airlines. It is well established that terrorists need at least four ounces of toothpaste to take down a jetliner. Five people from Streetvibes attended the annual conference of the North American Street Newspaper Association in Denver, and our experiences with airline security point to the inan­ ity of the rules that now govern air travel: • One of my colleagues forgot that she had a canister of pepper spray in her carry-on bag. The X-ray machine at the Dayton Airport failed to detect it. All her dentifrices, however, were within the rules, and we landed safely. • Another colleague had illegal contact-lens solution in her carry-on bag. Bad enough that it was a four-ounce container. More shocking still was the fact that she had placed the liquid in a gallon-size plastic bag, even though the rules clearly specify quart-size bags. Fatherland Security, however, waved her right onto the plane. • In May, I boarded a plane in Cincinnati, stopped in the Detroit International Airport, then in Amsterdam on my way to Bergen, Norway. The flight home took me the same route. At each checkpoint, I took from my pants pocket a Zippo lighter given me by my son several years ago. No problem. In Dayton, however, Fatherland Security decided that the very same lighter was as dangerous as my toothpaste and confiscated it. When I asked if I could retrieve the keepsake upon my return from Denver, I was informed that I had lost it forever. That little business of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law” – seems to have fallen by the wayside. Not to worry, though. Another colleague, a savvier traveler than I, told me how to fool the system. Having bought a disposable lighter in Denver, I stuck it inside a shoe in my carry-on bag. The X-ray machine in Denver didn’t catch it. Using this method, I could have bought a huge tube of toothpaste and smuggled it home, but I made my point by not brushing my teeth for several days. I figured the Fatherland Security staff had earned the bad breath to which I exposed them before boarding the flight home. The Streets – and the Law – Are Unforgiving In recent weeks two Streetvibes vendors encountered the cruel reality of homelessness in Cincinnati. One man found himself in need of a toilet late one night. With no public facilities available, he did what any human being would do: he urinated in an alley. Cincinnati Police caught him, cited him and he had to pay a $104 fine. Streetvibes vendors make 75 cents for each copy of Streetvibes that they sell. This infraction meant he had to sell 138 copies of the paper just to relieve himself. Kenneth Stonitsch had a more serious run-in with the law. He was sleeping on the third floor of an abandoned building on Wade Street when the police showed up July 24. “They were trying to get my attention but I couldn’t hear them,” Stonitsch says. “I’m almost deaf, and I was on the third floor. The next thing I knew, I woke up and a dog was in the room. There were four cops in there. They said something, and the dog bit me several times on the right leg. I was in pain pretty bad. All they had to do was tell me to get up and leave. They didn’t have to put the dog on me. It was pretty painful – humiliating, too.” Next thing he knew, Stonitsch was facing a felony charge of burglary and the prospect of a prison sentence. “You’re going to put a felony on me for being homeless?” he says. “Now I’m looking at one to five years in the penitentiary.” A Hamilton County grand jury fortunately saw the issue in a different light, passing over the burglary charge and indicting him instead on the misdemeanor charge of trespassing. The case is still pending. Letter To The Editor To the editor: I was shocked recently on a Sunday in July after coming back from a Poor People’s Confer­ ence in Louisville and needing an emergency bathroom stop because of a stomach virus. My friend John drove me to the Drop Inn Center after getting back to Cincinnati, and a staff person that afternoon refused to allow me to use the bathroom at the Drop. I barely made it to the White castle on Central Parkway to use their bathroom, and thanks to John. I am in complete support that agencies and businesses should allow people to use the bathroom with dignity. Right on, Lynne Ausman! (See “Justice, Toilets and Bill Cunningham,” issue of Aug. 1-14.) A Former Homeless Person in Cincinnati (Editor’s note: The Drop Inn Center now requires all non-resident visitors to show identification. This could explain the writer’s difficulty during his visit.) STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Dave Scharfenberger, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Angela Pancella, Will Kirschner, Ariana Shahandeh, Elizabeth Heath, Dan LaBotz, Jason Haap Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, George Ellis, Jeni Jenkins, Rev. Joe Folzenlogen, Jim Montgomery, Anthony Williams, Berta Lambert Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Ranjit Rege The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Column 3 Eight Minutes with a ‘Homeless’ Millionaire How a finance guy befriended the homeless and gave them a newspaper and hope By Margo pierce Contributing Writer were politicians, and Barnes was appalled. “All of these city ordinance started getting passed about no feedings, can’t sleep out, to urinate in public was a sex of­ fence. At the same time Mayor (John W.) Hickenlooper won an award – all mayors nation­ wide were up for it – for his homeless campaign. The first thing that came to my mind was the hypocrisy: He wins this award and they’re pass­ ing all these ordinances that make it illegal to be home­ less. The amount of hypoc­ risy is just disgusting. People going to church every Sunday but not practicing what’s be­ ing preached to them – I just wonder if people go to church and hear anything. “About 80 percent of the panhandlers were wheelchair-bound. What I found out was that these were all people on disability, but that disability doesn’t pay your bills. When you’re on dis­ ability, you can make other income; but if your other in­ come exceeds a certain level, then you lose your disability. It’s a crock, a catch 22.” Barnes was fired up and happy to support the original Denver VOICE with a month­ ly donation when the paper fell on hard times. But after 10 years, the paper closed its doors in 2006. Described as “a grassroots newspaper cre­ ated in large part by homeless people for homeless people” by the paper’s Web site, the Denver VOICE got a second chance from Barnes, who took it over in 2007. The guy holding the door wore a yellow baseball cap with a cowboy riding a horse stitched on it, a lime-green T-shirt, cargo shorts and flipflops. People were trickling in and he just stood there, hold­ ing the door. It was a beauti­ ful Saturday afternoon and he was in no hurry. He seemed content to stand there all day if asked. There was no hint of arrogance or impatience, the tell-tale signs most people equate with a millionaire, and I had no idea I just walked past the man who rescued the Denver VOICE from oblivion. Rick Barnes is the guy oth­ ers will hold the door for in hopes of getting a few mo­ ments of his time. As the pres­ ident and CEO of six financial companies hired by likes of Merrill Lynch and Citi Group Rick Barnes is the publisher of the Denver VOICE and on the board of the North to sell some of their “mort­ American Street Newspaper Association. Photo by Lynne Ausman. gage platforms,” he’s the kind of man who could easily ig­ City Hall hasn’t panned out can get by having a homeless tion, I don’t believe people nore the homeless woman in the way he anticipated. The paper versus just handing out have to be taught to take care the wheelchair on the corner new Denver VOICE, which put 20s all day long on the street of their neighbor, especially in favor of the eager suits fol­ out its first edition in August corner, the impact on the if somebody is really, really, lowing in his wake. But he 2007, focuses on arts and hu­ consequences are so much really fortunate,” he said. “So doesn’t. man-interest better.” why does somebody who’s “I’m born features that With the rise of laws tar­ really, really fortunate have and raised “I’m the type of guy who will throw 20s out to aren’t printed geting homeless people, it’s to be taught that they should in Denver, a panhandler. I don’t care if they go shoot it. I a n y w h e r e difficult to understand how take care of the guy that’s less so I have don’t care if they go drink it. I don’t care if they else, but not a person in a business that fortunate? That part will al­ w o rk e d go eat it or go buy a pair of socks, whatever.” a c t i v i s m . trades heavily on reputation ways confuse me. downtown - Rick Barnes That’s OK would take the risk of getting “Looking at it from a pure since 1989,” with Barnes involved with such an un­ business perspective, I think he said. “I’m because the popular cause. Barnes offered I can completely remove my­ the type of guy who will throw “I get this paper … then it economic impact for the a simple explanation. self from any contributions 20s out to a panhandler. I dawned on me that I didn’t vendors is where he sees the “Because it’s right,” he said. to the paper after the 36th don’t care if they go shoot it. know one person that had biggest bang for his philan­ “In my heart I feel like you’re month. I don’t care if they go drink it. any journalism background,” thropic buck. supposed to take care of the “To me that seems like a I don’t care if they go eat it or he said. “I had no idea how “In the month of August homeless, and you’re sup­ pretty simple model; if peo­ go buy a pair of socks, what­ to secure funding for it, and 2008, the Democratic Nation­ posed to take care of the poor ple can’t find beauty in that ever. From a spiritual per­ the answer is there is no way. al Convention was in Denver and you’re supposed to feed model from a business per­ spective, I felt like it was none There’s no one out there that … we sold 17,000 copies,” he the hungry and you’re sup­ spective, then you can’t find of my business. If somebody wants to back a paper for the said. “And this is when I start­ posed to clothe the naked. I beauty in a field of flowers. was asking for help, I’d extend homeless. I wasn’t in a posi­ ed looking for feedback. Most just believe it.” You can’t tell me that the city a helping hand. tion to afford it, so I borrowed vendors average $2 a paper. Barnes is convinced others of Cincinnati doesn’t have “After a while I’d just stop $50,000 from my 401K. That That’s $35,000 that we just know what’s right, too. any one of 50,000 people who and talk with them. Some of was the seed capital. And then put into the poor communi­ “Do you believe that people could cough up that money them became friends and I all of a sudden my businesses ty’s pockets. have to be taught that hunger and never even miss it.” helped some of them to get started booming. I never once “The last three consecutive is a crime? With that ques­ into housing. Sometimes, if thought about giving home­ months we’ve sold between they were in a jam, I’d help less people a job through this 16,000 and 17,000 papers, so them out of a jam. But all of project – my main intention we’ve been putting between Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an a sudden all of my friends was always to be an activist $30,000 and $35,000 into opportunity to learn who those people are and what started disappearing because and to challenge head on the the pockets of the poor and motivates them to be a positive influence. they were getting run off.” city government.” homeless community. I’m a Those doing the chasing His intention to take on businessman; the mileage I �4 Community News STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Walking and Imaginary Chats & Smoking Real Compassion A few random encounters Soup kitchen offers unexpected opportunities By angela pancella Contributing Writer Smokers have a community of their own that is centered around their ‘cancer sticks.’ Photo by George Ellis. By larry groSS Contributing Writer Take a cigarette out of your pack, light it, then take a walk in downtown Cincinnati. You might have a few odd encounters and experiences along the way. I’ve seen this guy for years downtown, mostly on Race Street. He’s older and of­ ten well dressed. He’s come to know I’m a smoker and whenever I pass him, without fail, he asks for a cigarette – sometimes two. Lately, when he asks for two, I tell him he’s lucky that he’s getting one. This woman I pass on Vine Street on occasion could be a prostitute. Smiling, she’ll ask for a smoke and a light. As I light her cigarette, she usually puts her arms down my back, stroking it. If she were pret­ tier, I might want to take this to another level. When I think this, I often wonder what that says about me. The other day, while walk­ ing down Elm Street, a home­ less man asked for one of my Camel Lights. In a plastic bag, he had a pair of shoes he wanted to sell me for only five bucks. They weren’t bad look­ ing shoes, but they weren’t my size. Coming out of the down­ town library one day, a man in a wheelchair asked me for a cigarette. After he took it, he had a question: “Do insects sleep?” It was a good ques­ tion, and I didn’t have an an­ swer. When I got home, I did a Google search. You can do the same. In front of the CVS Phar­ macy on Seventh Street, a young woman walking down the sidewalk, laughing and talking with another young woman, saw me smoking and said, “Hey, dad, give me a cig­ arette.” “I’m not your dad,” I replied as I kept walking. Her approach to “asking” pissed me off. Another time, also in front of CVS, a young woman wanted a smoke. After I lit it for her, she looked at me and said, “Oh, I love your hair!” The next day I got a haircut. There’s a homeless man who’s usually standing on the corner of Sixth and Main. He’s always holding a cardboard sign that’s too faded for me to read. He always has a back­ pack planted next to him on the sidewalk, with an old pa­ perback book on top. I always stop, give him a cigarette and a buck if I have it and we talk for a little bit about what he’s reading. He’s always anxious to fill me in, sometimes want­ ing to talk too long about his book. I sometimes want to ask him what went wrong, why is he homeless, but so far I haven’t. Once I was at Government Square, smoking and pac­ ing, waiting for a bus to take me to Clifton. When the bus pulled up, my cigarette was only about half smoked, but I decided to drop it on the cement at my feet and put it out. A guy runs up to me and says, “Hey, hey! I’ll finish it for you.” Some weeks back, a guy stopped me on Eighth Street wanting a cigarette. After I gave it to him, he then want­ ed money to help out with bus fare. I gave him a dollar. He then waned to know if I had a car and could take him across the river to Newport. I told the guy I was busing it. It occurred to me to ask him if he had any household chores he wanted me to do, but I kept my mouth shut. Standing at the corner of Sixth and Vine, waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street, an older woman was standing with me. I was smoking. She looked at me in disgust and started waving her arms around, signaling that the cigarette smoke was bothering her. Proud of my­ self, I resisted the temptation to put the cigarette out. As the old bag crossed the street, I thought to myself, “What a bitch.” I was also proud of myself that I didn’t say those words out loud. See what you’re missing? If you’re not walking and smok­ ing, try it. Pat Wakim is executive di­ rector of the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen and the Walnut Hills Kitchen and Pantry. For about 18 years a gentleman named Anthony offered his assis­ tance at the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen as volunteers and staff prepared noon meals at this, the oldest soup kitchen in Cincinnati. “He passed away recently, God rest his soul,” Wakim says. “He was schizophrenic. He was often talking to sev­ eral people at the same time. When volunteers came, I would explain to them, ‘Now, he’s going to talk to himself, but he’s harmless.’ ” One day Wakim and An­ thony were working by them­ selves. As was his custom, Anthony was carrying on conversations. Wakim wasn’t listening all that closely until she heard him say, “She’s all right. She has a good heart.” “Are you talking about me to somebody?” Wakim asked. He wouldn't answer directly; Anthony, who recently passed away, was he just laughed as Wakim a longtime volunteer at the Over-the-Rhine mock-warned, “You bet­ Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Over-the-Rhine ter not be talking about me and Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry. again” Few situations are compa­ Hills and opened a kitchen cause I was supposed to rable in value to overhearing and pantry there. He also make amends. Nothing was someone talk about you to founded Tom Geiger Guest right, and then I came in and the voices in his head. But House, now a number of learned that it’s not all about at places like the Over-the- houses offering transitional me. I enjoyed being tested to Rhine Kitchen, these situ­ and permanent housing for get things done quickly. I just ations become learned to come the norm of dayout of myself.’ to-day life, not Few situations are comparable in value If the kids are the exception. to overhearing someone talk about you lucky, they do get And now there is to the voices in his head. But at places a lot out of it.” an opportunity like the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen, these As will the perto step into this situations become the norm of day-toson who will be world: Wakim is day life, not the exception. manager at the on the lookout for Over-the-Rhine a new manager at Kitchen. The the kitchen; the current man­ battered and homeless wom­ atmosphere is established ager is retiring. en and children or homeless at the door, where staff and The Over-the-Rhine Kitch­ individuals and families with volunteers welcome guests en is easy to spot on Vine disabilities. Geiger, now de­ and tell them, “Thank you Street across from St. Francis ceased, was a volunteer in for coming.” Wakim, who is Seraph Church; it's the build­ the earliest days who lived in Lebanese, says the culture of ing with cornucopias painted the back room of the kitchen. hospitality in her heritage in­ on the doors. Local author The place is still often called spires her to welcome guests and professor Rev. Thomas “Tom’s Kitchen.” “just as if my mother was wel­ Bokenkotter founded it in “A staff of five runs three fa­ coming them into her home 1976 with the help of his cilities,” Wakim says. “It takes to eat.” mother Gertrude and with all of us to make this happen, “The people are the fo­ his sisters helping to cook the and the volunteers are the key cus,” she says. “We get a lot meals. to everything. We get volun­ of elderly folks here. They’re Inspired by a visit to Doro­ teers when somebody gets a just looking for a good smile. thy Day’s House of Hospitality tug on their heart from above, (They'll tell us,) ‘Show your in New York City, Bokenkotter and they can get involved teeth!’ ” came back asking, “Who is with the meals, with painting The new manager will have helping the poor in Cincin­ a wall, with building some­ to have “a heart for the poor,” nati?” Once Over-the-Rhine thing. ... We’ve had so many Wakim says. “If you don’t, it’s Kitchen was established, Bo­ young people. One young not going to be worth it. But kenkotter saw the great need man wrote us the nicest let­ it’s the best job you could that also existed in Walnut ter. He said, ‘I came in be- ever have.” Applicants can contact Wakim at aposervice@juno.com or 513-961-1983. �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Community News Street Papers Grow Across USA Circulation keeps growing as larger newspapers struggle By april DuDaSh Contributing Writer Three men with three diffi­ cult pasts stand in the streets. One didn’t have enough mon­ ey to pay rent, and he couldn’t afford to find a place to sleep at night. A second struggled to find housing while he received money for his disabil­ ity, but it wasn’t enough to get by. The third has been homeless for nearly five years. He was in a crash on his Harley, tore up his shoulder and destroyed his ability to find decent work. Despite having different stories, these men all share a similar struggle with homelessness, and they have all found work as vendors selling street newspapers. Street newspapers, which provide an income for homeless people and spread awareness of homelessness, are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. The papers publish news articles, poetry and advice, and vendors who are homeless or formerly homeless make a profit by selling them in the streets. “I’m not homeless no more,” says Carlos Valdez, a vendor for the Denver VOICE. “I feel like I can contribute because they’ve done a lot for me.” Staff members of street papers hope to provide opportunities and resources to vendors so they can find housing and income. Dale Harbour, a 52-year-old vendor with the Denver VOICE, has been homeless for about five years Many cities in North America have street newspapers. Photo by Lynne Ausman. after losing his job due to in- Cincinnati, Ohio. “We’ve sold Flannery’s 28 years of jourjuries from a motorcycle ac- out two months in a row and nalism experience has shaped cident. had to increase our print run. Streetvibes into a publication “I do well enough to get by It’s really unusual in that a lot that focuses on civil rights for now,” he says. “I feel some- of newspapers are going out and pinpoints poverty issues where I’ve got to keep going, of business right now.” and success stories. and it’s a day-by-day thing A year ago, Flannery says, “This little street newspamost of the time. Eventually, Streetvibes printed 5,000 cop- per put out by a small nonI’ll recover from it all.” ies per month and sold out profit exemplifies what I Street newsthink journalism papers genis really about, erally rely on “This little street newspaper put out telling the stosubscriptions, by a small non-profit exemplifies what ries of everyday grants or donaI think journalism is really about, tellpeople and their tions to keep ing the stories of everyday people and struggles and publishing. At a their struggles and their successes in a their successes majority of the world that can often be very cruel.” in a world that papers, vendors - Gregory Flannery can often be very pay 25 cents for cruel,” Flannery an issue and sell says. it for $1. They keep what they of papers. It has now begun The paper has published earn. bi-weekly publishing, print- stories that reveal the exing 4,000 copies every two ploitation of Puerto Rican Rising circulation weeks. workers when they arrive to “A lot of the success in the Cincinnati as well as the city Despite the struggling U.S. paper is due to generosity,” council’s motives to drive economy, street newspapers he says. “People know the homeless people out of the have been thriving. The num- vendors are homeless. They downtown area. ber of papers sold has in- buy the paper just as an act “When you’ve got nothcreased across the nation. of kindness. I’m hoping that ing at all and you’re desper“It’s been pretty astonish- people are now starting to ate just to survive, it can be a ing, really,” says Greg Flan- buy the paper because they pretty cruel world,” Flannery nery, editor of Streetvibes in want to read it.” says, “especially in Cincin- 5 nati.” Other newspapers are also triumphing during the economic crisis. Vendors of the Denver VOICE sold 3,000 newspapers in January, and they were selling up to 16,000 only three months later. “Our vendor numbers have gone up, and I think that’s a direct correlation to the economy,” says Gretchen Crowe, vendor program director for the Denver VOICE. The paper has about 175 vendors selling the paper each month. Street Speech in Columbus, Ohio, was selling about 600 papers in August 2008. Now, the paper is selling around 4,000 copies per month, according to Shea Davis, Ameri­ Corps VISTA and Street Speech coordinator. “Most of them (the home­ less vendors) really believe in the mission of the paper and they want to get the word out,” Davis says. “They’re happy to feel that they have a voice in the media and that they have a way to share their stories.” Street Speech has given the homeless new opportunities, such as jobs in the communi­ ty. A local restaurant was hir­ ing, and the owner decided to employ one of their vendors, Davis says. “The owner had seen him standing out there in terrible weather,” she says. “He just saw his perseverance and dedication and work ethic and realized he would be a great employee to have.” All of these street news­ papers are members of the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA), an organization that supports self-sustaining street news­ papers around the country. About 25 U.S. street papers are members. “The news, the informa­ See Papers, p. 10 First the Banks, Now the Rest of Us (Continued from page 1) 1 corner is vacant. These vacant properties are in a constant state of deterioration and I feel like no one cares how my neighborhood is affected.” “We told the Federal Reserve that they needed to hear from homeowners and community leaders who were feeling the effects of foreclosures,” said Marilyn Evans, executive director of Communities United For Action (CUFA). “We know that they are hearing from the banks, but they also need to hear from us. We told them they needed to expand and modernize the Community Reinvestment Act and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.” The meeting in Cincinnati was one of 10 meetings that Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke agreed to hold around the country. Representing the Fed were Joseph Firschein, assistant director and com­ munity affairs officer, and Anna Alvarez Boyd, asso­ ciate director of analysis and communications. If Federal Reserve officials wanted stories, they heard plenty in Cincinnati. “Your stories really put a face on what this crisis is about,” Boyd said. She and Firschein promised to take the stories and issues raised by WIN and CUFA back to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. “When you’re talking to us, you’re really talking to them,” Boyd said. Other public officials who attended were State Rep. Denise Driehaus, Hamilton County Commis­ sioner David Pepper and Cincinnati City Council members Roxanne Qualls and Cecil Thomas. Also in attendance were representatives from U.S. Bank, Fifth Third Bank, PNC Bank and Spirit of America. The recommendations that community leaders presented were: • updating the Community Reinvestment Act and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to in­ clude all mortgage institutions; • access to good mortgage loan products, in­ cluding 30 year fixed rates, without prepay­ ment penalties, yield-spread premiums and high closing costs; • requiring lenders to make affordability modi­ fications to loans or to prove why they can’t; • maintaining vacant properties and encour­ aging lenders to give or sell them at reduced prices to neighborhood development corpo­ rations; • and developing banking fees and small loan products to provide an alternative to preda­ tory lending. WIN and CUFA representatives along with Na­ tional Peoples’ Action plan to meet with Bernanke at the conclusion of the 10 meetings to discuss the results of the hearings and possible action to ad­ dress issues raised. CUFA President Roger Davis is looking for re­ sults. “They saw and heard what is going on because of foreclosures and how people are hurting,” he said. “Now we will see what the Federal Reserve will do.” �6 STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Guest Column No Media Buzz for Textbooks But the school-board race affects all of us Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here are not to be perceived as an endorsement or reflecting the views of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes. By JaSon haap guest Columnist board seem nearly invisible. The candidates pull fewer campaign stunts and so end up with less news coverage. News readers talk less. The buzz doesn't generate. Can­ didates spend less money on races. All this means less vis­ ibility. Still, this year, the Hamil­ ton County GOP has decided to turn the school board race into a partisan affair – endors­ ing candidates and a plat­ form opposed both to school levies, as well as what they call the bad leadership of the Democrats they say have oc­ cupied the board for too long. Given the state of the econ­ omy, I'd bet the Republicans Is that the school board or the school bored? Do you pay attention to the school board race? I'm going out on a limb and guess you do not. I know I've never given the school board much thought – at least not until recently. The political landscape is so flooded with controversies ev­ erywhere: Maybe you've been debating Obama's health care plan with friends over coffee Jason Haap is running for Cincinnati School Board. Photo courtesy of or beer; maybe you have an Jason Haap Campaign. opinion on Strickland's plan for education reform; maybe Public Schools’ (CPS) budget ties already issued endorse­ protected by the pyramidal you've been writing City Hall is unstable. If faced with cuts, ments before I pulled my first power structure that shields as they have threatened once what kinds of policies should petition. I want more people the interests of those at the again to the district to pay attention to the race, top. If the district must cut, cut human adopt to put and I want to advance policy the people at the top can dic­ services If ever the district must make cuts to services kids first? concepts that protect our stu­ tate cuts from on high, taking first. that affect kids, those cuts should be reflected How can we dents and our schools from things away from kids – such But at proportionally in the budgets of the high-paid make sure divisive partisanship. I have as busing or extracurricular the level administrators who make such decisions. the interests ideas that can work, ground­ activities or arts and music of critical of students ed in the actual roles and re­ programs. But nothing re­ mass – in are placed sponsibilities of the school quires these decision-makers terms of what gets covered by are banking on the general ahead of partisan games and board – and my hallmark to share in the cuts them­ the daily papers, the televised population not wanting to political showmanship? plan is something I call “Pro­ selves! That's why I want to news, the frenzy of bloggers think about tax increases. That's why I entered the portional Cuts.” adopt a policy for “Proporcommenting on hot items Board members have al­ race, even though the ticket Typically, high-paid cen­ See Media, p. 7 – races like those for school ready claimed the Cincinnati is full and both major par- tral-office administrators are Stay Motivated, Keep Selling ‘Streetvibes’ vendor is also a community volunteer By JereMy flannery Contributing Writer Motivation must be diffi­ cult to find when you’re un­ employed and homeless. But James Brown is now neither. He has stable housing in Bud­ dy’s Place at 1300 Vine St. and sells Streetvibes to earn an income while seeking steady employment. “It’s the first time I have my own place in a long time,” he says. Brown has been unem­ ployed from a steady job since January 2008. Though he has been applying for work, he has been denied employment prospects because of his past drug convictions, he says. Brown, 38, moved to Cin­ cinnati from Detroit, Mich., with his wife in 2002 when she was hired at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. While in Detroit, Brown worked part time for the Chrysler Corp. “(Cincinnati) is slower than Detroit,” Brown says. “Cin­ cinnati could do better things with its construction and vendor for three months and the police. They need to give most often sells the newspa­ people second chances with per around 13th Street and felonies to get jobs and stay Vine streets. off the streets selling drugs. “I sell to businesses around Change the negative into a there and to people walking positive.” by on the street,” he says. “I Brown stayed at the Drop have a lot of regular customInn Center from October 2008 ers there now, and they seem to February to really 2009 and love the pa­ would like “It’s a blessing to per. I do get to return wake up every day some good there to and be motivated sales. I volunteer. to live life and keep even made “I used going, because you $20 after to sell ciga­ don’t know what might a couple rettes and happen tomorrow.” of hours washing - James Brown once. But, bottles at you know, the Dropthere are Inn Center – that’s how I some people that just walk made my living,” he says. “I’d right past you. like to go back and volunteer “It’s amazing how the pa­ there to help the people there per gets people to come back to get up and get motivated to to the vendors. People say find work and have hope. It’s a the articles are good and it blessing to wake up every day tells the truth about home­ and be motivated to live life lessness. People talk about and keep going, because you homelessness, but you don’t don’t know what might hap­ really know it without the pen tomorrow. They need to firsthand experience. Streethelp people who are really ill vibes could do more articles and help people get a change on homelessness, and I know of clothes.” they’re doing that now, but it Brown volunteers for Our would be great to see more of Daily Bread, a food and hos­ it because it’s important.” pitality ministry in Over-theBrown says he attends Rhine, assisting the organiza­ church on Sundays to keep tion with mailings, he says. himself motivated. He would He has been a Streetvibes also like to write poems for James Brown has been a Streetvibes vendor for three months. Photo by George Ellis. Streetvibes, he says. He quotes Psalm 116:8 from the Bible: “He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” Brown says the passage inspires and motivates him. “It’s a passage about life and helps keep me going,” he says. �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Local News Dear Uncle Jimmy, My Friend 7 Remembering an editor who turned his life around visit with my mom, she would try to bite me. You would yell at her but it wouldn’t do any good. I asked you what D.D. meant and you said, laugh­ ing, “Dumb Dog.” Your brown eyes lit up when you laughed, and your laughter was conta­ gious. By elizaBeth heath I never knew you were an Contributing Writer alcoholic until later on in my life. I always wondered why I'm sitting here trying to we didn’t see you much any­ write something for Street- more. You became a distant vibes, but all I can do is think relative. You spent less and about you. Send me some­ less time with us and more thing, Jimmy. Send me some­ and more time drinking. I thing good. This might be the missed you. I tried to find you. only time I None of our get to see my family knew words in print. You picked me where you I do it for you, up out of the car were. in memory of and spun me I was 17 you, a man I around before when you put loved so much pulling me close yourself in but barely and squeezing me. the hospital. knew. “My little Bethie,” You tried to Most of my you said. drink yourself memories of to death at you are when I Aunt Janeen’s was a child. I remember your house. The first time I came black TransAm with T-tops. I to the hospital to see you, think you had the first mobile you slept the whole time. The phone ever made. You came second time you cussed at all to visit us when you first got of us and told us to get out. it. None of us did. The third time You yelled to my mom, I came to visit, when I walked “Hey, Jane, come check out into your room, you said, “My my mobile phone!” I ran out little Bethie,” with tears in the door as fast as I could, your eyes. I just hugged you right past you and into your as tightly as I could. It had car to check out the mobile been so long since I saw you. phone. I had never seen any­ You didn’t remember me be­ thing like it before. I picked ing there before that day. The up this thing that was bigger drinking had taken its toll on than my head. It was attached you. You looked older than to a black box about triple the you were. You looked like an size of the actual phone. old man lying in that hospital You picked me up out of bed. It made me so sad. the car and spun me around After you got out of the before pulling me close and hospital you went right back squeezing me. “My little to drinking. None of us saw Bethie,” you said. I giggled you once again. You stayed and squirmed until you put away for years. Why did you me down and went on to talk do that, Jimmy? Was it the and laugh with my mom, booze? Was it shame? Did my your sister. mom keep you away? I asked We would go to Grandpa’s about you all the time, and all to visit. I remember you be­ I ever got was, “I don’t know.” ing there a lot, you and your You didn’t get to see my beau­ poodle named D.D. I didn’t tiful daughter. You didn't like that dog. She was mean know that, despite my diffi­ to me. Every time I came to cult life and getting pregnant Jimmy Heath was the editor of Streetvibes until his death in December 2007. Photo by Jim Montgomery when I was still a child myself, I finished high school and went on to college. There was so much of my life I wanted you to be a part of. I missed your warm brown eyes, sweet smile and contagious laugh­ ter. I missed you spinning me around before the big hug. The next time I saw you, you were in the hospital again. You had not been drinking in years, but it still made you sick. I walked into the room and straight to your bedside. I leaned over and whispered in your ear, “I love No Media Buzz tional Cuts.” It's a simple concept: If ever the district must make cuts to services that affect kids, those cuts should be reflected proportionally in the budgets of the high-paid administrators who make such decisions. In other words, these administrators should never be able to take away from kids without also taking away from themselves. I've discovered this concept has broad appeal across the political spectrum. When the Green Party endorsed me, they liked the concept. As I've been out on the street collect- ing signatures, everyone with whom I’ve spoken said they liked the idea. My Republican friends and my Democratic friends like the idea. It rings with the independents, too. I believe this is a commonsense solution for uncommon economic times. It might not solve all our economic woes, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. OK, so I guess it won't generate the same kind of buzz as Jeff Berding’s disgusting campaign stunt when he wanted to require our most desperate citizens to pay a “panhandling tax,” while forcing them you, Jimmy.” I fully expected to hear, “I love you, too, my little Bethie.” I heard nothing. I felt like a child again, like I always did in your presence. You had the ability to make me feel that way although I was almost 30. All I could do was cry. Your warm eyes and sweet smile are only in my mind now. You are gone and I don’t have any answers to why you stopped coming around. You were a great man, Jimmy. You did good in the world. You helped people. You left me feeling like I missed out and wishing I would have known you better. I still see your warm eyes and sweet smile. Every day I will always remember you fondly, my sweet uncle Jim­ my: your laughter, your hugs, your amazing ability to turn your life around. I wish I could have spent more time with you as an adult, but I know you are watching over me. Smiling as I write. I love you. I miss you. Jimmy Heath, former editor of Streetvibes, died in 2007. (continued from page 6) 1 to hold city-issued signs stating how much money the city spends on human services. That sounds more like North Korea than Cincinnati, but unfortunately is the kind of thing that gets public attention on a large scale. Nevertheless, we must continue to advocate for our schools, and one way to do so is to raise the general awareness of the school-board race. School-board members can make decisions concerning the acquisition of materials and approving courses of study. On the one hand, it sounds like boring stuff. How excited can anyone get over the prospect of approving textbook purchases? But if you are a parent or a prospective parent and know about the long lines and waiting lists at certain magnet-school programs, then maybe you should think about what kinds of new programs the district adopts. The school board has the abil­ ity to direct the district in such regards. I love that CPS has Montessori programs in some magnet schools. I’d like to see more creativity, like a Waldorf-methods public high school, for example. The edu­ cational establishment has grown increasingly aware of the Waldorf method over re­ cent years, and the growing research is persuasive. Would changes like this improve our system and by extension our city? I think so, and that’s why I'm running. I have new ideas that are not just sound bites, but the kinds of things upon which the board could actually act. I live in Mt. Airy with my wife of 10 years and our two sons. I have been teaching for 13 years, and my platform arises from those experiences. �8 STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Local News Don’t Dump it; Freecyle it Sharing unwanted items helps to save the environment By paul Kopp Contributing Writer Green and frugal This rule is indicative of the initial idea behind Freecyle. Freecyle has three groups Rather than operating as a Sometimes it seems that, in Cincinnati, corresponding forum for people to get free in our consumer-based cul- to the city’s neighborhoods: stuff, Freecyle is at its core an ture, we have forgotten how west side, east side and cen- environmental and humani­ to share. People seem to be tral. The central group, which tarian effort. constantly buying new items includes areas within the city Frequently offered items to replace older ones, and of- limits, has 6,373 members. include baby and children’s ten those things end up in the Don Freeland, one of the accessories, clothing, furni­ garbage when someone else group’s five moderators, says ture and household items. could still use them. the membership has nearly The central Cincinnati group Now there is a doesn’t allow system that might pets to be postoffer a solution, “The majority of people offer items that ed, because helping people others need. It keeps them out of our animals aren’t share while at the landfill, and it is a deterrent to more something same time benespending for those items. However, that would go fiting themselves it also points out our obsession with into a landfill, and the environ‘new.’ Many people offer items that and including ment as well. are working well, serviceable and in them wouldn’t Freecyle.org is good condition just because they are fit with the a non-profit comredecorating, or are bored with the item. group’s goals. munity network At least those items are getting used to The decision that was created the end of their life span, and that’s an on whether to as a forum for important function of Freecycle.” include pets people to give and - Laura Hasenstab is decided rereceive things for gionally. free. Founded in In Cincin2003 in Tempe, Ariz., to pro- doubled in the five years nati, two different cultures mote waste reduction and since he joined. make up the city‘s Freecyle lessen desert-landfill usage, it Freeland, who lives in base, according to Kim Dye, has quickly become an inter- Hamilton, found out about the Central Cincinnati modnational movement. the group through word of erator. There are now 3,500 mouth. As a moderator, one “There is a green group Freecycle groups throughout of his duties is to review new and a frugal group, and they the world, administered by members’ posts to make sure have kind of come together,” local volunteers from each they understand and are fol- she says. group’s area. Membership is lowing the guidelines. Because society is becomfree. Each group has an on“One of the things that we ing greener in general, people line forum for posting items are very particular about is have become more conscienthat members want to give that the subject lines of the tious about putting things in away and items they’d like postings are consistent,” the landfills, Dye says. They, to receive. No money is in- Freeland says. “These would along with people who can’t volved, and each group has be ‘wanted,’ ‘taken,’ ‘offer,’ afford to buy new things, moderators to make sure that ‘received,’ ” he says. need to save money or want members follow the group’s Another key rule is that to help someone in need, are guidelines. there must be a 2-to-1 ratio of finding Freecyle a simple so“offer” to “wanted” postings. lution. “Some people are more on the environmental side, some feel it’s right to give things away to those who have the need for it and some are just out there because they want to get something for free,” Freeland says. “It’s a pretty wide spectrum, but the majority of people are probably a combination of all of those. Nobody does it for any one specific reason.” Jess O’Rourke, a nurse who has been a member for two years, gives examples. “I cleaned out my friend’s basement last year, and he told me to just throw everything away,” O’Rourke says. “Instead, I used Freecyle, and nothing was thrown away at all, at least by me. That was a lot of stuff! When I moved, I really needed moving boxes. I put up a ‘wanted’ post and I received moving boxes galore, packing paper, bubble wrap, etc. When I was done with them, I used Freecyle for everything I had received. It was great.” Help for non-profits Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless acquired two boxes of old editions of ‘Time’ magazine from Freecycle, to be used by high school students in creating photo books documenting urban poverty and social justice issues. Photo by Lynne Ausman. ! ? t a h W y a Most participants arrange to pick up items at the donor’s home, usually left on a front porch. That way participants don’t have to worry about scheduling conflicts. “When I go to pick something up, it always gives me that Christmas feeling, to have a little gift with your name on it,” Freeland says. Using Freecyle is beneficial for families who have no way to take items somewhere to donate, Dye says. Non-profit organiza­ tions have also made use of Freecycle. Dye, who is the hu­ man-resources manager for a non-profit agency that works with inner-city youth in the Cincinnati Public Schools, says she has received expen­ sive graphing calculators for students through Freecyle. Organizations that donate items are also able to receive a receipt for tax purposes. Laura Hasenstab, a Freecyle member and retired high­ school English and specialeducation teacher, says the movement says both good and bad things about society: “The majority of people offer items that others need,” she says. “It keeps them out of our landfill, and it is a de­ terrent to more spending for those items. However, it also points out our obsession with ‘new.’ Many people offer items that are working well, serviceable and in good condition just because they are redecorating, or are bored with the item. At least those items are getting used to the end of their life span, and that's an important function of Freecycle.” Though the group’s mem­ bership seems to be steadily growing Dye thinks there is still much work to be done. “If you are driving down the street and still see things sitting out for the trash, then we’ve not done our job good,” she says. “As long as you see useable things on the curb, the group has not got its mission out to people yet.” “Overcoming poverty is not a question of charity. It is an act of justice.” - Nelson Mandela S _____________________ �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Community News Celebrating This Thing We Do 9 (Continued from page 1) Challenges of Advocacy Journalism without Preaching to the Choir.” The workshop featured a spirited discussion on jour­ nalistic ethics and practice. A highlight of the conference was the second annual North American Street Paper Awards. Streetvibes Editor Gregory Flan­ nery received the Best Feature Story Award for “We Are Their Slaves,” published in 2008, which documented the exploita­ tion of Latino workers in Greater Cincinnati. “It is very gratifying to have this story recognized in this way because it goes to the very heart of what we do – we who work for street newspapers and care about people who are home­ less, marginalized, disenfranchised and so often despised,” Flannery said. The story included information about the maltreatment of workers at a meatpacking plant that processes pork for the Kroger Co. When the Denver VOICE reprinted the story ear­ lier this year, its vendors were barred from selling the paper at King Soopers stores, a subsidiary of Kroger. Other awards were: • Best Interview – “Revolution,” by Israel Bayer of Street Roots, Portland, Ore.; • Best Series – “The Man Who Stood on the Bridge,” Real Change, Seattle, Wash.; • Best Vendor Essay – “Welcome Home – A Transitional Tale,” The Contributor, Nashville, Tenn.; • Best Cover Design – What’s Up Magazine, St. Louis, Mo.; and • Most Improved Newspaper – Street Sights, Providence, R.I. NASNA, launched in 1997, now has 27 member organiza­ tions in 14 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. NAS­ NA members have a combined monthly circulation of over 287,000, according to Freeze. The organization is likely to con­ tinue growing. Among the participants at the conference was Amanda Faith Moore, who is about to begin publishing Toledo Streets. “Street newspapers have for the most part avoided drops in circulation as other print media have seen,” Freeze said. “In fact, street newspapers are bucking the trends and are increas­ ing circulation, increasing the frequency of publication and being recognized for their quality content.” For more reports on the NASNA conference and the street-paper movement, see “Eight Minutes with a ‘Homeless’ Millionaire” on page 3 and “Street Papers USA” on page 5. Andy Freeze (left), executive director of NASNA, with Gregory Flannery, editor of Streetvibes. Streetvibes won NASNA’s “Best Feature Story” award for Flannery’s article ‘We Are Their Slaves’ about exploited Puerto Rican workers in suburban Cincinnati. Photo by Lynne Ausman. Vendors’ Artwork Artwork By Anthony Williams Berta’s Art Corner Photo by Berta Lambert “Ronald McDonald and My Shadow,” South Fairmount, Cincinnati, Ohio �10 Community News STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Street Papers Grow Across USA (Continued from page 5) tion that is being covered by our papers, is not being cov­ ered by other media outlets,” says Andy Freeze, NASNA’s executive director. Street newspapers gen­ erally focus on poverty and homelessness, Freeze says, whereas big media outlets tend to focus on these issues only when triggered by a larg­ er event. The content and location of a newspaper can also affect the amount of papers sold. “If you have a quality prod­ uct, people will buy a quality product,” Freeze says. “What makes some cities more suc­ cessful than others is a large downtown and a large walk­ ing population.” The business model of street newspapers, allow­ ing the homeless or former­ ly homeless to sell copies, makes people feel “empow­ ered,” he says. “They are their own boss,” Freeze says. “They can choose their own hours.” ‘Changed their mind’ Other papers have a dif­ ferent approach. Making Change, a street paper in Santa Monica, Calif., relies on homeless or formerly home­ less individuals to publish is­ sues. “We haven’t published reg­ ularly and that’s because I’m not homeless and I’m not the voice of homelessness,” said Moira LaMountain, business manager of Making Change. “Unless the newspaper is published by someone who’s homeless or formerly home­ less, it doesn’t get published.” A street newspaper gives the homeless credibility and a sense of validation by hav­ ing them take part in a busi­ ness, according to Jennafer Yellowhorse, editor of Making Change. She also can relate to the people she has worked with. “I started the paper in the back of my truck when I was living in my truck,” she says. Besides continuously look­ ing for contributors and vol­ unteers, some papers have to work with a tight monthly budget. “We don’t know month to month if that money is go­ ing to be there,” says Tasha French, director of The Contributor in Nashville. “My im­ mediate goal is that we get our non-profit status and get some grants so that this pa­ per is sustainable. This paper becomes sustainable where it’s going to stay around, re­ gardless of whether $100 is there or not.” Papers also take the time to train vendors before they sell in the streets. Training includes teaching policies on etiquette, showing vendors where they can sell and ex­ plaining how to interact with police officers. One of the main goals for street newspapers is to stim­ ulate conversations between vendors and pedestrians. “There are some people that walk right by you and act like you’re a ghost, that you don’t exist,” says Valdez, the vendor with the Denver VOICE. Many people, however, have walked by and have giv­ en him multiple donations, he says “I hear from customers where they didn’t want to give this person a chance,” says French, of The Contributor. “Once they read the pa­ per, they changed their mind about this whole interaction. Those are huge moments.” About once a month, French hears from a cus­ tomer about how the paper positively changed his or her cynical opinion of the home­ less vendor. That simple interaction is sometimes considered more important than actually read­ ing the content of the news­ paper. Tom Wills, director of vending for The Contributor, says that whether people read the paper or not, they get the experience of conversing with a homeless person. “You really can’t get to know homelessness without getting to know homeless people,” Wills says. “You can’t really get to know poverty if you don’t know someone ex­ periencing it or experiencing it yourself.” People who volunteer at street papers also tend to volunteer at local homeless coalitions and shelters. Pam Cordray, who works at the Salt Lake City Mission, is also working to put together the first issues of the Salt Lake Street News. She hopes that people will treat homeless people in Salt Lake City dif­ ferently once this paper is published. “They treat them (the homeless) less than human,” she says. “That breaks my heart, too. People are people. We are all God’s children.” Hope, Health Care, Sloppy Joes Anthony House helps homeless youths find homes By Will KirSchner Contributing Writer Six teenagers sit in the liv­ ing room of a home chatting, browsing Facebook and eating sloppy Joes. What breaks the normality is when Tom Curran, who manages Antho­ ny House, a drop-in center for homeless teens and young adults, enters the room and tells the teens that the clinic upstairs will offer free HIV tests. Kevin Finn of the Health Resource Center of Cincin­ nati founded Anthony House seven years ago. It serves as a place for homeless young people, up to the age of 24, to hang out, have their medical needs taken care of and get a warm meal. Six years ago it came under the auspices of Lighthouse Youth Services. Anthony House serves young people who are “couch-surfing,” traveling between the homes of friends and sleeping indoors when they can, sometimes squatting in abandoned houses. These young adults often go uncounted in surveys of homeless people. Among the services provided by Anthony house is providing homeless certificates. These cards, which certify that a person has spent the night at an emergency shelter, allows the holder to apply for transitional and permanent housing. Anthony House helps create a support system for these Tom Curran, manager of Anthony House. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. young adults. “They do not know how to get up with an alarm everyday necessarily,” Curran says. “They do not know how to do their own laundry a lot of times. We have to go over those life skills. They do not know how to make a budget or plan for a savings account.” Anthony House uses a variety of methods to help homeless young people. One is harm-reduction services. These include bleach kits and condoms. Bleach kits allow users of intravenous drugs, who might not have the re- sources to get their own needles, to clean a needle and share it. “We understand that people are making mistakes and people are choosing to continue their use and continue to have sex for that matter,” Curran says. “The idea behind that is in the future they will come to us to get these kits, and then when they are ready to move on with their lives and do something different, they will know who to come to.” Anthony House also provides laundry facilities and access to the Internet. Though its clients are homeless, the says. He was also robbed of Internet plays a large part in the $500 needed for rent, he their lives. By giving them a says. tool to network with friends Anthony’s experience and family, it allows them to points to the fact that homecoordinate with whatever lessness can affect anyone, support system they might even a college graduate. He still have in is a graduate place. It also of Ohio State allows them to “They have a lot University search online of hope, which with a degree for job openis a lot of time in psychology ings. different from the and a minor Anthony homeless adult in journalism. House uses the population. They His experiInternet to atstill have a lot ences led him tract homeless of friends and to advocate young people acquaintances. A for homeand inform lot of that is the less youths. them of what imperviousness He is now the is going on at of youth.” president of the house or - Tom Curran the Cincinnati where their chapter of the outreach vans Youth Empow­ will be. The agency’s Web site erment Program and credits includes the events that are Anthony House with helping going on that day. him get back on his feet. The Anthony (a pseudonym), Youth Empowerment Pro­ now too old for the services gram, or YEP, is a statewide provided by Anthony House, council of homeless youths became homeless as the re- ages 12 to 21 that advocates sult of a bad decision and a for all children. series of unfortunate events. Curran says the biggest He decided to allow some difference between homepeople he describes as “crack less young people and older heads” to stay in his place for homeless adults is their dif30 days. They took advantage ferent perspectives. of his hospitality and used “They have a lot of hope, his house for questionable which is a lot of time differactivities, he says. At the end ent from the homeless adult of the month, he put their be- population,” he says. “They longings out onto the street, still have a lot of friends and except for their valuable acquaintances. A lot of that electronics. When Anthony is the imperviousness of returned home, his guests youth.” had called the police, and he was charged with robbery, he �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Editorial The Iraq War Still Goes On, Now With Corporate Sponsorship 11 So does homelessness in U.S. cities By Dan la Botz Contributing Writer and religion, robbery of the land, famine and starvation, exploitation of labor, massacres and more masIn early June I flew to Sacramento sacres of the Irish by the English and for an interview with the Argentine the struggle to build a movement to Discovery Channel. They’re doing resist and fight back. a documentary on César Chávez, After a good night’s sleep, I awoke, about whom I wrote a biography. It still on Cincinnati time, at 5:30 a.m., was on their dime, and I thought it had breakfast at 6:00, and by 7:00 had would be fun, though it turned out gone for a walk down to the bridge to be less entertaining than I had near where the American River joins expected. The flight home became the Sacramento River. A few fishera series of delays and missed conmen were out on the river. It was a nections leading me on a circuitous beautiful morning. Walking along the journey from Sacramento, to San river, I passed here and there homeFrancisco, to Chicago, and finally less men, wrapped in their blankets home to Cincinnati a day later than and still asleep. Sacramento, you I expected. But it was, in the end, may remember, achieved some noeducational. I learned on this trip toriety recently for its Hooverville — that not only does the war goes on, we should say Bushville, I suppose but so does the corporate sponsor­ — a tent city of the homeless. After ship. the national news media featured As I boarded the United flight the village, California Governor Arfrom Cincinnati to Chicago, I no­ nold Schwarzenegger and Sacra­ ticed four rather serious looking mento Mayor Kevin Johnson took young men with short-cropped hair quick action to provide temporary dressed in military camouflage uni­ shelter for the homeless. forms. I always feel like going up Well, that was then and now many and saying, “Don’t let them send of them are back sleeping out-of­ you there.” I was, however, unpre­ doors, some down by the river walk pared to offer them the name of a where the bicyclists and joggers pass local anti-war counselor of consci­ them, ignoring or unaware of the entious objectors, and they looked human bundles in the bushes along worried enough as it was without the path. me haranguing them. I continued to walk down the bank I was not the only one who had of the Sacramento River for a mile or noticed them. When the plane land- President Obama ordered that Stephen Colbert’s head be shaved while he was in so to the California State Railroad ed in Chicago, the captain came on Iraq entertaining active-duty soldiers. Museum, where a few of the doand told the passengers, “We want cents were busy polishing up one of to thanks the troops on board for advertisement encouraged tipplers In the lobby was a display of Af- the locomotives, getting ready for the their service to our country” and for to “Raise a glass” in support of the rican art, and a poster announced day’s series of short railroad tours. Be­ “defending our freedoms.” Perhaps a troops. Some inside were already rais- that June was dedicated to gay and hind the museum loomed up the old third of the plane applauded vigorous- ing glasses well before lunch, though lesbian rights, and buildings, some of them ly, though I don’t know if both of those made dating back to the 1860s, of others eiit was patrio- me think about the Well, that the Sacramento Locomo­ ther didn’t Had it not been for the Africantism that mo- impact of the movewas then and tive Works of the Southern hear or igAmerican civil rights movement tivated them. ments whose most now many Pacific Railroad. Once the nored the and the Mexican-American farm Some had public figures were of them are largest industrial complex c a p t a i n ’s workers movement, we might that perma- Martin Luther King, back sleeping in the West, employing encomium. never have had the anti-war, nent sunburn Jr. and César Chávez. out-of-doors, 7,000 people — and even as I have to women’s or GLBTQ movements. p r o d u c e d Had it not been for the some down late as the 1950s more than say — naby the fierce African-American civil by the river 4,000 people labored there ïve as this glare of a rights movement and walk where — today it is a collection might sound — that I was somewhat whiskey bottle. the Mexican-American the bicyclists of enormous abandoned surprised by the captain’s remarks. Later while waiting at the termi- farm workers moveand joggers buildings awaiting some Hadn’t we had a national election just nal gate with its ubiquitous televi- ment, we might never pass them, post-modern future. eight months ago, which was a kind of sion screens and inescapable noise, have had the anti-war, ignoring or If you are walking along referendum on the war? Hadn’t much I noticed CNN broadcasting the cer- women’s or GLBTQ unaware of the river, just after you pass of the public expressed its opposition emonies commemorating the D-Day movements. the human the museum, you come to to the war, and among those who vot- landing in Europe. Commentators Well, the crew of half bundles in the Old Sacramento, some hised weren’t there many who knew quite naturally linked the allied landing to a dozen 20-something bushes along toric buildings preserved well that our troops abroad don’t fight other American wars and “heroes.” I Argentines met up with the path. to create a typical town “defending our freedoms,” but on the wondered, are the guys in New Jer- me and under the glare of the old West for tourcontrary carry out a mission aimed at sey or Nebraska or wherever they are of their lights and the ists, its wooden sidewalks taking away the freedom of others? watching the screens and playing prompting of the young interviewer, leading to mock nineteenth century No. The war goes on. Obama con- with the joystick that commands the we made the tape. I went back to the shops filled with twenty-first century tinues the war in Iraq and promises drone also "heroes"? hotel and got back into the book I’m cuisine and what passes out there for to leave tens of thousands of troops reading. I like memoirs and this has a haute couture. I stop to watch what there as an occupying army if the conThe Sacramento River long title: Rossa’s Recollections, 1838 to looks like a scene out of a 1930s mov­ flict should ever end. He has also sent 1898; Childhood, Boyhood, Manhood; ie, a man in uniform, either a sheriff and the homeless more troops to Afghanistan. And he Customs, Habits and Manners of the or park ranger, I’m not sure which, sends U.S. drones to bomb Pakistan. Let me make a kind of aside here Irish People; Erinach and Sassenach— brings a bindlestiff, sand still in his The war goes on and on. And though from my discussion of the war to Catholic and Protestant—Englishman eyes, into the donut shop and buys a few months ago it seemed the touch on another issue. In Sacra- and Irishman—English Religion— him a cup of coffee. American public had turned against mento, after checking into my hotel, Irish Plunder; Social Life and Prison the war, the corporations continued I took a cab to the Sacramento Pub- Life; The Fenian Movement; Travels in Obama’s clown to produce commercials for it at every lic Library where the interview was to Ireland, England, Scotland and Ameropportunity. be done in the beautiful Sacramento ica by O’Donovan Rossa (1898). The next morning I read student I walked through the Chicago air- Room, a classic reference and reading The story of the Irish reads like the essays — quite good the lot of them port to catch the flight to Sacramen- room saved from the old library when story of the Guatemalans: foreign conto, passing a bar where a Jim Beam it was remodeled. quest, suppression of the language See War, p. 12 �12 Editorial STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 The Iraq War Still Goes On (continued from page 11) — and then in the afternoon go out to the airport to catch my plane to Denver. The board says, “delayed,” so my itinerary is changed to San Francisco, then to Chicago, where finally I ar­ rive near midnight to be put up at the Doubletree Hotel (the one where they give you the chocolate chip cookie with your room key). At the registration desk there is a sign on the counter ask­ ing us to “Support Our Troops.” I sleep restlessly for five hours, shower, dress and leave my room just as a man is dropping a copy of USA Today on the threshold. Going downstairs to wait for the shuttle, I read the headline: “Live from Iraq: co­ median Colbert delivers laughs to American troops.” Speaking to a crowd of 300 U.S. servicemen and women, Colbert tells them, “By the power vested in me by basic cable, I officially declare we have won the Iraq war!” General Ray Odierno tells him that his declaration of victory might be premature. When the general notices that Colbert’s hair is too long, President Obama appears on the big screen TV and tells the general to give him a haircut, which he does. Colbert, whose show car­ ried out a scathing criticism of Bush, has now, it appears, be­ come Obama’s clown. In the end, the trip to Sacramento to do the interview was probably not worth the time and effort — except for the beau­ tiful river walk — but it was educational. I learned that the war goes on in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and via drone bombers in Pak­ istan, with commercials from United Airlines and Jim Beam, and from CNN, the Comedy Network, and the Doubletree Ho­ tel. I also learned that even in today's America, occasionally a man in uniform will buy a cup of coffee for a fellow without a job or a home. Dan La Botz is a Cincinnati-based writer, teacher and activist. Read the Streetvibes blog for stories between issues at streetvibes.wordpress.com Crossword Sudoku acroSS 1. Examine thoroughly 4. Brushes 6. Inhabitant of Saudi Arabia 9. Self-confidence 10. Overturn 11. On the top 15. Become firm 16. Clenched hand 19. Easy stride 20. Social insects 21. Irish county 22. Friendship 23. Synchronize 25. Female name 27. Bouquet 28. Soft food for infants 30. Three at cards 31. Island in the Bay of Naples 33. Irregularly operated court 34. Rigid 35. Approaches 36. Destroy by immersion DoWn 1. Pertaining to the post office 2. Son of Isaac and Rebekah 3. Former county in SE England 4. Grime 5. Perfumes Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. 7. Serpents 8. Musical composition for two 12. Capital of Japan 13. Unfolds 14. Male name 16. Lacking brightness 17. Bury 18. Genre 23. Oral 24. U.S. gangster 26. California town 28. Whittle 29. Career golfers 31. Felines 32. Chilled The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provid­ ed numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 Local News Teacher, Parent, Independent 13 Anitra Brockman wants to make a difference on city council By ariana ShahanDeh Contributing Writer Anitra Brockman, a teach­ er at Southwestern College, is running for Cincinnati City Council as an Independent candidate. She recently sat down for an interview with Streetvibes. Q: What inspired your decision to run? Brockman: I see that there are so many people in the community that need as­ sistance, whether it’s single parents or veterans or di­ vorced or widowed. There are so many residents that need help. It’s really funny. My friend and I were on our Anitra Brockman is running for Cincinnati City Council. way to a meeting and we were Photo courtesy of the Anitra Brockman Campaign. just talking about running for council, and I said, “I think I’ll are very intelligent and very ber that has theft felony and wait.” She said, “Well, we are capable, but they can’t (get they can’t get a job. What’s driving right past the board hired) because of that blem­ frustrating is that I know that of elections. We can go right ish on their record. So I’d like family member can do excel­ in.” Something possessed me to implement a program sim­ lent in the workforce, so I’m to get out of the car definitely in sup­ and I went in, and port of programs once I did it I was I’m definitely in support of programs that help get peo­ like, “Oh Goodness, that help get people get geared in ple get geared in did I just do that?” I the right direction so that they can the right direc­ don’t have a political start making a livable wage and get tion so that they background, but I’m back on their feet. can start making willing to represent a livable wage the residents of the and get back on city and make a difference in ilar to Mayor Mallory’s Young their feet. the community. Professionals Program for exQ: In an interview with the Q: Are you making any felons to get them the train­ Cincinnati Beacon, you dispromises right now? ing and skills they need (for) cussed the city’s marijuana Brockman: I’m not coming a successful rehabilitation. ordinance. What led to your right out and saying when I Q: Streetvibes has published modified response? get into office I’m going to do pieces profiling the struggles Brockman: Well, I say now this. What I’m doing instead former sex offenders experi- take it off the books until we is outlining some things ence through rehabilitation, come up with something bet­ that I would like to see take how they are labeled and ter. My previous position was place. For example, I’d like they don’t really get to move “Keep it on the books but to promote a second-chance on. What is your position on come up with something bet­ program for non-violent ex- that? ter.” I knew it wasn’t working, felons. That’s something that Brockman: I support any but I don’t think at that time I deal with at Southwestern initiative that helps people I was prepared to say, “Take College. A lot of the students succeed. You know, I realize it off the books,” because I’m had one or two incidents in that people make mistakes, completely anti-drugs. I was life that were non-violent and I support helping anyone very strong on that position and it blemished their record, that is trying to better them­ initially. Then when I met with so they can’t get a job. They selves. I have a family mem­ (Paul Green) from Prioritize Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. Cincinnati, he brought sta- I put education on the back tistics to me showing that the burner. (Brockman is now police are actaking cours­ tually spendes online for ing triple the her doctor“My senior year time making ate.) It’s just in high school, we arrests. So a struggle stayed in a hotel 8,000 hours every day to or motel.” of the police make ends - Anitra Brockman force time are (meet) with spent makmy kids. I’m ing arrests. The ordinance paycheck to paycheck; I’m doesn’t let them say, “I’m just not going to hide that. going to give you a ticket.” Q: How do you want to be (Officers) have to write the remembered? ticket, take them in and book Brockman: I’d like to be rethem. So it essentially takes membered as someone who about an hour to get back on is genuine, someone who patrol. That’s just too much, makes an effort to support especially with the budget the residents and the city. I cuts. I don’t see the city justi- just want people to say, “She’s fied in spending the money one of us. She’s not someone for an ordinance that really who thinks she’s better than isn’t generating any revenue us.” I love Cincinnati, and I for the city, and we are cut- just want to see it flourish. I ting 200 plus police jobs. want to see people come back Q: In previous interviews, to Cincinnati. I want to see you mention you’ve been people walking in Over-the­ through some struggles. What Rhine. We had our Stop the were some of those circum- Violence rally in Washington stances? Park and a lot of my friends Brockman: I lived in a two- were like, “I don’t know if parent household. My father I’m coming.” I said, “That’s had a gambling issue so we your choice; I’m not chang­ moved around a lot. My se- ing the location.” The reason nior year in high school, we I wanted to have it there was stayed in a hotel or motel to show people I don’t care (due to foreclosure). My mom where you are from. I don’t wanted me to go to a private care what your background high school, but (we) couldn’t is, what your color is. I wasn’t afford it, so I ended up work- raised like that. ... That’s what ing at the convent with the makes it so great ... living in nuns. Being a single parent the United States. … a lot of people think that Q: You’re trying so hard not you made the choice. I didn’t to be corny. choose overnight to become Brockman: I am! I just want a single parent. But the one people to know that I’m not thing that I think I can relate running for any type of perto with some of the residents sonal gain. I’m not running in the city that may be sin- for a power trip or anything gle parents as well (is) that I like that. I’m running because struggled with trying to figure I want to make a difference. I out what I wanted to do with really do. my life. Once I had kids, I Editor’s Note: This is part just said I need to work, don’t of a series of interviews with need to do anything else but candidates for Cincinnati City work and take care of my kids. Council. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com �14 What’s Happenin’ STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 neW eventS garden Volunteer day Learn about gardening while volunteering Saturday, Aug. 29, at Grailville, a retreat and program center on an organic farm in Loveland. Learn vari­ ous aspects of growing vegetables that you can apply in your own backyard. Participants will plant fall crops and clean garlic with expert gardener Mary Lu Lageman. The program is from 9 a.m.-noon. Grailville Garden Volunteer days are the last Saturday of each month through October. Volunteers work in Grailville’s kitchen and herb gardens. To reserve a spot or for more infor­ mation, call 513-683-2340 or visit www.grailville.org. Cleo’s Joke Corner neW outlet for Visual artists Visual artists seeking experience working with live figure models can en­ hance their craft in a comfortable creative environment at the Northside Art District, 4015 Cherry Street, Studio 451. Artists working in sketching and painting can work with other artists seeking to take their talents to a new level. Classes meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Additional days or spe­ cial sessions can be arranged. Guided instruction for students new to figure drawing is available. For fee schedules and other information, contact Car­ men at 513-205-8673 or 513-931-4355. Do you know why criminals do not like the subject of grammar? They don’t like to complete their prison sentences. a Weekend of integral eCology Grailville Retreat and Program Center in Loveland, in collaboration with Imago and the Michigan Grail, hosts Sustaining Spirit/Sustaining Earth: A Weekend of Integral Ecology from Aug. 21-23. Activities include medita­ tion and reflective inquiry, group-process work, inspiration from cuttingedge ecological movements, open-space conversations to help move theory into action and opportunities to explore Grailville’s 300 acres of woodlands, pastures and organic gardens. Tuition is $300 for single occupancy, $250 for double occupancy and $200 for commuters. Limited scholarships are available. Contact 513-683-2340 or visit www.grailville.org for more infor­ mation. Healing emotions: bridging east and West Gaden Samdrupling Buddhist Monastery hosts a conversation between a Buddhist monk and a western psychiatrist to explore the integration of East and West in emotional healing. The program is at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, with a suggested donation of $10. The monastery is at 3046 Pavlova Drive, Col­ erain Township. The suggested donation is $10. For more information, call 513-385-7116. out of tHe attiC art sale Do you have a piece of artwork that you don't have the right spot for and just can't throw away? Donate your unwanted art to Clifton’s “Out of the Attic” art sale. This event for rescued art will be Sept. 26th and 27th at the Clif­ ton Cultural Arts Center. Donations, which are tax-deductible, will benefit the center and the Clifton Community Fund. Donations can be dropped off from noon-6 p.m. Wednesdays and other times by appointment at the arts center, 3711 Clifton Ave. For more information, call Jinny Berten 513-961-6762 or Mary Schwetschenau t 513-348-8226. musiC Grammy-Award Winning Charles Ford Singers. August 23. 4pm. at St. Mark Christian Fellowship 820 Ezzard Charles Dr. art Green Spaces: Small Garden Communities of Dresden, Germa­ ny. Photographys by Ardine Nelson. Weston Art Gallery. Through August 30. Trace: Recent Sculpture and Drawings by Carmel Buckley. Weston Art Gallery. Through August 30. ongoing eventS tuesdays Acoustic Lunch Series. Piatt Park. 11:45am-1:45pm. 2nd tuesdays Cincinnati-Ohioans to Stop Execution Meeting. IJPC Peaslee Center (215 E. 14th Street, OTR). 7-8pm. 3rd Wednesdays IJPC General Peace Committee. Peaslee Neighborhood Center. 7-9pm. 1st tHursdays Benefits Rights Advocacy Group. Contact Center (1212 Vine St. OTR). Noon-1:30pm. Northern Kentucky Peace and Justice Group. Mother of God Church (119 W. 6th St. Covington). 7pm. 2nd tHursdays CeaseFire Cincinnati. Church of the Living God (430 Forest Ave). 9:30am. Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati �STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Churches Active in Northside 381-SAFE 768-6907 557-2873 681-2365 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Charlie’s 3/4 House 661-4620 Crossroad Health Center 241-1064 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 562-8841 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 784-1853 721-0643 921-1613 961-2256 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 961-4080 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John First Step Home 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 961-4663 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 AA Hotline CCAT Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky 721-4700 421-7803 ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 721-8666 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 621-6364 535-2719 Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Health Center for Respite Care People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both 558-8888 981-5800 Other Resources 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Treatment: Women 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 458-6670 977-4489 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach Peaslee Neighborhood Center Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 872-9259 241-5525 591-2246 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Treatment: Men Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter FreeStore/FoodBank 762-5660 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 621-1868 Puzzle Solutions Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Double Take STREETVIBES August 15 - 31, 2009 What time was this special session of Cincinnati City Council? ‘Streetvibes’ Needs Your Help As print media production across the county continues to decrease, Streetvibes is thriving. In the past year we have sold out of copies four times and in­ creased our print run from 4,000 copies to 6,000 copies. Most recently, we have become a bi-weekly publication (formerly monthly). We are purchasing 4,000 copies every two weeks on the first and 15th of every month! One might assume that we are making these changes to meet the demands of our readers, and frankly, that’s part of it. But mostly, we are making these changes to provide our vendors – individuals who have been or are homeless – with a product that will not only sell, but will sell well. A product that they can be proud of, a product that will help them make ends meet each month – or rather every two weeks. Perhaps the greatest public success for Streetvibes this year was winning the International Network of Street Newspapers’ Best Feature Story, award fol­ lowed by a similar award from the North American Street Newspaper Associa­ tion. The winning article was an investigative piece about the exploitation of Puerto Rican workers in Cincinnati. The article helped to spark an FBI investi­ gation of illegal labor practices and justice for workers who deserve better. This is the kind of story Streetvibes tries to tell – people struggling against poverty and oppression, community groups organizing against injustice. Streetvibes is the activist newspaper, advocating justice, building community. Then there are also the daily successes: The vendor who just passed his/ her personal best in monthly sales. The new vendors who are so excited to begin selling because they know that the money they earn will truly be earned through honest, hard work. The veteran vendor who successfully recruited a new vendor and help to train him/her. The vendor who got a job at a local busi­ ness making slightly above minimum wage because the manager saw his/her work ethic while selling Streetvibes. Ultimately, Streetvibes would not be successful without our vendors, the writers and photographers who donate so much of their time and talents to Streetvibes, and you, our supporters and readers. Your support has made these changes and successes possible. Here’s what you can do: • $50 to cover the cost of orientation and material for new vendors. (Includes a one-hour orientation, badge, 10 papers to get the new ven­ dor started and ongoing support and guidance) • $150 to cover the cost of delivery of one edition from the printer • $250 to cover the internal production costs. (Includes large format paper, toner, CDs, software and other computer equipment and maintenance) • $500 to pay for the cost of printing one issue • $1,500 to pay all production costs for two issues • $5,000 to purchase Streetvibes bags and/or T-shirts to give to our vendors. Please consider giving to Streetvibes. All donations are tax-deductible. 75 cents of all paper sales goes directly to the vendor who sold you the pa­ per. Vendors purchase the paper from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless for 25 cents. Please make checks payable to “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless,” 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. You can also donate online at http://www.cincihomeless.org � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource August 15-31, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Celebrating This Thing We Do First the Banks, Now the Rest of Us Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a ‘Homeless’ Millionaire Pg 4: Walking and Smoking Imaginary Chats & Real Compassion Pg 5: Street Papers Grow Across USA Pg 6: No Media Buzz for Textbooks Pg 7: Dear Uncle Jimmy, My Friend Pg 8: Don’t Dump It; Freecycle It Pg 9: Celebrating This Thing We Do Pg 10: Street Papers Grow Across USA Pg 11: The Ira War Still Goes On, How with Corporate Sponsorship Pg 12: The Iraq War Still Goes On Pg 13: Teacher, Parent, Independent Pg 14: What’s Happenin’ Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 15-31, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Dave Scharfenberger Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Angela Pancella Will Kirschner Ariana Shahandeh Elizabeth Heath Dan LaBotz Jason Haap Aimie Willhoite George Ellis Jeni Jenkins Rev. Joe Folzenlogen Jim Montgomery Anthony Williams Berta Lambert Jennifer Blalock Ranjit Rege Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Angela Pancella Anitra Brockman Anthony House Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Berta Lambert Cincinnati city council Dan LaBotz Dave Scharfenberger David Heitfield Elizabeth Heath Environment Federal Reserve George Ellis Gregory Flannery health care Iraq Jason Haap Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Jim Montgomery Jimmy Heath Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Media Michael Henson Paul Kopp Ranjit Rege Rev. Joe Folzenlogen School Board Soup Kitchen Stephanie Dunlap Street Paper Conference street papers War Will Kirschner https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/18b0f06650eefd6c536a841092244733.pdf a52b4eb6dd9175014286bdcf8b437811 PDF Text Text The Men Who Stare at Goats Film Review Youth Outreach Page 8 Page 5 Artists as Activists Page 16 STREETVIBES $1 Dec. 1-14, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 166 Hope for Chronically Homeless Jimmy Heath House starts with ‘housing first’ By Keara anita Mullen Contributing Writer O ver-the-Rhine Com­ munity Housing (OTRCH) celebrated the groundbreaking Nov. 12 of Jimmy Heath House, Cincinna­ ti’s first permanent supportivehousing project. Named in honor of the late former editor of Streetvibes, Jim­ my Heath House introduces the nationally recognized “Housing First” model as part of OTRCH’s efforts and mission to “build and sustain a diverse neighbor­ hood that values and benefits low-income residents.” About 1,685 chronically homeless people live in Hamil­ ton County, according to 2008 statistics from the Hamilton County Homeless Management Information System. Studies See Homeless, p. 7 The architectural sketch of Jimmy Heath House on Odeon Street in Over-the-Rhine. Jimmy Heath House is set to open in September 2010. Drawing courtesy of Over-the-Rhine Community Housing. Cincinnati Oracle Appears in India Buddhist guru visits new monastery By GreGory Flannery editor cate Shar Gaden Monastery, made up of monks who left the larger monastery in order to continue honoring Dorje uten Lama, head of a Tibetan Shugden. A wall separates the two insti­ Buddhist monastery in Cincin­ tutions. nati and leader Kuten Lama, abbot of of a lineage at odds with Gaden Samdrupling Mon­ the Dalai Lama, last Kuten lama is an oracle, astery in Colerain Town­ month helped inaugu­ ship, led a group of about channeling the spirit of rate a breakaway monas­ a dozen U.S. followers to Dorje Shugden, a deity tery in south India. the dedication ceremony. banned by the Dalai Kuten Lama is an ora­ Lama. Devotees believe While there he performed cle, channeling the spirit an invocation. Tibetan Dorje Shugden is a of Dorje Shugden, a de­ Buddhists believe that, “wisdom Buddha” and ity banned by the Dalai protector, while the Dalai during an invocation, Lama. Devotees believe Lama has declared him Dorje Shugden takes over Dorje Shugden is a “wis­ Kuten Lama’s body, using an evil spirit. dom Buddha” and pro­ him to convey enlightened tector, while the Dalai instruction. Lama has declared him an evil spirit. Though the practice is ancient, the Following the Dalai Lama’s ban, Gaden monks who preserve it are not without Shartse Monastery in Mundgod, India, or­ media savvy. Shar Gaden Monastery has dered its monks to sign pledges renounc­ a Facebook page and posted a photo­ ing Dorje Shugden. Monks who refused graph of the invocation. were shunned and denied food and other During the trance, Kuten Lama wield­ necessities – a policy enforced in Tibetan ed a sword, symbolizing the “wrathful Buddhist monasteries throughout India. compassion” of Dorje Shugden, severing Last month Kuten Lama helped dedi­ ignorance and egoism. K Kuten Lama performs an invocation in India. Photo by Shar Gaden Monastery. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 11,000 the number of women and girls helped by Talbert House every year (see page 3) 18th the century in which Goya created a painting that inspired Matt Reed (see page 16) 1861 the year the city of Wyoming was founded (see page 13) 25 the number of housing units that will make up Jimmy Heath House (see page 1) $80 billion the estimated loss to the U.S. economy if employment of undocumented workers were further restricted (see page 6) $775,000 the annual cost per soldier of the U.S. war on Afghanistan (see page 13) 96 the age of Over-the- Rhine Kitchen’s longest serving volunteer (see page 11) 4 the height, in stories, of the Jim Tarbell mural at Vine Street and Central Parkway (see page 9) 1,162 the number of homeless people served by street outreach programs in Hamilton County (see page 5) 1 the number of times the head of the Army’s Intelligence and Security tried to run through a wall (see page 12) StreetWise By GreGory Flannery editor Remember the Suffering of Prisoners While many of us gathered for family feasts on Thanksgiving, many others were unable, some because they have no homes or no food. Others were unable to celebrate with loved ones because they were held in cages. Streetvibes recently received a letter from a woman at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. She asked that her name not be used. “There is so much food that gets thrown away,” she wrote. “We are not allowed to opt out of something being put on our tray. Another thing is the rule here that we cannot take anything from our tray back to our room. Often this place pays a (corrections officer). to check our pockets; and if we do try to take a piece of bread back to our rooms and they check us, the C.O.s make us throw the food away and may punish us. I realize rules are rules but that’s a dumb rule that costs taxpayers money.” Health Care is a Matter of Justice Most faith traditions urge people to be generous toward the poor and suffering at this time of year. But charity is just one expression of faith. A more useful one is solidarity in the cause of justice. People of Faith United for Health Care Reform marched Nov. 24 to the Cincinnati office of U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), presenting an open letter calling for health-care reform. “As people of faith, we want to assure that 1 in 6 children and non-elderly adults will no lon­ ger have to live sicker and risk dying younger because they cannot get needed health care,” the letter said. “Medical care will no longer be the cause of financial ruin for families, institu­ tions, businesses and governments. All people must have the health care they need regardless of their income or the state of their health. “The 45,000 annual deaths due to lack of needed health care, as noted in the recent Harvard report, are a profound reminder about how important it is to make comprehensive and com­ passionate reform happen this year. This tragic and needless loss of human life is evidence that we as a nation have lost our moral courage and our faith-inspired call to care for everyone as a brother and sister.” Among the people signing the letter were the Rev. Damon Lynch Jr., the Rev. Thomas E. Bre­ identhal, the Rev. Sharon Dittmar, the Rev. Paula Jackson, Dean James A. Diamond, the Rev. Elmer Martin, Bishop E. Lynn Brown and the Rev. Joanna Leiserson. Tell Strickland to Stop Killing People Distressing though it is that in 2009 tens of millions of Americans lack access to health care, even more disturbing is the purposes to which some medical technology is put – namely, the deliberate killing of human beings. After a series of botched executions, the state of Ohio is now set to try a new method for poisoning condemned prisoners. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio is asking citizens to contact Gov. Ted Strickland and urge him to stop state-sanctioned murder. “In light of overwhelming problems with past executions, the state announced new lethal in­ jection procedures … (that) have never been used in any other state and are largely untested,” the ACLU says. “The state plans to implement these unproven procedures as soon as possible. There are currently seven men scheduled to be executed in the next seven months, with the first date rapidly approaching on Dec. 8. “By rushing to implement these experimental new procedures, the risk is greater than ever that something may go wrong in the execution chamber. These procedures do little to remedy the problems Romell Broom experienced during his botched execution. Also, they do not ad­ dress the reality that Ohio’s execution team is ill-equipped and unqualified to perform these complex medical procedures.” While you’re shopping and decorating for the holidays, please take a few minutes to contact Strickland at 614-466-3555 with this message: “Ohio's death penalty system is fundamentally broken. Please put a halt to all executions now.” Sweeping the Poor from Their Homes Not all government activity is quite so pernicious. Some is just silly, except when seen in the context of its larger goals. Thus the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) is accepting registration for the 2010 Fountain Square Broomball League. Yes, your tax dollars at work. It’s worth remembering that, while 3CDC is turning Fountain Square into a playground, less than two blocks away it’s preparing to force out 200 low-income residents of the Metropole Apartments. The city-subsidized 3CDC wants to convert the building into a boutique hotel. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless urges people to contact Steve Leeper, CEO of 3CDC, and urge him to back off. Write sleeper@3cdc.org and tell him to let the residents of the Metropole keep their homes. STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Dan Rozier, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Keara Anita Mullen, Ariana Shahandeh, Larry Gross, Eli Braun Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Jeni Jenkins, Anthony Williams, Bill Haigh, Clarissa Peppers Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 8 By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer A n addiction is an addiction and so all we need to do is get people into treatment when they hit rock bottom and they will get clean or sober. Right? Wrong. Women in particular must deal with a myriad of issues that could easily be dismissed as extraneous by a program that focuses only on getting the drugs out of a person’s system and teaching her to, “Just say no.” At Talbert House, this means assisting women in a variety of settings with getting the necessities of life for them and their children – shelter, food, mental-health services – so they can focus on overcoming their addiction for good. Cathy Jo Veroni, Talbert House’s director of Women’s and Court Services, oversees a halfway house for women; Pathways, a communitybased treatment program for women with misdemeanor or felony convictions; and a jailbased chemical-dependency program. The Rewards Jail Intervention program uses “gender-responsive techniques” to assess and treat female addicts, including education and intensive discharge planning that addresses chemical dependency, mental health, prostitution and other criminal behavior. These are proven drug rehabilitation methods that respond to the specific needs of women; it isn’t a men’s program with pink paperwork. “We know that women are very relational,” Veroni says. “In other words, relationships are really important to them, and the kinds of relationships that they’re in dictate a lot of the behaviors and the choices that they make. The other thing about women that’s really different about men in treatment is women are very verbal. They need to talk, and they need to talk about their feelings. Men tend to need to talk about how they think. They’ll continue to talk with you, they’ll debate with you. They’re there with you as long as you’re there with them … and on their side.” During that talking, lots of issues arise because women aren’t solely defined by their 3 Column M I N U T E S O pe ni ng a D o o r For female addicts out in the cold, Talbert House opens a door addiction, Veroni says. “The other thing that we have to touch on is the fact that most of them are parents,” she says. “When they walk in the front door, they want somebody to know that they’re worried about their kids. They want to tell somebody what it is they need to do for their children. “Financially, most of our women are living at a poverty level, so housing and food are major concerns that we need to address right away.” Most of the women Ve­ roni works with come to her through the legal system. Fre­ quently they have a charge of possession or using drugs and maybe something else related to their addiction that supports their habit, such as theft or prostitution. “Typically our women have been through trauma at some point in their life – many of them physical or sexual abuse as children by family mem­ bers; women are typically abused by family members, people they know,” Veroni says. “If you’ve been abused by someone in a trusted rela­ tionship, it’s more emotionally damaging, so we get a lot of mental illness symptoms as a result of that. “Consequently, the rela­ tionship choices they make aren’t healthy; they get into adult relationships that are also abusive. Almost all wom­ en who’ve engaged in prostitution have received some form of abuse.” In the midst of all that turmoil and dealing with what society has deemed inappropriate, these women live, love, laugh and really aren’t all that different from anyone else. “It’s the humanness in them that I find very easy to relate to,” Veroni says. “I don’t have a drug addiction. I’ve never been arrested … but just the way they view the world, their experiences, their spot in the community, is real close to mine. “They don’t love their children any less than I love my children. They don’t love their parents any less. Their friends are just as important to them. They’re just as sensitive – their feelings are hurt just as easily as mine are.” Unfortunately, most people see the addiction without bothering to acknowledge the person. Cathy Jo Veroni, Talbert House’s director of Women’s and Court Services, oversees a halfway house for women. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. “It’s gotten better over the years, but I certainly think that something all drug addicts deal with is the stigma associated with, ‘They’re bad people,’ ‘There’s something wrong with them.’ Women deal with that a bit more because women are supposed to be at home taking care of their children,” Veroni says. “They’re supposed to be the homemaker; and when they’re not, it’s looked upon with more shame than men.” A significant part of transforming that way of seeing themselves and their old behaviors is a cognitive-therapy approach called Truthought. It’s a way to help women identify thinking barriers, such as a refusal to admit fears as a way to avoid embarrassment, and provides examples of how to replace them with “responsible thinking steps,” such as admitting fears and trusting others to help. The Truthought pocket-sized bro- chure resides in many wallets and purses throughout Hamilton County, serving as a quick reminder, according to Veroni. Meeting women where they’re at with their fear, worry and addiction is what these female-centric programs are about, with absolutely no judgmentalism allowed. “It’s really an unconditional regard,” Veroni says. “We don’t want them to feel ‘less than’ even if they’ve made bad choices before they got to us or after they’ve left us. Not everybody gets it the first time. “Our intention is to always be there for them, for there to be an open door,” she says. “That’s our main message to the women – even if they’re not ready for treatment, and some of them are court-ordered … if we can just have a positive relationship with them, when they are ready, they’ll remember, ‘Oh, (this person) was nice to me even when I wasn’t in a good place.’ And so when they come back, we welcome them with open arms.” In 2008, Pathways served 350 women, and approxi­ mately 450 women were served through Rewards Jail Intervention. Talbert House assists approximately 11,000 women and girls every year with outpatient services, adolescents’ programs, com­ munity groups and welfareto-work job readiness assis­ tance. The newest initiative is a mentoring program for women recovering from addiction. For emergency care, call the crisis hotline at 513-281-2273. If you think you or someone you know has a problem with drugs or alcohol, call Adult Services at 513-641-4300 or Adolescent Outpatient at 513321-8286 so they can receive unconditional support. Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. �4 STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Local News Demanding Justice from Chiquita Company convicted of funding right-wing terror group By SaMantha GroarK Contributing Writer of dollars to the United SelfDefense Forces of Colombia, known by the Spanish acro­ hen investors nym AUC. George Washingarrived Nov. 16 ton University’s National Sefor a meeting at curity Archive describes AUC Chiquita, protesters stood as an “illegal right-wing antioutside company headquar- guerrilla group tied to many ters downtown in defense of of the country’s most noto­ those who have been affected rious civilian massacres.” by the company’s support of The U.S. State Department right-wing terrordeclared the AUC a ists in Colombia. terrorist organizaTwo human “We are here tion in 2001. rights groups – because Chiquita The protesters 8th Day Center gathered to demand has committed for Justice and justice for Colombihuman rights Witness for Peace ans who have been violations” – protested in - Sam Pettinichi harmed by Chiq­ an effort to hold uita’s economic and executives acpolitical policies, countable for the company’s according to Candice Cama­ payments to terrorist groups, rgo, an organizer for Witness payments the groups say led for Peace. to the murders of thousands Union leader Gerrardo of poor laborers in the re- Tajamarca, who has witgion. nessed terrorist activity allegChiquita is the only U.S. edly tied to Chiquita, spoke to corporation ever to plead the protesters. guilty to violating the U.S. “We are here so people can Anti-Terrorism Act. Carl H. see the truth about who got Lindner Jr., the billionaire rich off these murders,” he Cincinnati businessman, was said. “Chiquita does not reCEO of Chiquita from 1984 gret making these payments to 2001. During his leader- and refuses to give compenship, Chiquita executives sation to its victims. Chiquita paid hundreds of thousands does not regret paying terror- W Protestors gathered to demand justice for Colombians who have been harmed by Chiquita’s economic and political policies. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. ists to threaten its workers and their communities. They are still guilty.” In March 2007, Chiquita pleaded guilty to paying the AUC more than $1.7 million during a six-year period, from 1997-2004. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Chiquita will pay a $25 million criminal fine to the U.S. government over five years. In accepting the fines, the prosecution agreed not to name or prosecute the executives involved in ordering the payments. None of the money will go to victims or their families. In addition to 8th Day Center for Justice and Witness for Peace activists, several Xavier University students attended. “We are here because Chiquita has committed human rights violations,” said Sam Pettinichi, president of Xavier University Students for Economic Justice. “This is particularly important to us as students at Xavier because former CEO Carl Lindner has been a major donor to our university.” Art and Culture of Over-the-Rhine SCPA students explore neighborhood in pictures and words By olivia haMilton Contributing Writer ates art-education programs for youth and adults designed to foster community engage­ eginning in Au- ment. gust, 21 juniors and SCPA students began seniors from the the New Voices program by School for Creative and Per- learning basic photographic forming Arts engaged in a composition and technique. photography and The class met with writing program community leadthat sought to The dialogue that ers such as Bonnie connect them to resulted gave Neumeier of the the community of SCPA and the Peaslee Neighbor­ Over-the-Rhine in Drop Inn Center hood Center , Kelly new and meaningLeon of 3CDC and the chance ful ways. Jeni Jenkins of the to develop Students were Cincin­ cross-cultural Greater encouraged to understanding nati Coalition for form and express the Homeless to that could their own opinhave a positive gather information ions about issues impact on the about the comaffecting the comcommunity of munity that they munity as they un- Over-the-Rhine. could incorporate dertook a variety of into their art. Stuphotography and dents also toured writing assignments. Working Washington Park and learned with diverse institutions such about the history of the area. as the Drop Inn Center and Finally, students went out the Cincinnati Center City into the neighborhood and Development Corp. (3CDC), began photographing. students sought to broaden After touring the Drop Inn their understanding of the Center and learning about its community in which their mission, students began to new school will be located as work collaboratively with the of fall 2010. residents of the center who The class, called “New were involved in an ongoing Voices,” is produced by Prai- creative-writing group. The rie Inc., a non-profit organi- students began by listening zation in Northside that cre- to the residents read some B An image created by a student in the New Voices program. Photo by Asia. of their writing and in turn shared their photography with the residents. In later weeks students produced portraits of residents, and both groups engaged one another in an artistic collaboration using writing and photographic images. “We are: What this world has made us. What made me different in life. No better than what we think ourselves to be,” wrote Adrian, an SCPA student, and Calvin, a resident. The dialogue that resulted gave SCPA and the Drop Inn Center the chance to develop cross-cultural understanding that could have a positive impact on the community of Over-the-Rhine. Images and writing from the program can be viewed on the New Voices Web site, cincinnatinewvoices.com. The opening reception of the New Voices work will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Miami University Center for Community Engagement, 1300 Vine St. The show will remain open from 2-5 p.m. the remainder of that week and through the following week. �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Local News To Get Youth Off the Streets 5 Youth outreach workers distribute necessities and offer hope By valerie FeSSler Contributing Writer T hree times a week Lea Drury and Nelson Troché drive a beige van marked “Lighthouse Youth Services” through the city of Cincinnati, passing out basic essentials such as food and water to homeless young adults. They are outreach and caseworkers for Anthony House, a dropin center for people, especially those who are homeless, ages 18­ 24. Anthony House provides food, clothing, showers, basic medi­ cal care, laundry facilities, social-service referrals, anonymous HIV testing, pregnancy testing, birth certificates and identifica­ tion, mail service, Internet access and housing assistance. But rather than wait for homeless youth to come to Anthony House, Drury, 31, and Troché, 32, go in search of them. They pass out sandwiches, water, condoms and harm-reduction kits, hop­ ing to make homeless youth safer in their life decisions. It is un­ realistic to believe prostitution will disappear from the city in the near future or that all drug use will cease, but educating homeless youth and giving them the tools to be safe is one step in the right direction. Troché and Drury approach people on the street when distrib­ uting items, asking, “Do you know anyone that is homeless who needs help?” Many often respond by saying, “Yeah, that’s me” or “I know someone who is.” Troché says they use this approach in order to not offend anyone and because sometimes it is difficult to distinguish who is homeless. Over time, the outreach workers learn where various homeless youth hang out, such as on the banks of the Ohio River. Drury began volunteering for Lighthouse Youth Services because she is interested in social justice and wanted to be a full-time case­ worker. She has been working full-time with Lighthouse for three years. Troché has been working as a full-time caseworker for more Anthony House is a daytime, drop-in shelter for homeless youth. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. Leah Drury and Nelson Troché, outreach workers at Lighthouse Youth Services, offer help and necessities to homeless youth hanging out at the library. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. than a year. He has a background in HIV work and community work with lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. Many young adults face homelessness because they are booted out of the foster-care system at age 18 with no place to go, no job skills, no rental history for landlords and sometimes with no highschool diploma. Others are raised in broken homes where violence and drugs might be all they know. Some suffer from mental illness and end up on the streets. “The most challenging part of my job is that they are just kids,” Troché says. “At the end of the day, I do good work by helping to give them the basics.” The youth who visit Anthony House are greeted with open arms. Caseworkers build relationships with their clients in order to teach homeless young adults the basic necessities of life. Through the transitional-living program, casework­ ers help homeless young adults move from the streets into apartments and help them find jobs. During a recent van ride, Drury and Troché stopped at a Kroger store to pick up fried chicken and side dishes in order to feed the youth at Anthony House. The first level of Anthony House contains several comput­ ers, a couch, a kitchen, tables, a shower and laundry facili­ ties. The next level holds office space and desks for outreach and caseworkers, along with a nurse’s station. The upper­ most level serves as a pantry for food and storage of donated clothes for the homeless. Drury says she has learned the necessity of knowing when to stop working. “I have learned not to bring my work home,” she says. “It is not helpful to my clients to be up all night worrying, because I am ineffective the next day.” In Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 1,162 men, women and children were served by street outreach programs in 2008, according to the Homeless Management Information System’s annual report. Anthony House recently extended its operation from 10 hours per week to five hours per day. It is now open from 1-6 p.m. weekdays. The outreach and caseworkers hope that one day Anthony House will be a 24-hour facility where beds and overnight services will be available. 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati �6 STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Local News Wage Theft:The Forgotten Crime Workers organizing; new law proposed By eli Braun Contributing Writer L ow-wage workers and supporters gathered Nov. 19 in loca­ tions across Cincinnati to condemn wage theft – the illegal underpayment or non-payment of wages. The events organized by the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers’ Cen­ ter were replicated in over 40 cities across the country to commem­ orate the National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft. Wage theft is a national crime wave robbing millions of workers of billions of dollars. On busy intersections, activists passed out educational fliers and held signs saying, “Thou shall not steal. Stop wage theft now.” The group could be seen at 5 a.m. in Walnut Hills, 1 p.m. in Carthage and 4 p.m. downtown. ‘End the robbery’ “The goal is to draw attention to wage theft in our communi­ ties,” said organizer Dan Moore of the Cincinnati Interfaith Work­ ers’ Center. “We need to connect workers to resources to end the robbery of working families and educate Cincinnatians that these violations cannot stand.” Low-wage workers are cheated of an aver­ age $51 per week out of $339 in weekly earn­ 1 in 4 were paid less ings, according to a recent study of workers in than the legally required New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The minimum wage, and 3 out report, “Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: of 4 who worked overtime Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities,” was authored by scholars at hours were not paid the legally required overtime. several university and non-profit institutions. Among the workers surveyed, 1 in 4 were More than 2 out of 3 experienced at least one paid less than the legally required minimum pay-related violation in the wage, and 3 out of 4 who worked overtime hours were not paid the legally required over­ week before the study. time. More than 2 out of 3 experienced at least one pay-related violation in the week before the study. “We estimate that workers lose an average of $2,634 annually due to workplace violations, out of total earnings of $17,616,” the authors concluded. Employers were creative in stealing workers’ wages: promising higher wages but paying only the minimum, paying less than mini­ mum wage, not paying for all hours worked, misclassifying workers as exempt from overtime pay, deducting transportation or equip­ ment “fees,” stealing tips, misclassifying workers as independent contractors or simply not paying workers at all. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune has formed a new Wage Theft and Worker Misclassification Task Force, which will attempt to quantify the impact of these violations. These violations impact not only the workers themselves, but every taxpayer as well. As many as 92,500 Ohio workers were mis­ classified in 2005, according to the county resolution authorizing the new task force. Misclassifications ultimately deprived the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation of $103 million in premiums and the Department of Revenue of $36 million in lost taxes. Legislation is moving at the state level to help rectify abuses. In Pedro Alverado speaks during a press conference to mark the Na­ tional Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft. Photo by Dan Moore. November, State Sen. Sue Morano introduced the Wage Protec­ tion Act (S.B. 212), which would empower the state commerce de­ partment to investigate complaints beyond minimum wage. Ohio is one of only five states that does not investigate disputes when workers have already received the minimum. On the national level, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Cal.) intro­ duced the Wage Theft Prevention Act (H.R. 3303), which begins the statute of limitations from the date an employer is notified of an investigation instead of the date of the alleged theft. Under current law, delays in pursuing lost wages, often at no fault of the workers, can result in permanent loss of back pay. Workers’ victories Client-based advocacy happens daily at the Cincinnati Inter­ faith Workers’ Center (CIWC), headquartered in Over-the-Rhine. Since its founding in 2005, the small organization has taken over 500 wage-theft reports and helped recover over $500,000 in unpaid wages. Last month CIWC assisted a group of 357 mostly AfricanAmerican day laborers win a $75,000 settlement against Laborworks and Schwans/Red Baron Pizza. The settlement will pay workers’ wages that were never paid or were decep­ tively withheld for “transportation fees.” CIWC assists in numerous individual cases, including, for example, a Cincinnati landscaper who was robbed of $30,000 when his employer refused to pay overtime wages. The land­ scaper had worked a year’s worth of 80-hour weeks, which of­ ten kept him away from his wife and children. Cincinnati resident Frazier Kidd spoke at the CIWC press conference marking the National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft. He explained his struggle after being cheated of prom­ ised wages and CIWC intervention. “I had to make decisions on whether to pay rent or buy food,” he said. Day laborers and the CIWC recently succeeded in raising wages from below minimum wage to $10.90 an hour for near­ ly 50 trash-sorters at Rumpke Recycling. “This change allowed hard-working employees to move out of shelters,” says CIWC Executive Director Don Sherman. “CIWC is devoted to empowering workers to challenge dan­ gerous working conditions and to protect their hard-earned pay. Immigrant and low-wage workers are standing up against Activists gather at 5 a.m. in Walnut Hills to reach out to immigrant and low-wage employers that unfairly make their money on the backs of workers. Photo by Dan Moore. working people.” �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Local News Hope for Chronically Homeless continued FroM PaGe 7 1 show that chronically homeless people are often caught in a cycle that keeps them alternating between the streets and shelters, with jails and hospitals usually not far behind – an expensive and de­ structive cycle for the individuals themselves as well as the com­ munity. The Housing First model creates structured, supportive housing that gives homeless people a permanent residence. The approach is a rapid re-housing method that serves as an alternative to emer­ gency shelters and transitional living arrangements, decreasing the time that individuals remain homeless. Housing First is based on the belief that people are more responsive to in­ terventions and social services after they are in their Housing First is own housing, rather than in a temporary or transi­ based on the belief tional limbo. With permanent residency established, oncethat people are more responsive to homeless people can begin to reclaim their lives and confidence, which is often lost in the seemingly endinterventions and social services after less cycle that traps many individuals. With a focus on they are in their own self-reliance, Housing First residences provide crisis housing, rather than intervention to address immediate needs in order to in a temporary or transition people to stability. In addition to housing, transitional limbo. the model includes an individualized and structured plan of action and a support system, building skills to keep people in housing. Jimmy Heath House will actually consist of six buildings on Odeon Street. The 25-unit residence will be monitored, with only one entry to the facility and a front-desk staff with surveillance, but OTRCH encourages a balance of making sure that residents will have freedom to move toward independence. The hope is that common areas will draw residents out of their private rooms and into interpersonal relationships with other tenants. This peer-sup­ port network can be beneficial to creating a healthy community and encouraging positive steps toward larger goals. Residents will have access to a part-time clinician, a case man­ ager and a service coordinator, though they are not required to use these services. Each resident will have a case manager and will be encouraged to utilize supportive services, but as long as house rules are followed and rent is paid, the residents will be responsible for their own decision-making. Jimmy Heath House will partner with neighborhood services such as the Elm Street Heath Clinic, the Alcoholism Council of the Cincinnati Area, the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Service, Health Care for the Homeless, the FreeStore FoodBank’s direct rent program, Consumer Credit Counseling Services and the Homeless Individuals Partnership Program. These services, as well as many other resources in the community, will provide the resi­ dents with a support system intended to help them achieve their goals, end the cycle of homelessness and support capable, contrib­ uting citizens in the community. Jimmy Heath House is scheduled to open in autumn 2010. Each resident will be screened, with help from organizations such as the Drop Inn Center. Residents will not have to leave the facility if they follow the house rules, but can work with caseworkers to find their own future housing if that is what they want. Heath, a photographer and community activist, died in 2007. He Jimmy Heath was the editor of Streetvibes until his death in December 2007. Photo by Jim Montgomery arrived homeless in Over-the-Rhine in 1995, eventually finding his way to the Drop Inn Center. He wrote that there he found hope and recovery, a new direction for his life and inspiration for his photography. After Heath graduated from the Drop Inn Center's Live-in Recovery Program, the late Buddy Gray – leader of the movement to create solutions These services, as well as many for homelessness in Cincinnati other resources in the community, – encouraged his involvement will provide the residents with a in the Over-the-Rhine commusupport system intended to help them nity and his use of the camera as achieve their goals, end the cycle of a tool for documentation. homelessness and support capable, Heath attempted to dispel contributing citizens in the community. myths and negative stereotypes associated with Over-the-Rhine. He depicted everyday life in an affirming way, showing the beauty of the people and places in his community, while at the same time documenting the struggles and the reality that many, such as the future residents of the house named after him, face on a daily ba­ sis. Don’t Grow Your Playoff Beard Yet Bengals relaxed against the easy foe By B. cliFton BurKe Contributing Writer I n Week 10, the Cincin­ nati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time in 2009 and the golden-brick road to the Playoffs opened up before them. Fans and pundits fi­ nally opened their eyes and agreed that, despite a dismal team history, the Bengals were a contender this season after all. The team was proud and the city elated. Then Cincinnati lost to the Oakland Raiders the following week and instantly fell back to the ranks of mere mortals yet again. If pressed to find a weak­ ness on this Bengal team, one might point to the pattern of letdown efforts they have produced following landmark wins this season. The first example of this trend came in an overtime win to the Cleveland Browns after Cincinnati's first win against Pittsburgh. A win is a win, but the game should not have come down to a field goal in the final seconds of overtime – a kick that some believed never actually went through the uprights. Then the Houston Texans caught Cincinnati by surprise and beat them in Week 6 after the emotional win against the Ravens in Baltimore. Most re­ cently, the Bengals handed Oakland a win by coughing up two fourth-quarter fumbles in a late-game meltdown. It's easy to forget that these teams are made up of human beings who are bound to ex­ perience stretches of physi­ cal fatigue and adrenaline dumps, but not even that excuse holds up in the NFL. Marvin Lewis likes to point out to his team that whoever they play that week gets paid to win football games, too, and if his team is unable to take the task seriously, they will fail. The situation was ripe for a setback. After five straight divisional wins and gaining a foothold atop the AFC North, the upcoming stretch of Oak­ land on the road, followed by two home games against the Browns and Detroit Lions, must have seemed like ap­ proaching the intersection of Easy Street and Playoff Way for the Bengals. Had they cruised through those three games, the people of Cincin­ nati could have comfortably begun to grow their playoff beards. But after the Oakland debacle, the razor remains on the sink. Letting up against lesser opposition isn't the worst characteristic a team can posses, but it's something the great ones have learned to avoid. The Bengals are a dis­ ciplined, well-coached team that out-muscles the toughest but relaxes against the softest of foes. The conundrum is proof that the coaches have a few more lessons to pound into the players' heads before January. The Raiders provid­ ed the valuable lesson that stresses: If you keep a team in the game long enough, they will fight back and put them­ selves into a position to beat you. Carson Palmer has said that his team is not yet good enough to win the Super Bowl; if they can learn to take their competition seriously, no matter what the record, they will be that much closer to doing just that. �8 STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Issues Immigration Benefits Americans The road to poverty is paved with good interventions By denniS nicholS Contributing Writer T he past three decades in America have seen pretty near a consensus emerge that immigration is a drag on the economy, especially illegal immigration. That consensus is mostly wrong, according to a recent study by a well-known foundation. Various advocates have compiled data to buttress their ar­ guments that illegals are a pox on society and toxic to prosper­ ity, never mind that the influx coincided with record national prosperity and ended when jobs became scarce. A Google search Nov. 14 on the terms “illegal” and “immi­ gration” and “costs” turned up 3.06 million hits. The first three were these: • “Illegal Immigration Costs California $10.5 Bil­ lion Annually” (http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/ Latin American demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol. REUTERS/Jose Luis Magana. immigrationnaturalizatio/a/caillegals.htm). Excerpt: “A new study from the Federation for American Im­ migration Reform (FAIR) examines the costs of educa­ tion, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens and concludes that counters that allege costs of more than $800 billion resulting from il­ the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year.” legal immigration. It looks like Bill O’Reilly sounds. The introduction • “Cost of Illegal Immigrants” (FactCheck.org). Excerpt: “Q: Do illegal runs to more than 2,500 words, and its paragraphs average 364 words. immigrants cost $338.3 billion dollars a year? More than the Iraq war? A: A chain e-mail that makes this claim is loaded with errors and mis­ Fear wins votes leading assertions. Published studies vary widely but put the cost to government at a small fraction of that total. … The Urban Institute put Move down the list of hits, and you can find a few dissenting views, but the the net national cost at $1.9 billion in 1992; a Rice University professor, pattern is clear. The people posting this material are generally agreed: Immi­ whose work the Urban Institute criticized, said it was $19.3 billion in gration hurts. 1993.” Are they right? Or is the general agreement that immigrants are a burden • “Immigration Counters.com – Live Counters, News, Resources, Facts” one of those things that everybody knows, but just isn’t so? Excerpt? Not going to try. The Web site’s sulfurous home page features One reason we have so little objective information about the effects of im­ seven flashing links in red text and 12 – count them, 12 – numeric migration is that there’s so little demand for good research. Illegal immigrants aren’t a voting constituency, and candidates for office can usually do bet­ ter by raising fears than by suggesting contrary notions. And neither can­ didates nor bigots need research studies to talk like Lou Dobbs. Xenopho­ bia has been a winning tactic since at least the time of Xenophon. But some useful research is available. Much of it is advocacy, similar to economic studies done for hire at the University of Cincinnati, such as the one telling Cincinnatians what a great investment the stadiums would be. But even the advocacy studies can be useful, and some of the work is honest research by first-rate scholars. A pair of recent reports cast some light on the subject. The Immigration Policy Center has published “New Americans in The Buckeye State: The Political and Economic Power of Immigrants, Latinos and Asians in Ohio.” It falls into the category of advocacy. The Immigra­ tion Policy Center is part of the American Immigration Council, which supports the interests of immigrants. That’s fine, but it’s not impartial. This brief report summarizes the growing importance of immigrants, legal and illegal, in Ohio’s economy and civil life. It notes, for example, that “39.6 percent of Ohio’s foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor’s or higher degree in 2007, compared to 23.3 percent of native- HOLIDAY SALE!!! See Immigration, p. 10 Refurbished G3 Mac Computers for only $39 through December! (regular price $64) Proceeds benefit Media Bridges Your local nonprofit media center Visit www.mediabridges.org or call 513-651-4171 for details, or stop by 1100 Race St. to pick one up today. Say ! ? t a h W “If the lower classes are strong enough, or, in other words, if the lower classes can cause enough disruption in the society, the elites and more affluent may be wiling to give them concessions in order to remove this threat to the overall status quo.” - Harold R. Kerbo, Social Stratification and Inequality _________ �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Reader’s Input ‘Just Another Brick in the Wall’ 9 We don’t need no gen-tri-fi-ca-tion By GreGory Flannery editor R esidents of Over-the-Rhine and Streetvibes readers have plenty to say about the four-story mural of Jim Tarbell at Vine Street and Central Parkway. More than 100 people have submitted cartoon “balloons” voicing what they imagine the humongous Tarbell would be saying. Artworks, a non-profit arts organization, placed the mural of the former vice mayor at a key entry point to Over-the-Rhine without soliciting input from the neighborhood. In a joint community engagement project, Streetvibes joined students from Miami University, Northern Kentucky University and Chatfield College in circulating photos of the mural with cartoon bubbles for residents and readers to fill in. Most of the comments received so far allude to Tarbell’s support for the kind of economic development that equates with gentrification – displacing poor people to make room for wealthier people; his opposition to the Drop Inn Center; and his disdain for the late Buddy Gray, its founder. Some comments refer to Tarbell’s costume, reminiscent of the late “Peanut Jim,” an elderly man famous for selling peanuts in downtown Cincinnati. Some of the comments are reproduced here. The college students hope to present all the cartoon bubbles in a public exhibit. ? m ? s y i c lit t? ust ul a “This way to the “R qua men . J utif e ce at a ethnic cleansing.” n I pla th s be ” s ind hi e. i D m f t ur t , o c r y l e d ve al it d e u !” N at rch B , ad k a y o e b lo H “ my t o g e’s n o e e h m t o “S carry ’s to e man t i h .” w n e d bur “For I wi my next ll ma ke a trick, home ll th less peop e disa le ppe ar!” “I am kind of a big “Welcom thee to deal.” that caRhine, a pl Overfor ace n be pean bought uts.” r u o d y is n i e m all th .” “H l p ey, Bu eo es, way p u box o a ddy, o c y a n g you sp “If ndow ould wi rty w us mo are re e v o p Vine? ” “Gentrif ication i s a myt Lalalala. h. I can’t hear yo u.” “Ec abs on here o o s s m a Inn lute ic m who p , have a l l a “I don’t hate poor “May osper nd help Ce ly. B ix? r p , e a nte ut Y thriv od time o the people. Just take d o o g t r w th es, really fellow man incinnati.” C mo ill h e D your problems your less b d o r G ve.” ave op . same elsewhere.” to �10 STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 National Issues Immigration Benefits Americans continued FroM PaGe 8 • born persons age 25 and older.” That’s interesting, and it’s important, but it does not refer to Mexi­ can drywall installers and lawn-care workers. The Immigration Policy Center has other, more extensive research data and reports available. Nevertheless, the organization has a mis­ sion, and we can reasonably expect its beliefs and commitments to inform its priorities and its conclusions. Remember this: The most profound bias in any research is not the slant, but the choice of what to study. Legalization helps everyone The Cato Institute has published a research report titled, “Restric­ tion or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigra­ tion Reform.” The Cato Institute is what most “The past three decades in America have people will call conser­ vative – very conserva­ seen pretty near a consensus emerge that tive – although the insti­ immigration is a drag on the economy, especially illegal immigration. That consensus tute disputes the term. Its Web site explana­ is mostly wrong.” tion leans towards the term “libertarianism” or “market liberalism.” Not everybody likes the Cato Institute, but it’s a respected founda­ tion. Here’s the center-left Wikipedia on Cato: “The Cato Institute is a pro-free market, right wing think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. … The Cato Institute is non-partisan, and its scholars’ views are not consistently aligned with either major political party. … During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Cato scholars criticized both ma­ jor-party candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama.” The last phrase was for Wikipedia users who forgot who ran for president last year. Cato commissioned Australian academics Peter B. Dixon and Maureen T. Rimmer to conduct the study. “Peter Dixon is the Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and Maureen Rimmer is a Se­ nior Research Fellow at the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash Uni­ versity in Australia,” the report says. It explains their research model in more detail than most lay readers would require. (See www.cato. org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10438/print.) Dixon and Rimmer calculated the effect on the U.S. economy of seven different policy approaches. The scenarios were: 1. Tighter border enforcement. 2. Tighter internal enforcement. 3. Liberalized entry, assuming no change in immigrant char­ acteristics. 4. Liberalized entry with increased worker mix. 5. Liberalized entry with increased worker skills. 6. Liberalized entry with visa charge to neutralize immigration change. 7. Liberalized entry with visa charge to maximize economic benefits. They calculated six effects of the policies: • Direct effect: The change in U.S. gross domestic output di­ rectly attributable to illegal immigrants or guest workers, minus the change in the cost to the economy of employing them. • Occupation-mix effect: Restricting immigration opens up opportunities for U.S. workers in low-skill, low pay jobs, but at the same time makes the economy smaller, curtailing higher-skilled occupations with higher pay. Capital effect: Changes in the supply of labor affect capital formation and its ownership, foreign or domestic. • U.S. employment effect: Equilibrium unemployment is higher in low-skill jobs, so changes in the occupation mix will change long-term aggregate employment beyond that quantified in the occupation-mix effect for the current pe­ riod. • Public-expenditure effect: The change in the cost of schools, hospitals, police services and other public services. • Macro-price effect: The change in domestic and foreigntrade prices that would result from the change in the labor supply. • Here is the meat of their conclusions: • Border enforcement hurts average households. Approach 1, tighter border enforcement, would significantly dam­ age the economic interests of U.S. households. The loss to the U.S. economy to effect a 28.6 percent reduction in the employment of illegals by 2019 is forecast at 0.55 percent of GDP, or $80 billion an­ nually in today’s economy. One class benefiting from tighter border security would be the il­ legal immigrants who remained, as the worker shortage would drive up their wages, according to the study. According to the report, employment of illegal immigrants would grow from about 7.3 million in the base year of 2005 to about 12.4 million in 2019, a growth rate of 3.8 percent annually. Restricting growth to about 1 percent would result in a 2019 figure of about 8.8 million, a 28.6 percent decrease. With liberalized entry, workers could enter a broader range of occu­ pations, and they would be more stable and more apt to seek train­ ing for higher-level skills, according to Dixon and Rimmer. • Liberalized entry means more for everybody. The assumption of liberalized entry with increased worker skills yielded a forecast of 1.19 percent increase in GDP, or $170 billion an­ nually at today’s level. Computations with a visa tax produced simi­ lar results. The weakest forecast us­ ing a policy of liberalized “One reason we have so little objective entry was still an increase information about the effects of immigration in GDP of 0.57 percent, a is that there’s so little demand for good change about the same research. Illegal immigrants aren’t a voting size as with tighter border constituency, and candidates for office can security, but in the oppousually do better by raising fears.” site direction. The report says that public expenditures rise with immigration, legal or illegal, but that accounting does not consider taxes paid by the immigrants, produc­ tive output in the economy and increases accruing to U.S. house­ holds. “This study finds that increased enforcement and reduced lowskilled immigration have a significant negative impact on the income of U.S. households. Modest savings in public expenditures would be more than offset by losses in economic output and job opportuni­ ties for more-skilled American workers,” the report says. “Our anal­ ysis shows that the major ingredient in good policy is legalization. This would eliminate smugglers’ fees and other costs faced by ille­ gal immigrants. It would also allow immigrants (now guest workers rather than illegals) to have higher productivity. Both effects create a surplus gain for the economy by raising the value of immigrant labor relative to the wage necessary to attract it. This surplus can then be extracted for the benefit of U.S. households.” Dennis Nichols is an old journalist who has lived in Cincinnati since FDR was president. A Christian, conservative and Republican, he wrote this article because the editor of Streetvibes asked him to. Do you remember the magic of your First Book? Please consider giving the gift of reading to a low-income child in Cincinnati this holiday season. Established in 2001, First Book - Greater Cincinnati has already granted more than 45,000 books and over $60,000 to local nonprofit literacy programs serving thousands of low-income children in Greater Cincinnati. Make checks payable to “First Book - Greater Cincinnati” I Want to Bring the Magic of Books to Children Who Need Them! Please use my tax-deductible contribution to purchase books and distribute them to children who need them most. $20 (10 books) Please return your contribution to: First Book - Greater Cincinnati 572 Northland Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 Name: Address: E-mail: $40 (20 books) $80 (40 books) $100 (50 books) Other $ _______ �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 11 Community News Happy 96th Birthday to ‘Mr. Bill’ Still volunteering after 33 years 1 By vicKy c. Mcdonald Contributing Writer father said the man whom police killed in Chicago was not his son, claiming the gangster had undergone cosmetic surgery. incinnati’s oldest soup kitchen Nov. Kenny recalls when Over-the-Rhine was a 15 celebrated the birthday of a vol­ quiet area and the biggest problem was unteer who has given more than bootlegging. three decades of dedicated service. Dave Angevine, former manager of William M. Kenny, affectionate­ Over-the-Rhine Kitchen, ly known as Mr. Bill, celebrated his where he worked for five years, 96th birthday at Over-the-Rhine says Kenny is a great friend and Kenny recalls Kitchen, where he has volunteered very dedicated. Kenny volun­ when Over-thefor 33 years. Kenny says he doesn’t Rhine was a quiet teers even on days when there believe in retirement; he believes is heavy snow, according to area and the it’s not healthy. Angevine. Two years ago, when biggest problem “We sit down, we get stiff,” he was bootlegging. there was a snowstorm so bad says. that the city all but shut down, Therefore, when it was time Kenny showed up to work. for him to retire in 1976, Kenny began volun­ Over-the-Rhine Kitchen was the only soup teering at the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen, which kitchen serving that day, and people were opened that same year. grateful through the next week. “He’s the inspiration that gets us up every­ “Mr. Bill is an inspiration,” says Melody day,” says Executive Director Patricia Wakim. Byrom, who runs Walnut Hill Kitchen Pan­ Kenny has always had her back, Wakim try, which is affiliated with Over-the-Rhine says, even when she first started nine years Kitchen. “He keeps us going everyday. He ago and was “greener than grass.” The culture giggles at me all the time because not ev­ of the soup kitchen was different from what erything will go well.” she was used to, and Kenny was instrumental Kenny was born Nov. 18, 1913, the sec­ in guiding her, Wakim says. ond child in a family of 10 brothers and Kenny is a humble man, according to his sisters in Paris, Ky. He was married and has friend, Gwen Angevine, who says he has a two daughters. Before volunteering at the “wealth of knowledge, though (it’s) hard to soup kitchen he worked in tobacco fields, pull it out of him.” breaking horses, was a hotel valet, served Kenny sometimes reminisces about the as a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1941­ days of notorious mobsters. He recalls seeing 46 and was a car finisher. He resides at the Al Capone and remembers that John Dillinger’s YMCA. C William Kenny, 96, has volunteered at Over-the-Rhine Kitchen for 33 years. Photo by Maria Campolongo. STREETVIBES Vendor Mary Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. aFFordaBle rateS etvibes? tre nS rested in Advert Inte isin gi Many SizeS (full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, 1/8 page) BlacK & White and color availaBle diScountS For nonProFitS Contact Lynne at 513-421-7803 ext. 11 or lynneausman@cincihomeless.org for more information. �12 Film Review STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Being All That They Can Believe “I do not believe that the free press is free anymore. It’s very expensive.” -Ret. Gen. Albert Stubblebine III By david heitField Contributing Writer W hat motivates you to get up in the morning when you no longer have anything to believe in? That's the question facing Bob Wilton, the fo­ cal character of The Men Who Stare at Goats, a journalist in Ann Arbor, Mich., whose wife has left him for the paper's one-armed editor. His answer is to go to Kuwait to become a combat journalist, looking for a way into Iraq. “I was on a mission even if I didn't know what kind of mission it was,” he says. Ultimately, what he finds isn’t what he was looking for, but hell, it's better than believing in nothing. Men Who Stare, as it was abbreviated at the multiplex, is a surprisingly topical fiction that winks upfront: “More of this is true than you The New Age philosophy would believe.” Again, isn’t a fringe philosophy, with the beliefs. In Kulimited to its place and time. wait, Wilton (Ewan McGregor) meets Lyn It’s the pervasive view of the Cassady (George Clooney), whom he sees American mainstream. as his ticket into Iraq. Cassady, a self-de­ scribed Jedi warrior, breaks up clouds with his mind as he drives through the desert, telling Wilton the back story of the creation of “psychic spies” – who could, among other mind games, stop a goat's heart by staring at it -- known as the New Earth Army. You see, the Russians had heard a rumor started by the French that the Americans were doing psychic research, so the Russians started doing psychic research, so now the Americans had to pre­ vent a psychic research gap. As ponytailed new-ager Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) sells the idea of the New Earth Army, “We'll be the first superpower to have superpowers!” As the movie points out, this all came down during the Ronald Reagan Highway era, be­ cause he believed in Star Wars and astrology and a strong military and, of course, American Exceptionalism. Men Who Stare shifts between flashbacks of the founding of the New Earth Army and its ultimate, demythologized version led by non-believer Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) in Iraq in 2003, who is trying to find a way to win the unconventional war on terror. The movie is hilarious, and the performances are perfectly dead­ pan, with perhaps the exception of McGregor, who, as a veteran of the bad Star Wars movies, seems mostly to have been cast for the innate joke on Jedi warriors. It was “inspired” by Jon Ronson's 2004 nonfiction book of the same name, which also inspired a BBC documentary about those crazy American Army people. It’s too easy to watch this as a very broad satire of what happens when you let a group of hippie New Age freaks into the military. Satire is at its best when it reflects not on its target so much as its context. And that’s where I think Men Who Stare works better than most recent “satires.” And that’s because the New Age philosophy isn’t a fringe philosophy, limited to its place and time. It’s the per­ vasive view of the American mainstream. At one point Clooney asks McGregor if he’s always felt different or as an out­ sider – such was proof that he was a Jedi. It’s too easy to watch this as After returning home from watching a very broad satire of what this movie, I lazily happened upon Joel happens when you let a group of Osteen, telling his megachurch that, if hippie New Age freaks into the they feel like they don't have a meaning, military. Satire is at its best when well, you can manifest your meaning it reflects not on its target so and its subsequent success by coming much as its context. to God. As I watched Clooney breaking up clouds with his mind, I wondered how this was different from any Oprah episode or PBS fundraiser telling well-educated middle-class people that they can manifest their desires simply by focusing on them. The question isn’t whether you believe the bullshit. The question is to what degree you believe it. In a post­ modern world where the truth is irrelevant, the only thing that matters is what you believe. The Creation Museum is not the story of Christian paleontology; it’s a shining monument to postmodernism. And how is the story in Men Who Stare so much more fantastic than asking our boys in the volunteer army, who mostly have high school diplomas and have not exactly been exposed to the best social skills, to con­ duct a counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, where they are tasked with changing an entire culture or three? We train them to be soldiers, and then ask them to act like Richard Leakey on a mission from God? If you choose to believe that the psychic arts were first looked into by the Soviets – and there is at least some evidence that they used subliminal messages on their own troops to cut down on drunkenness – then you must also be struck by when these techniques were em­ ployed: during their losing war with Afghanistan. Ronson talks to Ret. Maj. Gen. Albert Stubblebine in the book (who’s quoted at the top of this article), who reportedly did try to run through his wall at least once, in 1983 (the movie begins with a fictional major gener­ al trying to run through a wall). A West Point graduate, Stubblebine was the head of the Army’s Intelligence and Security from 1981-84 and is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. He seems to have his biggest following now with the 9/11 conspiracy theorists, as he insists there is no evidence that a plane crashed into the Pentagon on that day. See Believe, p. 13 �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 13 Guest Column Suburbs Have Their Own Problems A meditation on the dark side of apparent tranquility By Paul KoPP Contributing Writer have received overwhelming support from residents who say their punishment was too ast month four Wyo- harsh and that they should be ming city employ- reinstated. ees lost their jobs for I grew up in Wyoming, drinking alcohol while work- and since I left, I haven’t ofing at city events. The Cincin- ten looked back on the time I nati Enquirer reported that spent there. I might not have in August the even read this workers drank story except while working It is supposed to be safer for the fact that at a drive-in than a big city, have better it happened in movie, a teen schools, fewer people, big Wyoming. It dance and a houses with pristinely cut made me think staff appreabout the way front lawns, etc. ciation party, things work in all of which suburbs. were at the city‘s pool and The idea of a suburban recreation center. town always seemed simple Several off-duty underage enough to me: It is supposed lifeguards were also suspect- to be safer than a big city, ed of drinking at a staff ap- have better schools, fewpreciation party but the city er people, big houses with was unable to identify them. pristinely cut front lawns, etc. Three of the ex-employees In what ways does a small city have filed a lawsuit against like Wyoming strive for such Wyoming, alleging that, perfection? In order to propamong other things, City erly construct a perspective Manager Bob Harrison has to further discuss the issue condoned and participated of the fired city workers, it is in city events where drink- necessary to provide a brief ing took place. At various city summary of the city‘s begincouncil meetings since the nings and demographics. incident, the ex-employees Wyoming has been around L for a while. Its roots go all the way back to 1861, when it was founded by Robert Reily, a prominent local resident of the area and a former infantryman in the Civil War. Wyoming’s current population is just over 8,000 people, and its total area is just over three miles. The population is about 87 percent white, with just over 9 percent AfricanAmerican, 1 percent Asian, 1 percent Hispanic and 1 percent other races. Wyoming’s sense of community seems more deeply engrained than in other suburbs I have visited. Other suburbs feel like a collection of upper-middle-class families lucky enough to have good homes but not necessarily a town-specific mentality. Growing up in Wyoming, it sometimes felt the city was surrounded by an imaginary force field, that nobody knew where anywhere else was. But no one wanted to go anywhere else, because this was the best place you could be. Though the city tries to protect itself from such negative elements as drugs and All They Believe continued FroM PaGe 12 And, apparently, there is a Lt. Col. Jim Channon, who originally proposed the First Earth Battalion, to use yoga and meditation and pri­ mal screaming to achieve battle readiness. Channon envisioned an army that an­ swered to the planet over the nation-state. Channon’s ideas were well received in part be­ cause of our failure in Viet­ nam and Channon’s obser­ vation that our soldiers were basically good people who did not want to kill anyone (a line also noted in the movie). It was through his grandiose optimism that Channon al­ legedly came up with the underage drinking, it can- right to fire someone who not eradicate them entirely. exhibits inappropriate beInstead there is a subculture havior, but not if the same created. Denial that it exists behavior is accepted among can become more harmful to other individuals within the everyone involved. same circle. Wyoming Every city seems to base has problems its identity on Growing up in Wyoming, unique to itexcellence in it sometimes felt the city self. Of course, education, was surrounded by an someone who public safety, lives in Overimaginary force field, and landscap- that nobody knew where the-Rhine has ing. Due to anywhere else was. But to worry about its small size, different things no one wanted to go the collec- anywhere else, because than a person tive mindset this was the best place in Wyoming. amongst longThe problems you could be. time residents of the inner is insular. Excelcity are more lence can mean many things, immediate, in the sense that but in Wyoming it sometimes they exist in plain view. Crime seems based on the image of a and poverty directly influence place so squeaky clean that it the well-being of the people. exists separately from the rest Though the ideological issues of the region. One result is an of a small suburban town are intensified focus on smaller not so immediate, they are infractions by members of worthy of examination due to the community – in this case, the subtlety with which they employees of the city of Wyo- reflect the problems of their ming. community. When the city employees were caught drinking, the incident threatened to tarnish the city’s image. It might be To the Editor To the editor: most popular marketing slo­ gan in the Army’s history: “Be all that you can be.” You can find out much more on the Internet. For example, if you take the words “stare” and “goats,” you'll come up with “Stargate” with the “OS” left over, which stands for the Occult Sciences division of the CIA, which reportedly in­ vestigated “remote viewing” from the mid-’70s through the 1990s. That’s why the fictional approach of Men Who Stare works so perfectly. The truth is irrelevant today. In a cul­ ture where most everyone feels somewhat disenfran­ chised, you too might be a Jedi warrior, or find success through Christ, or manifest your dreams, or even elect Sarah Palin president. All that matters is what you are will­ ing to believe. Don't believe me? The two long commercials before this anti-war satire were from the U.S. Air Force (where play­ ing with satellites in the sky looks a lot like playing a video game) and the National Guard (where "hero" was sung as people in camouflage car­ ried muddy people around). We've shot past irony and moved straight into stupid. Recently I saw the video, Rethink Afghanistan, where I learned that it costs us taxpayers $775,000 per year for each soldier. Here’s another statistic to blow your mind: So far we have spent more than $231 billion in Afghanistan alone. We are all concerned about the carnage in both Afghani­ stan and Iraq. Many of us are guiltily aware that we need to do something. So let me ask you: If you were in charge, is this how you would spend our tax dollars? In the past, many non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) have been working to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. They do so by helping to build schools, hiring and training teachers, building clinics and staffing them. Unemployment is at 40 percent in Afghanistan, and many Afghans join the Taliban so as to have an income. NGO’s can help create jobs. Wouldn’t it be better to spend our money in humane, peaceful ways than through war? It’s time for all of us to accept the role we play in war when we do nothing. We all need to contact our president and mem­ bers of Congress and let them know that we do not support the destruction wrought by war. If peaceful demonstrations are what is needed, then we must demonstrate. In Cincinnati, Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center is organizing for peace. They can be reached at 513-579-8547and www.ijpc-cincinnati.org. We are Americans. We are kind, humane, generous. Let’s start to act that way once again. Judy Cirillo, member of Women in Black To the editor: In response to Gloria McConnaghy’s letter to the editor (is­ sue of Nov. 15-30), I was born in Over-the-Rhine and lived there for 50 years and was a patient at the 12th Street Clinic. I was a friend of Buddy (Gray) and fought against the wealthy displacing the poor from low-income housing in Over-theRhine, standing side by side with Buddy, Bonnie (Neumeier) and others. My God is a loving God, not one that takes housing from the poor for a high-end shop for greed of the almighty dollar. Sonny Williams Clifton �14 Annual Dinner STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 �STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 681-2365 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House Shelter: Men DIC Live In Program Prospect House 241-5525 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4663 961-4080 761-1480 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Housing: Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Tender Mercies 381-0111 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 621-5514 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 661-4620 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Drop Inn Center Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Shelter: Both Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 458-6670 977-4489 Other Resources 721-0643 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 558-8888 981-5800 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House FreeStore/FoodBank Crossroad Health Center Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless Brighton Center 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 535-2719 Poetry Corner The Ground You Rest On By liSa Marie carBert Dirt on your cheeks, lint in your pockets, hunger in your belly, shame in your mind. A day’s beg for coins to the dollar. Thirsty for life, hungry for change, your circumstance is un-guiding. Eyes pass you, minds pretend you aren't there, the week lingers on you, your path is clear. A meal for today and maybe not one for tomorrow, nothing to claim but what you hold in your pockets. The ground you occupy is America's, but they say you’re homeless. Grateful for a quarter, blessed for a bill, you feel you're at your rope’s end. You’re a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a friend. The mistakes you've made coincide with your condition, or maybe life has just dealt you bad cards, the world, full of your kin, turn their cheeks the other way, and I ask... If we all believe that we derive from Adam and Eve, then why are we so easily deceived into believing the contrary? Aren't our brothers and sisters our responsi­ bility? You have a growling pain in this great land of opportunities, we can lift buildings and build dreams, but you’re falling with nothing but the pave­ ment to catch you. You rely on catchy cardboard words, but pressed white collars and fancy heels don’t always acknowledge worn jeans, I see it every day. But God has connected me with you. From sun up to sun down our bellies are empty simultaneously. Humbling for me, we are the same. Your hope is spooned to you everyday out of the pots and pans of those giving bless­ ings. When the thirst of the summer heat is urging me to drink up all of my nutritional opportu­ nities, I think of you. Where will your next meal come from? Does the world really care? Homeless... laid off, Homeless... divorced, Homeless... run away, Homeless... abused, Homeless... mentally incapable. Homeless... not heartless. God has inspired me to not forget our ances­ tries, the same earthly womb bore us all, and our creator planted the seeds that rooted you and I, the same. So I'll give my change, smiles, blessings, non­ perishables, and time. Not forgetting you are a part of I, The ground you rest on is America's, but they say you’re homeless, I say you're God's! �16 Column STREETVIBES December 1 - 14, 2009 Reason Awakens from Deep Sleep Matt Reed uses art to teach ethics A s a child, Matt Reed was very much into com­ ic books. His parents would buy them for him before he could even read. He would draw from them again and again. They were his first intro­ duction to art, also his first love in art. Born in Toledo, Reed, a visual artist, moved to Cin­ cinnati in his senior year of high school. He attended Columbus College of Art and Design and majored in illustration. He soon realized, however, that his real love was teaching; he enrolled at the University of Cin­ cinnati, obtained a teaching certificate and since then has taught art in high school and middle school. Reed has also been doing his own art all along, mostly detailed drawings influenced by his illustra­ tion training. His art usually expresses his interests and concerns, his political views and his obsessions, all mixed and mashed together. “It is a blend,” he says, “one that comes from within and finds its way out. Art is also my escape from reality into a newly imagined world. It helps me communi­ cate and make a statement.” Reed has been political all his life, growing up in a family where both parents were politically minded Matt Reed. Photo by Saad Ghosn. and where politics was regularly discussed. Different from his fa­ ther, who is conservative tion.” right-wing, Reed is pro­ At the bottom of his drawing, several silhouettes mimic an evo­ gressive and leftist, influ­ lution scene and progress from a caveman into increasingly refined enced early on by the po­ gunmen. The message is that we’re evolving into more sophisticat­ litical messages of punk ed and more efficient killers. In the middle, a mound of skulls is as rock bands. Social and surrounded by comic book-inspired panels depicting explosions; political issues concern and at the top, a soldier standing on a tank is approached by a sui­ him and transpire into cide bomber who blows up everything. The drawing links increases By Saad GhoSn his art. His satirical draw- in violence to current politics to death and questions the wisdom Contributing Writer ing You Will Be Recycled, and rationale of waging unending wars in the pursuit of peace. for instance, is about the His pen and ink drawing, Reason Is Still Sleeping, is a take on The environment and people Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, in which Goya reacts to the vio­ who refuse to recycle. Reed ironically points out that the Earth will lent events of the late 18th century – wars, the Spanish Inquisition, recycle them whether they like it or not. etc.. The drawing represents, in the midst of explosions and de­ There Is No Peace in Retreat is based on a direct quotation of struction, a woman smiling happily, embracing in her arms a large then-President George W. Bush regarding the Iraq War. Reed found bomb, her young child standing by her. It was Reed’s assertion that the statement arrogant; it reflected in his mind how the adminis­ mankind’s reason is lacking, also his expression of outrage at the tration was conducting its foreign policy relying mainly on might Iraq war, a war in he sees as based on greed and lies. and war, rarely conducive to peace. In addition to his personal art, Reed also uses his teaching to “As a strategy, retreat does not necessarily equal defeat or cow­ convey his values and beliefs and to trigger thinking in the fresh ardice” Reed says, “Sometimes withdrawal is simply the best op- and avid minds of his students; he does this, however, always cau­ tious not to impose his own views. Teaching is for him a type of activism in which one shows students how to interact with others, treat others with respect and tolerance, react appropriately to a difficult situation, develop social skills, appreciate the diversity of things. Reed thus does not only teach the techniques and skills of art but also works on building the character of his students, opening their minds and hearts to various important issues. He uses recycling paper in the classroom as a model and a trigger for environmental concerns. Discussing and deciding with his students what is ac­ ceptable and what is not when it comes to conduct, he helps them set ethical norms for their own behavior. Exploring the social or political content of artists’ work, he leads students into reflecting about the issues addressed, at the same time challenging them and empowering them to use their creativity and art to express their own concerns and beliefs. He recently used Keith Haring’s works as a trigger for a class show, Haring’s art being simple, straightforward and still full of messages. Not infrequently, in addition to visual art, Reed resorts to poems, texts, stories and events to interpellate his students and open their eyes. With the changes brought by the new administration, Reed’s outlook on the world is more hopeful. He is still concerned, how­ ever, by the persistent and powerful control big businesses exert over politics, often at the expense of the people. He will continue to use his own art and his teaching to address big issues such as war, environment, equality, freedom, choices in life, etc. but he would like to do it now in a more positive way, to be able to offer viable alternatives instead of simply being critical. “Art is a very important tool for change” Reed says, “It uses and triggers imagination, which is unfortunately undervalued in our so­ ciety. Imagination, however, is badly needed to recreate the world. The world does not have to be the way it is. We have to imagine something better; focus on something new for the good of every­ one and the survival of our planet.” A rtists ctivists There Is No Peace in Retreat, ink drawing by Matt Reed. Photo by Matt Reed. Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at saad.ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 1-14, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Hope for Chronically Homeless Cincinnati Oracle Appears in India Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes Opening a Door Pg 4: Demanding Justice form Chiquita Art and Culture of Over-the-Rhine Pg 5: To Get Youth Off the Streets Pg 6: Wage Theft: The Forgotten Crime Pg 7: Hope for Chronically Homeless Pg 8: Immigration Benefits Americans Pg 9: ‘Just Another Brick in the Wall’ Pg 10: Immigration Benefits Americans Pg 11: Happy 96th Birthday to ‘Mr. Bill’ Pg 12: Being All That They Can Believe Pg 13: Suburbs Have Their Own Problems Pg 14: Annual Dinner Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Reason Awakens from Deep Sleep Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource December 1-14, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Dan Rozier Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Keara Anita Mullen Ariana Shahandeh Larry Gross Eli Braun Aimie Willhoite Jeni Jenkins Anthony Williams Bill Haigh Clarissa Peppers Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF addiction Aimie Willhoite Annual Dinner Anthony Williams Ariana Shahandeh Bengals Bill Haigh Chiuita Cincinnati Clarissa Peppers Dan Rozier David Heitfield Eli Braun Gentrification immigration India Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Jimmy Heath Keara Anita Mullen Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Matt Reed Meditation Michael Henson Mr. Bill Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp poverty Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark SCPA Stephanie Dunlap Suburbs Tags Gregory Flannery Talbert House Wages Youth https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/20ea533eb460aeae4137d2c1af65d2c6.pdf 431654441a07cddb52fa2f6275224845 PDF Text Text Life on the Bloody Edge Page 12 School of the Americas Protest Page 9 STREETVIBES $1 Dec. 15-31, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 167 Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door Bob Dylan’s Christmas CD to benefit food pantries By Bill Flanagan Street News Service Exclusive to the International Network of Street Papers. B Bob Dylan plays the harmonica at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. REUTERS/Lee Celano. Homeless Crimes Laws and policies make necessities illegal By Vicky C. McDonald Contributing Writer A small group of Miami University students joined together Dec. 1 at Fountain Square to raise their voices against laws targeting homeless people. Legislation makes it illegal to sleep, sit or store personal belongings in public spaces in many cities where people are forced to live, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. In Ohio, an “open container” law prevents people from possessing an open container of beer or liquor on public property. Public-in- decency laws prevent people let, a simple necessity that from urinating or defecating those who have homes take for granted. Those without in public. homes must “(It’s) important for sometimes It costs $65 per bed per people to go in public, day in the county jail in know homewhich violessness is comparison to an average lates the law. out there and of $30 a day for permanent After the first it’s not necoffense, the supportive housing. essarily their penalties in- Greater Cincinnati fault,” said Coalition for the Homeless crease with each subBrent Eysensequent ofbach, spokesman for the students. “People fense. Eysenbach said that, in are being locked up for doing everyday things we do at quasi-public places such as fast-food restaurants, homehome.” Eysenbach was referring to things such as using a toiSee Crime, p. 8 ob Dylan has at variBF: Did you take him serious times revolu- ously? tionized folk, rock, BD: Well, sure I took him country and gospel music. seriously. However, any Dylan fan who BF: But it didn’t happen. says he was not surprised How come? that Bob has reBD: He wasn’t leased an album specific. Besides, of traditional Dylan has donated there was always Christmas songs a glut of records all of his proceeds is pulling your out around that from the record, leg. Christmas time of year, and in perpetuity, to in The Heart is organizations around I didn’t see how another surprisone by me could the world to help ing move by an make any differwith hunger and artist famous ence. homelessness. for surprises. Yet BF: What was when you hear Christmas like Dylan's direct and obviously around your town when you sincere readings of “O Come were growing up? All Ye Faithful,” “Little Town BD: Well, you know, plenty Of Bethlehem” and “The First of snow, jingle bells, ChristNoel,” this unlikely exercise mas carolers going from seems of a piece with the rest house to house, sleighs in the of Dylan's work. streets, town bells ringing, From the very first, this Nativity plays – that sort of was an artist who made us thing. look at the familiar with new BF: Your family was Jewish. eyes and ears. While some As a kid did you ever feel left critics tie themselves into out of the Christmas exciteknots analyzing Dylan's mo- ment? tives, it has usually turned BD: No, not at all. out that Bob Dylan means exBF: What’s your idea of a actly what he says. Featuring good Christmas dinner? members of his touring band BD: Mashed potatoes and along with Los Lobos' David gravy, roast turkey and colHidalgo and Chess Records lard greens, turnip greens, vet Phil Upchurch, Christmas biscuit dressing, corn bread in The Heart is Dylan's cel- and cranberry sauce. ebration of family, communiBF: Have you spent any ty, faith and shared memory. Christmases overseas and And a timely celebration it is. been struck by how the holiRecognizing the worldwide day is celebrated in other problem of hunger, Dylan has countries? donated all of his proceeds BD: I was in Mexico City from the record, in perpetu- once, and they do a lot of reity, to organizations around enactment scenes of Joseph the world to help with hunger and Mary looking for a place and homelessness. to stay. BF: How do you like to spend We sat down to talk in the Waterfront Plaza Hotel in the week between Christmas Oakland on a rainy, windy, and New Year’s? BD: Doing nothing – mayOctober day. Bill Flanagan: Is recording be reflecting on things. BF: Why do you think a Christmas album something you’ve had on your mind for a Christmas has better songs than other holidays? while? BD: I don’t know. That’s a Bob Dylan: Yeah, every so often it has crossed my mind. good question. Maybe beThe idea was first brought to cause it’s so worldwide and me by Walter Yetnikoff, back everybody can relate to it in when he was President of CoSee Dylan, p. 4 lumbia Records. �2 Editorial Quite a Year for ‘Streetvibes’ By The Numbers 15 Growth, awards and occasional rejection the age of a boy serving as a drug dealer’s lookout in the woodcut, The Sentinel (see page 16) Seventh the edition of For a Better World 2010 set for publication in February 2010 (see page 7) STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 By Gregory Flannery Editor I was standing outside the office when a man in a U.S. flag shirt said he planned to kill himself on Christmas Eve unless his girlfriend got out of jail within two days. She was locked up on a charge of domestic violence. A few hours later a man told me he’d gotten a job, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society had given him a voucher for a pair of work boots. He offered to buy me a sweater, thanking me for giving him some small encouragement and bus fare before his fortunes improved. That is the kind of year Streetvibes had in 2009 – some heartaches, some victories. 10 • the age at which Jacob started smoking (see page 11) Zero the number of times Bob Dylan has been to Christmas Island (see page 1) 50 the cost, in pennies, of a cup of coffee and two refills at a downtown café (see page 12) 3 the number of Streetvibes contributors who published books this year (see page 2) 6.57 the number, in millions, of people around the world who own slaves (see page 7) 150 the amount, in dollars, an abusive husband makes each week playing guitar at a club (see page 10) 173,000 the average number of workers for which a wage-theft investigator with the U.S. Labor Department is responsible (see page 6) 2…7…5 the highway St. Nick traversed while collecting bedbugs (see page 14) • • • • • • • • • • • • We were sad to see Andy Freeze leave at the start of the year. As education coordinator for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, he managed the Streetvibes vendor program and laid out each edition of the paper. But that loss was also a gain for Streetvibes and for dozens of other street papers across the country. As the first-ever executive director of the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA), Freeze is working hard to help street papers grow and improve. When Freeze moved on, Lynne Ausman - administrative coordinator of the Homeless Coalition – began laying out each edition. She’s so good at it that I asked her to be our art director. This involved no extra pay and lots of extra work, especially after the Homeless Coalition decided to begin publishing Streetvibes bi-weekly. No extra pay – in fact, no pay at all – is what our writers, photographers and proofreaders got this year. All year long they have donated their work for free. They’re an amazing, diverse lot. Some are college students, some are homeless people, some are social workers, some are professional writers. Three of our regular contributors have published books this year: Michael Henson (They All Asked About You); Margo Pierce (Your Wills, Estates and Trusts Easily Explained); and Larry Gross (Living Out Loud). When Andy Freeze left, Jeni Jenkins took over as education coordinator and manager of the vendor program, bringing her own creativity and energy to the task. Josh Spring, executive director of the Homeless Coalition, has been very supportive. We’ve sold all copies of many editions of Streetvibes this year, thanks to the generosity of our readers and the hard work of our vendors. With the onset of cold weather, when sales usually decline, we’ve now adjusted our circulation to 3,500 every two weeks, which is about three times what we were selling in early 2008. The Street News Service has circulated worldwide several stories that first appeared in Streetvibes. We’ve introduced new columns (“Artists as Activists” and a sports column) and enjoyed continuing long-standing columns (“Hammered” and “Eight Minutes”). Twice this year Streetvibes has won awards for an article called, “We Are Their Slaves.” NASNA and the International Network of Street Papers named it the Best Feature Story of the Year. When the Denver Voice reprinted the story, its vendors were barred by a grocery chain affiliated with the issues covered in the story. Closer to home, a religious organization asked Streetvibes vendors to stay away from its annual festival because of an article it disapproved. Both articles were carried worldwide by the Street News Service, a prescient reminder that making a mark can help some people while upsetting others. Some of our vendors have been arrested for urinating in alleys at night. Wouldn’t it be nice if once – just once – a judge would tell a homeless person where she should go at night, when the public library is closed and restaurants don’t want homeless people coming in to take a piss. Public urination is a crime, all right, but the perpetrator is society at large, prosecuting poor people for doing what nature requires. One of our vendors was arrested for sleeping in an abandoned building. This, too, is a crime. Every night hundreds of people in Greater Cincinnati have to sleep in cars, on benches, on friends’ couches, on the Ohio River bank, under highway overpasses, in overcrowded shelters, in alcoves at the library, the courthouse, the cathedral, at City Hall. The crime is homelessness – not what homeless people do to stay alive. We have been fortunate to have students from Miami University, Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, Ohio University and the College of Mount Saint Joseph contribute photography and articles to Streetvibes. A student contributor recently expressed some reservation about an assignment in Over-theRhine. Like me, she was raised to believe that Over-the-Rhine is a dangerous place, an area to be avoided. This is not an uncommon view, but nor is it insuperable. I took the student on a brief walking tour of Over-the-Rhine and tried to share what I have seen: Over-the-Rhine is a neighborhood, a place where people look out for each other. It is under assault by city policies aimed at driving out the poor and those who help them. It is under assault by people who use guns at night – cowards, all of them! In the end, I don’t know if I changed the student’s view. But that kind of thing is what I believe an editor should do. That kind of thing goes to the heart of what Streetvibes and the Homeless Coalition are about: breaking down barriers, advocating on behalf of homeless people in a society that can be in turns compassionate and cruel. For this final edition of 2009, we’re offering fewer news stories and more poems and short stories. It’s in keeping with the season when we celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, Tsongkhapa Day and Eid ul-Fitr. You, our readers, have been very kind to us this year. Thank you. In 2010 may we see a world more just, more kind, more peaceful. Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Vendor Coordinator Jeni Jenkins Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Dan Rozier, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Keara Anita Mullen, Steven Paul Lansky, Larry Gross, Eli Braun Photography/Artwork Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Jeni Jenkins, Anthony Williams, Bill Haigh, Clarissa Peppers Proofreaders Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 3 Local News Hamilton County Hidden Treasures Integration works when neighbors work at it By Jill Span Contributing Writer West End became known as the first ghetto in Hamilton County, housing most of Cinor the past 30 years cinnati’s African Americans cities in Hamilton because they could not find County have been housing elsewhere, accordworking toward neighbor- ing to Leininger. hood integration. A Human As Cincinnati made an efResource event Nov. 21 cele- fort to replace slum housing brated those neighborhoods. in the 1930s and ’40s, a large The event began with a number of African Ameriwelcome and introduction by cans were displaced from Cheryl Meadows their homes. By of the Cincinnati the 1950s the Human Relations “A lot of this is about city was lookCommission, ing for ways to partnership and who identified build more pubbringing everyone the successfully to the table. It’s not lic housing, but integrated comneighborhoods about government munities as “hidwere still very changing den treasures.” segregated by communities, or “Whenever we race, Leininger politics; it’s about get an opportusaid. everyone in the nity to celebrate community stepping With the Fair what’s been acHousing Act of up. Be the change complished, I 1968, discrimiyou want to see.” think it’s wonnation based on -Kathy Garrison derful,” Meadows race in the sale, said. rental and fiThere were 25 communi- nancing of housing was proties recognized at the pro- hibited, which became the gram, with the honor of “gold first real step toward change. medal” status awarded to After 1970 came a sharp Riverfront/Downtown, Cor- change in the racial stability ryville and Madisonville for of integrated neighborhoods, 30 years of integrated neigh- but “as late as the early ’90s, borhoods. there were still some landCharles F. Casey Leininger lords that were openly and of the Department of History explicitly discriminating on at the University of Cincin- the basis of race,” Leininger nati led a segment on the his- said. tory of segregation in HamilToday old fears of integratton County. ed neighborhoods are far less “It’s clear to me that over prevalent than in the past, at the last 30 to 40 years there’s least in some neighborhoods, been a shift in the way people he said. think about their communi“We found that not only are ties – a positive shift,” said those traditionally integrated Leininger, who attributed the neighborhoods stabilized, progress to a change in at- but others as well,” Leininger titudes among younger gen- said. Success is about having a erations. However, “the fact that we healthy mix of racial diversity live in a society that is large- as well as socio-economic ly segregated on the basis of diversity, according to Elizabeth Brown, executive direcrace is no accident,” he said. In the late 19th century the tor of Housing Opportunities F Charles F. Casey-Leininger (seated) and Elizabeth Brown speak about the success of integrated neighborhoods. Photo by Maria Campolongo. Made Equal. “The fact is we are all welcome to live wherever we choose for whatever reason we choose,” she said. The second half of the “Hidden Treasures” program began with a short documentary on one Pennsylvania community’s quest toward a vibrant integrated neighborhood, followed by a panel on trend-setting with representatives from some of Hamilton County’s stabilized integrated neighborhoods. Tim Jeckering, president of the Northside Community Council, represented that neighborhood at the event. Northside earned a silver medal for being integrated since 1980. “If you can do pro-active things in your community that involve all people, you’ll have much more success with integration,” he said. One way Northside does this is by having an annual Fourth of July parade, Jeckering said. Maria Kreppel, chair of District A Board of Directors, spoke on behalf of the Pleasant Ridge Heights and Kennedy Heights communities. Kreppel said she and her husband moved to the edge of Pleasant Ridge in the 1970s and found it to be a wonderful place to raise their family. “Today, looking over my shoulder, our wonderful family experience was because of human geography – not physical geography,” Kreppel said. District A includes neighborhoods that have committed themselves to working in the arts, including everything from architecture to welding, she said. District A is not an ordinary arts district because artists not only work there, but also raise their families there, as well, Kreppel said. Kathy Garrison, another panel member, has lived in Madisonville for the past 48 years. She said the key to integrating neighborhoods is recognizing the importance of reaching out and latching on to those who want to get involved. “A lot of this is about partnership and bringing everyone to the table,” Garrison said. “It’s not about government changing communities, or politics; it’s about everyone in the community stepping up. Be the change you want to see.” Proclamations from Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and the Hamilton County Commissioners declared Nov. 21 “Hidden Treasures Day.” Religious March for Health Care Faith leaders want Congress to act By Donald Washington Contributing Writer M ore than 50 “People of Faith United for Health Care Reform” gathered Nov. 24 on the steps of Christ Church Cathedral downtown to rally for health-care reform, now reaching a critical stage in Congress. The U.S. Senate began debate following its Thanksgiving break. The rally engaged people across many religious denominations. The Rev. Paula Jackson of Church of Our Saviour, Rabbi Sigma Coran of Rockdale Temple, the Rev. Elmer Martin of Brown Chapel A.M.E. and Canon Joanna Leiserson of Christ Church denied that blessing because Cathedral provided testimo- of lack of health coverage.” An open letter ny of the need for from faith leaders health-care reform. to elected officials The Rev. Damon “We have a Lynch Jr. of New moral obligation was signed by perJerusalem Baptist to families who sons of faith from Church closed out Greater Cincinare denied the rally with a fiery (health care).” nati and was made speech that chalavailable to the rally lenged the participarticipants to sign. pants to take action now to Participants marched with banners and placards to the support health care reform. “As families prepare to Cincinnati office of U.S. Sen. share a Thanksgiving meal George Voinovich to deliver this week, it is important to the letter. It was a remarkable recognize that our health is scene that generated many one of the most important on lookers from the lunchthings we say ‘thanks’ for,” time crowd downtown. This was the first action said one faith leader in attendance. “We have a moral taken by the People of Faith, obligation to families who are but more activity is to follow Religious leaders spoke out in support of health care reform Nov. 24. to secure health-care reform for individuals, families and society as a whole during this critical month. These religious leaders are partner- ing with Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage, a statewide organization building a consumer voice for health-care reform. �4 Exclusive Interview STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 Bob Dylan has just completed his first Christmas CD. The profits will benefit the hungry. Photo courtesy of Columbia Records. Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door continued from page 1 ing through the window at the congregation, hear their version of “Hey Jude.” wishing he were in there. Did any of these BF: The way you do “Winter Wonderland” their own kind of way. songs surprise you when you heard them makes me think of Gene Autry and Roy RodBF: Very often when contemporary art- played back? gers, the singing cowboys in the old movies. ists do Christmas records, they look for a BD: No, they were pretty much the same Even in John Wayne films, there’d always be new angle. John Fahey did instrumental folk going in as going out. You can already hear a scene back at the fort where an Irish band variations on holiday songs, Billy Idol did a them in your head before was playing, or the Sons of rock and roll Christmas album, Phil Specter you begin. the Pioneers were singing. “I love rhyming for rhyming put the Wall of Sound around the Christmas BF: Any Christmas Did you have a favorite sake. I think that’s an tree and the Roches did kind of a kooky left- songs you like but you did cowboy singer as a kid? field collection. You played this right down not think you could do? incredible art form.” BD: Yeah, Tex Ritter. the middle, doing classic holiday songs in BD: Not really. There BF: What about Gene - Bob Dylan traditional arrangements. Did you know go- were ones I didn’t want and Roy? ing in you wanted to play it straight? to do, but not any that I BD: Yeah, they were BD: Oh sure, there wasn’t any other way didn’t think I could do. The idea was to re- OK, but Tex Ritter was my favorite. He was to play it. These songs are part of my life, cord the best known ones. way more heavy. There was more gravity to just like folk songs. You have to play them BF: “Christmas Blues” is an old Dean Mar- him. straight, too. tin song. What attracted you to that? BF: Have you heard “Christmas on Death BF: There’s something new that hapBD: It’s just a beautiful song. Row,” the rap Christmas record? pens when your voice goes up against the BF: Stan Lynch once told me about you BD: No, I don’t think so. very smooth background singers and old- and him slipping out of a rehearsal with the BF: Do you listen to rap music? fashioned arrangements. It adds a new fla- Heartbreakers to go see Dean, Sinatra and BD: I don’t listen to rap radio stations and vor to the mix. When you do “I’ll Be Home Sammy Davis. What appealed to you about I don’t play rap songs on the jukebox, and I for Christmas,” it sounds really forlorn, like those guys? don’t go to rap shows, so, no, I guess I don’t you’re singing the song in jail and this is BD: I don’t know, maybe the camarade- listen to rap music all that much. your one phone call. Do you ever approach rie. On the other hand, I wasn’t much into BF: What do you think of rap music? singing a song like an actor? that whole scene, actually. It left a lot of BD: I love rhyming for rhyming sake. I BD: Not any more then Willie or Nat King people out. think that’s an incredible art form. Cole would. The songs BF: “Must Be Santa” is BF: There’s a lonely quality in the way you don’t require much acting. a real jumping polka. Did do “Silver Bells.” You were a young man when They kind of play them“I don’t know what my you hear a lot of polka you moved from Minnesota to New York City. selves. grandchildren think of any of bands growing up? Was Christmas very different in New York? BF: Do you try to go for BD: Yeah, I heard a few. BD: Christmas was pretty much the same my records. I don’t know if different emotions on difBF: I never heard that in New York, only more so. they’ve even heard them.” ferent takes? BF: Did it make you homesick? song before. Where did you - Bob Dylan BD: Not really. The emoBD: Not really. I didn’t think about it that hear it? tions would pretty much BD: I first heard that much. I didn’t bring the past with me when be the same on any singular take. The in- song years ago on one of those “Sing Along I came to New York. Nothing back there flections would maybe differ if we changed with Mitch” records. But this version comes would play any part in where I was going. BF: Hearing you sing “Adeste Fidelis” rethe key, and sometimes that might affect from a band called Brave Combo. Somethe emotional resonance. body sent their record to us for our radio minds me of being an altar boy at Midnight BF: When I hear your version of “Hark! show. They’re a regional band out of Texas Mass. The priests all had to lead the singing, The Herald Angels Sing,” it makes me think that takes regular songs and changes the See Dylan, p. 5 of a lonely fellow outside the church, look- way you think about them. You ought to �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 Exclusive Interview 5 Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door continued from page 4 you sure deliver that song like a true believer. BD: Well, I am a true believer. and it didn’t matter if they were singers or not – they belted it out. Have you BF: You know, some people will think that Bob Dylan doing a Christmas ever sung in a foreign language before? album is meant to be ironic or a put-on. This sounds to me like one of the BD: I’ve sung in French, Italian and Spanish. Over the years Columbia most sincere records you’ve ever made. Did anybody at your record comhas asked me to do records in those languages, and I recorded stuff here pany or management resist the idea? and there. None of the tracks have been released, though. It’s hard decidBD: No, it was my record company who compelled me to do it. ing whether to do a translation of one of my own songs or an original BF: Why now? song in one of those languages, which I’m BD: Well, it just came my way now, at this time. Actually, I don’t think I actually more partial to. I’ve always wanted would have been experienced enough earlier anyway. “Isn’t there enough to do some Edith Piaf songs. BF: Some critics don’t seem to know what to make of this record. irreverence in the world? BF: “La Vie en Rose”? Bloomberg News said, “Some of the songs sound ironic. Does he really BD: Yeah. That one and a couple of oth- mean “have yourself a merry little Christmas?” Is there any ironic content Who would need more? Especially at Christmas time.” ers: “Sous Le Ciel de Paris, “Pour Moi Tout in these songs? Seule” and maybe one or two more. BD: No, not at all. Critics like that are on the outside looking in. They - Bob Dylan BF: What stopped you? are definitely not fans or the audience that I play to. They would have no BD: Well, I can hear myself doing them in gut level understanding of me and my work, what I can and can’t do – the my head, but I’d need written arrangements to pull it off, and I’m not sure scope of it all. Even at this point in time they still don’t know what to make who could do that. of me. BF: Which singers do you BF: Derek Barker in the associate with Christmas? Independent compared this BD: Johnny Mathis and record with the shock of you Nat King Cole. Doris Day. going electric. So many artBF: What about Bing ists have released Christmas Crosby? records, from Bing Crosby to BD: Sure, “White ChristHuey Piano Smith. Why is it mas” was always a big a shock if you do it? song. BD: You’ll have to ask BF: I always get choked them. up at the end of “Going My BF: The Chicago Tribune Way” when the old priest’s felt this record needed more mother comes walking toirreverence. Doesn’t that ward him on Christmas miss the point? Eve and Bing watches from BD: Well, sure it does. the door of the church, then That’s an irresponsible statement anyway. Isn’t picks up his suitcase and there enough irreverence in walks off into the snow – the world? Who would need “Tura, Lura Lura” playing more? Especially at Christin the background. You can’t mas time. get any more Christmassy BF: The profits from this than that. Did movies have album are going to buy a big effect on how you saw Christmas dinners for folks the world growing up? who are having a hard time BD: I think so. I lived in financially. When I heard a small town, and movthat, I thought of the Woody ies were a window into the Guthrie song, “Pretty Boy outside world. Floyd”: “Here’s a Christmas BF: “Christmas Island” is dinner for the families on a wacky song! Santa’s going relief.” to sail in with your presents BD: Exactly, “Pretty Boy in a canoe. Where did that Bob Dylan’s Christmas CD. Photo courtesy of Columbia Records. Floyd.” “Pretty Boy grabbed come from? You ever been to the log chain and the depChristmas Island? uty grabbed his gun.” Did BD: No, I’ve never been you ever notice how Pretty there. I have no idea where Boy Floyd looks exactly like babe Ruth? the song comes from, who wrote or even if there is such a place. BF: Yeah, I have. BF: Your song, “Three Angels,” always reminds me of the holidays. Did BD: Did you ever think it could be the same guy? you ever sit down to write a Christmas song? BF: Maybe they’re interchangeable? BD: I have never done that. It’s something to think about, though. BD: Yeah, in the real world Pretty Boy would be batting clean up for the BF: You have grandchildren. What do you think they’ll make of this record? Did it occur to you making this record that years from now your Yankees and Babe Ruth would be robbing banks. BF: Yeah, and they’re both legends. grandchildren will play this album for their own kids? BD: Right. BD: I don’t know what my grandchildren think of any of my records. I BF: Why did you pick Feeding America, Crisis UK and The World Food don’t know if they’ve even heard them. Maybe the older ones. BF: You’re a lot more loyal to these melodies than you are to the melo- Programme to give the proceeds of this record to? BD: Because they get food straight to the people – no military orgadies of the songs you’ve written. Do you figure these tunes can’t be messed nization, no bureaucracy, no governments to with? deal with. BD: If you want to get to the heart of them, they can’t be, no. "I’ve sung in French, Italian BF: Do you still send out Christmas cards? BF: Your version of “The Christmas Song” is right in the pocket. You slide and Spanish. Over the BD: I haven’t for a while. into that song like you’ve been singing it all your life. You also sing the intro BF: Do you have a favorite Christmas al- years Columbia has asked (“All through the year we waited …”), which most people leave out. I don’t bum? think Nat King Cole used that intro. Why did you bring it back? me to do records in those BD: Maybe the Louvin Brothers. I like all languages, and I recorded BD: Well, I figured the guy who wrote it put it in there deliberately. It definitely creates ten- the religious Christmas albums – the ones in stuff here and there. None “I didn’t bring the past with sion, predicts what you are about to hear. Latin, the songs I sang as a kid. of the tracks have been BF: A lot of people like the secular ones. BF: I think you did drop the “goodies” on the me when I came to New released, though." BD: Religion isn’t meant for everybody. York. Nothing back there sleigh. Did something about that bother you? - Bob Dylan BF: What sort of gifts do you like to give? BD: No, not really. I don’t think I thought of would play any part in BD: I try to match the person with the gift. it until you mentioned it. I try my best to be where I was going.” BF: Are you a last-minute shopper? exact, but sometimes things just fall away. We - Bob Dylan BD: Always. probably recorded the song, got the feel right BF: Do you drop any hints about what you hope to get from your famand moved on. Most likely we didn’t even listen back, just moved on to something else. I don’t think that’s something ily? BD: Nope. Their well-being – that’s enough of a gift for me. I would have noticed anyway. BF: I know we’re out of time but I have to ask: What’s the best Christmas BF: You really give a heroic performance of “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem.” The way you do it reminds me a little of an Irish rebel song. There’s gift you ever got? BD: Let me think. Oh yeah, I think it was a sled. something almost defiant in the way you sing, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” I don’t want to put you on the spot, but �6 STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 Local News Just as Bad as Highway Robbery Wage theft is a nationwide problem Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center (CIWC). The nonprofit organization, formed in 2005, works to educate and advocate for workers’ rights. CIWC is affiliated with the By Kelissa Hieber national network, Interfaith Contributing Writer Worker Justice, which as a whole recovered over $2 milage theft is a lion dollars in unpaid wages crime that oc- in 2008. curs all across the CIWC addresses the probcountry and affects many dif- lem of wage theft by directly ferent individuals. Wage theft confronting businesses or is the illegal practice of not employers that have cheated paying workers or not paying workers out of the wages they their proper are due. The wages. organization The ways Undocumented workers are also works that wage on lawsuits often the targets of wage theft is caragainst emtheft, because employers ried out in- believe they can easily avoid ployers or clude payindividuals paying these workers. ing less than who are parminimum ticipating in wage, no payment or im- these illegal practices. proper payment for overtime The U.S. Department of Laand incomplete paychecks or bor is supposed to make sure no paychecks at all. No one that all workers get their deis immune to the possibility served wages. Unfortunately of being a wage-theft victim, the Labor Department doesn’t but certain groups are affect- have the staffing to make sure ed far more than others. Im- that no workers fall through migrants, African-American the cracks. Wage and hour workers, temporary workers investigators are responsible and low-wage workers feel for ensuring workers receive the impact of this crime the their proper pay, but in 2008 most. there was only around one Many community groups investigator for every 173,000 across the nation have workers covered under the worked to educate and fight Fair Labor Standards Act. for the rights of these workThe CIWC press conferers. Nov. 19 was the National ence began with the stories Day of Action to Stop Wage of two workers who had been Theft (see “Wage Theft: The victims of wage theft. PeForgotten crime,” issue of dro Alverado had worked for Dec. 1-14). People in 40 cit- the same employer for three ies across the nation partici- years, but on his last job he pated in this day to educate ran into problems with his and discuss what has been boss. His employer wouldn’t done and what still needs to pay him for his last job and be done on this issue. claimed he wasn’t responIn Cincinnati, the obser- sible for Alverado’s problems. vation ended with a press Alverado went to CIWC for conference hosted by the help. W Activists gather in Walnut Hills to protest wage theft. Photo by Dan Moore. “I’m here today to get justice for so many others like me,” he said. One concern discussed at the press conference is how is that legislation alone isn’t enough; adequate personnel are needed to enforce these laws. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune was unable to attend the press conference but an assistant spoke about Portune’s work on the issue. Last month Portune created the Hamilton County Wage Theft and Worker Misclassification Task Force. Its mission is to gather information about businesses and employers who are practicing wage theft. The task force will inform local governments and the Labor Department on their findings. Once they have this comprehensive data, they can work to bring these individuals and companies to justice and work to return the wages to the workers. The next speaker at the press conference said this is not just a state-by-state issue but also a national one. Dave Solhultz, general counsel of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, discussed the steps that agency is taking to combat these illegal practices. Solhultz said his team is aggressively working to find employers that are committing these crimes, and then works to bring them to justice. The Kentucky Labor Cabinet recently retrieved $600,000 of unpaid wages for non-documented workers in Louisville. Undocumented workers are often the targets of wage theft, because employers believe they can easily avoid paying these workers. Immigrants often work in temporary jobs and contend with language barriers, making them easy targets for opportunistic employers. Many immigrants work as day labors and answer to contractors or sub-contractors. Often these workers are paid minimum wage or less, in violation of the Davis-Bacon Act, which states these workers are entitled to the prevailing wage – a rate higher than the minimum wage, established by local government. “Our stated commitment is that your immigration status does not matter,” Solhultz said. “You are still a worker covered under out national labor laws and therefore entitled to proper pay.” Often the workers whose wages are stolen have to decide between being able to eat or having a place to sleep. About $51 is stolen from lowwage workers across the nation per week, according to some studies. Green, Angry Works for Bengals But being the Incredible Hulk might not be enough By B. Clifton Burke Contributing Writer The Bengals are steadfast in their identity. They've found a look and lifestyle that they’re comfortable with and now they can't imagine living any other way. The problem is they've made themselves into something that resembles the Incredible Hulk: a big and strong team that often appears simpleminded and predictable in its attack. Last season they were still just plain old Bruce Banner: a below-average entity unable to make a difference in the world. They got angry with all the losing and turned green. This year they came out of nowhere and slammed their way into first place and are now a near lock to make the postseason. The physi- roll the other two at home, cal domination has worked; and the same mortar-andbut as the season extends, pestle style that turned them the foes come equipped with into winners now appears too cooler superpowers and fan- routine, too mundane for the critics. They cier weapsay that, if onry, and the Bengals the BenAs frost mounts in the deep gals will freeze of winter and each win are to succeed in the have to becomes more paramount, playoffs, quickly Cincinnati will learn if simply learn how being the more brawny team they must show the to counter is enough to end up on top. world now them. that they can The concern for Cincinnati's inability win in more dynamic ways. Losing wide receiver Chris to score points and move the ball more efficiently through Henry for the year with a brothe air was heightened dur- ken forearm has had more ing the struggles the team fallout than some expected. experienced against bottom- Expensive free-agent acquifeeders Oakland, Cleveland sition, Laveranues Coles, still and Detroit. doesn't appear to have an Cincinnati lost in Oakland established role on the team; and didn't necessarily steam- and second-year receiver, Andre Caldwell, has seen his production slowed after a tremendous start of the season. The only legitimate threat in the passing game these days is Chad Ochocinco who has kept the aerial assault alive nearly single-handedly. But with Chad double-teamed so often, it's become imperative that someone else rise to the occasion and be a viable secondary option for Carson Palmer when he drops back to throw. As of late, that hasn't happened. Losing Henry hasn't been the only limitation to the offense brought on by injury. Rookie running back Bernard Scott has shown genuine flashes of becoming the quintessential change-ofpace back that the best running teams in the NFL em- ploy. With his patient running style and field vision, Scott contrasts nicely with the bruising power-backs, Cedric Benson and Larry Johnson. Since his turf-toe injury, however, the Bengals without him have resorted almost exclusively to running more basic plays up the middle, even in the face of defensive schemes set out to stop exactly that kind of play. Sitting on opposing teams and waiting for them to yell “Uncle” will work against the dregs of the league, but against the premium heavy-hitters, the Bengals will eventually be forced to catch someone by surprise and have to win with some creativity. I expect to see a slight shift See Green, p. 7 �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 Guest Column Time to End Slavery; I Can Help 7 Chocolate bars and conversation can build a movement By Joanna Pogue Guest Columnist I bat slavery, we will never know what they could have done for the world, instead of making its clothes or chocolate perhaps. Of course, the most important reason for the combat of slavery all over the world is the feeling of empathy for our human neighbors. If we take a second and imagine the suffering of those in slavery, it is hard to not want to do something to stop it. If we put ourselves in their shoes, being beaten so much that the sores on your back cannot heal for they are being reopened everyday by a whip, we shudder at the thought. This should cause an uproar in our minds and t’s everywhere. When we get dressed, when we make lunch, when we drive to the store. It is 27 million people being used, and 6.57 million people as the users. What is this incredible force? Slavery. In the words of a former slave, slavery is “a complete hell.” It is violent, abusive, exhausting, inhumane and degrading. For all of these reasons, and because we are all humans in the world tothey like. Slavery steals life gether, it is of utter imporaway from them and replaces tance that we combat slavery it with hopes of death. around the world and in the We must begin to combat United States of America. slavery all over the world, As a human, there are so for so many reasons about many opportunities in the its inhumane style. But also world for you, and slavery because slaves have an unabolishes all hope of those. quenchable desire for freeSlaves lose basic rights that dom. If they fight for it and get everyone in the world beaten for it, then we, too, is born with. They are should fight for their freestopped from having dom. It is so important that Everyone loves chocolate, but freedom of movement, nobody knows that the blood and no one in this world misses which everyone should sweat of many hardworking slaves out on the basic right to a have, freedom of educa- went into the bar they are eating. life. It is important that we tion and a real job, and send a message to all the freedom of curiosity, people in the world that are which is the basis of all hu- in our hearts to start doing involved with buying, using man thinking. something to stop the slavery. and selling slaves. This mesCuriosity allows progress If we cannot even imagine be- sage needs to say that slavery in the world. It creates new ing in their shoes, then why will not be accepted, that evinventions and new ways should they have to be there ery single slave will be found of thinking. Through it, the in reality? They shouldn’t. and freed. People deserve economy, the government If that description does not more than a life as a slave. and the people all experience move you to start fighting This message should be sent growth in some way. When against slavery, then perhaps from every country of the slavery suppresses the curi- the thought of young kids, world, from every member of osity of 27 million individual even younger than 5 years the world community. These slaves are our people, thinkers, it is damaging the old, being enslaved will. When growth of the people of the children grow up in slavery, they were parts of our country world. One of those slaves live in slavery and die in slav- and we need to return them could have the potential to ery, they have not lived a life. to the lives they once knew. be a great scientist or a great Everyone born into the world The number of slaves today musician. If we do not com- should be able to live any way is 27 million people, higher A Call to Greater Cincinnati Poets Write for ‘For a Better World 2010’ It’s time to get your verse on. SOS Art, the annual exhibit of art on themes of peace and justice, publishes a collection of poetry each year. Saad Ghosn, who organizes SOS Art and writes the “Artists as Activists” column for Streetvibes, is now collecting submissions for For a Better World 2010, the seventh edition to date. Any poet from or connected to Greater Cincinnati may submit up to three poems related to themes of peace and justice. All submissions will be considered. The editors will be looking for quality, inclusiveness and appropriateness to the themes of peace and justice. If space becomes limited, priority will go to poets not published in previous books. The poems selected for publication will be illustrated in black and white by Greater Cincinnati artists. Poets included in the book will be invited to read their poems at SOS Art 2010. For a Better World 2010 will be released in May 2010. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 15, 2010. Send submissions as “Word” attachments or in full text By e-mail to saad.ghosn@uc.edu or On a CD to Saad Ghosn, 216 Erkenbrecher Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229. than the number of slaves during the transatlantic slave trade from Africa. As neighbors, as friends and as humans we need to take a stand against slavery before the number grows even higher. Even though I am a mere senior in high school, leaving me little authority in my local community, there are many things I can do. To start, I can do the easiest thing for me, talk with my friends and parents about the movie I just watched and ask them to watch it, too. This will build a following of the issue through chain reactions of telling my friends, who tell their friends and so on. By simply doing this I have built some awareness of the issue of slavery which has until now seemed to be forgotten. Besides doing that, as a student I can begin posting signs around the school just to raise more awareness. Also in school bringing in a speaker, possibly a former slave or active member of Free the People to the school would make a huge impression. Parents would be invited to hear the speaker, while students are required to go. To follow on the presentation a new club could be formed to raise awareness, and begin involvement in the Free the People campaign. Once the club has a solid group of members, we can begin drafting letters or setting up talks with important figures in our community. For instance, the Cincinnati Art Museum or the Contemporary Art Museum could have a display of work done about slavery, which would promote awareness to a broader range of people than we could have reached through our school. Another simple and barely noticeable task that could promote much awareness of slavery is dealing with chocolate bars. Chocolate bars could be bought or made and little slips of paper with facts about slavery still in the world today could be sold at grocery stores, movie theatres, on the street, anywhere. Everyone loves chocolate, but nobody knows that the blood and sweat of many hardworking slaves went into the bar they are eating. If people knew how their chocolate was made, maybe they would make a big deal and start raising awareness of slavery themselves. The goal would be to start making a chain reaction, where I start informing people about slavery, who then inform others, who inform others, etc. This would cause so much uproar that a movement against slavery would be hard to ignore. Excerpted from the winning entry in a high-school essay contest sponsored by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. A student at Summit Country Day High School at the time of the contest, Pogue is now a student at Ohio State University. Green and Angry Continued from page 6 in the team's offensive philosophy for the last quarter of the regular season. It's been known that in the past the Bengals have reevaluated their strategy every four games. From the outside, the changes are sometimes detectable; other times they're too subtle or simply don't materialize as they were planned. The theory makes sense: Occasionally install new plays and shift the paradigm to keep the opposition on their toes; but Marvin Lewis and his men have been a stubborn lot, especially this season, and he might not feel compelled to stray from what has clearly worked for him. Yet the next two games at Minnesota and at San Diego feature opponents that score plenty of points; and if the offense can't keep up, they may end up learning this lesson the hard way. Still, they might not have to score much after all. The defense remains the team's inner core and has been difficult to criticize all year. After Week 13, they ranked first in scoring defense, second against the run and fourth in overall yards allowed. Coordinator Mike Zimmer collected discarded pieces from the flotsam and jetsam of the NFL this off-season, and has since composed a group that works diligently and efficiently but rarely ever looks good doing it. The strong play of the cornerback tandem of Johnathon Joseph and Leon Hall has allowed Zimmer to focus on stopping the run first, and has also resulted in a handful of timely coverage sacks. They truly are a group who are far more concerned with their numbers than their names. So as frost mounts in the deep freeze of winter and each win becomes more paramount, Cincinnati will learn if simply being the more brawny team is enough to end up on top. If the passing game can somehow spring to life, then most would agree that the Bengals could match up well against anyone. As it is now, they'll have to win by being green and angry. �8 STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 Local Issues Homeless Crimes continued from page 1 ing needs to be clean and safe and perceived that way.” less people are arrested for trespassHis remark merely perpetuated the ing and police are called when they idea that those without a home are just want to wash up. dangerous – even though the courtBeing caught with an open flask house provides a sense of safety for or urinating in an alley is a misde- the homeless. meanor. But homeless people with The Miami university students criminal records find distributed literature it difficult to obtain and stickers that said, employment or hous- “(It’s) important for people “I support people ing. without a home.” The to know homelessness The city should statement was creis out there and it’s not recognize the fact ated so that people necessarily their fault. that social services would not perceive People are being locked are at maximum cathose without a home up for doing everyday pacity, according to as a label, which the things we do at home.” Eysenbach. More serterm “homeless” rep- Brent Eysenbach vices, along with afresents. fordable housing, are Tom Dutton – an needed, he said. architecture professor, director of The goal for the students was to go the Miami University Center for Civic to a public place, where the home- Engagement in Over-the-Rhine and less are not allowed to sell items such a longtime advocate for poor people as Streetvibes, and spread the word – said people must take a look at the about these laws. City ordinances nature of our economy. The homeless prohibit vendors from selling Street- are turned into criminals, largely due vibes on Fountain Square. to ignorance. The city’s punitive meaEysenbach said many see homeless sures come from a deep misunderpeople as “them” or “others.” They are standing of the nature of homelessnot seen as people and therefore are ness, he said. brushed aside. In May 2007 the Greater Cincinnati Last summer the Cincinnati En- Coalition for the Homeless produced quirer reported on homeless people a study of public records that revealed sleeping – and urinating – outside the that it would actually cost the city Hamilton County Courthouse. Coun- less to create permanent supportive ty Commissioner David Pepper told housing than it would to place homethe paper, “It’s clearly unacceptable less people in jail. It costs $65 per bed for it to be used this way. The build- per day in the county jail in com- HOLIDAY SALE!!! Miami University students passed out literature and spoke with the community about the criminalization of homelessness. Photo by Ryan Wellinghoff. parison to an average of $30 a day for permanent supportive housing, the report said. “Because our system doesn’t make sure everybody has the human right of Say housing, people are forced to do their living outside, in front of everyone else, and therefore they’re criminalized,” said GCCH Executive Director Josh Spring. ! ? t a h W “If the lower classes are strong enough, or, in other words, if the lower classes can cause enough disruption in the society, the elites and more affluent may be wiling to give them concessions in order to remove this threat to the overall status quo.” - Harold R. Kerbo, Social Stratification and Inequality Refurbished G3 Mac Computers for only $39 through December! (regular price $64) Proceeds benefit Media Bridges Your local nonprofit media center Visit www.mediabridges.org or call 513-651-4171 for details, or stop by 1100 Race St. to pick one up today. _________ �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 9 National News School of Assassins Tens of thousands want end to Torture U By Samantha Groark Contributing Writer E very third week in November, thousands of students, clergy, celebrities, politicians, human rights defenders, torture survivors, veterans and citizens gather outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Ga., to protest at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA). Renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in 2001, SOA is a 63-year-old combat-training school for soldiers in Latin America. Each year about 20,000 people gather at the gates to protest SOA’s history and its ongoing work, making it one of the longest-standing non-violent protest movements in American history. The School of the Americas has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. SOA graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own peoples, often resulting in massacres of entire villages, according to School of the Americas Watch, the organization that coordinates the annual protest. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders and others who work for the rights of the poor in Latin American countries. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refuge by SOA graduates, according to SOA Watch and other organizations. Initially established in Panama in 1946, the School of the Americas was kicked out of that country in 1984 by former Panamanian President Jorge Illueca, who said the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” Since then graduates from SOA, dubbed by critics the “School of Assassins,” have been involved in political coups, massacres and assassinations in every country where they have returned after their training. The first protest in 1990 came after the Nov. 16, 1989, massacre of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter in El Salvador. A U.S. Congressional Task Force reported that those responsible were trained at the SOA. In 1990, SOA Watch began in a tiny apartment outside the main gate of Ft. Benning with the help of the Rev. Roy Bourgeois. SOA Watch has Protesters marched outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia. Photo by Angela Gray. Protesters carry crosses at a protest against the School of the Americas. Photo by John Rehak. two goals: first, to close the School of the Americas; second, by educating the public, lobbying Congress and participating in creative, nonviolent resistance, to change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. Nearly 300 SOA Watch protesters have collectively spent over 100 years in prison as the result of illegally “crossing the line” onto the base at Ft. Benning. This year four people committed acts “It is up to us to hold those of civil disobedience by trespassing onto Ft. responsible accountable and Benning. to push for the closing of the “This is something I feel like I have to do School of the Americas and a to stand for human rights,” said the Rev. change in US foreign policy.” Louis Vitale the night before he crossed the - The Rev. Roy Bourgeois line. Five individuals were arrested for similar acts of civil disobedience at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., where the torture manuals used at the SOA were created. Since 1995 the Ignatian Solidarity Network has presented the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In near the gates of Ft. Benning. Jesuits, former Jesuits and lay pastoral leaders have gathered to call for the closure of the School of the Americas and to commemorate the deaths of the Jesuit martyrs and other victims of civil war and bloodshed tied to the SOA. The Teach-In includes a variety of sessions focusing on issues ranging from nonviolent strategy, successful lobbying and workshops on other social-justice and environmental issues. “It’s really great to be able to connect with people from around the country who are concerned about the same issues as I am,” said a Cincinnati woman who attended this year’s teach-in. “It’s amazing how many of us are concerned about the same things, but often have felt isolated and alone in our convictions.” Protesters from Cincinnati included high-school and university students and the Sisters of Charity. Next year the Ignatian Family Teach-In will move to Washington, D.C. The move is a change in strategy that the Ignatian Solidarity Network hopes will increase awareness and political pressure. SOA Watch says the campaign to close the School of the Americas is in a crucial phase. Despite promising comments from President Obama during his 2008 election campaign, the institution is still in operation. SOA Watch says the United States is pouring millions into failing military solutions to combat the drug problems in Mexico, and the Pentagon is moving forward with plans to use seven Colombian military bases in Colombia for offensive U.S. military operations. “It is up to us to hold those responsible accountable and to push for the closing of the School of the Americas and a change in US foreign policy,” Bourgeois said. “Too many have died and continue to suffer at the hands of graduates of this notorious institute.” Do you remember the magic of your First Book? Please consider giving the gift of reading to a low-income child in Cincinnati this holiday season. Established in 2001, First Book - Greater Cincinnati has already granted more than 45,000 books and over $60,000 to local nonprofit literacy programs serving thousands of low-income children in Greater Cincinnati. Make checks payable to “First Book - Greater Cincinnati” I Want to Bring the Magic of Books to Children Who Need Them! Please use my tax-deductible contribution to purchase books and distribute them to children who need them most. $20 (10 books) Please return your contribution to: First Book Greater Cincinnati 572 Northland Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 Name: Address: E-mail: $40 (20 books) $80 (40 books) $100 (50 books) Other $ _______ �10 Creative Writing STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 Postcards to America By Michael Henson America, I’m writing from a very far place called America, One of us is in the wrong place. America, I’m steering an eight-cylinder Conestoga down the Trail of Tears. There are no exits. America, It’s all very confusing. I’m blind and deaf and my heart is breaking but if I touch the hem of your garment, I might win the Lottery. America, The view from here is very strange. The eyes of the abandoned factories stare at me. The walls are slathered with graffiti. I can’t read a word of it, But I don’t think the news is good. Photo by Maria Campolongo. America, What’s up with these angry waves of grain? These toppled mountain majesties? These out-sourced fruited plains? America, I think the suburbs Are very close to hell. America, I can’t argue anymore. When I hear the blonde men bicker on the radio, I just want to go someplace and die. America, The rich get richer, the poor get AIDS. How does this happen? America, I don’t think I can bear the weight of your sins any longer. I’m letting Barabbas carry this cross. America, It’s all mixed up. Have you seen the pythons in the Everglades? America, You can tell the Sanhedrin Senate I’ve gone home to America. America, Is it me? Each part of you looks the same. Your elbow looks exactly like your elbow. America, You can tell the pin-stripe Goliaths I’m out in the yard with David, counting stones. Prisons Within, Prisons Without Not all have bars on the windows By Mike Henson Contributing Writer H e had known all along she was leaving – Debbie, his cousin. Even before she packed her borrowed bag and stole like a deer out of the before-dawn house and walked the dark mile out to the highway, he could see her, heavy handbag in hand, waiting at the crossing where she knew the bus’s lights would catch her, with the dew-filled wind pressing her jacket against her. And she would wave “They train these guards to use her arm slowly to stop the bus when those judo chops, to guard the its lights wrapped around her. And she would climb the steps and mumble to prisoners. And so he give her the driver where she wanted to go. And one of those judo chops right to the neck. Knocked her clean she would count out her money to him. She would hold her face down in the into the wall and she still can’t turn her head without it hurtin.” hollow of her collar. Her bruises were not yet healed. For a week he had watched her try to hide from him her plum-colored eye and her thick lip baked open like the top of a biscuit. She only talked to Granny, but he saw how she spoke without moving her bread-thick lips and he heard, without hearing what she said, the whispered, half-lisped way she puffed out her words, as if talking straight would hurt her. He had tried once to ask, “Granny, why … ” But he got a look that told him that this was one thing he was yet too young to ask. And he never would know but that he heard Granny tell the story. “She’s back with her man now,” she was telling the neighbor woman. The women were sitting, each of them, in one of the lawn chairs of the sunspilt yard. “I don’t see how she stands it. He’ll buy a little for the two younguns, milk and juice and so on, but if it weren’t for what folks give her, she wouldn't have nothin. And he goes to Athens, Ohio three nights a week to play at these clubs – they’re not just a bar, they’re regular clubs. He can pick up any old instrument and play on it.” The boy remembered the reunion at the church on the ridge: How Debbie had a way of leaning forward to people, then pulling back, on smiling, then unsmiling. Her man picked up a guitar that was leaning against a tree, passed one expert lick down the neck of it, then put it down. “She says he makes a hundred and fifty a week just off of that. But what he does with his money she don’t know, for she never sees nary a penny of it. And he makes good money at his job besides. He’s a guard, you know, at the prison in Lucasville, and he makes good money there.” Granny knew he had snuck up beside her chair, but she did not turn. She did not stop her story. “Well she tried to leave him, but he told her, if she ever did, he’d sue for takin his children from him. Well, her folks tried to get her to come home with them. They’d been givin her food and clothes for the kids, and she was studyin on comin home. But then he come home one night and accused her of havin a man in the house. “And you see, they train these guards to use those judo chops, to guard the prisoners. And so he give her one of those judo chops right to the neck. Knocked her clean into the wall and she still can’t turn her head without it hurtin. Well, after that, she was afraid to leave. Afraid he’d kill em all. “But she was afraid to stay. So she come here. Left them kids and come here. He’d beat her up and he’d run her out that night. And always before when he’d run her out, he’d let her back in. But she told herself, ‘I ain't goin back in. Not this time.’ And she run off to a friend, and they fixed her up some clothes in a bag and she come down here, where he wouldn’t think to look for her.” Granny was still face to face with the neighbor woman, but her eye had turned so that by now he knew For a week he had watched her try to hide from him her plum-colored that she was really talking to him. “He’s just the same way when he’s eye and her thick lip baked open like a guard. They give him a billy club the top of a biscuit. and even a gun and one of them electric cattle-loadin sticks – they’re illegal to use 'em on cattle but they do it – and he has to guard the big fence around the prison. And any one of them don’t like, he’ll stick ’em with that stick. Especially the colored ones.” She looked out to the line of hills where the wind was spinning a hawk. “And they all hate him. And they'll get him one day.” She shook her head and looked back to the neighbor woman. “I reckon it was bad to leave them children like that. But what could she do? She worried over ’em the whole time she was here. It was ever other word she spoke.” But he had known she would go back. In that last dark hour before daybreak, when he heard her footstep crack the warp in the floorboard outside his door, he knew it was Debbie, that she had packed her heavy bag, that she would soon be waiting with the highway wind and dew on her bruises. Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 11 Short Story Church Bells, a Pea Coat & a Light Jacob finds something different By Larry Gross Contributing Writer He woke up to the church bells. He counted them out loud: “One. . . two. . .three. . .four. . .five. . .six. . . seven. . . eight.” It was 8 o’clock in the morning. He didn’t know what day it was. Jacob was lying beside him on the church steps opposite Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. He shook Jacob, shook him and shook him, but Jacob was out like a light. This was typical Jacob – always making things more difficult than they needed to be. Why couldn’t he simply wake up and get on things, behave like a normal person? Standing up, he told himself he would check on Jacob later. Looking across the street to Washington Park, he saw there was frost on the ground. It was a cold, cloudy winter morning. Suddenly, he took notice of what he was wearing. The ragged old coat that he found last month in a doorway had been replaced by a pea coat, almost exactly like the one he wore when he was a kid, back then he was 10 years old. It was navy-colored with broad lapels and a double-breasted front. The wool was heavy and it felt warm. He walked across the street to the park and sat down on one of the benches. He thought about how this could have happened. Why would someone give him a new coat? Along with Jacob, he had gotten pretty wasted the night before. They had a bottle they shared, trying to warm themselves up with alcohol before the night and its coldness set in. Maybe he had passed out. Maybe someone passing by saw he needed a better coat. Maybe someone was trying to be generous. Maybe some people are still nice. He doesn’t meet a lot of nice people anymore. Since losing everything almost 10 years ago, because of too much drinking or too many women or too much gambling or a combination of any of those three demons, people don’t respect him anymore. They ignore him when he asks for a little change. Passengers move to other seats when he rides on the bus. People look down on him because he doesn’t have a home to go to. Most don’t want to help a homeless person. Looking at the pea coat, he remembered back to his days as a kid – actually back to when he was 10. He remembered that pea coat he always wore in the winter months. Memories, distant memories filled his head. He remembered throwing snowballs with his friends at some girls while wearing his favorite winter coat. He almost laughed sitting there on that bench thinking about how those girls screamed. His hands were cold. He put them in the pockets of the pea coat. A smile came to his face when he realized gloves were inside. In the right pocket, he Washington Park. Photo by Maria Campolongo. felt something else. He pulled out a pack of Winston cigarettes. He also found a book of matches. Grateful for the luck he was having, he opened the pack of cigarettes, pulled one out and lit it. He then put on his gloves. Sitting there smoking, he liked the idea of not having to beg for cigarettes. On this day, he had his own. The church bells were ringing again. He counted. “One. . . two. . .three. . .four. . .five. . .six. . .seven. . .eight. . .nine.” The library was now open. He could use one of their restrooms, throw some cold water in his face and start the day. Starting to make his way toward downtown, he looked over at Jacob again. He was still asleep on the church steps. He would have to make his trip to the library quick. While he didn’t like Jacob all that much anymore, he knew him too well and didn’t want a cop to pick him up for loitering. He took another cigarette out of his pack and lit it. Wintons. He hadn’t smoked them since he was a kid. He had wanted to grow up early and started smoking on his 10th birthday. Walking to the library, he couldn’t help but notice people were friendlier to him, making eye contact, some saying good morning. The world seemed like a better place on this morning and while not understanding it, he was thankful for it. When he got to the library, the first thing he did was look at himself in the restroom mirror to check out his left eye. A few nights earlier, while trying to find a place to sleep; a couple guys jumped him, hit him in the eye a couple times and took off with the few bucks he had managed to beg on the street. Yesterday the eye was black and blue and badly swollen. But on this morning, the eye seemed fine. He looked to see if there were still any swelling. There wasn’t. It looked perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened. He splashed cold water in his face while remembering Jacob. Something inside told him he needed to get back to those church steps quickly. He looked at himself one last time in the mirror, mostly looking at the pea coat he was wearing. A feeling came over him, a feeling not of sadness, worry or despair but one of happiness. Walking back to Over-the-Rhine, he felt each step to be lighter than normal. People were smiling at him. One of the women who did looked almost like his mother. As he walked, he thought he could somehow put all the bad decisions and wrong turns behind him. Somehow he knew things were going to change. He heard those church bells again. “One. . . two. . .three. . .four. . .five. . .six. . .seven. . .eight. . . nine. . . ten.” As he approached Washington Park, the sun quickly came out from behind the clouds. He looked over to the church steps where Jacob had been sleeping. In front of the church, he saw an ambulance and two police cars. Two Hamilton County deputies were putting Jacob in a body bag. He again looked at the coat he was wearing, suddenly realizing the meaning of the church bells. The sun started shining brightly over the church. Picking up his pace, he was filled with excitement. He ran as quickly as he could to the light. He looked up to the heavens, knowing he was heading to a better place. Looking for the perfect gift for someone? Why not give a donation to Streetvibes in a loved one’s name? What about a Streetvibes subscription? Streetvibes is the activist newspaper, advocating justice, building community. Your gift is tax-deductible and will go to producing the paper every two weeks. Started in 1997, Streetvibes is distributed by homeless and formerly homeless vendors who purchase the paper for 25 cents and sell it for $1, keeping the 75 cent profit. Make checks payable to “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” I want to support Streetvibes and the vendors this holiday season. $25 Please return your contribution to: GCCH 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Name: Address: E-mail: $50 $100 $150 Other $ _______ �12 Short Story STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 Life on the Bloody Edge By Steven Paul Lansky Contributing Writer ‘Arjuna.’ Painting and photo by Steven Paul Lansky. 1982 A wandering buck stands on the shoulder of a two-lane highway in Texas. The sun is rising behind him. Along the road a grass field stretches as far as the horizon. A chest highbarbwire fence separates the road and the acreage. Holsteins are standing in the field. Some of the cows are lying down. They are getting up, though, one or two at a time, mooing and lowing. The young man extends his thumb to the road. A brown pack rests on his shoulder. A car passes with the rubber-onfreeway sound. The man can smell the dust. Across the road are railroad tracks. Redwing blackbirds chatter behind him along the fence wire. The young man looks back on the road, swings around walking east, shielding his face from the sun with the thumbing hand, listening for another car behind. He can smell the dew on the grass. As he walks he thinks about women. What else do lonely men think about while they walk highways. 1996 A pony-tailed man walks with a woman to a restaurant downtown. She wanted to sit and sip a cola. He suggested Mullane’s Café because he can get coffee and two refills for 50 cents. She walks slowly in small steps, stops to light a cigarette from a trembling hand holding a lighter. He feels his heavy wing tips on the concrete sidewalk; thinks of walking when he was leaner, poorer, more scared. The woman is older than he is. She would gravitate to fast-food restaurants with free refills on soda. She complains about the black teenagers at the bus stops and in the fast-food places. She has been knocked down. Her friends have had purses snatched. He wants her to improve her social standing by going to the café where there is a fortune teller in the late afternoon, where there is sidewalk seating, where the mayor sometimes comes for dinner. He believes she will be safer and more secure at Mullane’s than at the fast-food restaurants. He finds it difficult to explain this to the woman. She takes pride in her participation in the mayor’s campaign. The man is trying to covertly encourage her. They sit at an outdoor table. They order beverages. He pours cream in his coffee, enjoys it. She has a cola over ice and asks him if he remembers when they first met. He is worried that she might think this is a date. A thin black man with a little facial hair approaches the table with a sketchpad. He asks if either of them would like to be sketched, a portrait, for a donation: “Say five dollars?” “Are you an artist, too?” asks the man. “My girlfriend is an artist,” he confesses, trying to hide his reserve. “Go ahead,” says the woman to the artist. “She won’t mind,” she says to her Social Worker. “I don’t know,” he says. “You don’t have to show it to her,” says the woman. There is an awkward silence. He observes that the artist is missing the temple on one side of his eyeglasses. He needs the money. “OK.” “Good,” she says and sips cola. The artist uses two different pencils. The Social Worker tries to watch him work, but knows this is distracting to the artist. When he is finished, the woman likes the sketch at once. The Social Worker observes that it is a good likeness except for the nose, which resembles the woman’s more than his own. He withholds comment, pays the fellow. After he has walked her back to the hotel, he hides the sketch in the trunk of his car. He is never able to find the sketch again. ***** Arjuna enters a downtown residential hotel across the street from the new arts center. He signs in at the desk. He goes to see one of his clients. He is a Social Worker at the same agency as his therapist. He thinks about his life. Once he needed the system to heal him. Now he needs the system for a job. He gives to others who need healing. He gets in the elevator. He walks the carpeted hallway. The day is warm and the man is dressed in khaki shorts, short sleeves and running shoes. He set the timer on his chronometer as he left the car to time the parking meter. His client is on the fifth floor. He stands in the narrow hall knocking on her door. He is impatient when she does not answer. Perhaps she is sleeping. Possibly she has gone out. He was expecting to help her straighten up for her room inspection next week. It is the last day of May, a Friday early afternoon. He does not give up easily. At the front desk he uses the telephone. Her line is busy. He returns to the elevator. He goes up to floor five. He walks the corridor with more urgency. Again he knocks. No answer. He shouts her name. Now he knows something is wrong. She would respond if she were on the phone. He goes back to the desk in the lobby. He requests assistance in opening the door to her room. Fourteen years ago to the day he had returned to Cincinnati on his bicycle to restart his life. He does not think about that. He is fully occupied with getting the maintenance man to open her room. His patience is beginning to annoy him. The door is keyed and he can see that the carpet is dirty. The security chain is on the door. The maintenance man radios on the walkie-talkie for a bolt cutter. The other maintenance man is there. They both wear gray shirts with their names on them. The man with the sandy beard reaches through the gap in the door with a screwdriver and unscrews the chain. There were two screws. Time hung on the chain. The muscles in the man's neck stand out as he unscrews. She is on the bed bleeding. The man with the walkie-talkie has the desk clerk call 911. “She's alive,” he thinks, very relieved. He can see her breathing. She is alive. Fourteen years ago he was penniless. The bicycle tires were flat. He had ridden from Columbus to Cincinnati, over 100 miles. Overnight. Just after the hitch to Santa Fe. Fourteen years and a month ago he stood on that highway, watching cows. Listening. He hangs up the phone. It rings. The police and life squad are coming. He calls his supervisor. She is distressed. Blood red and blood brown. The footprints are everywhere. She’s a pacer. She had walked that room after she had cut the crook of her elbow with a 14-inch blade. Footprints. He had paced the edge of the road 14 years before. Looking for love. The cow-herding girl. The gopis. The bathroom tile blood-red strewn. The knife lay on the edge of the blood-filled tub. The empty pill bottles lined up on the top edge of the refrigerator like fence posts. On the table the emergency sheet with the therapist’s name and doctor’s name and parents’. Her face streaked with crusted black blood. The bedding red, soaked, red, deep gashed arm at elbow the blood of paint drip depression and the fear of fear of her luck in folding the arm up to breast in bloody night clothes, unconscious, breathing, rapidly, breathing but not wakeable with a shout. Life Squad comes in. Two men. At first they seem to think that someone had done this to her. “How old is she?” See Edge, p. 13 �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 Stort Story Life on the Bloody Edge continued from page 12 The young worker will never meet with the woman at Mullane’s Café. Fifty-one. She is fifty-one. Fourteen years ago she was 37. I am 38 now. Fourteen years ago I was 24. After the medics come the constabulary. Two mounted officers, one male, one female. Two officers from their high-tech cruisers, again both genders. Arjuna is interviewed as she is moved onto a stretcher, the gash wrapped tightly. A blond woman with blue pools for eyes that open into tomorrow; good clean fingers hold a tiny note pad and a yellow No. 2 pencil. Some questions … the pill bottles are examined for dosage, number, dates. Arjuna is lost in the eyes of this Miss and answers willingly, wantingly. The redhead from the mounted division has spurs on her boots and a sense of humor. Arjuna is impressed with his desire to keep his eyes in the pools. He reflects on how mystifying her presence is in the room where he had sat previously on the brown sofa, or at the tiny kitchen table, the lingering odor of cigarette smoke in his nostrils more pungent than the dust on the highway those 14 years ago. The uniforms are so blue, collars so white, pins of brass, and black shoes, boots with spurs; always back to the pools with the dilated black open pupils. The voice calm, reassuring, melodic. Arjuna wants to linger with these uniforms, feels comfort in their pacing, so much more secure than those of the missing client. His own pacing somewhere between the officious and the bloody unsteady footprints. He walks the corridor with more urgency. Again he knocks. No answer. He shouts her name. Now he knows something is wrong. ***** Sunday morning at the hospital Arjuna went to her bedside. Machines with lights and numbers flanked her. The room was glass and curtains. She opened swollen eyelids, a tube on her tongue and several in each arm. Her head looked puffed, inflated then partially let down; one eye stared off and didn’t track, the other bloodshot and milky looked at him with a flicker of recognition. She reached for his hand with hers and squeezed weakly. 13 “Do you recognize me?” “Arjuna,” she slurred, nodded once, a small gesture. He stood at the steel bed rail and watched her breathe. Black dried blood streaked her enlarged head, matted dark hair. They hadn’t had a chance to clean her up in two days. He felt very bad and very relieved. His pulse ran in his ears. He talked to her a little, He wants her to improve her said her name, glad to see her and scared. social standing by going to the Then he stood waiting for a thought or the café where there is a fortune moment to end; listened to her gurgling teller in the late afternoon, breath. When he left, he thought about where there is sidewalk other things. seating, where the mayor Arjuna meets her at the crisis center in sometimes comes for dinner. the city, but not downtown, where she is staying after the hospital before moving back to her fifth-floor room. A chaotic place, there are many ill clients sitting, smoking, milling. The doorways are wide to admit wheelchairs. Arjuna speaks privately with a staff member about her, both before and after he meets with her. Arjuna wants her in group housing. Not likely to happen. “I’ll never pull a stunt like that again,” she says. They walk to a fast-food restaurant, less scary perhaps because they are not “downtown.” He orders orange juice at the counter and she follows. They sit to talk under the bright lights in the seats that don’t move because they are attached to the tables and the floor. She cries, readily, freely grieving her father, a loss of long standing. She thanks Arjuna for finding her. He is nervous, curious about how it felt to be “gone,” near death. He doesn’t dare ask her but he wants to know. The knife edge of life can be explored among the living when life is that miserable. She suggests they walk. They make their way slowly around a large block, nearly half-a-mile, taking small steps. She cries; misses her father. “He was told he was schizophrenic just before he died.” The Social Worker, Arjuna, is glad she is alive. He is finished visiting her. Steven Paul Lansky teaches creative writing at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Lansky’s published works include ‘The Citizen,’ ‘Jack Acid’ and ‘Main St.’ Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a proofreader, writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor Invitation to a dialogue with our readers Streetvibes vendors see a lot that you might not. For example, some can describe what goes on in an abandoned building at night when they sleep there. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stand on a street corner selling newspapers? That’s hardly a common occupation anymore. How much money do Streetvibes vendors make – and what do they do with it? Do they have other jobs? If you have questions, some of our vendors would like to answer them. “Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor” will be an occasional feature, with questions submitted by readers and answered by Streetvibes vendors. You may direct your question to a specific vendor or we’ll invite one to respond. Only include your name if you want to. Send questions to streetvibes2@yahoo.com Or to Streetvibes, 117 E. 12th St. Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Go ahead. Ask. �14 Poetry Page STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 What Happens When We Die? Pacifist Question By Spencer Ledyard By Jeremy Flannery Let's come right out and say it, Dispense with all the ironies and say, “I have always been able to depend on the unkindness of strangers.” I don't need to blanch the truth. Their underpinnings of unpleasantness are lifebreath; Their cantilevers of demure distaste hang Cartoon pianos by frayed roping, And the smallest comment by an outsider can act as a knife. I hear Mason Jennings crying in his song, “The Field.” It is written from the perspective of a parent Whose son died in the desert – at war for what, he asks. He sings, "”I don't want no victory/ I just want you back.” He chants this, his voice rising into the ethereal insanity of song. The leaves shake at the crescendo. I shiver at the wind. Where is there no animosity for the unknown Besides in the fantasy world of the idealist? Where are the valleys and mountaintops Festooned with wreaths of people holding hands, Black to white to Indian to Pakistani, To every racial dissenter to every community deserter; Where are the speeches of the King? Where are the lovers of life, unabashed by its universality? John imagined there were no countries; he asked if I could. About national boundaries, Vonnegut opined, “I can't believe that they mark the end Or the beginning of anything of real concern to the human soul. Virtues and vices, pleasures and pains Cross boundaries at will.” Is there somewhere the pacifist who, in the radiation of heart, melts The lead of bullets, emits enough heat to beat swords into plowshares? The trees are black and red today. The ants are battling And the streetlight haloes the autumn maple leaves against the night. For Greg Flannery We see God as omnipotent, caritas plena, Yet abuse "His Word" to condemn whom we despise? How did religions become conventions for hate and self-righteousness to be justified? Is there a Heaven that's so exclusive? Whose mortal insinuations engaged us to start this fight? If faith is hope, why are spirits so broken? ...a belligerent concept that begs the question: why? Isn’t it a tragic waste of life to fight over what happens when we die? Believing out of fear of the afterlife is no faith I accept to live by. But with guidance under, yes I do wonder if there is judgment waiting for me when I die. But life is a gift and I'm focusing efforts upon Earth. Who truly knows if we live a second time? So much violence inflicted upon “infidels”: Crusades and Jihads preach blasphemy cries, claiming throughout history that faith is just cause to commit unjust acts upon Humankind! No perfect theism. No “holy glory.” A selfish, vengeful god is a fool's conjured lie. If God is Love, why fear She will destroy us? Is it a sin to stop and question why? Happy Christmas to All By Adeline Rose 'Twas the night before Christmas, and St. Nick was pissed So Skyline came off of his long Christmas list St. Nick he wanted more soup for the poor A 3-way, a 5-way some chili, no more. For the hungry of 'Nati, the poor and the weak The homeless, the lonely who live on the streets So St. Nick made other plans this fine year And called on his reindeer to get up to gear. “Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!" Sacks full of specials he put on his sleigh Photo by Maria Campolongo. And hazmat containers a suit and array To do this most specialist job of the year A job, Oh so special, he grinned ear-to-ear. The creepies he carried avenging the crime CEO sacks of the nastiest kind He made the loop round the 2..7..5 Piled to the ceiling, he lined up the sacks Dropping presents and candies and goodies inside Ready to go to attack, to attack. He ate the cookies and the milk that was left Collecting the creepies he everywhere met. He opened the sacks and they ran with a jitter Trillions and zillions of brown, creepy critters You know the creepies that crawl in your bed He thought the bags empty and then there were That wait till you sleep, then it's time to be fed more That munch on your skin and you never can find Bed bugs and bed bugs and bed bugs galore. Well, Nick found them now and it's Skyline time! From Cincy and Colerain and Blue Ash they're Kev's the last stop, St. Nick did he climb yours Up and down trips of the one thousand kind From Indy and Eastgate and Newport and more Through soot, dust and ashes, the awfulest trips From Norwood, Wyoming and too Lincoln Heights For someone as old and as mad as St. Nick. Communally we have been in one big fight. The bugs filled the stockings and then ate the mouse Creatures now stirring, Oh filling the house They covered the children and buried their beds They ate off their feet and the locks on their heads. Then there's Ma in her 'kerchief and Kev in his cap,' Throw a bushel on them for a fine midnight snack Too sleepy to waken, too sleepy to find The creepiest critters, the awfulest kind. So Cincy be grateful, so Cincy be glad All of your bed bugs are now stored at Kev's You serve the hungry and you serve the poor In thanksgiving for St. Nick and bed bugs no more. You see, bed bugs and hunger are not unalike Both are sure a community's fight So Loveland, and Beechmont, Mt. Healthy it's yours Mt. Lookout, and Clifton and Reading and more. Nick laying his finger aside of his nose He flicked off a bed bug, up the chimney he rose He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a tug And thought about those that he once dearly loved. St. Nick did return to that cold, old North Pole He cooked up some Skyline, a lonely old soul But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good bite!” Check out the Streetvibes blog @ streetvibes.wordpress.com �STREETVIBES December 15 - 31, 2009 15 Resources Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 557-2873 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 St. Vincent de Paul 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Treatment: Men 872-9259 Charlie’s 3/4 House Shelter: Men DIC Live In Program Prospect House 241-5525 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4663 961-4080 761-1480 721-0643 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 351-0422 381-6672 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 241-2965 471-1100 221-3350 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House Hamilton/Middletown 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 Northern Kentucky Advocacy 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Brighton Center 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 Health ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 535-2719 Poetry Corner Christmas, Inner City By Murray Bodo, OFM It’s the night before Christmas And police patrol cars are Keeping their slow watch by night. A teenage mother cradles Her baby against the cold. The streets are silent and dark When suddenly three angels Break through the dark, their voices High and sweet with “Silent Night,” Their parents hovering near. The young mother stops and listens, The small angels sing bravely. Suddenly light illumines Our inner city lot where All is still, patrol cars stop, And God’s a baby again. People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Housing: Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 Tender Mercies 381-0111 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 621-5514 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House Treatment: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 661-4620 241-2600 241-2563 214 E. 14th St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Drop Inn Center Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Shelter: Both Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 458-6670 977-4489 Other Resources 721-0643 921-1613 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Anthony House (Youth) 558-8888 981-5800 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 City Gospel Mission 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 762-5660 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 562-8841 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House FreeStore/FoodBank Crossroad Health Center Photo by Maria Campolongo. Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 �16 Column STREETVIBES December 15- 31, 2009 From Malcolm X to Mountain Dew Thom Shaw’s woodcuts depict urban life’s hopes and hazards T hom Shaw took interest in making art in second grade when he was 6 years old. He overheard conversations among his teachers about two of his classmates gifted at drawing and who were given tuition for art school. He wanted to emulate them and started drawing. He soon proved very good at it and was sent as well to art school – initially the art museum, then Walnut Hills High School’s summer program. In college, he attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) and graduated, majoring in printmaking. The immediacy of woodcuts, close in many ways to drawing, and the boldness of black and white prints interested him from the start; this medium later became his artistic signature. As a child, Shaw’s drawings were innocent, based mainly on what he would watch on TV, heroes like Batman and Superman. At AAC he learned to draw from what he saw; his drawings were academic, often based on the human body. Social commentaries first appeared in his works during his senior year in college, triggered then by the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Tom Shaw. Photo by Saad Ghosn. After graduating from AAC, Shaw worked for a while as a graphic designer for Cincinnati Bell. His work during that period was non-representational, corporate-like, abstract large-scale The prints he made then led to a series he titled the “Malcolm X collage assemblages and color paintings. Even though it sold well, it Paradox.” They were exhibited in 1991 downtown Cincinnati. To his was not filling the void in surprise, they were very well received, finding an immediate echo in his soul and did not feel Over-the-Rhine residents who strongly identified with them. Shaw honest. had carved a gang icon which, irrespective of ethnicity or color, repreIn 1986 he became sented the many ills of society, the broken down family, the loneliness acquainted with Ger- of youth, the addiction to drugs as an escape, the resort to violence to man Expressionism and prove oneself. as the works of Kathe KollHis images were quite graphic, showing killings, prostitution and witz, Leonard Baskin and drug dependence. In one, a pregnant woman with a baby stroller is on George Grosz. Influenced her knees performing fellatio on a wealthy man in order to get money By Saad Ghosn by their imagery and its and buy drugs. Many dealt with drive-by shootings, often resulting in Contributing Writer content, he started mak- accidental injuries such as children being killed, in the name of busiing large woodcuts with ness as usual. One depicted a man at a bus stop shot just for his gym social themes that incor- shoes to be used as a trophy and proof of gang loyalty. porated the ills of his community. At the same time he happened to The Sentinel, a woodcut from the series, portrays a 15-year-old boy witness a gang fight, the members of which were wearing T-shirts de- serving as a watchdog, looking out to make sure no intruder was appicting the late Malcolm X. He found the association intriguing, Mal- proaching the gang’s headquarters hideout. The boy, however, is encolm X in his mind being a promoter of unity and good relationship, tirely oblivious of the danger awaiting him, portrayed in the print by a and not of destructive fighting. pistol behind him, and that could terminate his life. His pride at being Shaw decided to learn more about gang life, its roots and how it assigned the responsibility overshadowed his concern for death; he reflected the problems of society. He embarked on interviewing gang would do anything for his new gang family, one that makes him feel members, inquiring about their life and thinking, collecting at the valuable and trusted. same time a visual repertory of their stories for his own work. Shaw’s work at the time was often criticized as being derogatory to the black man, confirming the media notion that he was a menace to society. Shaw disagrees. “If at any time my images had negroid features, it was specifically to depict the negative effects society imparted on African-American males with whom I identify,” he says. “I wanted to show the black man as a victim, a target of the many societal ills; I wanted to raise awareness about his condition.” In 1994 Shaw was asked to show his enlarging Malcolm X Paradox series at the studio museum of Harlem in New York City and a year later at the Cincinnati Art Museum. In 1995 he also had a show at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, titled, “Hegemony: the Hidden Fury.” It consisted of woodcuts, murals and videos, all dealing with domestic violence. Social commentaries kept abounding in his works. His series “Zombies,” for instance, dealt with the lack of education and the illiteracy of youth. It pointed to family challenges, to kids not being fed properly before going to school, to kids lacking parental guidance and supervision; it was meant as a call to action for a serious and threatening problem facing society. In the past few years Shaw’s works focused more on himself and his health problems. He had suffered for many years from diabetes that affected severely his heart and kidneys, resulting in various surgeries and hospitalizations. He incorporated his health issues with his other concerns, wanting to share them visually with those who might be experiencing the same. His woodcut Stress Test represents Shaw with testing wires connected to his skin and heart, also with a Mountain Dew can, a forbidden drink in view of his condition. It alludes metaphorically to the bad choices he had made and to their serious health ramifications. Art is life for Shaw. It keeps him young and challenges him; it allows him also to challenge and sometimes confront the viewer. “Artwork can be controversial,” he says, “but we artists are ambassadors of truth, ambassadors of the human experience. We try to ‘The Sentinel,’ woodcut print by Thom Shaw. make sense of a world gone astray, and thus have an impact on people Photo by Saad Ghosn. whether we intend it or not.” A rtists ctivists Artists as Activists is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati artists who use art as a vehicle for change. Saad Ghosn is the founder of SOS Art. Ghosn can be contacted at ghosn@uc.edu. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 15-31, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door Pg 2: Quite a Year for ‘Streetvibes’ Pg 3: Hamilton County Hidden Treasures Pg 4: Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door Continued Pg 5: Knockin’ on the Food Pantry Door Continued Pg 6: Just as Bad as Highway Robbery Pg 7: Time to End Slavery; I Can Help Pg 8: Homeless Crimes Pg 9: School of Assassins Pg 10: Arts & Poetry Pg 11: Church Bells, a Pea Coat & a Light Pg 12: Life on the Bloody Edge Pg 13: Life on the Bloody Edge Continued Pg 14: Arts & Poetry Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: From Malcolm X to Mountain Dew Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource December 15-31, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Lew Moores Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Dan Rozier Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Keara Anita Mullen Steven Paul Lansky Larry Gross Eli Braun Aimie Willhoite Jeni Jenkins Anthony Williams Bill Haigh Clarissa Peppers Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Anthony Williams Arts & Poetry Bengals Bill Haigh Bob Dylan Clarissa Peppers Congress Dan Rozier David Heitfield Eli Braun Food Pantry Gregory Flannery Hamilton County Hate Crimes health care Homeless Crimes Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Keara Anita Mullen Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Malcom X Margo Pierce Michael Henson Paul Kopp Prison Protests Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Slavery SOA Stephanie Dunlap Steven Paul Lansky Thom Shaw Wage https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/268fcd7c51091f59c9dc272c5a49de67.pdf 3a9abddbd59edda011d2c10b44205efd PDF Text Text Cincinnati Light Rail Page 12 The Audacity of Focus Page 11 STREETVIBES $1 F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 9 • I s s u e 1 5 1 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e This Thing Called ‘Race’ Exhibit shows how much, and how little, there is to it By lew moores Contributing Writer We’re not all that different. Are we? Walk through the new RACE: Are We So Different? exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center and you get a feel for the enormity of what they’re trying to do – a challenge to, as organizers of the exhibit hope, the way we talk, think and learn about race. Organized and developed by the American Anthropological Association and Science Museum of Minnesota, the exhibit opened at the Museum Center Jan. 17, just three days before the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and will run through April 26. What becomes apparent with a visit to the exhibit, or with a visit to its Web site construct ( w w w. u n based on derstandinoutward grace.org), is appearthat it’s not ances, just a blackusually white issue. skin color. The exhibit, The theme says Tonya is about Matthews, balancing the center’s the scivice presience, the dent of muh i s t o r y, seums, does the everya good job day expeof pointing rience. that out, and “ Yo u in pointing can pull out is that out all of race is more the DNA cultural and charts geographical you want, and hardly and that is based on not going genetics or to help biology. We you come are all homo to grips sapiens, with, say, sharing a Photo courtesy of American Anthropological Association and the civil common an- Science Museum of Minnesota. rights cestor. go through the exhibit, the less movement. Genetically speakSo what is race? you’ll be able to answer that ing, it’s virtually impossible to question, which is possibly a tell one person from another. ‘Defining whiteness’ good thing,” Matthew says. “I You would not be able to take think at the end of the day, I out particular genes that are “You know, the more you am going with race is a social particularly associated with what we define as a race. So there’s no scientific construct. “That’s a little weird for people because clearly I can use my eyes and differentiate people of different races.” There is no directional guide to the exhibit, located in about 5,000 square feet of space in the center’s History Museum. Visitors can start wherever their eye leads them once they enter, explains Chad Mertz, the center’s director of public relations. Exhibit interpreters, such as Emily Culver of the museum staff, are there to help and to orient school groups coming through. The exhibit is filled with interactive displays, video kiosks, informational graphics; it is designed with no age in mind. “It’s completely open to what type of people we’re trying to reach, from a younger audience, where you want to keep their attention, to older audiences,” Mertz says. Although attendance numbers aren’t yet available for the first two weeks the exhibit has been See Race, P. 8 Cold Comfort Agencies, donors work together to open emergency cold shelter By AdAm ClArk Staff Writer December 25, 2008, was anything but a white Christmas. On the one day many people wish it would snow, it didn’t. It was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit most of the day, and the sun shown brightly, giving the illusion of even warmer weather. Then came January 13th. As Christmas thoughts had faded and the event on everyone’s mind was the inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama, it got cold. It got very cold. Homeless individuals did whatever they could to keep warm, as they often do throughout the hard winter months. In response to the extreme temperatures, the mayor’s office, Cincinnati Health Department, Cincin- ation Center, 1715 Republic nati Recreation Commission, St., offered a place for people Cincinnati Police and the to get out of the severe cold Greater Cincinnati Red Cross and gave them pillows and collaborated to open the city’s blankets. The facility was open Cold Shelter. January 13-20. The shelter The organizations have opens when the temperature collaborated for outside gets be“Ten (degrees) low 10 degrees, over 10 years to is still cold, 20 fill the gap bewith the wind tween the numchill taken into is cold, but we ber of shelter aren’t really set account. In years beds available up for that,” Heyl past, it opened in the Cincinnati only when the says. “It can be t e m p e r a t u r e area and the total pretty stressful dropped to zero number of homeon our staff.” less individuals degrees; but the in need of emercity revised the gency shelter policy last year. on extremely cold nights. An “This year the team felt that estimated 1,300 people are the old standard, zero degrees, homeless each night in Cin- was worth reviewing,” says cinnati. Rocky Merz, spokesman for The Cold Shelter, housed the health department. “After at the Over-the-Rhine Recre- a review of our factors and some comparison to other cities, the decision was made to change the standard to 10 degrees.” Timothy Heyl of the recreation commission acknowledges that even the new policy doesn’t prevent homeless people from suffering. “Ten (degrees) is still cold, 20 is cold, but we aren’t really set up for that,” he says. “It can be pretty stressful on our staff.” The recreation center shouldered a lot of the burden, as its staff worked on the Cold Shelter while still keeping all of their programs and normal responsibilities in place. Heyl described the environment during the week as “stressful,” saying the new policy prompted the Cold Shelter to be open for the longest dura- tion in quite some time. Two staff members from the recreation center and a police officer stay on duty during the 10 p.m.–8 a.m. hours that the Cold Shelter is open. About 100 people a night packed into a cramped space about the size a skating rink during the week that it was open. “I haven’t seen any children stay the night in here, just men and women mostly,” Heyl says. “We got a lot of media attention, and because of it we received an outpouring of donations of pillows and blankets.” Many people also donated food and snacks. The collaboration proved successful, as the Cold Shelter was able to accommodate everyone who showed up. �2 News Briefs Homeless Ministry Tends to Their Feet Atlanta – The Rev. Bob Book and his wife, Holly, have established a spa for homeless people once a week, scrubbing their feet in imitation of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The service helps prevent foot infections, which many homeless people suffer from. Each Monday about three dozen homeless men and women get a soak, pumice, nail trim, massage and a pair of socks. Book tells people with serious foot problems to return a volunteer doctor is available. Homeless Agency Dumps First lady Chicago – The Chicago Christian Industrial League has fired Patti Blagojevich, first lady of Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune. Blagojevich was the organization’s chief fundraiser. Her husband, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is facing federal corruption charges, having allegedly tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. Patti Blagojevich isn’t accused of wrongdoing. Condos could shelter homeless people Amherst, Mass. – Three condominiums could become housing for homeless people if town officials use a $450,000 from a federal grant to buy them. The money comes from the Community Development Block Grant program. Under the proposal, the town would contract with an agency to operate the housing. Recession Could Increase Homelessness Washington, D.C. – Growing unemployment could cause an additional 1.5 million people to become homeless in the next two years in the United States, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Advocates for homeless people have sought funding for 200,000 new vouchers for Section 8 subsidized housing, but the economic-stimulus bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives so far doesn’t include the funds. The Vibe Streetwise By GreGory FlAnnery Keep Obama Honest So Barack Obama is president. Are these amazing times or what? Some of his cabinet choices are disconcerting, keeping the same defense secretary who served the Bush regime, making Hillary Clinton secretary of state in spite of her support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But the first two weeks of the new administration have been a joyous rush of promises kept: ordering the closing of the torture chamber at Guantanamo Bay, ordering the military to begin planning withdrawal from Iraq, reversing the Bush regime’s blockage of California’s clean-air standards, restoring a commitment to the spirit of the federal Freedom of Information Act, ending the global gag order on funding for foreign contraceptive services that respect a woman’s right to choose. These are heady times for people who want their government to further the causes of peace, justice and liberty. It is therefore all the more important that we maintain the momentum that put Obama in the White House. This is best done by carefully scrutinizing his every move, demanding that he keep faith with the promise of progress that he dared us to believe is possible. Auspicious New Year: Cranley Quits John Cranley has left the building. There is a sort of symmetry at play here. Appointed to Cincinnati City Council to fill a vacancy, he has left before his term ended. That is a good thing in and of itself, but all the more so because his successor is Greg Harris, a Democrat worthy of the name. Cranley is a complex political figure. He was an instrumental part of city council’s ongoing war against housing for poor people, sponsoring the spurious “impaction ordinance” that restricts the construction of new subsidized housing. In the wake of the uprising against police violence in Over-the-Rhine in 2001, he successfully proposed hiring more cops, before serious reforms of the police department had been undertaken – and that only with the force of a federal court order. In late 2002, when Bush was gearing up for the invasion of Iraq, Cranley attended a prowar rally on Fountain Square. (It is telling that he quibbles with that characterization, saying the rally was intended to “support the troops,” not to support the war. The distinction is absurd per se, but more to the point, what did Cranley ever do to support the anti-war effort?) Yet he helped found the Cincinnati chapter of the Innocence Project, which works to win the release of people wrongfully jailed for crimes they didn’t commit. He also sponsored the legislation that created Cincy Care, an innovative, though limited, initiative to help small employers provide minimal health care for workers. Cranley never succeeded in his bid for a seat in Congress, which left conservative neanderthal Steve Chabot in office; but that was, in the end, a good thing for all involved. The last thing Congress needed while Bush was in power was another Democrat willing to roll over as he extended American imperial ambitions, trampled on the human-rights protections afforded by the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions and whittled away at funding for programs to serve the poor. Cranley surely would have rolled over, along with Hillary Clinton and all the other Democrats who shamelessly cowered after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Cranley’s defeats in the congressional elections were ultimately to his own long-term best interest, too: His unexpected rise to political office fueled an impressively swift and dishearteningly thorough arrogance, unseemly in a person of any age, but especially one so young. It can only be hoped that losing to Chabot tempered Cranley’s character, whatever it is. For now he has removed himself to private life, where it is to be hoped that he prospers and remains for a very long time. Wanted: A Progressive Mayor This is the year Cincinnati elects a new mayor – or keeps Mark Mallory in office for a second term. Assuming Mallory doesn’t get a job in the Obama administration, we know who the Democratic candidate will be. Chabot might run for the Republicans. Roxanne Qualls could be the Charter Committee’s nominee. But who will run as the advocate for poor people, working people, environmental justice, public transportation and adequate funding for human services? If the three mainstream parties split the vote, can the Green Party play a significant role this year? Working for Peace in the Middle East Hundreds of people turned out for a rally last month on Fountain Square, opposing opposition to the Israeli invasion of Gaza. This is, of course, encouraging; war everywhere and always ought be opposed. That conclusion is simple, but the underlying conflict itself is far more complex. To provide a deeper understanding, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center will present another in its series known as “Day of Dialogue.” The program Feb. 22 is “A Palestinian, An Israeli and the Heart of the Middle East” The agenda includes an opening presentation, small-group discussions and refreshments from 1:30-5 p.m. Feb. 22 at First Unitarian Church, 536 Linton Ave., Avondale. STREETVIBES February 2009 Streetvibes is a newspaper that provides relevant discussions of homelessness, poverty and other related social justice issues. It is published monthly by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Adam Clark, Margo Pierce, Stephanie Dunlap, Georgine Getty, David Heitfield, Andrew Anderson, Paul Kopp, Mike Henson, Steve Sunderland, Dan La Botz Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Andrew Freeze, Angela Pancella, Lynne Ausman, Paul Kopp, Anthony Williams Advisory Committee Joe Wessels, Steve Novotni, Andrew Freeze, Georgine Getty, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Steve Gibbs The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Programs include Streetvibes, “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau, Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE), Homeless Curriculum, and Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. All donations support these programs and are taxdeductible to the full extent of the law. We are members of: �STREETVIBES February 2009 Community News Eight Minutes with an ‘Unconventional Hausfrau’ Serving up toothpaste, underwar, dignity and hope By mArGo PierCe ColumniSt Mary Magdalene House isn’t a house but it offers some of the comforts of home – a shower, laundry service and use of a restroom that doesn’t boast a “patrons only” sign. Those without a roof over their heads are welcome -as are those who have a roof but little else -- to stop in and pick up a care package, just like mom used to make, with soap, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste and other toiletries. The head of this unconventional house isn’t the German housewife who might have lived in Over- the-Rhine in days gone day. Here Brother Giancarlo Bonutti keeps the peace. Referred to by all as “Brother Gian” (pronounced “John”), Bonutti sits behind a reception desk calling the names of those waiting for their cost-free shower. He offers powder, a razor and other personal care items along with a towel and was cloth. All the while people come and go from the reception area in order to use the phone – also free of charge – pick up mail and get a splash of cologne or a shot of Fabreeze to freshen up a heavy winter coat. What the people standing in the reception area don’t see are the shelves around the corner from Brother Gian’s perch; they’re jam-packed with shirts, pants, belts, socks, underwear, long johns and other clothing items. Piled in front of that, in milk crates and other bins, are shampoo, cold tablets, lotion and many other personal care needs. “We believe that dignity is the beginning of hope,” Bonutti says. That dignity isn’t restricted to the homeless or poor; anyone can walk through the door with any need and the staff and volunteers will do everything they can to help. All it takes is signing in with Bonutti so he can put your information into the computer; it’s how staff and volunteer know items are given out. “We keep track of everything we give people,” Bonutti says. “We only have enough long underwear that we can only help people with one pair for the winter, and it’s up to you to figure out when you can get them washed.” Mary Magdalene House can toss them in with one of the 20–25 loads of wash they do every day, also free of charge. “Most people who shower here will also leave a set of clothes to be washed after they shower,” Bonutti says. Volunteers at Mary Magdalene House sort clothing. 3 Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in Greater Cincinnati. “Eight Minutes” is an effort to learn who they are and what motivates them. Brother Giancarlo Bonutti at Mary Magdalene House. Photos by Andrew Anderson. “When people are finished with their shower, they bring their towel and washcloth up front. We ask people to please separate out their clothes -- if they have two t-shirts, to not leave one inside the other. If they leave things like that we say, ‘I’m sorry, your mother’s not here to pull them apart for you. You have to remember to do that for us if you want your clothes washed.’ ” Every effort is made to make sure everybody gets back her own clothes. An ingenuous system for keeping track of what belongs to whom has developed over the 20 years that Mary Magdalene House has been in operation. Dirty clothes go into a bag with the guest’s name on it. A list is made of the contents of each load. Colored diaper pins identify duplicate items. The system makes it possible for clothes to be washed, dried, folded and returned to the correct bag for pickup the next day. Clothes are ready within 24 hours. Three washers and four dryers are more than a typical house would have, but then a typical house doesn’t have up to 100 people popping in everyday to use one of seven showers, either. “About every six weeks to eight weeks we’ll take the day and close up,” Bonutti says. “We go through the computer, find out who’s been here for a shower in the past two weeks. If their name is not on that list and their bag is on the shelf, we pull their bag off the shelf, take what we can reuse and put back in our stock. Things like toothbrushes and razors we pitch. If there’s something like ID, we’ll hold onto for a few months. People know we can’t keep their things here indefinitely.” One of the few things that can suspend a guest’s privileges at the house has to do with laundry. “They leave things in their pocket – they can leave anything from Kleenex to keys to ID card, tobacco, sometimes drug paraphernalia,” Bonutti says. “Sometimes … a few will have these glass crack pipes in their pockets; and when that comes out of the laundry, it’s really dangerous for the volunteers, and staff cut their hands. So if we find out who it is, they’re suspended for services for a period of time until they get some help or until we figure they’re going to be a little more respon- sible.” The front desk has a list of rehab, mental health and other services, so a guest isn’t left to figure out how to deal with an issue alone. The system for receiving, sorting and distributing donated clothing is equally systematic; volunteers sort clothes into neat piles based on clothing types and size. Sometimes buying trips are necessary to make sure there are enough socks and underwear, including bras of all sizes, because people typically don’t donate those items. At a time when social service organizations, including churches, demand “personal responsibility” according to their arbitrary standards, Mary Magdalene House stands out as a nonjudgmental example of what it means to help people in need. Nobody is considered “unworthy” of assistance, and the only expectation is that the guests treat each other and the 25 volunteers and six staff members with the same level of respect they give. “If a person’s coming here, they get everything they need,” says Brother Gian, the most compassionate, fair-minded and generous “hausfrau” in Over-The-Rhine. Mary Magdalene House, 1221 Main St., is open from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. To offer clothing, time or cash, call 513-721-4811. �Community News 4 Georgine Getty Moves On STREETVIBES February 2009 Advocate, archer, agnostic to continue fighting homelessness 1 By stePhAnie dunlAP Contributing Writer lenge, honestly, has been the in-fighting. It’s hard enough when a politician or someone It’s five degrees Fahrenheit, outside the system doesn’t not counting wind chill, when get it. We have such a strong Georgine Getty sits down to history of not being like that peppermint tea and a sandwich (arguing among agencies) in at Coffee Cincinnati, so when it Emporium. “Let’s end does happen We meant homelessness, and to meet elseit’s really then I will go neuter where but heartbreakcats or something.” this morning. ing her car SV: What - Georgine Getty wouldn’t was your start. biggest sin“Dead, dead, dead,” she gle crisis while at GCCH? says with a wry smile. GG: “It’s constantly coming Getty somehow remains in waves, ’cause crises come unusually good-natured for on so many different levels.” someone in the human serGetty says there’s the kind vices field, particularly some- of crisis that comes when the one who’s spent the past seven downtown outreach worker years working with the chron- calls and says he can’t find ically homeless: arguably the shelter for a woman with most desperate and marginal- a 6-month-old baby and a ized human population. 3-year-old child, as happened At the end of the month three days ago. Then there’s she’ll step down as executive the kind of crisis when fordirector of the Greater Cincin- mer Cincinnati Mayor Charnati Coalition for the Home- lie Luken decided Streetvibes less (GCCH), which publishes was “public enemy number Streetvibes. Getty leaves to one.” become executive director of “And there was the time we the Interfaith Hospitality Net- had to use insurance money to meet payroll. Luckily we got work. While she’s still a captive robbed so the insurance monsubject, Streetvibes wanted to ey came the same day.” sit Getty down to ask her some Getty smiles again: “The nosy exit questions. constant ongoing struggles of SV: What does Cincinnati running a small non-profit.” do right by way of homeless SV: So why are you leavservices? ing? GG: “The bottom line is GG: “I’m excited to work that very, very few homeless with homeless families again. people die from exposure to Mostly the folks I meet are the elements (in Cincinnati), homeless single individuand not a lot of cities can say als who have been homeless that.” for a long time. I love those SV: What’s the biggest on- guys, and I’m always going going challenge for GCCH? to have a place in my heart GG: “The biggest chal- for those guys. The focus of Georgine Getty and Mark ‘Hustleman’ Shears at the Streetvibes Vendor Holiday Party 2008. Photo by Andy Freeze. the coalition serving chronically homeless individuals is making sure they’re heard and their rights are protected. And the focus of where I’m going to right now is moving people and families out of homelessness, and I’m looking forward to seeing that firsthand.” SV: Do you have a golden parachute? GG: “I’m stealing my favorite pen.” SV: Why do you hate Cincinnati Councilman Chris Bortz? GG: “I don’t hate Chris Bortz. I’m sure he has many fine qualities.” Getty tries to remember how their ongoing feud began. She can’t pin it. “Chris Bortz just got it in his head that I’m someone I’m not and I was doing something I wasn’t. It’s really funny how some council members pass anti-homeless legislation but they hate it when you say they’re anti-homeless. It’s like public perception is more important than doing the right thing.” SV: How do you deal with all the public attacks? GG: “If I’m getting attacked by the right person, I take it as a sign that I’m doing my job, so that doesn’t bother me. If I get attacked by a homeless person or if I’ve hurt a homeless person’s feelings or if I get a call from an executive director (of a partner agency) and I’ve done something careless, then I feel really bad and I try to make amends. If I got along with council 100 percent of the time, the board should have fired me a long time ago.” SV: Who is the rudest elected official? GG: “I have been personally called on my cell phone and cussed out by four – five!” She stops to count them and, giving up, waves them away. “That’s the thing, they (elected officials) do things that disappoint me all the time. That’s the arrogance, the thing, they think they can call me and yell at me.” SV: Who is the kindest elected official, even when your views don’t align? GG: “(Hamilton County Commissioner) Todd Portune. He always seems legitimately happy to see you. Every time he has an encounter with a Streetvibes vendor he drops us a note.” She adds city councilmen David Crowley and Cecil Thomas and NAACP President Christopher Smitherman to that list. Georgine Getty, 2002 staff picture. Photo by Jimmy Heath. SV: How did you get to be ‘I’m going to be homeless when I grow up.’ They don’t executive director, anyway? see the systems that are workGG: “Dumb luck.” Getty says she called to ing against people. They see apply for an administrative laziness. “Homeless people are coordinator position and the person on the phone encour- not lazy. Staying warm, getaged her to apply for execu- ting food -- they’re the most persistent people I know. tive director. “I thought they were loud They’ve just been let down by and dirty and rowdy and systems. “Peothought, ple also I can do “We’re giving the dirtiest don’t that.” chair in the office to see the S V : interview candidates; and (homeDo you we know if they balk at it, l e s s ) still think t h e y ’ r e they’re not right for the job.” b a b i e s . T h e y loud and - Georgine Getty just asdirty and s u m e rowdy? GG: “Uh-huh. Not as loud they’re all adult men.” SV: What would have to as we should be. And by happen for homelessness to ‘dirty.’ I mean gritty.” Though there is an element end? GG: “Housing and jobs. of the elements. “We’re giving the dirtiest Clean, safe, accessible houschair in the office to interview ing they can afford and jobs candidates; and we know if that have health benefits and they balk at it, they’re not pay a living wage. Once you got that taken care of, there’d right for the job. “But rowdy, no – we’re be a very small percentage of more organized than we people who were still homeseem. We’re accountable to less and just a few tweakings our member agencies, to our with the mental health system, board and to homeless people. and you’d have it.” Or she can think of a secOnce we get consensus from all those people, it’s an or- ond way: “Give me $1 billion. I’ll end it tomorrow.” chestrated rowdiness.” SV: Has the panhandlerSV: What don’t people understand about the homeless? registration law, to which you GG: “So many things. They were opposed, turned out the don’t see themselves in home- way you’d expected? GG: “It was one of the few lessness. They see a complete and total Other. And nobody t i m e s See Getty, p. 5 who’s homeless ever said, w h e n �STREETVIBES February 2009 Community News 5 For as Long as It Takes Neither trench foot nor politicans will stop us By GeorGine Getty Staff Writer I’ve done that I’m proud of at the Coalition is rooted in this voice and guided by people When I was interviewing experiencing homelessness. for the job of executive direc- Everything I’m not so proud tor of the Greater Cincinnati of strayed from this voice and Coalition for the Homeless in happened when I just knew 2002, one person asked how that I knew best. I was going to end homelessAs I look back on my career ness. with the Homeless Coalition, I had no idea. I’m flooded with memories So I answered that I would – some good, some I wish I start with people experiencing could block out – but almost homelessness to find out what all of them make me smile, they wanted to do and then en- one way or the other. gage them in every step of the That’s one thing I love struggle. about the Homeless CoaliI didn’t know it at the time, tion. It’s one of the most sebut I had stumbled across the rious places you can work, most important thing that the but it always keeps a sense of Homeless Coalition does: humor about itself. In this job it gives a voice to homeless I’ve been colder than I’ve ever people. Well, no, it doesn’t. been (January street counts It just amplifies the voice that and December Homeless Mealready exists. Everything morial Days) and hotter than I’ve ever been (bridge sweeps in July 2003). I’ve been angrier than I thought possible, and humbled to the point of humiliation. I’ve been braver than I knew I could be, and sneakier than I should be. I’ve lain down and I’ve cried and sworn off the whole thing as a fool’s errand. But more than anything, I’ve laughed. I’ve laughed with my friends, my community. I’ve laughed at absurGeorgine Getty at Annual Dinner 2008. dity, at politicians, Photo by Andrew Anderson. at shared jokes. I’ve laughed The number one question I’m asked is: Should I give at myself. I’ve laughed at the to a panhandler? Here is the definitive answer to that world. That belly laugh lives complicated moral dilemma, once and for all: It’s up to at the Homeless Coalition, you. Panhandling, once stripped of all the legal ramiand it keeps us all sane. fications, the power imbalance, the systemic poverty, I was also blessed, from the political and economic consequences is just this: start to finish, with incredible one person interacting with another person. How you co-workers. They often don’t choose the terms of that interaction is between you and stay long, but each leaves his the panhandler. If you feel like giving, and you can, give. or her footprint on the coaliIf you want to give, but you fear that the panhandler will tion. And when they leave, use the money for drugs or alcohol and that bothers you, don’t give, but send your support to a treatment they go on to do great things, center. If you don’t like panhandling, don’t give. But taking with them a piece of never forget that any threat to a panhandler’s freedom the coalition. of speech of is a threat to the freedom of speech of nonBut the Homeless Coalition panhandlers, too. - Georgine Getty is much bigger than the staff or people experiencing homeofficers, gadflies and every- ment. It means when it gets lessness. There are also the one else who has ever given a cold outside, really cold, I cry members, the people in the damn about homeless people. myself to sleep for fears of real trenches every day doing the Advocates, each in our own people with real names. But I work that restores lives. And way. This is where we gather. can also help give these folks the directors of the agencies, This is our home. a voice so that next year, next who fight as if they are fighting What has it meant for me month, next week, they go to for their own children when to be a homeless advocate? It bed warm and safe. It means I their clients are threatened. means that am never satisfied, never done, There are I know always at meetings, usually a “As I look back on the clergy what trench meal behind and running on and the lay my career with the foot smells pure adrenaline and caffeine. people who Homeless Coalition, I’m like. But But it also means my back is jump in to flooded with memories – I’ve also straight, my head is high and volunteer, listened to I can look anyone square in pray and some good, some I wish I could block out – but b e a u t i f u l the eye knowing that I am an write letharmonica agent for change. ters. There almost all of them make music in a You too, my brothers and are the cus- me smile, one way or the h o m e l e s s sisters, my fellow advocates. todians of other.” - Georgine Getty camp at We are all the Homeless our history s u n d o w n . Coalition, and no job shift can who keep It means change that. As long as there us on the right moral path that assorted politicians hate are people who care about and, when things get hard, me. But I’ve also watched homeless people, people who soothe by saying “You think friends transition out of addic- point out naked emperors, this is bad? I remember when tion and into sobriety. It means people who simultaneously …” There are the volunteers that I have held a 4-month-old laugh at the American dream who put together Standdown, baby in my arms who was and cling to its promise, there Streetvibes, the annual dinner, fourth-generation homeless. will be the Homeless Coalishantytowns and everything But I also helped put a poli- tion. For as long as it takes. else. There are donors, stuAnd I am so grateful to be cy in place that moved his dents, reporters, Streetvibes grandmother out from under a a part of it. And it will always readers, politicians, police bridge and into her own apart- be a part of me. Getty Moving to Interfaith Hospitality Network (continued from page 4) we actually won. I feel it was a great victory for homeless people. They passed the registration to try to stop people from panhandling. We were able to work with the police and the city and downtown businesses to put that outreach worker in place while getting rid of punitive registration. People from other cities call us to see how we did it.” SV: Aren’t you (as GCCH) benefiting from the homeless, and wouldn’t it threaten GCCH’s existence if homelessness were to disappear? GG: “We’re all working to put ourselves out of work, and I ain’t getting that much money anyway. Did I mention my car died today and I have no idea how I’m going to replace it? “That perception is definite- ly out there. I don’t know how to counteract that argument except that you don’t do this work for the money. I do get mad when I see executive directors making huge amounts of money. “Let’s end homelessness, and then I will go neuter cats or something. I’d love to leave this field.” Getty takes aim Getty, 34, is married to a man she met in high school in Iowa. Her undergraduate degree was in philosophy and religion, and she and her husband moved to Cincinnati so she could pursue her master’s degree in women’s studies at the University of Cincinnati. They have three cats, a guinea pig and a rescued rat named Barnabus. Another curious thing no one in her right mind would guess: Getty is an archer. This Christmas she got a recurve bow. “Because I already had a compound bow but I wanted to get back to the basics,” she says. “I haven’t shot it since the day after Christmas. I haven’t had time to get back out to the taxidermy shop in Amelia.” She’s also part of a writing group, does Aikido, just started Tai-Chi and recently gave her sister a homemade quilt. Just mention your hobby and Getty’s ears perk. “I’m a total hobby vampire,” she says. “I’m good at nothing. I just like, you know, hanging out.” SV: What is the role of faith in your life and work? GG: “I’m an agnostic. And the way I put it is that I believe all faiths are getting at some truth, and I believe that quest for truth is worthy in and of itself. I appreciate them searching, and I find beauty in each of the denominations. I guess I’m too lazy to pick one. “I really find the Bible to be inspiration for this kind of work, because every major faith system directs people toward this kind of work. Me, as an advocate? It’s about redirecting them (the faithful) to getting back to the roots of their faith. It’s not about building a new church annex; it’s about making sure your neighbors have food.” SV: What are your last words? GG: “My big message that I’ve realized because I’ve been reflecting: The places where I felt the coalition did its best work was when it was connected to homeless people -- the homeless leadership. When we go wrong is when we think we know what’s best without talking to homeless people. That’s when we start to lose our souls a little bit. That’s what’s so cool about the coalition, is it’s so connected. It has to stay like that. Otherwise it can’t be the moral consciousness of the homeless community. That’s what has to be preserved. It’s just got such a cool history, and I’m glad I got to be the custodian of it for a little bit.” �6 Community News The Heart of Over-the-Rhine St. Francis Seraph Ministries is landmark with a mission By PAul koPP Contributing Writer for the Franciscans in Cincinnati. Friedman is a longtime Over-the-Rhine resident. St. Francis Seraph church “I find it a really neat place is positioned facing south on to live,” he says. “I think that the corner of Vine and Liberty the people who live here are streets in Over-the-Rhine. The great -- the neighbors, the landmark building has firmly street folks. It’s a wonderful stood in its location for the human mix.” past 150 years, from its beginThe church programs are ning as a small parish of Aus- wide-reaching and multi-laytrian friars to its present work ered to suit the needs of this as St. Francis Seraph Minis- community mix. Friedman tries, a multi-faceted commu- says that once the 1960s hit nity staple. and the neighborhood started A sign outside the building changing and becoming more calls it the heart of Over-the- poverty-stricken, the friars Rhine, and in many ways the were called to find new ways analogy seems fitting. The to serve. Branching out and services the church provides hitting the streets over the pumps life years, the and love into “The neighborhood church started a soup kitchthe commustarted changing nity. en in 1980, The Rev. and becoming more followed in Greg Fried- poverty-stricken; the 1995 by an man is sitting outreach profriars were called at a round tato find new ways to gram called ble in a small the Sarah serve.” room located Center, in just off the which women entranceway of the friary. The are taught jewelry making and room is dark, with morning basic business skills. light trickling in through the There is also the elementary school, which has been with windows. “We like to try and create a the church since its beginpresence not only within the nings, acting as a foundation walls of the church but outside for the parish. the church as well,” Friedman “The school is one of the says. best things we do,” Friedman The church’s pastor for the says. “We try and let them (the past three years, he splits his students) know how special time between his responsibili- they are.” ties there with a career in comA relatively new piece of munications at St. Anthony the St. Francis community is Messenger Press and acting the Canticle Café, across Vine as director of communications Street from the church. It’s been open three years now and serves coffee, donuts and bag lunches from 1-4 p.m. on select days of the week. At the café, large double doors lend themselves to the kind of entrance where you will no doubt be greeted by a sea of faces glancing up from their activities. Some look ahead, focusing on their meals, and others sit withdrawn in thought. The room is crowded on this strangely warm day in January. It’s on the smaller side, and every table is packed as volunteers dole out refreshments to a steady line. In the corner sits Brother Michael Murphy. The café is Brother Mike Murphy at St. Francis Seraph Ministries. Photo by his responsibility. He’s talking Paul Kopp. to a young man whose facial expression is deeply carved, coming through the house, and when I present my case, it marked by confusion and and I got caught up in some usually goes very well.” stress. He looks concerned but stuff. I came to see Brother Mary is a case in point, deisn’t talking, intently listening Mike because I knew he was scribing her first attorney’s atto Murphy and occasionally someone I could talk to. He titude. nodding his head and smiling went to court with me.” “He didn’t want him (Murafter the brother pats him on Murphy knows the judi- phy) with me,” she says. “I the shoulder. cial system and the ways that felt like (the attorney) wanted Murphy has been at the café judges and public defenders to humiliate me.” for two years, coming to Cin- can mistreat the homeless “The judge was gonna put cinnati after 15 years of ser- and African -Americans who her in jail for three years, in vice to street children in India. come through its doors, some- addition to a big fine and court A Marianist brother, he chose times on bogus charges. costs,” Murphy says. to come to Over-the-Rhine “The assumption is they’re Luckily, Mary missed her and St. Francis upon his return guilty, and generally the attor- original court date and was asto the country. neys want to get it over with,” signed a new public defender, “Brother Mike -- he’s a nice he says. “It’s almost like they who listened to Murphy tell person,” says Mary, a café pa- say, ‘We’ll offer you a deal,’ Mary’s story. Mary received tron. “I call him my guardian and the deal is just horrible -- just six months’ probation. angel. I had been running on especially if they’re not guilty Murphy says the people of habeas for five years on one or shouldn’t be getting what this neighborhood are his good charge and two years on an- they are gonna get. Ninety friends, and he gives them evother. I had been staying with percent of the time when I go, erything without hesitation. a man who had drug people the judge will listen to me, The Findlay Neighborhood Center is open 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays. To volunteer, call 513-265-0620. In the middle of this warm and her husband owned a farm 30 percent. But there is more to the cenriot of color and texture sit in Clermont County at which the women at the table. Gloria they taught and demonstrated ter than sewing. A long room has completed a fabric doll, organic and self-sustaining decorated in murals of lively hand-sewn with machine-like farming methods. colors, created by neighbors, symmetry, and is working on When her husband became is being fashioned into a chilthe doll’s dress, a pink ging- terminally ill, it was necessary dren’s playroom where kids ham pinafore, complete with a to sell the farm. Crane knew can gather while their caregivheaddress to match. Arianne is she’d need to fill the void left ers or parents work on crafts. crocheting, and Tootie has just by her husband’s death and Beyond the playroom is decorated the center’s win- the loss of the farm. Parkside Stage -- the newest dows with large, red hearts. She began looking at real es- addition to the center. To the While the women discuss tate near Findlay Market. The left is a large stage, still decotheir projects and neighbor- property she was first shown rated for recent Christmas achood events, two women, did nothing to inspire her. But tivities. Opposite the stage is both new to the center, drop the property next door gave a wall-sized garage door that, in to ask about its hours. Their her a sudden and clear idea. when opened, overlooks Findinterest is apparent in their Findlay Neighborhood lay Park. Opening the door questions and in the excite- Center, 1830 Race St., formed makes the room into a sort of ment that lights up their eyes. as a non-profit corporation in open-air amphitheatre. Asked about her vision for 2003, is most known for its Crane’s intent is that the Findlay Neighborhood Cen- sewing center. This is a place neighborhood turn its own ter, Lynda Crane, the founder, where anyone can come and ideas into skits, musical revues gives a response that is simple make whatever they wish – and anything else that captures and to the point: “Whatever for themselves, their family their interest. Two guests exthey wish it to be.” and friends, or to sell. plain that one upcoming event Crane is no newcomer to For work that is sold, 70 in the planning is a commuoutreach programs. In the late percent of the profits go to the nity Easter Parade. 1990s to the early 2000s, she creator, and the center receives The Fabric of a Neighborhood Findlay Center knits a sense of community By mArilyn k. sChirmer Contributing Writer On a very cold January day, a circle of women seated around a large table in the Findlay Neighborhood Cen- Photo by Andrew Anderson. ter are talking and diligently working on various needlework projects. Emanating the welcoming aroma of fresh-brewed coffee, the front rooms, used as a sewing center, are cheerily laden with colorful bolts of fabrics on shelves, with baskets of threads and lace and sewing machines stationed throughout. A large area for cutting patterns is in a back corner. STREETVIBES February 2009 �STREETVIBES February 2009 Movie Review No Business Like Shoah Business 7 ‘Defiance’ says more about male mythos than about mass murder 1 By dAvid heitField Contributing Writer have guns for all of the men.” ly, it’s a two-and-a-half-hour “How can a woman protect “true story” about homeless herself?” “The women have people living in the woods. She lusted after her lovers, the men to protect them.” Yes, there are Nazis, and it whose genitals were like those Intellectuals are as useless never, ever grows tiresome to of donkeys and as the physically see Nazis killed, be it in movwhose semen It’s a two-and- crippled, priests ies or video games. Much of was like that of deal with fairy the visceral pleasure in watcha-half-hour horses. (Ezekiel tales, and the life ing the movie comes courtesy “true story” 23:20) of the mind is a of dead Nazis. And in case you Woe the Al- about homeless waste of time, are too young to appreciate pha Male. In a people living in preventing ac- just how evil the Nazis were, culture in which tion when action there is a classic 21st century the woods. Cadillacs are unis needed. When tell: Those swastika-laden abashedly sold prompted to dis- bastards are all smoking cigato females as a sexual object, cuss the ideas of Descartes, rettes at the beginning of the everyone is a hero and the Zus responds, “You annoy movie! And laughing as they economy is more important me, therefore I am.” rape the atmosphere with their to people than fear of liberals, And so the story unfolds: carbon dioxide and secondit’s fitting that our version of A community grows in the hand smoke. Just heartless. Batman is depressed, just as woods with the infirm, womIt’s an interesting conceit: Fight Club predicted was in- en and children, intellectuals Use the Holocaust as a back evitable. and other forms of useless life story to celebrate the necesDirector Edward Zwick that do something other than sity of the Alpha Male. Does it answers in Defiance with a hunt and gather and kill. As work? Sorta. Much is cheesy, rousing tale of Jewish Alpha Tuvia grows more sensitive but much was cheesy about Males fleeing and fighting Na- to protecting the needful, Zus other Swick attempts to recast zis in Belorussia in 1941. The becomes more obsessed with the Alpha Male, such as in The director has said the movie revenge, L a s t should be viewed as a cor- and there S amuPeople could listen to the rective to the misconception is an inrai or synthetic stylings and that all Jews were passive and evitable overwrought orchestrations G l o r y , meek during the Holocaust. s p l i t , and yet of the Reagan era, while Apparently - and of this I was so Zus t h e y contemplating why we not aware - some people look can go w e r e at Israel and see a nation of kill stuff enjoyhave a highway named pussies. while able to after the president who Enter the Bielski broth- T u v i a practically invented modern watch. ers, the two eldest played by tries to Movhomelessness. Daniel Craig (Tuvia) and Liev deal with ies are Schreiber (Zus). Tuvia is the m a n a g our best more complex brother, more ing a community (until it is teachers of cultural and moral of the 21st century Alpha – his time to go kill stuff). Thus, relativism. For instance, any instincts are clouded in ways you have the 20th century movie made in the 1980s is he cannot fully understand. Alpha and the 21st century unwatchable today because it Zus, on the other hand, is a Alpha splitting apart and, of will contain music that makes morally clear Alpha, and as course, coming together at the one feel ashamed to be part such he seems anachronistic end, although you can guess of the species that created it. in a movie released in 2009: which Alpha saves the other If Six Sigma were applied to “Why don’t the women have one’s ass in the end. music, you’d get the 1980s. guns?” “Because we do not And that’s about it. Broad(In these tough economic times, the county should pipe in ‘80s movie soundtracks all along the Ronald Reagan Highway and charge a toll to travel on it. People could listen to the synthetic stylings and overwrought orchestrations of the Reagan era, while contemplating why we have a highway named after the president who practically invented modern homelessness. Because, in reality, Alpha Males are not out to save the homeless. You don’t need Dick Cheney to shoot you in the face while hunting for caged birds to understand that.) It will be interesting to watch Defiance in 25 years and see what it has to teach us about 2009. Methinks it will say little about the Holocaust – there have been so many movies with a Holocaust theme lately that some are calling for a moratorium on what the bloggers call “shoah business.” Where it will speak is to the place for the Alpha Male in society. And it will say that in 2009, we knew that something important was slipping away – sorta like the automobile industry – but we weren’t sure what we should do about it. Boy Soldier, Wise Man Ishmael Beah’s journey from horror to helping others “The sun showed flashes of the tips of guns and bullets traveling toward us. Bodies had begun to pile on top of each other near a short palm tree, where fronds dripped blood. I searched for Josiah. An RPG had tossed his tiny body off the ground and he had landed on a tree stump. He wiggled his legs as his cry gradually came to an end. There was blood everywhere. It seemed as if bullets were falling into the forest from all angles. I crawled to Josiah and looked into his eyes. There were tears in them and his lips were shaking, but he could not speak. As I watched him, the water in his eyes was replaced with blood that quickly turned his brown eyes into red. He reached for my shoulder as if he wanted to hold it and pull himself up. But midway, he stopped moving. The gunshots faded in my head, and it was as if my heart had stopped and the whole world had come to a standstill. I covered his eyes with my fingers and pulled him from the tree stump. His backbone had been shattered. I placed him flat on the ground and picked up my gun.” Excerpt from A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah By Andrew Anderson Contributing Writer It would be impossible for most of us to think of taking children, giving them cocaine or heroin and an AK-47 machine gun and forcing them to kill men, women and other children in a war that had no purpose, where violence was a self-perpetuating way of life. Yet, in the more than 50 conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers fighting, killing and dying. Children are the soldiers of choice; readily available, easily recruited, expendable. Ishmael Beah was one such child. A Long Way Gone is his personal account of living through such a hell. Beah was a typical child in Sierra Leone. He went to school, loved listening to American hip-hop, had a loving family, enjoyed swimming and did all the simple things in life a child does. At age 12 he left home with a friend and his older brother to participate in a talent show in a neighboring town. He was never to see his home, his mother or his father again. Rebels attacked and created a landscape of death and chaos. Beah fled from the attack and wandered the countryside. At age 13 he was picked up by See Soldier, Page 8 �Local News 8 Race (continued from Page 1) open, Mertz estimates several to the rest of the world to the hundred. One of the problems politics of race today. In this with keeping count is that an country, from the American admission to the History Mu- Revolution and slavery to reseum includes admission to sisting slavery; from the Civil this exhibit. War and Reconstruction to the There is a display on sports control of Native Americans; team mascots and videos of from European immigration Native Americans, among and “defining whiteness” to others, who explain who they the post-World War II boom are, ending with, “And I’m and racial discrimination in not a mascot.” There is a me- housing; from the anti-immidia kiosk where visitors can gration movement and racial do a video recording of a few profiling in the last two deminutes explaining what race cades to NAFTA and the new means to them. There are areas immigration backlash. where visitors can fill out note cards on race, drop them in a ‘Sheer fascination’ box and have them displayed One of the interactive disin a loose-leaf binder. Writes an apparently young Matthew plays invites visitors to vote – judging by his penmanship on how the U.S. Census should be conducted. Should – “I am human. One love.” There are historic artifacts: race be included among the questions? a pair of slave H o w A lot of folks are s h a c k - interested in the topic, but many speles from they aren’t always willing cific races? VisiSouth Carto have a conversation. olina, dattors can ing back vote on to the 1830s-1840s. There is whether to keep it as it is, sima display where you can place plify the categories to having your hand under a camera and no questions at all about race. compare your skin color with While it is tempting to vote various swatches of hand skin no question at all – that race color displayed on the board. shouldn’t matter – there is a In both the exhibit and reason for such questions. on its Web site, while not in “The census is one of the depth, the entire history of hu- only ways we have of seeing mankind is explored, from mi- where people live and how gration patterns from Africa people live,” Matthews says. “So if you are still looking at neighborhoods that are still segregated or have differences in socio-economic status, if you don’t have a way of recording that information, you can’t track it, can’t look it up. My background is to ask, ‘What are the numbers?’ ” M a t t h e w s Family Participation: Photo courtesy of American Anthropological Associasaid she spent tion and Science Museum of Minnesota. time at the ex“People of all different right time.” hibit’s opening backgrounds gathered here for What does the Museum Jan. 17. Reactions? “One was sheer fascina- an historic celebration at an Center hope visitors take from tion,” Matthew says. “It’s historic special place in Cin- this exhibit? “We hope people take away (race) something we talk cinnati,” he says. “So we feel about all the time. There’s a so lucky to have this exhibit. a fact or two, gain something lot of things people can put But we also feel a responsibil- you didn’t know,” she says. their hands on. Cool things ity to take advantage of the “A second thing is a higher like being able to vote (as on national interest to get a local comfort level at having the discussion. A lot of folks are census questions). You have conversation going.” Matthews also hopes the ex- interested in the topic, but they the ability to record your own story at a video kiosk inside hibit will further the dialogue, aren’t always willing to have a the exhibit. Read other peo- even beyond the question of conversation. I think what the whether Obama’s election election of Barack Obama has ples’ stories.” The Museum Center’s staff means an era of post-racial done is give this country permission to have this conversais taken with the fortuitous- politics. “To have it here at this time, tion in a very open and very ness of the Obama election and the opening. Mertz says we couldn’t have anticipated public way. I hope this exhibit more than 2,000 came to the that,” Matthews says. “I think is the next step in helping that center January 20 to watch the it’s our reward for stepping conversation.” up to do the right thing at the inauguration. Soldier, continued from page 7 the government army. An innocent child, he was given drugs and a machine gun and taught to kill. At age 16 he was removed from the fighting by UNICEF and sent to a rehabilitation center where he started the long process of regaining his humanity. This book should be read. Though his story might seem impossible to fully imagine, there is much we can learn from him: Disaster can strike any of us. It does not matter if you live a good life, if you come from a good family, if you live in a good neighborhood, if you have a good job. Disaster takes on many forms and hits you when you least expect it. Forces we cannot control will change our life. Maybe someone close to us will die in an accident, maybe our jobs will end and we will not be able to find another, maybe we will have health problems and incur huge medical bills, maybe these will all happen at once and we will find ourselves homeless. We can all become monsters. Whether we are physically forced by others or by circumstance, we are all capable of doing unthinkable things. We STREETVIBES February 2009 learn to will kill, steal or do anything else necessary to survive. If walk on our own again. The you find that hard to believe, good news is that, with time you should reflect again upon and love, we can recover. Significant emotional the fact that 300,000 children are soldiers in our world. Do- events change us. How they ing the unthinkable in order to change us is up to us. Disaster will change you. You can get survive is not a rare event. We need help to get back up. past the disaster and be forevOnce we have been knocked er weakened, or you can take down by disaster and fallen the lessons learned to become into the pits of despair, we stronger and better. The huusually need help to get back man spirit is capable of recovup. We lose our way. We not ering from anything if given only lack the strength to func- enough love and support. B e a h tion normally, we was one also forget what The human spirit of the normal looks like. is capable of lucky few Recovery is a recovering from who were long process repulled anything if given quiring caring, from the dedicated people. enough love and chaos by Recovering from support. caring and disaster is neither loving simple nor quick. We have to feel secure and people who were dedicated learn to trust again, to forgive and selfless and who gave him ourselves and to love our- love. Beah felt guilt for what selves. Money and a change of he had done. He felt guilt for clothes will not solve the prob- having lived when so many lem. We need the love and sup- died. He decided that the only port of good and caring people way he really could justify who will pick us up, dust us having survived is if he took off and hold our hand until we advantage of the opportunity Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes to try and end the use of children as soldiers. He went on to graduate from Oberlin College here in Ohio, to write his memoir in hopes of telling the world the horrors of the situation and to work with politicians and organizations to bring an end to the use of child soldiers. Today Beah is only 26 years old. He has been through more than most of us ever will. I also suspect he will do more than most of us to make this world better. A few days ago I met Beah and marveled at his maturity, his joy of life and his dedication to ending this most insidious form of child abuse. I realized how small and petty my grievances with life were. If he could survive what he did and still smile, surely I could deal with my issues. I encourage you to read this book. I think Carolyn See of The Washington Post said it best, “Everyone in the world should read this book. … We should read it to learn about the world and about what it means to be human.” �STREETVIBES February 2009 Poetry/Artwork Violence 9 Happy Valentine’s Day By Anthony Williams By JAmAr mAlColm kinG There is so much violence in our city streets The police act like their afraid to walk their beats. People get killed every single day. Its seems like all humans have lost their way. I wish they would stop making guns. I’m fed up with every dude saying he’s a thug. What he needs to do is sit and read book And get something on his mind instead of being a crook. Human life is so precious. It is worth more than a Lexus. To take a human life is very wrong. So why brag about murder in a song? Then The Storm Hit By holly PArker As it picked me up Slammed me back down breaking my ribs I cried Struggling to regain my feet For there sat my son crying and watching I gathered my wits while there was quiet Soothed my little one in my arms Letting him know I was ok Innocence Lost By heAther hArley Thinking now days had went past All was well Ribs sore but I had my life and my sons Today is not my day to shine, for it can’t be, I’m only 9, Then the storm hit Today is not my day to hate for it can’t be, I’m only 8. Crashing in the front door Grabbing my neck Not know what was in store As against the wall he slammed me Time after time Ripping my clothes off To take what was his he said While my daughters slept there He loved me he said Just had a bad day It won’t happen again Please he begged don’t go away Then the storm hit My daughter’s leg he grabbed To get to me Table over turned on the neighbors baby Just to prove who was the boss Neighbors turned deaf ears Friends didn’t want to know Church said your job is to love him I wore the burned face Scars on my legs Scars in my mind Scars in my heart Now Scars on the ground where a mound is his grave Then the storm hit Today is not may to die and go to heaven, for it can’t be, I’m only 7. Today is not by day to turn tricks, for it can’t be, I’m only 6. Today is not my day to thrive, for it can’t be, I’m only 5. Today is not my day to score, for it can’t be, I’m only 4. Today is not your day, 3, 2 and 1, for your life has only just begun. Today by the way is my day to shine, because finally we’re all just fine, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. No thanks to our parents. They couldn’t tell because a long time ago we told them all to go to hell. �Column 10 In Memoriam: Leroy Birch Sponsored recovering addicts, mentored their helpers Among the speakers at the funeral of Leroy Birch on Jan. 22 was Dennis C, a chemicaldependency counselor and a recovering member of Narcotics Anonymous. Midway through his speech, he asked that everyone who had been sponsored by Leroy to please stand up. At least 20 men stood. Then he asked that all the people sponsored by someone Leroy sponsored to please stand. Dozens more stood. Then he asked for all the people present who were sponsored by those people to stand. There must have been 100 people standing. Among the others in St. Mark’s Church in Evanston that Thursday morning were friends, co-workers, family. St. Mark’s is a fairly large church, and it was packed. You were lucky if you got a bulletin; they ran out early. There were tears, there was grief. But this was also a celebration of the impact of a dedicated man. ***** Leroy Birch was just 60 when he died after a long battle with cancer. He was one of those in the chemical-dependency field who came up the old way. First, recovery, then entry-level job, then the education and the credential. (This, by the way, has been the path for many low-income and minority professionals in the chemical-dependency field and it is a path that is closing, to the detriment of the profession and ultimately to the addict in need of help.) ***** Leroy Birch had a drive and an energy that I admired; it stayed with him to the end. He also had a wicked sense of humor and a crooked smile to go with it. He had a hard head and a compassionate heart. He was a builder and a dreamer and he was part of the movement that built a strong Narcotics Anonymous network in Cincinnati. He also established the Young Fathers Pro- recovery process and being a productive member of society.” McQueen is today a case manager with Talbert House, working in a halfway house for men recently released from prison. “I will remember Leroy as a mentor and a teacher and a person who overcame his obstacles and taught other people like myself how to overcome obstacles,” McQueen says. Birch knew the obstacles were real. He had lived by miChael henSon them and overcome them. And he knew that the gram out of Saint John’s Social path to continuing progress Services. He served for many was to help others overcome years as the after-care spe- theirs. cialist for the Hillcrest TrainBirch was particularly deding School. In addition to the icated to the addict brought people he sponsored, there are down to poverty. And if the any number of working chem- columns I write for this paper ical-dependency professionals have any single inspiration, it -- particularly recovering, Af- is Leroy Birch. If these essays rican-American professionals have any weight in the world, -- whom he mentored. it will be because of my friend, Ira McQueen is one. Mc- Leroy Birch. Queen told me, “When I got ***** out of prison, I had some goals. I had just started school. He was a professional, but he had I first met Birch when we a past. I didn’t think I could were both new in recovery. ammered H Birch knew the obstacles were real. He had lived them and overcome them. And he knew that the path to continuing progress was to help others overcome theirs. do what I dreamed of because of my past. And he told me I could do it. I just had to put some other stuff in between me and my past. He gave me the blueprint. He was a guide. I could call him and talk to him about different phases of the process, along with the Eventually, we found ourselves working together at Talbert House. And somewhere in that time, we conceived the notion of doing trainings on poverty and chemical dependency. We were frustrated by training and supervision that taught us everything about alcoholism and STREETVIBES February 2009 Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. addiction except what made me sitting at a table in the this condition so difficult for kitchen of Alcoholics Anonythe poor. We rejected the idea mous co-founder Dr. Bob that the Smith in l o w - We rejected the idea that the A k r o n , income low-income addict was like Ohio. addict W e everybody else, because w a s had been we knew better. We knew l i k e invited that any addict or alcoholic everyto carry faces challenges, but that the workbody the addict or alcoholic in shop to else, b e - poverty faces difficulties and a treatc a u s e obstacles that the better-off m e n t w e center on do not have. knew the south b e t side of ter. We knew that any addict the city. When it was over, we or alcoholic faces challenges, asked if someone could direct but that the addict or alcoholic us to Dr. Bob’s house. It was in poverty faces difficulties after hours, but we figured we and obstacles that the better- could at least drive by it. As it off do not have. We also knew turned out, one of the trainees that the addict or alcoholic was a trustee of the site and in poverty faces more severe had the key. So we got our own consequences than those who private tour. He had a thick are better off. We knew that Scots brogue, so we could the addict or alcoholic in pov- understand only about half erty faces a more complicated of what he said, but he took recovery than those who are us around the city to all the better off. key sites in the AA founding And we knew that, for pro- story. Then he took us to Dr. fessionals to successfully ad- Bob’s house, set us up at that dress the needs of the addict table, pulled out the Polaroid or alcoholic in poverty, they and took our picture. Then he need special tools. said what is said to each perSo we set out to help pro- son who comes through those vide those tools through a se- doors, “Welcome home.” ries of trainings. Talbert House Leroy Birch left his active gave us the go-ahead, and we addiction behind long ago. designed a two-day workshop But he did not leave behind that was grueling for the train- the addict. He was a dedicated ees and trainers both. (We professional and a dedicated were committed to putting the member of the recovering work in workshop.) But we community, a trusted servant felt satisfied that, at the end to the cause of the seemingly of each, we had opened some hopeless addict and alcoholic. minds and offered some anEach time we performed swers. our training, Leroy asked for a moment of silence in order to ***** call up the spirits of our ancestors to support the work about Somewhere, stored among to be done. He has now joined other papers and photos I have his ancestors. collected over the years, I have I would like to think he has a Polaroid of Leroy Birch and been welcomed home. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �STREETVIBES February 2009 Column 11 The Audacity of Focus Obama continues the journey from Selma Barack Hussein Obama’s not let the success of this moinauguration as president is ment “distract” us from the a breathtaking event. We are tremendous cost it has taken only 145 years since Lincoln to reach this point or the imsigned the Emancipation Proc- portant work that remains in lamation. We are only 55 years since the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided on integrated schools as the law of the land. We are only 45 years since Presi- front of us. Indeed, both King dent Lyndon Johnson signed and Obama refused to be “disthe Voting Rights Act. How tracted” by either the violence wondrous are these dates in of actions or angry words our American history of free- from the major task of builddom. But we cannot let these ing a beloved community of achievements distract us. unity. Next to these dates must be Let’s turn to the seeds of the day when Rosa Parks re- Obama’s victory in actions fused to rise from her seat on a that happened in 1964 in a bus in Montgomery, Alabama; little town in Alabama. We the date when Rev. Martin might not have known about Luther King Jr. agreed to lead Selma were it not for the three the first nonviolent bus boy- marches that happened there to cott; the dates protest the kill“Selma became a ing of a young when King organized the testing ground for black man, Jimthe Civil Rights mie Lee Jackmarches in Selma, Alason, who sought Movement and bama, gave for the organizing to register Alahis speeches bamians to vote; philosophy of and wrote his or the killing of [Martin Luther letters and a young white King Jr.]” books; and minister, Rev. the dates of James Reeb, the murders who came to of King, Kennedy and Mal- protest that murder and intimcolm X. And we cannot let idation. And we, as citizens these groundbreaking experi- who were not residents, would ences distract us either. not know Selma were it not the We come to Jan. 20 with place that tens of thousands of a joyous and a heavy heart. people from every corner of We celebrate that so much the nation, who answered the has been accomplished by the call to march with King in the work of so many young and largest nonviolent march for old people, disabled and able voter rights in American hispeople, middle class, rich and tory. Without the success of poor, many college students, the Selma marches, we would and people from every creed, have not changed the voting color and region. We must process and laws for black and poor people in this country, and it’s doubtful that Obama would have been nominated --let alone elected. Selma stood as a symbol of hatred of black people as citizens of America. The message of the 1960s was simple and foreboding: “Black people should not dream about voting, holding office or getting justice from the courts. Black people who don’t go along will be lynched or murdered.” It was that blunt. We cannot imagine now the feelings that civil rights workers, black Southern citizens and white people of good conscience felt at that time. We were trapped in a system in which hatred was expected on the part of whites toward blacks and/or anyone who wanted to change the system. Few of us had any organizing experience that told us how to change hatred. We knew that we could not turn to violence because we were outnumbered by the police, and we were unpersuaded that violence would win the fundamental change we desired. And we knew that individuals in Southern communities were risking a lot by joining in protests. Selma became a testing ground for the Civil Rights Movement and for the organizing philosophy of King, who used the insights of Gandhi, a nonviolent revolutionary from India, to shape his thinking and actions. What happened at Selma that we should know about and how does it connect with Obama? One of the Selma or- Michelle and Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of barackobama.com. Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of barackobama.com. ganizers, Rev. James Bevel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference remembers: “When Jimmy Lee Jackson from Marlon, Alabama, was killed, I believe that really prompted the march. We realized that the killing would go on, based on people just demonstrating for their right to vote. Somehow we had to make the price of human life go up. People were being shot and killed, and the killers were getting off pretty cheap. We felt we had to create what we call ‘mass dislocation.’ That’s a nonviolent technique where you make it uncomfortable for people by expressing your grievances in a nonviolent fashion.” Henry Hampton continues the story: “They came marching across, black and four abreast like pilgrims to a shrine. ... It was here just past the bridge that they were stopped. ... The rasp/of a police command -- ‘Troopers, advance!’ -- rang out ... and they knew at the first dull thud upon the skull of John Lewis. The women fell first ... And with the thud of billy clubs, they fell, legs askew, black thighs and legs shining in the sweat of tears. They lay upon the hot pavement and awaited the jolts from 14 ounces of oak.” (From G. and C. Carawan, Sing for freedom: The story of the Civil Rights Movement through its songs.) But the march was to continue, with between 40,000 and 50,000 people gathered in Selma to express their indignation at the murders and injustice. The fundamental connection between the election of Obama and the march in Selma can be found in the words “non-violent revolution.” Obama takes office after a campaign of promoting change through legal means, voting and the organization of millions of people to combine in a campaign of hope. Obama’s victory is the next and not the final step. The shadow of Selma teaches us that the key lessons of nonviolent change have not been victorious. Obama enters the presidency at the head of a government that uses the most extreme violence to make its voice heard. Throughout the world, the hopes raised by Selma, by King, by Malcolm X and by Tutu and Mandela for a “beloved” world are ignored. On the same historic day that Obama was elected, several states voted to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation. The hatred of so many continues, sometimes without a voice of recognition and compassion. Who speaks for the slaves of today, both in and outside our country? Who speaks for our broken adoption system? Who speaks for the children of Darfur? Who speaks for the hungry, homeless and disabled? We cannot have a world of peace unless they, too, are brought inside the circle of love. Steve Sunderland is a professor of peace and educational studies at the University of Cincinnati and director of Peace Village. �Local News 12 Let’s Build Our Light Rail System STREETVIBES February 2009 A new public transportation system could help create a new Cincinnati By dAn lA Botz Contributing Writer Since Cincinnati City Council passed a proposal to build a streetcar line from Over-the-Rhine to the University of Cincinnati and the hospital complex there has been a great deal of controversy. The local NAACP chapter is circulating a petition saying that any plan to develop public transportation must win public approval in a referendum. The Cincinnati Beacon has raised the alternative of a grease-powered, rubberwheeled trolley system. Most recently there has been talk of getting the new Barack Obama administration to provide federal money to support a streetcar system. All those concerned about the issue of public transportation — city council, the Sierra Club, the NAACP, the Labor A light rail car in Chicago. Council and, for that matter, all the rest of us — should rail system connects with the stop and rethink the issues. local bus lines to provide puWe need to avoid another bic transportation to hundreds deadlock that paralyzes public of thousands — and that in a transportation, neighborhood state famous for its worship of development and social jus- the automobile and the freetice. What we really need is a way. The construction of the San Diego system was part light rail line of a revitalthat forms “A light rail system ization prothe backlinked to a system gram — not bone of a of buses using clean without its new public fuels would begin to p r o b l e m s transportaimprove Cincinnati’s and abustion system. notoriously poor air es—of the Where I quality.” downtown grew up in area of the the San Dicity. Could we do something ego area of southern California, what began in 1980 as a like that here? downtown boutique light rail Municipal ownership system has since developed into a four-line, 51-mile, 53The federal government’s stop system that runs south current commitments to build to the U.S.-Mexico border infrastructure, improve the and northeast to the far-flung suburb of Santee, serving environment and provide jobs 118,000 daily users. The light during the recession provide Cincinnati City Council with the opportunity to present the public a plan for a light rail system that could revitalize the city as the center of regional development. Cincinnati should seek funds from the federal government with contributions from the city, Hamilton County and the surrounding counties, to build a light rail system as the center of an improved public transportation system throughout our region. First — and this is the most important point — federal money and regional money raised by taxing business should be used to build a municipally owned transportation system. Municipal ownership means the light railway, streetcars, bus lines and other additions to the system (vans to serve the handicapped and the elderly, for example) Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com would be owned and run by the city, not by any private corporation. Eliminating the profit motive means that the city transportation system would serve the citizens, not stockholders. This could be an important step in reversing the trend toward privatization and taking this city back from the privately owned corporate consortiums that now run it. Public management Municipal ownership, however, is not enough. We need to make this a municipally owned but genuinely publicly run transportations system — that is, a system run by a public board made up of consumers, representing those who use public transportation; of labor unions, representing those who work on public transportation; and citizens, representing those who, through their local governments, bought and own the system. We would want to see an advisory panel of environmental experts so that this system would not only be clean, but would also be an environmentally just system operating with an eye to the public welfare. The rider-worker-citizen board would, of course, hire those with the administrative and financial expertise to carry out their directives, but it would be owned and run by us, the people. The idea of consumers, workers and citizens, with the assistance of environmental organizations, owning and managing a public corporation at the heart of the city would not only be a model of democracy, it would also be an important, though still relatively small, counterweight to the power of the banks and corporations that have run this city in their own interest. Union representation and living wages With the election of Barack Obama, we may be entering an era of less hostility and possibly more tolerance and support for labor unions. Obama’s labor-union backers are calling for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it easier for workers to join labor unions. We would want to see our new light rail system and its workers — drivers, maintenance workers, cleaners — represented by unions. Union workers receive higher wages and better benefits than other workers, and they have mechanisms that protect their See Rail, Page 15 Cleo’s Joke Corner There was a guy in the army doing basic training. The sergeant said to him that he had 1,200 pounds of small rocks and that he wanted him to pick them up one at a time and move them into another spot. The private kept picking up every rock and looked underneath each one. He kept saying, “That’s not it. That’s not it. That’s not it.” He did this for every rock. A psychiatrist looked out at him and told him to come into the office. On top of the psychiatrist’s desk was a fivepound rock. He picked up the rock, looked underneath it and said, “That’s still not it.” So the psychiatrist wrote him an honorable discharge. The private said, in a loud voice, “That’s it! That’s it! That’s it!” �STREETVIBES February 2009 Interview 13 Take a Cue from Joyce Social worker helps homeless people identify themselves By AnGelA PAnCellA Contributing Writer Joyce Cue, the social worker at Our Daily Bread, offers assistance in a variety of areas for our guests. Guests often ask her to help them get a copy of their birth certificates — a necessary step, in Ohio, for getting the proof of identity necessary when applying for assistance of any sort. “You’re lucky, you’re blessed, if you’re born in the city,” she says. “So you can just walk across the street and pick up your birth certificate at Elm Street Clinic — on Elm close to Liberty.” It’s trickier for those born out of state. “Most agencies now are saying they will not send for birth certificates from out of state,” Cue says. “So that makes it very difficult, because in order to get an ID, you must have your birth certificate.” The guests who need an ID might have had theirs stolen if they’ve been living on the streets carrying all of their possessions in a bag. In addition, Cue says, “Many of our folks come out of jail. They go in with an ID but when they come out, they give them the prisoner’s ID. But of course that’s not accepted anywhere. It makes it difficult for them — they can’t get housing, they can’t get food stamps, they can’t apply for anything.” So why are agencies reluctant to help find out-of-state birth certificates? “My understanding is that, since 9-11, for security reasons, some states say, ‘We’re a closed state, we can’t send it,’ Cue says.”I call and say, ‘Now, look. Here (in Ohio) we cannot get an ID without a birth certificate.’ “(They’ll answer,) ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry. We can’t send you a birth certificate without an updated ID.’ “ Often the realities of life in poverty add their own frustrations to the hunt for official information. Cue tells the story of a young man who recently came to her for help tracking down his birth certificate. “He came in and said, ‘Miss Joyce, I don’t know what to do.’ His mother died in childbirth,” Cue says. “He said he was kind of passed around to different people. He knows that he was born in Tennessee, but he does not know what county, what hospital.” She called the records office in Tennessee, only to be told, “No, ma’am, we have to know what county he was born in.” “But he can’t remember it,” Cue says. “He doesn’t know. He was born in Tennessee, and then he went to Cleveland, and he and his sisters have lost contact with each other. He had one brother that he knew that just recently passed.” There was no one left to help. A possible solution has occurred to Cue. “I was looking over some papers and said, ‘Wait a minute. You get food stamps?’ He said yes. I said, ‘That might be a place to start, because you have to prove identity to get assistance from (Job and Family Services.)’ “ If the young man used his birth certificate to get food stamps, Cue might be able to track down enough information to obtain a new copy of the birth certificate herself. “That’s what’s in process right now,” she says. “Somebody — social security or someone — one of those agencies had to have established identity.” Cue shakes her head in disbelief when she recounts stories like this. “That’s the type of maze that these folks have to go through, and without any money, without housing, without a place where they can find any comfort where they can clear their mind and think,” she says. When she tries to imagine herself in their shoes, Joyce Cue, social worker at Our Daily wondering how Bread. Photo courtesy of Our Daily Bread. her clients deal Our Daily Bread is a food with all of these and hospitality ministry at frustrations, she says, “I just 1730 Race St., Over-thego back to (saying), ‘They’re Rhine, that offers a mid-day stronger than I am.’ Can you imagine what you or I would meal, serving more than 500 be doing? We’re not made of meals every weekday. To volunteer or contribute, call Joan that material.” or Kathy at 513-621-6364. A Letter to Andrea Religious feelings and ignoring the homeless tie for her son. I guess since I’m a guy, I’m supposed to know a good-looking tie when I see one. It was a rather warm December afternoon and I was standing outside Macy’s waiting for Andrea. I was smoking a cigarette. A homeless man, By lArry Gross holding a small cardboard Contributing Writer sign requesting money, was also standing there. Andrea isn’t her real name I reached into my back but she’s a real person. I’ve pocket, pulled out my wallet written about her before in and gave the man a buck. He CityBeat. Now Streetvibes is wanted to know if I had an exgonna get a taste of her. tra cigarette. I did. Why we’re friends I don’t W e r e a l l y stood “As I looked to my right, know. It there I could see Andrea might have something approaching. She slowed for a while to do with down her pace when she – talkthe fact saw me talking to the ing and that we homeless person.” smokworked ing. We together at talked about the weather, our a machine-tool company here horrible professional football in town over 20 years ago. We have nothing in common. team and the “commercial” holiday season. Maybe opposites attract. As I looked to my right, I She wanted to meet me could see Andrea approachdowntown last month at Macy’s. Andrea was doing some ing. She slowed down her Christmas shopping and want- pace when she saw me talking ed me to help pick out a neck- to the homeless person. When she finally reached “You shouldn’t be giving me, I said hello, put out my your money away,” she said. cigarette and said goodbye to “Let him get a job like the rest the gentleman with the card- of us have to.” board sign. Andrea was staring With that said, I shut up. We at me the whole time almost went to the men’s department b u g at Ma“I reached into my back eyed. cy’s, pocket, pulled out my wallet Enfound t e r i n g and gave the man a buck. He the ties M a a n d wanted to know if I had an cy’s, it Andrea extra cigarette. I did.” didn’t picked t a k e out a her long to get started. silk red one. She didn’t need “Who was that?” Andrea my help at all. wanted to know. Now Andrea will never “Don’t know,” I replied. spend a buck to pick up a “Didn’t think to ask him his copy of Streetvibes, but mayname.” be someone can give her one. “You give him money?” I’ve composed a letter to her. “A buck,” I replied. Dear Andrea, Andrea shook her head. It was a pleasure going “You’re funny,” she said. shopping with you. I hope you “He’s probably not even had a wonderful Christmas, homeless, probably a con art- celebrating the birth of Jesus ist.” Christ. I know how religious “You don’t know that, An- you are. drea,” I said. I know you’re religious be“Oh I know plenty,” she cause in the past you’ve stated said, “know that with that you’re concerned for my soul. money you gave him, he’s A few times you have even probably on his way to a bar asked me if I’ve accepted Jeright now.” sus Christ as my savior. Each “Whatever, Andrea.” time I have dodged the ques- tion. Let me try and set the record straight here. If treating other people the way I want to be treated gets me somewhere – namely heaven – great. If it doesn’t, then at least people might remember me as a nice, caring person. Being caring, in part, means caring for those less fortunate, and that includes homeless people. I talk to them, and they talk back. They’re human beings down on their luck. Your Jesus talked to the poor – how come you don’t? I oftentimes give them money and/or cigarettes. I try to help them. Your Jesus helped the poor – why don’t you? Throughout my entire life I’ve heard religious people say, “There but for the grace of God go I”. How come I’ve never heard you say it? Sorry for being direct, Andrea, but you know how I am. I hope your son enjoyed his tie. Your Friend, Larry God bless Andrea. It felt good writing her this letter. Hell, I didn’t even have to go buy a stamp. Read the Streetvibes blog for stories between issues at streetvibes.wordpress.com �14 STREETVIBES February 2009 Short Story Hidden Homeless of the Ivory Tower Higher education and lowered expectations (Continued from January 2009) By siBonGile sithe Contributing Writer They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but it turns out Chicago is an insomniac, too. For Marks, at least, that turned out to be a godsend. Both Kansas Fried Chicken and Carlo’s Pizza were 24hour restaurants that doubled as Marks’ — and many others’ — sleeping quarters. There, he finished the homework he didn’t get done at school and got paid back in pizza slices for making deliveries. “I missed my grandmother’s cooking first off,” he says. He looks down at the table. “I just missed a sense of security, where you don’t have to worry what you have to do to make it to the next day,” Marks says. dorm room are a couple nov- els and quite a few textbooks, with the volumes totaling somewhere in the twenties. It’s his entire collection. Almost everything he owns is in this room. Yet as he looks around, he says, “Everything here is replaceable.” There are no art pieces he can’t recreate, and nothing he can’t buy again — even items of sentimental value. “I could walk out of here right now and not look back,” he says. “I can always take another picture of my brother.” Yale Visitor’s Center. Students and fans do not always realize that some of their classmates are homeless. *** “As far as brushing my teeth, sometimes I didn’t. I chewed a lot of gum, Tic Tacs, stuff you can get from your friends,” Marks laughs. “I’m lucky I still have my teeth.” Marks says keeping up appearances *** “Marks was also a varsity was particularly athlete, so he took his Some problemshowers at school. He of Ye’s atic at his had three dress shirts, exclufriends find his sive prep two pairs of slacks school. gift-giving and one tie to get him p e c u l i a r. Like Luthrough the week, and He gave cas, Marks then washed them on away shirts was also the weekends at a local and pens, a varsity l a u n d r y laundromat. Marks didn’t athlete, so detergent he took his go to many dances or and photo- other school events that s h o w e r s graphs. at school. required cash.” It’s more He had practical three dress than anything, he says. For shirts, two pairs of slacks and Ye, moving is difficult: first one tie to get him through the because he doesn’t drive and week, and then washed them relies on others to help him on the weekends at a local get his stuff around; and sec- laundromat. Marks didn’t go ond, because there’s no single to many dances or other school place to put it all. events that required cash. Giving things away is a “Twenty dollars is a lot of means of ensuring preserva- money,” he says. tion of Ye’s possessions, espeMarks now recognizes he cially his art pieces. His recip- probably should have exients serve as micro museums plained his situation to his for his work: “They can take parents. care of things in a way that I “But I was 15 going on 16,” can’t,” he says. he says. “I was like, ‘I can do On the bookshelf in his this, I can do this.’ ” Marks told no one about his situation, except his two best friends and his headmaster. “I’ll always love Dr. Rutherford,” he says. “When I explained to him my situation, he was like, you know, ‘Don’t worry about (the tuition. Everything’s taken care of.’ ” When asked if his headmaster had an obligation to report him to the authorities, Marks looks as though he’d never considered the possibility. “I don’t know,” he says. “I think he knew that I’d be in a worse situation if he took his legal obligation seriously”. *** Lucas didn’t like to be idle; he says it left him too much time to think about his situation. And when he lists his extracurricular activities, it’s hard to imagine how he’d have time to schedule a spare minute. To pay for food, bills and his car, Lucas held down three jobs. He refereed basketball, worked construction, washed dishes and did all varieties of odd jobs. He never stopped doing community service, either. He coached youth sports teams, organized Special Olympics events, tutored and mentored younger students and volunteered at a local soup kitchen. 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM “Those were the kind of things that kept me sane,” he says. “When you’re homeless, you’re losing your fucking mind.” *** come me without question, I know it’s difficult for them to have me there. Sometimes there’s tension, like when I eat all of their white fish salad,” which he did over this past break. But, he says, “The selfawareness of the strain you put on others is a part of growing up.” Ye had a string of jobs when he was in high school. He worked for a title insurance company, interned for an Internet company and even tried *** his hand at selling airplane hangars — a “total fiasco,” he Lucas was surprised how says. many people offered him supAfter he moved out of his port. father’s apartment, Ye went “There weren’t many to live with his Andrew from people who didn’t open up the Big Brothers, Big Sisters their doors (or pocketbooks) program. Andrew and his wife to me,” he says, citing highboth work from home and school alumni, old middlehave four children, so when school teachers and casual he’s there, Ye does his best friends. He says several famito help out around the house. lies treated him like one of He sweeps algae scum off the their own children. pool floor, helps Andrew with “I was like, ‘Damn! Like his projects and for real?’ I’d watches the kids They try to make been skeptical of on occasion. me feel like I’m a rich people my But Ye acfamily member, whole life, but a knowledges that lot of rich people but it’s very clear were really, reallife is not perfect. Like Lucas, to me that I’m not ly good to me.” he finds breaks a family member. But, like Ye, from Yale stressLucas was aware ful: “There’s of the burden never a guarantee that I’m go- he laid on the families, so he ing to have someplace to go.” never stayed in any one place Even Ye’s mother recogniz- for longer than three or four es the situation is not ideal. weeks. “I know he would like to When Lucas, a recruited have a place to call home, and athlete, came to Yale, he we cannot provide that for brought a lot of his insecurities him,” she says. “It is clearly with him: “When somebody a loss. He experiences it a looked at me a certain way or loss, and therefore I do too.” disrespected me and I would But, she says, “This cannot be say, ‘Is this because you don’t helped right now.” think I’m good enough? Like, And so Ye is incredibly ap- I’m not supposed to be here? preciative of Andrew and his You don’t do that to people where I’m from. Now let me family. “They try to make me feel show you what that means.’ ” like I’m a family member, but He says getting over his it’s very clear to me that I’m preconceived stereotypes has not a family member,” he says. “Even though they’re sweet See Yale, p. 15 and wonderful and would wel- �STREETVIBES February 2009 Short Story 15 Yale, continued from page 14 been a large part of his maturation and is still an issue for him, but he attributes a lot of his growth to the presence of cultural groups on campus. Today, he says, his fighting is reduced to instances of personal attacks. “I can’t be that way,” says as he shakes his head. “The one thing different about here is I’ve got a lot more to lose.” *** It takes nine e-mails, 11 text messages and over a week to get Ye, Lucas and Marks in the same room at the same time. The three get on the subject of service, to which all are deeply committed. “It really makes sense to us,” says Ye, who does longdistance mentoring and is working at a camp for at-risk teens this summer. Lucas, who, oddly enough, was looking into that same organization, also mentors and has long-term plans for teaching, enrolling in law school and going back to Detroit to a home to go back to” — or start his own non-profit agen- the Lucas who struggles to cy. balance life as a full-time stu“Nobody’s getting out,” he dent and athlete while worksays of his neighborhood — ing 25 hours a week to help and he’s ready to change that. pay his brother’s tuition. “If I’m not helping anybody “I have (him) as an inspirathrough my tion,” Mi“There’s never struggles chael says. a guarantee that then I’m just Right I’m going to have being selfnow Marks is focused ish.” someplace to go.” Michael, on getting one of Luhimself into cas’ closest friends on campus law school and economically and the only one who knows settled so he can offer more of about his past, says Lucas is the internship and funding opnothing short of driven. portunities to underprivileged “He definitely deals with youth, for which he himself adversity by trying to make has been incredibly grateful. things better for other people And for the time being, Luin his situation,” Michael cas, Marks and Ye all seem to says. be in good places. But Michael sees that the past is still salient for Lucas: *** It’s “a past that he’s not moving on from because it’s still During his junior year of happening.” But, Michael high school, Marks’ parents says, you won’t see it change bought a house and brought Lucas’ outward demeanor. him and his sister back to live “(Most people) don’t see the with them. The transition was Lucas that goes home,” Mi- rough, he says. chael says, “and doesn’t have “I stayed out a lot, because I had gotten used to a lot of independence,” he says. He remained angry with them for sending him away when, in his eyes, they could still take care of him. He later learned that his mother had suffered a nervous breakdown and that his parents needed time to sort things out. Marks has been back with his nuclear family for three years now. “They’re great. I love them. They love me,” he laughs, “I hope.” Lucas’ family is back together and his parents are doing well, but he’s not ready to forgive them just yet. “Until I can get over all of this myself,” he says, “I don’t owe them anything.” Despite the challenges, Ye says his nomadic life style “doesn’t suck. It’s actually, like, really nice.” He enjoys the freedom of traveling and says his decision not to live with his parents has more to do with personal preferences than anything else. Ye’s father has personal preferences. too, but, he says, “I don’t love him any less. I’d be the first to protect (him) in any way I could.” And although his father now welcomes Ye into his home, Ye says his father’s actions are “too little, too late, and I am not having it.” The situation with his mother “has evolved from a probably-shouldn’t-becauseit’s-risky to an absolutelycannot.” “He does (his] best,” Ye’s mother says.” He keeps himself surrounded by dear people. The alternative is not so bad. He has responded pretty well.” Ye has been lucky. “There hasn’t been a time in my life where I haven’t had a place that’s comfortable and safe to go,” he says. “I’ve just had to do a little bit of shuffling around to find (it).” As far as comfortable living goes, Yale is treating all of us pretty nicely. Lucas looks up at the ceiling. “I mean,” he says, “there’s a fucking chandelier here.” Rail, continued from page 12 rights on the job. Well-paid jobs mean citizens have the wherewithal to support their families — and that income circulates through local businesses. We have a living-wage ordinance in Cincinnati, but city council has failed to enforce it and to extend it. We should use the building of a light rail and extended transportation system to reinforce living-wage legislation, insisting that the publicly run system will deal with no suppliers or contractors who do not pay a living wage to all of their employees. A modern light rail car in Houston. A strong public transportation system, eventually providing access to all neighborhoods in the city, accompanied by jobs that pay well, would be a strong inducement to our former residents to return to the city. Transportation and development We could use our publicly owned transportation system not only to strengthen the downtown area, but more important to revitalize our neighborhoods. The light rail train would strengthen every neighborhood that it passed through; every place there was a stop, and every place that the system connected with the bus lines. If you go to Boston, Chicago or New York, you find at many of the L-train or subway stops a newsstand, a thriving local diner or a neighborhood shopping district. Workers earning union wages would mean more money in our neighborhoods spent in those shopping centers. Too often in the past, devel- begin to improve Cincinnati’s opment has taken place in the notoriously poor air quality. At neighboring counties while the the same time, as the system city has languished, leaving expands, we would be careful inner-city residents without to avoid the abuses of the past, jobs and the ways opportuniin which “Eliminating the profit ties. A light industry motive means that the rail system city transportation system so often could help would serve the citizens, polluted to reverse worknot stockholders.” this situi n g ation. We class and could use the light rail system poor peoples’ neighborhoods. to make Cincinnati the hub of Organizations such as the regional development. Even- faith-based Amos Coalition, tually the light rail system the Blue-Green Alliance of would connect the city to the the Sierra Club and the United airport in Kentucky and to the Steel Workers of America, the industrial areas of Florence NAACP and the Labor Counand in Butler County. Such a cil could overcome their difsystem would also bring out- ferences by joining together to lying neighborhoods and sub- fight for a system that would urbanites back into the center serve the interests of all. Not of the city, now a city filled the streetcar that’s been talked with vibrant neighborhoods. about for downtown, but rather a light rail system that not Environmental only provides transportation commitments and improves the environment but is also the first step in turnWe can also use the light rail ing Cincinnati into a different system to improve our envi- sort of town, one where the ronment and to make amends public owns and manages and for the environmental injus- benefits from the use of taxtices of the past. We should tie payer money. the building of the light railway to the passage of the environmental justice resolution Dan La Botz (DanLaBotz. held up in council. A light rail wikidot.com) is a Cincinnatisystem linked to a system of based teacher, writer and acbuses using clean fuels would tivist. �16 Vendors Resource Guide STREETVIBES February 2009 Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 25 cents and sell the paper for $1, keeping the money they have earned. The vendors can be identified with a white badge and can be found selling the paper in downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northern Kentucky and area churches. The money they earn helps them meet basic housing, food and health care needs. Not all vendors pictured. Josephine Baskerville Doris Binion Terry Ranson Anthony Williams Nell Williams Grady Cook Cleo Wombles James Davis Jon Darby Dede Stoops Julie Walker Kenneth Stonitsch Antonio Hodge Leonard Jackson Samuel Jackson Riccardo Taylor Berta Lambert Mary Mueller Brandon Nelson Mark Shears Charles Cole Alfred Woolfolk Terrence Williams Raynard Jones Richard Tyree Michael Holley Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point...381-SAFE Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6907 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter...872-9259 Talbert House...684-7965 PATH Outreach...977-4489 Treatment: Women Resources First Step Home ...961-4663 Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside...591-2246 Emmanuel Community Center...241-2563 FreeStore/FoodBank...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart...381-0111 Goodwill industries...771-4800 Healing Connections...751-0600 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...2715501 Mary Magdalen House...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...351-7921 St. Vincent de Paul...562-8841 The Caring Place...631-1114 United Way...721-7900 Women Helping Women...977-5541 Treatment: Both City Gospel Mission...241-5525 Justice Watch...241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Worker House...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter...661-4620 AA Hotline...351-0422 CCAT ...381-6672 Joseph House ...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center ...281-7422 Sober Living ...681-0324 Talbert House...641-4300 Shelter: Both Advocacy Anthony House (Youth)...961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS)...761-1480 Drop Inn Center...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network...471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center...221-3350 St. John’s Housing...651-6446 Appalachian Identity Center ...621-5991 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency ...569-1840 Contact Center...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 Greater Cinci Coalition for the Homeless..421-7803 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center...5798547 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center ...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids ...363-3300 Stop AIDS...421-2437 Shelter: Men Housing: CMHA...721-4580 Excel Development...632-7149 OTR Community Housing...381-1171 Tender Mercies...721-8666 Tom Geiger House...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Food Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry..961-1983 Our Daily Bread...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House...784-1853 DIC Live In Program...721-0643 Prospect House...921-1613 Starting Over...961-2256 Health Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network ...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center ...381-2247 Hamilton county Mental Health Board...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control ...946-7628 Health Resource Center ...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County..458-6670 Oral Health Council...621-0248 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center...859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House...859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission...859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth...859-581-1111 Mathews House...859-261-8009 NKY Homeless & Housing Coalition...859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen...859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic...859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc...859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY...859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary...859-559-5011 VA Homeless...859-572-6226 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels...863-3184 Salvation Army...863-1445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource February 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: This Thing Called ‘Race’ Cold Comfort Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with an ‘Unconventional Hausfrau’ Pg 4: Georgine Getty Moves On Pg 5: For as Long as it Takes Pg 6: The Heart of Over-the-Rhine Pg 7: No Business Like Shoah Business Pg 8: Race Continued Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: In Memoriam: Leroy Birch Pg 11: Peace Village Pg 12: Let’s Build Our Light Rail system Pg 13: Take A Cue from Joyce Pg 14: Hidden Homeless of the Ivory Tower Pg 15: Yale Continued Rail Continued Pg 16: Resource Guide Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Contributor Gregory Flannery Lew Moores Adam Clark Margo Pierce Stephanie Dunlap Georgine Getty David Heitfield Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Mike Henson Steve Sunderland Dan La Botz Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Lynne Ausman Anthony Williams Joe Wessels Steve Novotni Georgine Getty Michael Henson Steve Gibbs Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Adam Clark addiction Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Anthony Williams Arts & Poetry Barack Obama Cincinnati Dan La Botz David Heitfield Defiance education Findlay Center Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Joe Wessels Joyce Cue Leroy Birch Lew Moores Light Rail System Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Mike Henson Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp Peace Village Public Transportation Race Social Workers St. Francis Seraph Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Steve Novotni Steve Sunderland Yale https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e31de602086dd4a0b74d14b12efb6b66.pdf d1b4d86fda43a9ebbf44f113632382fa PDF Text Text Stickin it Wit the Most High ~ Page 11 Eight Minutes with a ‘Street Walker’ ~ page 3 STREETVIBES $1 J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 • I s s u e 1 5 0 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e We Will, We Will Not Be Zoned Dinner is equal parts celebration, call to resist By GreGory Flannery Editor Clark Montessori Steel Drum Band entertains the guests at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’ Annual Dinner and Silent Auction. Photo by Andrew Anderson. The Year’s Longest Night Remembering those who are at home at last By GreGory Flannery Editor This is for those who died alone. This is for those who died unwanted. This is for those who died unknown. This is for those who died on the street, in an alley, on a bench. This is for those who died in hospital or hospice or a relative’s bed after having lived on the street. This is for those who died poor and homeless in 2008. It is bitterly cold Dec. 21, as it should be. A Channel 9 newsreader says the temperature is 14 degrees Fahrenheit, “which is ironic, because it’s the first day of winter.” She misunderstands the meaning of the word “ironic.” Friends and advocates gather for Homeless Memorial Day. Photo by Andrew Anderson. The wind cuts through overcoats, scarves, hats – for those lucky enough to have them. The wind cuts down the tiny flames that are supposed to make this a candlelight vigil. The air is so cold that feet ache from standing on cement. So cold that that the ink in a reporter’s pen freezes and will not write. So cold that no mayor, no city council member, no state legislator, no judge attends. Surely the cruel night chill explains their absence. Or is it a coldness of some other kind? This is Washington Park, where the homeless often gather. This is Washington Park, across 12th Street from the Drop Inn Center, a place of refuge for them that gots nuthin. This is Washington Park, where official visions of a more upscale green space for a more upscale constituency leave no room for those who have nowhere else to go. This is Washington Park, See Night, p. 5 A little wry humor can help any good cause, especially one that’s under assault. Thus the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless called its 2008 annual dinner “In the Zone” – a pointed reference to this season’s strategy in city council’s long war on homeless people. “We chose ‘In the Zone’ as our theme this year because zoning has been such a battle,” said Georgine Getty, executive director of the Homeless Coalition. “My theory is that people don’t talk about zoning unless they’re up to no good.” Among other initiatives that alarmed churches and charities in 2008, city council passed a resolution calling for limits on the number of human-services agencies in Over-the-Rhine. The issue is now the subject of a civil-rights lawsuit in federal court. The annual dinner, held Dec. 4 at Xavier University, featured the music of the Clark Montessori Steel Band, awards for homeless people and those who serve them and a stirring call to continue the struggle. Getty enumerated some of the lies that have gained currency in discussions about poverty. “Poor people are ruining our neighborhood. Social services are bad for development. Section 8 is to blame. Get a job. … This is the wrong story, and I’m tired of it,” she said. “There are only two choices when you’re tired. You can go to See Dinner, p. 5 �2 The Vibe Streetwise News Briefs Homeless Shelter Closing SEATTLE -- The city’s oldest homeless mission is closing as winter sets in, falling victim to economic difficulties. CityTeam Ministries houses 55 men, 15 of whom are recovering from drug addiction. Based in California, CityTeam Ministries owes more than $250,000at a time of decreasing donations. ACLU Fights Harassment LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF. – Civil rights attorneys filed a lawsuit last month in federal court accusing this coastal town and of engaging in a campaign of harassment against disabled homeless people. The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, alleges that a city ban on sleeping on the street is unconstitutional. Laguna Beach has no year-round city-sponsored shelters. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of mentally and physically disabled homeless people. The town of about 25,000 is famous for art galleries, festivals, upscale boutiques and luxury hilltop homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The median home price is $1.3 million. The city provides $15,000 a year to a 41-bed cold weather shelter run by local churches. Record Number of Homeless Families NEW YORK – In the past year shelters in New York have seen a 40 percent jump in the number of homeless families with children seeking emergency housing, according to the Department of Homeless Services. Nearly 10,000 homeless families were in municipal shelters in December, the highest number in the 25 years that the city has collected the data. The number of homeless people in the city’s shelters has continued to climb during Mayor Bloomberg’s five-year plan to cut homelessness by twothirds, launched in 2004, “The recession in New York is unfortunately just beginning, but already we have surpassed the alltime record high of family homelessness in New York City,” Mary Brosnahan, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. By GreGory Flannery Shoe City Council What You Think Just when you thought contemporary journalism had given up the ghost and reporters had lost their sense of civic duty, along comes Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at president Bush, uttering the best sentence written to date about the U.S. War on Iraq: “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!” The Artful Dodger in Chief ducked both the leather missiles and the message, declaring afterward that he didn’t know what the man’s “beef” was. Let us learn from this. Times are too hard for most of us to afford the luxury of throwing our shoes at Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Bortz or other deserving politicians. But we can join the spirit of Muntadar al-Zaidi even on a shoestring budget. Let’s all mail a pair of shoestrings to Bortz, with a note saying, “Stop attacking poor people!” That way he’ll know what our beef is. The address is Chris Bortz, Cincinnati City Hall, 800 Plum St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Subhead The generous people of Adath Israel threw something else last month: a holiday party for Streetvibes vendors. Members of the synagogue bought gifts for the vendors, who had been invited to ask for what they’d like. Some of the vendors asked for gifts for their children or grandchildren – being able to give presents at Christmas is one of the many pleasures usually out of reach for homeless people. Not content to have presented beautifully wrapped gifts, Adath Israel also served up a feast for the vendors: chili and cornbread and sacks of oranges and a vegetable tray and cookies and pastries. Oh, Yes, We Did Those clear-headed people who staff the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center remind us that, though a long struggle is ahead, 2008 ended with important victories in the movement to secure peace and justice for all people. The center’s newsletter lists many examples of progress, including: Veteran Cold War warriors Sam Nunn, William Perry, Henry Kissinger and George Schultz all have called for the elimination of nuclear weapons. …Veterans groups, churches and peace organizations have collaborated in opposing U.S. military action against Iran. …Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, and Costa Rica signed on to the UN Environmental Program’s Carbon Neutrality network. … The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Guantanamo detainees have the right to challenge their detention in federal courts. … As part of the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress significantly increased funding for federal food assistance programs -- approximately $10.3 billion over 10 years. Nearly 20,000 Safeway and Giant workers in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore won raises, affordable healthcare and pension security. In Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee, 9,000 Kroger employees won similar gains. … Pennsylvania became the first state joining the State and Local Sweatfree Consortium with a resolution that prohibits purchasing from sweatshops and promotes vendors and factories that meet standards for labor and human rights. … The Sierra Club effectively shut down 30 proposed coal-fired power plants by winning a victory before the EPA Environmental Appeals Board that would require all coal-fired power plants to use best available control technology for carbon dioxide. … Congress passed the Second Chance Act in March, which provides $362 million for programs of education and job training for prisoners and their families and offers alternatives to prison for parents convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. Workers at the Cincinnati Rumpke Plant won significant concessions regarding fees and safety conditions. … Ohio voters approved a new payday lending law that cuts the annual percentage rate that lenders can charge to 28 percent. … Over the Rhine Community Housing has received a grant of $987,743 from the Federal Home Loan Bank to transform five buildings on Odeon Street into housing for the chronically homeless. Oh, yeah, and we the people elected a president committed to ending the war in Iraq and building an economy that prospers all Americans. Quite a year, all in all. candlelight vigil and the reading of the names of the deceased, a simple but civilized act. Moving on AND Continuing the Struggle The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes, is undergoing major staffing changes. Georgine Getty, executive director for the past six years, leaves March 1 to become executive director of the Interfaith Hospitality Network. She’ll succeed Bob Moore, who is retiring. Andy Freeze, who has served as the Homeless Coalition’s education coordinator for the past two years, has moved to Washington, D.C., to become executive director of the North American Street Newspapers Association. The changes on the staff, however, don’t mean the individuals involved are ending their work on behalf of homeless people. In her new position, Getty will work to help families in Greater Cincinnati to secure housing. Freeze, who coordinated the Streetvibes vendor program, will be expanding his portfolio, assisting street newspapers throughout the continent (see his farewell column on page 4). Moore, though beginning retirement, is still on the board of the Homeless Coalition. Getty, whom we’ll pressure for a farewell column for next month’s edition, has been a tireless and articulate voice on behalf of homeless people, championing their cause through years of struggle against mean-spirited legislation by city council, including such infamous lowlights as the sweep of homeless camps, an ordinance requiring panhandlers to have licenses, cuts in human-services spending and efforts to use zoning to force human-services agencies out of Overthe-Rhine. Her work in advocacy will be greatly missed -- especially, we’re sure, by City Councilman Chris Bortz. STREETVIBES January 2009 Streetvibes is a newspaper that provides relevant discussions of homelessness, poverty and other related social justice issues. It is published monthly by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Contributing Writers Margo Pierce, Angela Pancella, Michael Henson, Larry Gross, Alyssa Konermann, Lew Moores, Dede Stoops, Alan Attwood, Brittany Middlebrooks, Terrence Williams, Bill Joiner Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Andrew Freeze, Angela Pancella, Richard Blumberg, DeJong family, Alan Attwood, Berta Lambert, Lynne Ausman, Laura Damasceno Advisory Committee Joe Wessels, Steve Novotni, Andrew Freeze, Georgine Getty, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Steve Gibbs The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Programs include Streetvibes, “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau, Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE), Homeless Curriculum, and Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. All donations support these programs and are taxdeductible to the full extent of the law. We are members of: �STREETVIBES January 2009 Community News 3 Eight Minutes with a ‘Street Walker’ His services are of the social variety and strictly for the homeless By MarGo Pierce Contributing WritEr W hen Chico walks the streets, he’s looking to connect with the people rarely sought out by others -those who sleep in doorways, root through trash cans and push carts full of stuff. Chico Lockhart goes looking for people who live under bridges and shoot up in alleyways because he wants to help them. As the outreach specialist for Downtown Cincinnati Inc., Lockhart’s office is the streets; and his hours, when there isn’t a special event in the evening, are from 10 a.m.6:30 p.m. weekdays. He’ll work later on event nights so he doesn’t miss the opportunity to meet and get to know people who might need and want assistance. “I walk around the downtown city district and engage individuals that are homeless and panhandling in the street and try to find out what their issues are in order to get them engaged with social services and getting them connected to get into housing,” he says. “It takes persistence. A lot of the people on the streets know who I am now, and they refer friends to me once I help them, so we’ve had plenty of successes.” A homeless couple who couldn’t find a shelter willing to take them in together is now in temporary housing, and one of them is about to begin a new job. That’s success story number one. Then there’s “Alex.” “He’d been homeless for about 23 years because he was a (former) sex offender,” Lockhart says. “He was illiterate and he didn’t know which direction to go. I was able to get him connected to an agency by the name of CILO, which helped him with getting into an apartment. They were paying his rent for three months. He’s been in there for four or five months, so he’s doing well.” CILO, the Center for In- get help from social service agencies, they have to get a homeless certification,” Lockhart explains. “It’s a document certifying that this person is actually homeless. Most individuals have to go over to the Drop Inn Center or some kind of shelter and stay there for numerous days in order to get the homeless certification. But as an outreach worker, I’m actually able to certify people by myself, so a lot of individuals come to me first to get certified. “Say, for instance, someone doesn’t have any medical care or dental care – it’s a way to access those services. They can go to McMicken Dental Clinic and say they have a homeless certification, which is all computerized, and McMicken Dental can pull up their certification and serve them.” What could be perceived “We’re trying to focus on helping individuals as opposed to just locking them up. I have no problems with the police, and we’ve been collaborating on trying to help individuals.” - Chico Lockhart dependent Living Options, is one of the many agencies providing services to Lockhart’s street people. Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army and the McMicken Dental Clinic are a few of the others. Before the agencies can assist a homeless person, she must be certified. “Any individual that’s looking to get off the streets and as yet another attempt by the business community to get rid of the unsightly homeless population milling around the business district is actually a carefully thought out and well constructed program. Lockhart says people who are worried about someone loitering or being overly aggressive when panhandling will call him before they call Chico Lockhart, the outreach specialist for Downtown Cincinnati Inc.. Photos by Andrew Anderson the police. “We’re trying to focus on helping individuals as opposed to just locking them up,” he says. “I have no problems with the police, and we’ve been collaborating on trying to help individuals. On several occasions police officers have called me as opposed to just taking them to jail to see if we can get them the social services they need.” The process of getting those services begins with identifying individual needs and offering options. “I have to decide what issues they have – substance abuse or mental health,” Lockhart says. “I make sure that I get them connected to the right agency before we place them in housing. That way they have ongoing support. I don’t make the decisions for the individuals. What I like to do is give them options, let them decide which route they want to go, and then that way we can go from there.” While getting to know the individuals who are sometimes lumped into the homogenous grouping of “homeless,” Lockhart has earned their respect. Friends refer friends because he has helped without judging. He’s not on a mission to save their souls; he just wants to help. That honest approach offers a bit of protection in what could be potentially dangerous situations. “When you’re going and engaging people under a bridge or you have a large crowd of homeless individu- als … you’re going to know one of them,” Lockhart says. “A lot of people understand what I do down here, that I’ve helped a lot of their friends, so I really don’t have that problem with feeling fearful. “But you do have to keep your guard up when you go into an alley or engaging people under the influence – whatever the case may be.” Even though he usually walks the streets downtown, Lockhart isn’t going to turn down a request for help. He occasionally gets calls from people in other communities, and during large events he’ll meet up with homeless people visiting from Kentucky. He’ll do what he can. That’s why he shares his phone number with anyone who wants it. “If you encounter people who are homeless or in need of some services … give me a call and I can see how I can point them in the right direction to get them the services they need, as opposed to just calling the police and get them locked up,” he says. “These individuals are going through some issues, and they need someone who is going to engage with them and try to help them in any way they need assistance.” That number? 513-2667135. Use it. Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in Greater Cincinnati. “Eight Minutes” is an effort to learn who they are and what motivates them. �4 Community News Hitting the Streets Moving on with the street-paper movement of each paper are the connection between all of the papers across North America. As I leave Streetvibes, I am confident that the staff will continue to produce a quality newspaper with articles and stories that no one else is covering. Our vendors will be the consistent factor, working tirelessly to earn their living. They will be standing on street corners and intersections with a smile, looking to provide you with the latest news. I have had a wonderful opportunity the last two years to work with a very Andy Freeze (Right), executive director of the North American Street Newspaper talented group of Association, with Raynard Jones (Left), Streetvibes vendor. Photo by Georgine Getty. people and am excited about the By andy Freeze jobs while work to provide pers were started each year. future of StreetContributing WritEr quality publications on home- While many of these papers vibes. It will continue to grow less and other social-justice is- never really took off, some of and will continue to get betI want to take this oppor- sues. The papers ranged from the largest street papers today ter. tunity to thank the Greater weekly publications to four started during the mid-1990s, Thank you to the readers Cincinnati Coalition for the times a year. including L’Itineraire in Mon- for your support, your words Homeless, the staff, StreetThe roots of street newspa- treal and Real Change in Se- of encouragement, your letvibes vendors pers go back attle. ters of disagreement, your Thank you to the and many The position I am taking compliments and most of all to the 19th readers for your supporters century, when is the executive director of your support of our wonderful that I have support, your words the Salvation the North American Street vendors. I look forward to my met along the cre- Newspapers Association. So new job but will always have of encouragement, Army way the past ated the War in some way I will continue to a special place in my heart for your letters of two years. Cry, a weekly work with Streetvibes and the Streetvibes and the Greater It was two disagreement, your p u b l i c a t i o n staff at the Greater Cincinnati Cincinnati Coalition for the compliments and years ago that in Cleveland. Coalition for the Homeless. Homeless. most of all your I started as a M y From 1872 to volunteer and the 1920s the n e w support of our soon there- wonderful vendors. Christian-in- j o b after became fluenced paper w i l l the education was sold on w o r k coordinator for the Homeless street corners to help explain to help Coalition. In that position I to the public how they could papers worked closely with more help the needy. Several other across than 40 Streetvibes vendors papers followed the War Cry, N o r t h each month. I worked with but most of them were pub- Amerthe late Jimmy Heath on put- lished by religious organiza- i c a ting together Streetvibes each tions, and few used homeless g r o w month. vendors to sell the papers. a n d Jimmy taught me everyThe first secular street news- p r o thing from working with the papers did not appear until the d u c e vendors to writing stories to 1970s. Portland, Ore., claims b e t t e r taking photographs to lay- to have had the first modern p r o d ing out the paper. My interest street newspaper, the now de- ucts, as peaked, and I wanted to learn funct Homeless Times, which well as as much as possible. was founded in 1972. The old- to start In the spring of 2007 I est existing street paper today s t r e e t signed up to attend the North is Street Sheet in San Fran- n e w s American Street Newspapers cisco, which came out with its papers Association conference in first issue in December 1989. in othPortland, Ore. The conference The modern street newspa- er parts summer provided a wonderful per movement really took off of the opportunity to network and in the 1990s as public policy c o n t i meet people from across North towards the poor changed and nent. America who were provid- as desktop publishing became T h e Andy Freeze gives a presentation to high school ing homeless and low-income readily available. In the mid- v e n - students about homelessness. Photo courtesy of people with entrepreneurial 1990s, an average of five pa- d o r s GCCH. STREETVIBES January 2009 Poetry The Lump? By Holly Parker As I sat there and listened I tried to figure it out A lump they said it was Had crept into her breast First off what is a breast? I don’t understand That’s my aunt they have in there She don’t have breast She’s my aunt A lump? I get one caught in my throat every time I remember Cancer, I don’t understand They say she did nothing wrong So why did this have to happen to her It got bigger and bigger they say Till one then both her breast they had to take I still don’t understand everyone is all upset I am crying too Because today we laid my aunt to rest As a child I remember her sweet voice Calling me in for a snack She was all flat up top Not like most women Cancer did it they said Why did it have to take my aunt It’s a thief they say She didn’t have the money Or insurance back then She worked hard every day Taking care of my cousin Till Breast Cancer took her slowly away I remember her smile, her strength Never give up she said God has it all in control He knows someone one day Will find strength because of me And you know she was right Because today I write this poem In my aunts honor And all that have won the fight Or in the fight Against Breast Cancer That slips in they call it The lump......... God used them to teach us Get tested Take care of yourself Don’t suffer alone She said it wasn’t a thief It was a test She won For now with our father she is home....... �STREETVIBES January 2009 Community News Annual Dinner, continued from page 1 sleep or you can wake up.” Keynote speaker Peter Block mocked city council for arguing there are too many social-services agencies in Over-the-Rhine. “They say we have too many social-service agencies in Over-the-Rhine,” Block said. “Someone counted 113. I say, ‘Good.’ Every small social-service agency is a center of democracy.” Why, he asked, hasn’t the city regulated the number of shoe stores at shopping malls? “I think we should get together with city council and decide how many Indian restaurants in Clifton is the right amount,” he said. Saluting the agencies that work to help homeless people, Block said the city should encourage, not restrict them. “Everybody that’s vulnerable in this society is my sister or my brother or my parents,” he said. Block, a best-selling author on management, talked about his sister, who has been homeless. He described his wish to help her, to “fix her,” he said. Treatment and medication once stabilized her mental illness, but then she chose to go back to the life she preferred, the one that seemed to need fixing. “She said, ‘I know I’m better. I know I’m healthier, but I’m not myself,’ ” Block said. The lesson, he said, is that people are to be accepted, not engineered into a form that makes others comfortable. “The idea that we can fix people, to me, is part of the problem,” Block said. Even while offering services, society must accentuate individuals’ talents and gifts, rather than their apparent deficiencies, he said. “There’s no evidence that the aggregation of people by their deficiencies does anybody any good,” Block said. “I want to have the conversation of compassion, the conversation of gratitude. I want to start a conversation about people’s gifts and strengths.” To that end, the Homeless Coalition honored the people who are already holding that conversation: * Brandon Nelson, Streetvibes Vendor of the Year; * Mike Rogers, recipient of the Jimmy Render Award; * Individual Service Provider of the Year: Vivian Goodwin, operations coordinator at the YWCA Homeless Women’s Shelter; * Agency Service Provider of Georgine Getty, executive director of the Year: Over-the- the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Rhine Community Homeless. Photo by Andrew Anderson. Housing, whose Store FoodBank, Tom Geiger executive director, Mary Burke, quipped, “Now House, Tender Mercies and that the city knows we’re a other agencies. “I just did a lot of little service provider, we’ll be things,” Karl said. zoned out”; That’s cause for celebra* Buddy Gray Lifetime tion. Achievement Award: Sally Karl, who has spent 20 Photos from the Annual years working at the FreeDinner on page 8. The Longest Night, continued from page 1 Photo by Andrew Anderson. where the city has banned the those who died of exposure. distribution of food to hungry This is for those who died of people. malnutrition and diabetes and This is the shortest day of other chronic untreated illthe year. This is Homeless nesses. This is for those who Memorial Day. were beaten to death or set This is for aflame because This is the Zachary Hubtheir poverty shortest day of bard. This is evoked hatred for Albert Sumand brutality in the year. This merlin. This others. This is is Homeless is for Burnett for those who Memorial Day. North. This is killed themfor Doug Meyselves. This is ers. This is for for those who Don Henry. This is for Al- drank themselves to death. fanso Huff. This is for Earlene This is for those who drugged Moreland. This is for Jesse themselves to eternal rest. Whigham. This is for DemAn advocate for the homeetrius Wood. This is for James less speaks quietly: “This is Broomfield. This is for Ricky the longest night of the year. Malone. This is for George That’s why it’s Homeless MeHawkins. This is for Doug morial Day. Every year we Meyer. This is for Bob Sayed. hope it will be the last one.” This is for Candace Mason. A young woman leads a This is for Floyd. This is for song: “Come and go with me Hammond. This is for Carl to that land, come and go with Vickroy. This is for William. me to that land, come and go This is for Vernon. This is for with me to that land where Barry. I’m bound.” This is for the homeless No one is homeless in the who died unnoticed. This is for grave, where we’re bound. Cleo’s Joke Corner What is Santa Claus’ favorite sandwich? It is peanut butter and jolly. What kind of dog has a lot of ticks but is a good dog? A watchdog. 5 News Briefs Hunger on the Rise The FreeStore FoodBank saw a 20 percent increase in the number of people in Greater Cincinnati seeking emergency food assistance during the 2008 holiday season. During the three days prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas, the FreeStore provided food for 18,363 households, serving 49,614 people. The agency distributed 629,752 pounds of food. Census Bureau is Hiring The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking to fill 1,000 new jobs to conduct the 2010 Census in Greater Cincinnati. The Census is hiring both office staff and field staff. The office positions include office clerk, recruiting assistant, administrative assistant and office operations supervisor. The field positions include enumerator, crew leader, crew leader assistant and field operations supervisor. The pay range for available positions is between $12 and $19 per hour. The local office of the Census Bureau is currently performing placement testing for new positions at the Census office at 801 Linn St. in the West End. To schedule a testing appointment, call 1-866-861-2010 or 513-766-3040. The test takes about 30 minutes. Resisting Capital Punishment One day of requests by the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center in Over-the-Rhine led to 770 cards to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, asking him to stop the execution of Brett Hartmann. The state is scheduled to forcibly poison Hartmann on April 7. The number of death sentences and executions across the United States dropped in 2008, according to CNN. Last year Americans killed 37 prisoners, the lowest amount in 14 years. In addition, the number of new death sentences handed up by courts in the United States totaled 111, the lowest figure since 1976, CNN reported. The state of Ohio killed two prisoners last year. �6 Community News STREETVIBES January 2009 Beaten for Being Homeless Ohio says it’s not a ‘hate crime’ but victims know better 1 Hate crimes are characterBy alyssa konerMann ized as being motivated by Staff WritEr hostility towards a victim on account of membership to a “The homeless living on the group. Based on this definistreet get jumped a lot. People tion, Zack’s attack was a hate won’t help, and hospitals don’t crime: The perpetrators knew help,” says Zack R. nothing of him except his staFor Zack, this statement tus as homeless, and for this, was unfortuthey beat him. “Four people nately not a “I guess the vague notion, jumped out of the people who but rather a weeds and attacked aren’t homefirsthand exless think they me, beat me,” perience. are better than Originally everyone and from Western Kentucky, Zack can do whatever they want,” was kicked out by his mother Zack says. six months ago and came to The homeless, however, are Cincinnati for his fiancée. not protected under Ohio’s Once here, he found himself hate-crimes laws. The state’s without housing and forced only protection from hate to live by the Ohio River with crimes comes from the Eth- Zack, a homeless youth living on the streets, was attacked at his camp on Freeman Avenue. Photo by Alyssa Konermann. his brother. nic Intimidation Law, which Several weeks ago Zack requires harsher sentencing some years we don’t have any There was also one man who people in the media is negawas set on fire while he slept. tive and this is exasperated by was attacked at his camp on for crimes motivated by bias reported at all.” Ohio is ranked the fourth He also died from his injuries. politicians who blame homeFreeman Avenue. against race, color, religion or most dangerous state for the Cleveland had an incident a less people for ‘ruining down“Four people jumped out national origin. homeless. few years ago where young town,’ ” Getty says. “This can of the weeds and attacked me, “Hate crimes “ T h e people were using stun guns lead to a vigilante attitude, esbeat me,” he says. “They all fluctuate in Ohio,” “We’ve had several worst are on homeless people as they pecially in young people, who seemed to be about 16 or 17 says Georgine people who were the years slept.” feel that no one cares about years old. I didn’t know any of Getty, director of beaten and a few we have Perhaps most troubling is their victims and that they are them.” the Greater CinZack’s brother took him to cinnati Coalition who died from their h o m i - that “most of these hate crimes ‘cleaning up’ their city.” “This has been happening Christ Hospital after the at- for the Homeinjuries. There was c i d e s , ” are committed by groups of G e t t y young men—ages 14 to 18,” to a lot of homeless recently,” tack. less. “The Naone man who was says. “In according to Getty. Zack says. “There are about “They X-rayed me, but tional Coalition set on fire while he To 30 or 40 people living down the past counter this, both the didn’t do anything else,” for the Homeless slept. He died from decade in Cincinnati and National by the river — a lot more than Zack says. “They reported it has been tracking his injuries.” Cincinna- Homeless Coalitions work there used to be. It seems reto the police, but the police them for years; ti, we’ve extensively to educate high lated to the economy. The never came in. It has been and some years - Georgine Getty had sever- school students about home- homeless need a whole lot two weeks and I still have six we’re among al people lessness. more help than people are givcracked ribs, a broken jaw, the worst states “Unfortunately, all you ing.” and I haven’t been able to eat in the country, up there with who were beaten and a few a real meal yet.” California and Florida, and who died from their injuries. normally see about homeless Letter to the Editor To the Editor: I have just read the book by Carol Rainey on nuclear sites in our area, and I was glad to see Greg Flannery’s full-page review of it in Streetvibes, a work titled 100 Miles from Home: Nuclear Contamination in the Ohio River Valley. I believe that in time this book will become well known around the country, as we count up once more the terrible costs of war machines and weapon-making, the damage they do to people and the earth. Greg Flannery opened his review with a very compelling sentence: “The Ohio River Valley is a victim of nuclear war -- and the aggressor is our own government.” That is the absolute truth of the matter. As Greg reports, Rainey describes six sites of nuclear weapon making, and readers may find, as I did, that they had never realized before the vast scale of these operations. Whole communities were left devastated, whole villages wiped out, leaving miles and miles of wasteland where nothing will be fully safe again. 100 Miles seems to me a monumental work involving years of study and research. It’s most carefully documented. Yet Rainey has taken what must have been rooms of notecards and photocopies, books and newsletters and newsprint of all kinds and from them extracted a picture of these immense activities that is under 200 pages of clear and logical narration. It is a task that may never need to be repeated. I have written about radiation injury and death in Cincinnati in a book about cancer patients swept into military experiments in our hospital, and I have a good idea of what the workers and residents at Fernald and other plants have suffered. Was it not known in advance, one might ask, that workers crawling through radioactive pipes for repairs would suffer multiple tumors of head and neck? That the air we breathe, the water we drink, might be infected? Cincinnati has been an Atomic City in more ways than one. We must learn from this tragic past. After all, we did not need all the terrible weapons we concocted at Fernald and Portsmouth and the other nuclear sites up and down river from Cincinnati. Rainey reminds us that during the Cold War we came to possess 40 times more weapons of mass destruction than the Soviet Union. The enemy we met was, as Greg Flannery puts it, simply ourselves. Carol Rainey is an author whose poetry and other writings have been much admired here. It feels good to support original works like 100 Miles from Home, which can tell us hard truths about ourselves we might otherwise never know. 100 Miles can be ordered for $19 (shipping included) from Cyndell Press, 1497 Beacon St., Cincinnati, OH 45230. Martha Stephens Martha Stephens is the author of The Treatment: the Story of Those Who Died in the Cincinnati Radiation Tests, Duke University Press 2002. Want more Streetvibes? Check out the new StreetvibeS blog for discussion and coverage of other issues between editions. streetvibes.wordpress.com �STREETVIBES January 2009 Local News 7 Stickin’ it Wit The Most High Homeless by choice, seeking something with God. These tangents sometimes seem to flow toward the same end, that he has been blessed. He was destined for this life. By Paul koPP He is measured in his speech, Contributing WritEr sure of himself and confident aviyD is talking ‘bout yet pious enough that you the most high. If you can tell he is a real genuine. ask him what his life is like, Puffed up in his jacket and he will tell you it’s some real surrounded by his few borlife biblical type shit. What is rowed belongings, which include some books (one of the most high? “The most high is god -- them called, What is a FamJesus or Muhammad. These ily?), a small portable radio are different names for the and a manila notepad with a same thing,” he says, his freshly drawn sketch of some hands perched upon a small sort. A kind of emblem. It is space heater. He is holding a giant pot leaf with a crown in hand-rolled cigarette over the the center. Circling the leaf is flame of a lighter half-intently an inscription that reads “Dawatching its embers begin to viyD, all blessings to the most glow and not giving any indi- high.” He is slow to talk about the cation that he will put it to his outlines of his life. He was mouth. born and raised a foster child in Mar“I dove head-in first into ion, Ind. Growing spirituality. Some would say up, DaviyD was Christianity, some would very aware of his say Catholic, some would status as a foster kid. say Jehovah’s Witness. “I knew I was, Well I just went all out truth. but people in the Homeless, justice.” family would whis-Daviyd per and have little discussions about “Man, I’ve been sitting here it,” he says. DaviyD doesn’t have any the past couple days thinking ‘bout how I ended up on this recollection of the time he spent in an orphanage from couch,” he says. DaviyD is homeless and ages 1 to 4. He has, however, currently spending nights in met a family who said he was the basement of an Over-the- abused at the orphanage and Rhine warehouse that has that they took care of him for been turned into a loft-style a short while when he was a apartment building. His eyes baby. Joining the army at age 17, are big and always seem to be at ease. DaviyD is not used he spent time in Germany and to talking about himself. He then Korea right around the doesn’t necessarily like it, but time Desert Storm was in full is very open and willing to. effect. Upon his return to the In between answering basic states, he was stationed in Calquestions about his life, he ifornia near where his mothconsistently returns to talking ers’ relatives were living. After his discharge he about the most high, his spirituality and his life long walk worked in the restaurant busi- D DaviyD, Photo by Noah Rabinowitz ness but, never being quite satisfied, he drifted around the country from job to job and eventually ended up back in Cincinnati around 1995. “I don’t know why I came back,” he says. “I was just praying and meditating and I felt I needed to be here.” Once he was back in the city DaviyD began hustling, selling large amounts of marijuana while attending the University of Cincinnati for nursing administration. He dropped out shortly after the beginning of his sophomore year. During this period of his life he notes that he momentarily had lost touch with the most high. This developed out of a few disagreements with local churches. If he felt the preacher was incorrect in his sermon, would stand up in the middle of congregation and let him know how he felt. It was soon after these experiences that DaviyD began seriously considering “pulling out of the grid,” as he calls it. He believes the most high was calling him to the streets. This presence of God calling him is the most important part of his life. After completely disassociating himself from mainstream society in 2000, DaviyD became completely conscious that he was going on a journey to prove something. When asked what he was trying to prove, he mentions the most high. He talks about ones coming forward and telling him, “This is who you are; this is the walk you gotta walk”. It was like a sort of prophecy for him. He’s a spiritual cat. Although the circumstances of his life can at times seem a bit muddled, it is easy to tell that these things don’t particularly matter to him. “I dove head-in first into spirituality,” he says. “Some would say Christianity, some would say Catholic, some would say Jehovah’s Witness. Well I just went all out truth. Homeless, justice.” When the word “homeless” comes up in conversation, it becomes clear that DaviyD took it upon himself. He is a smart man; he does not need to be homeless, and he knows this. He has chosen this path and, in his own words, felt God would always provide him with the things he needs to survive. He says he has never stayed in a homeless shelter. A man showed up at the apartment building in late November with orders to clear out all the things from the floor DaviyD is staying on, things that have been left by past tenants, possibly DaviyD’s couch. With his veterans check due to arrive the first of December, he says he might be ready to stop walking the streets everyday. He believes his pay from the government is his admission to enter back into society. “I called up my dude, and he says I can stay with him and his girl up in Corryville,” DaviyD says, pacing slowly back and forth, close to the door. “I just found out he lives with his mom!” It’s true DaviyD might be leaving soon. He speaks so much that he is ready for change. He is trying to find that balance. In the eight years he’s spent on the streets, it’s possible that he wanted to simply lose himself to find out what was really important in life. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �8 STREETVIBES January 2009 Short Story Hidden Homeless of the Ivory Tower Higher education and lowered expectations By siBonGile sitHe Contributing WritEr DL, but we were pretty into each other. After nearly a week of unusually long hugs, public handholding and sleeping in the same bed, Ye’s father became suspicious. When his friend left, Ye’s father asked him a simple question: Did you have sex with that young man? “I’m not into lying,” Ye says, “especially to my parents.” So he said yes. “And then I realized — at that moment — that my father is determined by God, not by who pays rent,” he says. So, at the age of 17, Ye found himself in search of another place to live. * * * Among the privileged elite of Yale, Ye might seem anomalous. But he is, in fact, part of a small percentage of the stu“There was one rule in my dent body who has flirted with father’s apartment: I could not homelessness — a situation have sex with anyone, at all, perhaps unfathomable to the while I lived with him. Sex majority of anywhere else was fine — as Among the privileged elite of Yale, Ye might the student long as he didn’t seem anomalous. But he is, in fact, part of body. And beknow about it.” a small percentage of the student body who cause of Sitting on his couch in his Yale has flirted with homelessness — a situation the stigma University dorm perhaps unfathomable to the majority of the attached to homelessroom, Qiang student body. ness, few Ye (not his real students name), Class is a fundamentalist Christian,” are eager to share their expeof ’08, continues matter-ofhe recalls five years later. riences, even with their closfactly. Although he tried, nego- est friends. For this article, all “So I came home with this tiation was fruitless. At one the once-homeless students guy from (boarding) school point, Ye suggested flattening — and the friends and family who I had this huge crush on,” the parent-child structure, as affiliated with them — asked he says, “and we spent, like, he contributed to the payment to remain anonymous; their four days having really inof living expenses. His father, names have been changed so tense sexual encounters … in however, had none of it. Ye that their stories can be told. my father’s home. smiles ruefully. Some, though, chose to “We tried to keep it on the “The father-son hierarchy write about them in their ap- plications to Yale. “It does come up,” Dean of Admissions Jeffrey Brenzel says in an e-mail, “but only very rarely.” Like the rest of their classmates, these students deal with the stress of academics, athletics and a perpetually looming p o s t - Ya l e future. But more so than Harkness Tower at Yale University: Academic most, they grandeur can hide homelessness. worry about where they * * * will go when dorms close for the semester. Caleb Lucas, class of ’10, For Ye and other students like him, leaving Yale there- drives a simple four-door sefore means not just finding a dan. It’s cheaper than an apartway home, but finding home ment and easier to move. Two weeks itself. ago he See Yale p. 15 Photographs from “In the Zone: Redrawing Community” Brandon Nelson (right), Streetvibes Vendor of the Year, receiving his Streetvibes jacket from Kenny Havens (left), case worker at the Drop Inn Center. Photo by Andrew Anderson Bren Blaine (left), former executive director of Tender Mercies, presenting Sally Karl (right) with the Buddy Gray Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo by Andrew Anderson. Peter Block, keynote speaker, discussed homelessness and community. Photo by Andrew Anderson. �STREETVIBES January 2009 Poetry/Photographs 9 The Woman at the Well By Mike Henson III. I. She shuffles into the park in her big buckety boots, stumble-stupid, sag-eyed, double-damned drunk. She smells of sweat and cheap wine, a muttering haystack in her big, loose coat. The black flog of a braid falls down her back. The park is full of people who would rather ignore her, Dawn, and the river mists ghost about the park. She feels a hand at her shoulder and a voice at her ear. but she mutters and shuffles The hand shakes her and the voice says, into the unavoidable midst of them “Wake up, babe. You can’t stay here.” and down to the fountain. He probably says more, Mothers steer their children away but his words are buried beneath her curses. and a cop in his cruiser It takes her a moment watches with a long, suspicious eye, to curse some clarity into her mind, but she pays them no nevermind. She wants to hear the waters of the fountain and by then, the man has gone to wait near the fountain. cascade and overlap like a mountain stream The iron-colored light spikes her eyes and when a little wind kicks up, and drives through her skull like an axe and she aches the waters bless her with spray. The sound and the spray ---my God, she aches. She curses and cries An encounter in Florence, Italy: Are you a combat casualty? whose hand has wakened her And so she sings, to this half-blind, brain-boltered muggleton of “No, industrial accident,” he said. Lost both one of the old songs of her people. legs and had severe damage to one arm. a situation, Her throat has gone coarse with alcohol; His shoes were shined. This is his job. but she is awake and cursing into the foggy He doesn’t work Sundays. she croaks like a heron light. That’s his choice. and her voice wobbles up and down the scale. Her head aches, her body aches, are enough to make a person sing. and mutters against the stranger The children stop their play to listen and she does not know this place and the mothers watch sidelong and suspicious, and she does not know this man but the woman croaks and warbles without shame. how she came to be cursing in this bed of needles She shuffles with her song and she does not know Photo by Ben L. Kaufman Berta’s Art Corner with her clothes all odorous of sap and sweat. to a place in the trees at the edge of the park. IV. She sits in the needle bed beneath a great fir and sings as the hour darkens. This man who woke her wears a long black coat The shadows of the children and there is about him grow long in the grass. something terrible and redemptive. II. She fears him, but she wants to know Why did he wake her? The woman cannot now remember What does he want? the shame that brought her to drink. He stands in the mist at the curb of the fountain. She drinks now to relieve the shame of drinking. and it works, so she sings, where the waterfall sound is enough to make a person sing. shameless and free, But without the wine she cannot sing. her heron-croak song She does not know him, in the old words she does not understand. and her head is hammered with hangover When she finds an end to the song, but she thinks she knows how this story will turn out the mothers are gone with their safe children and the cop has taken his suspicious eye to some other corner. Alone, beneath the fir tree, she pulls on the last of her wine. She watches the mists rise from the river and gather at the fountain. She mutters another snatch of song, then stretches out to sleep. -- this whole damn story -and she hopes there will be wine enough to forget it all again. She reaches for the bottle -- the empty, terrible, traitorous bottle -and her hand begins to tremble. “Opera at the Bus Stop” Downtown Cincinnati �10 STREETVIBES January 2009 Column New Year Notes Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. Hope rises in the face of war, heartbreak, and city council A new year, a new season. A new hope? We do not know yet what promise this new year holds, but we know it closes a bitter, wasteful, ugly chapter in human history. Will this new season bring back a sense of balance, community and compassion to our lives? Will it end a time when brute ignorance and full-face greed held sway? We can only hope. ***** In Cincinnati, where I live, it rains in winter much more than it snows. For a day or more at a time, the rains will range from a drizzle to a downpour, relentless, seemingly endless affairs that chill the body and dampen the soul. In the midst of the first of these winter rains, at 11:30 in the morning, I saw a man laid out across the stoop of a shut-down corner bar, fully enclosed inside his sleeping bag like a caterpillar inside its cocoon. He had a backpack and a pair of satchels beside him. He did not move at all that I could see. He could have been dead for all I could tell. I paused for just a moment -- I had business to tend to in the coffee shop down the street -but I thought about him for the better part of an hour before I came back. By then he was sitting up, looking around him in a groggy, half-dazed manner, pretty My daughter in New York City tells me a story of her friend Hope. Yes, that is her name. Hope goes every day for several years to a little East Village bodega (we would call it a pony keg) for coffee or a bagel. The bodega is run by a man from Korea and, because she comes in nearly every day for several years, Hope befriends him and they talk. The bodega stays busy, so she is not surprised to hear that it is successful, that it provides him a living. But she is surby MiChaEl hEnSon prised to hear about his $7 million house in MonBut we’re here. tauk and the property he owns One more day. One more around town. So maybe he year. makes a little money on real estate as well. It could be. ***** Then, on a particular day, as she talks with her Korean In the calendar of the Chris- friend about this and that, in tian faith, the new year is the walks a desperate-looking season that celebrates the time woman who wants the ownwhen the baby Jesus, accord- er’s attention. The woman lays ing to the custom of his peo- down a crumpled bill, and the ple, was taken to be presented man hands her a small enveat the temple. There he is tak- lope. The woman looks in the en as a sign and a wonder, the envelope and says, “No, not being who embodies the hope this one, the other one.” So the of a people. man hands her another and the I would like to think that ev- woman is satisfied. Then she ery child is a sign and a won- asks for a little glass pipe with der. I would like to think that a rose in it. “I’ll get you for it later,” she every being embodies some measure of hope. tells him, and she leaves. Hope knows by now this is ***** not a coffee and a bagel sort of transaction. She asks the man, much as the rest of us do when we first wake up. I think of him now as an emblem -- a sign that tells me something about hope. His bed is hard, but he’s alive. He sleeps a hard sleep, but he rises again. The rest of us have bigger cocoons, but we’re still vulnerable to the storms of life. And yet we rise; we look about us. We’re groggy and unsure of what we’re seeing, where we are, or why we’re here. ammered H and say, “You are a baby” and keep selling whatever ugly thing they are selling. Hope is not an easy thing. The story of this season is not an easy story. We like to celebrate around it, but at its core, the story of that baby is a story of exile, hardship, massacre of the innocents, poverty -- the whole heartbreak. And if conditions today are any sign, ***** easy stories will still be hard to come by. Of the children A baby. born this season, far too many A sign and a wonder. will be born to the chatter of Anew guns, far year and Of the children born this too many a new under a season, far too many will c h e m i c a l hope. be born to the chatter of B u t haze, far hope has guns, far too many under too many a lot of to will a chemical haze, far too see a catching never many to will never see a up to school, too school, too many will be do. The many will given a weapon before be given factories are they are given a book, too a weapon before they shutting many, far too many will down. are given a never sing. T h e book, too houses many, far are foreclosing. The savings too many will never sing. we counted on are evaporatCan we turn such a situaing. The wars drag on. And tion around? I hope we can. If city council wants to close the we cannot hope we can, then homeless shelters. When that what hope is there? child was brought to the temBut hope always has to walk ple, he was lifted up and seen a stony path. Hope always as a sign and a wonder, a new has the wind against it. And hope for those who were bur- yet hope is like my man on dened and oppressed. People the stoop. It wakes up, looks of hope look around and think: around, and gets up. It pulls its This has to change. This can second-hand coat tighter, and change. People who have cast goes on. And on. aside hope look at the hopeful “What did you just sell that woman?” He ignores her at first, but she keeps asking. So he tells her. “Crack.” “How could you sell that woman crack?” He rings up her bagel and her coffee and shuts his tiller. “You,” he says, “are a baby.” Book Review A Symphony of Memes ‘The Soloist’ wants us to believe in spite of it all By david HeitField Contributing WritEr One thought seared in my brain from the prologue of this book, borne from a series of columns written by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, when the author beckoned, “I’ll be back” to the homeless man he’d just met, foreshadowing the Hollywood story treatment to come: What in the hell happened to this country? The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of Mu- sic is a good story, and it’s ties get involved, and Lopez told with the yeoman-like ef- at least comes out as a much ficiency you would expect of richer man for having known a professional journalist, with Ayers. The movie, starring the proper tugs of the heart Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie strings at the right “human in- Foxx, was due to come out in November, but has since been terest” moments. Nathaniel Anthony Ayers pushed forward several times to what is currentis a homeless schizophrenic, How could we, ly an April 2009 originally from as a society, al- release. Given the subCleveland, who low a man with ject of this story was a classmate such commer- – homeless man of cellist Yo-Yo Ma at Juilliard. cial potential to with mental illness Lopez “dissimply whither treated indifferentcovers” him in away? Attention ly (and worse) by society – I cannot Skid Row in must be paid. help but think of L.A., writes a the popular work few columns, and his readers respond with that brought light to the “proban outpouring of meaning- lem” of the mentally ill when less gestures, such as donat- I was younger, which also ing old musical instruments. eventually got a Hollywood Not everything goes well, but treatment: Ken Kesey’s One Lopez tries hard, some good Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It wouldn’t be fair to comtimes are had, some celebri- pare the works directly, of course, but my interest is one of memes, since The Soloist is nothing if not a contemporary American meme-fest (heck, you have “dreams,” “friendship,” “redemption” and “music,” and that’s just in the subtitle). R.P. McMurphy was not mentally ill – in that generation, we apparently locked up too many people as mentally ill, rather than dumped them in the street as incurably uninsurable – but his message couldn’t have been more clear: You have worth and dignity as a human life, as a sentient being, and don’t let the Nurse Ratcheds of the world take it away from you. As a protagonist, McMurphy could hardly have been less sympathetic. Convicted of statutory rape, there was nothing to admire about the man – except as a catalyst to return a little dignity to the voluntary inmates of the asylum. Ignore the political ties to McCarthyism, and you still have what used to be the most powerful American meme of all: You have value and worth as an individual, no matter how messed up, nonconformist or outside the mainstream you might be perceived to be. Jump ahead a generation or two, and The Soloist presents quite a different story: Here’s an exceptional man – “He reminds me a little of Miles Davis,” Lopez says at the beginning, a rather odd thing to say about a homeless man playing a violin. He wonders “how safe it can be for a man trying to reconnect with Tchaikovsky as drug dealers, prostitutes and hustlers work streets See Soloist, p. 12 �STREETVIBES January 2009 Local News 11 Surviving the Hurt in the Heart Depression doesn’t have to be deadly um prescribed for his tinnitus. Schulte has told me I can ask him anything. “People need to learn about It’s a day of heavy rain this,” he says. “It doesn’t broken by flashes of bright bother me. That’s why I speak, sun cutting through violent that’s why I share my story clouds, a day to mirror the life openly.” that Skip Schulte has come to So I ask him: How many tell me about when he blows did you take? into the Streetvibes office red“I took 50,” he says matter- cheeked and smiling. of-factly. The first In the small “I was scared that I silence that thing he does it is hand me would die,” he says. follows, two small “I didn’t really want strikes me pieces of paagain how deto die. I wanted to be per. One is scribing the out of pain.” titled, “Falandscape of depression is mous Persons Who Have Committed Sui- like pointing out landmarks cide” (among them: Sigmund on a topographical map. You Freud, Socrates, Virginia can outline the general lay of Woolf, John Belushi, Kurt Co- the land, but you can’t ever bain). The other small piece of really convey what it’s like to paper is titled, “Have Had De- navigate from the ground. A pression.” Abraham Lincoln man can tell a reporter he once took 50 pills, but he can’t ever tops that list. The life Schulte has really really describe the wordless come to tell me about, though, morass that was a depression so deep it made him want to is his own. At age 31 Schulte fell into die. After swallowing the pills, his first diagnosed bout of major clinical depression and Schulte says he immediately grew so scared that he called tried to commit suicide. “Some people are offended his parents, who took him to by the word ‘commit’ sui- have his stomach pumped. What were you scared of? I cide,” Schulte pauses to say, “because suicide is not a crime ask him. “I was scared that I would of any type. They prefer the die,” he says. “I didn’t really phrase “complete suicide.” want to die. I wanted to be out ‘Out of pain’ of pain.” This time Schulte spent a litIn 1982 Schulte was a fi- tle more than a month in inpanance instructor at Miami tient psychiatric care. Within University. Within three days days of this release, someone over Christmas break, his two had totaled his parked car. best friends moved away and “I can laugh about this now, his girlfriend left him. Schulte but it wasn’t too funny then,” started traveling from Oxford he says. “One of the things to Cincinnati to see a psychol- with depression, it’s hard to ogist. make decisions, and here I “One day I went in to see was trying to decide what kind him and said, ‘I am thinking of car to get and how to spend about closing my eyes on U.S. seven or eight thousand dol27 one of these weeks when I lars.” come down to see you.’” He says that without exagSchulte stayed four or five geration he went to every Hondays in the inpatient psychi- da, Toyota and Datsun dealeratric unit of Good Samaritan ship in the Greater Cincinnati Hospital. On day two after his area two or three times. release, he overdosed on Vali“One Saturday morning I By stePHanie dunlaP Contributing WritEr Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM got angry about something – Sigmund Freud called depression ‘anger turned inward’ – and I said to myself, ‘Skip, you are gong to buy a Toyota today at Howard Adams Toyota on Fifth Street in downtown Covington.’ ” And he did just that. Two weeks later he enrolled in a psychology class. He vividly recalls sitting in that class and suddenly feeling “100 percent better.” Schulte went on to earn his master’s degree in mental health counseling from Wright State University. He started Wright State’s doctorate of psychology program, but after three quarters he relapsed into depression, dropped out and never returned. He’s had seven relapses into clinical depression in the 26 years since that first bout. Though he says some of them have been more difficult, he has never again tried to take his life. He knows now how to treat his depression. He’s taken 10 different kinds of anti-depresSkip Schulte. Photo by Andrew Anderson. sants. He participates in and leads depression and suicide support groups, walks five to real talent lies in helping pro- But people just don’t know how to address depression. 10 miles a day and works on fessions.” Often family and friends developing his spirituality. Learning QPR either don’t know the char“I personally strongly beacteristics of depression or lieve in the power of prayer,” Though Schulte is a fount other mental illnesses, or they he says. “I believe everybody of statistics, there are far few- don’t take them seriously. has a spiritual side” -- whether er statistics on suicide among They think someone threatenor not someone believes in a ing suicide is joking around or the homeless. higher being. trying to get attention. The telling first result in my As a single, older male who “They are trying to get athighly scientific Google search has already attempted suicide is an article titled, “Where is tention, they’re crying out for once, Schulte says he’s in the very highest risk classifica- the Research on Homeless help!” Schulte says. He says other signs of suition. The chances of his kill- Persons and Suicide?” cide potentiality are giving Schulte believes it’s because ing himself are 38 times that the homeless are not the most away possessions, drawing up of the general population. a will and otherwise getting “I don’t lose any sleep over preferred or studied people. “A lot of people couldn’t affairs in order, risk-taking it,” he says. “But I know it, care if the homeless people behavior and obsession with I’m cognizant.” Among other organizations, kill themselves, which is so death. His preferred suicide preSchulte volunteers with the sorry and sad,” he says. Worldwide there are a milvention technique is the simPartnership for Mental Health and speaks about suicide pre- lion suicides per year and 100 ple “QPR”: Question, pervention to any group that will million people are affected by suade, refer. Ask direct questions, such have him. It gives him pur- depression. There are three suicides for every two homi- as, ‘Are you suicidal?’ Dialing pose. 211 accesses a local United “I think I’m probably mis- cides. And yet, Schulte points out, Way hotline to find help. placed,” he says. “I think my it’s easier to find a transgender Schulte doesn’t think any1128 Walnut St support group than a depres- one can save anyone else, sion support group. Not that however. Pizza by the Slice “I think you can help people there’s anything wrong with the former, he’s quick to add. save themselves,” he says. Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery at 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com �12 STREETVIBES January 2009 Local News ‘Soloist,’ continued from page 10 teeming with the lame and the afflicted.” Reminds me of the Beatitudes, when Jesus told people they’d need to kick the lame and afflicted out of their way if they wanted to enter the kingdom. Davis, Ma, Juilliard, “I’ll be back” … How could we, as a society, allow a man with such commercial potential to simply whither away? Attention must be paid. Where Kesey’s book made one uncomfortable – you suspect you’re not really all that different from those in the asylum – The Soloist is earnest in its attempt to reaffirm some American memes that seem in danger under the current economic uncertainties: The cream always rises to the top (unless that evil mental illness gets in the way; but even then, if you don’t give up, you’ll soon be “discovered” as special); most homeless people are that way because they like it that way (read the reviews on Amazon and you’ll be sight, in which Jill Bolte Tayamazed at how some people lor, a neuroanatomist, recounts found this message “reassur- her own stroke, in which she ing”); friendship is far better witnessed the difference befor people than health insur- tween the evil left-side, ratioance; and nal part of the music is more brain, and the ‘The Soloist’ is healing than “nirvana” of earnest in its medicine. the intuitive attempt to reaffirm right It seems to side. some American me that the Guess which memes that seem “self-help” side she liked genre, after a in danger under the better? couple of deIt’s as if current economic cades of milwe’re still uncertainties. lions of books paying for our with pretty postmodern much zero drift. The subhelp to anyone, is gradually jective has not merely turned being displaced by an “inspi- on itself; it’s transformed itrational” genre, of which this self from leftist polemics to book is one. Other recent right-wing rationalizations. best-sellers this year include So, if postmodernism says The Last Lecture by Randy there is no objective truth, any Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon explanation for life is just as professor who, before he died, good as the one science prodelivered a sentimental but vides – hence, we have that rather vapid lecture that was awful “creationist museum” a viral video before it became just across the river, working a book; and My Stroke of In- “entertainment” deals with our zoo. Likewise, any subjective experience can and should be used to make pronouncements about an objective truth that just doesn’t exist. In our current culture, with the reality television shows, the inspirational reading lists and millions of blogs that only other bloggers read, the subjective is eating itself alive. I think this is exactly what the head of the Nobel awards committee, Horace Engdahl, meant when he said American writing had become “too isolated, too insular … too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture.” I don’t mean to fault any of these authors – you can read Amazon reviews to see how thousands of readers have been “inspired” by these titles. I just find them cynical and nihilistic, in much the same way I find the current political climate cynical and nihilistic (like, say, when the best representative we have for the “common man” is Joe the Plumber, who is neither Joe nor a plumber). We can’t solve problems such as mental illness, homelessness, cancer, strokes, etc., so it’s best if you just smile and make the most of it, because a positive attitude means everything. And if you see Miles Davis hanging out next to a Dumpster, fix him up with some lessons from the Los Angeles Symphony and contact your agent immediately. Jamie Foxx needs another shot at an Oscar. And, hey, if we bring some awareness to the plight of the homeless – or, specifically, the “good” homeless people who look or act like a celebrity – that’s just gravy. The Soloist is the 2009 selection for “On the Same Page Cincinnati,” the communitywide reading program of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. To participate, visit www.CincinnatiLibrary.org/samepage/. Proving Cincy Cares Pilot project is first step in new health-care initiative 1 By lew Moores Contributing WritEr A tattoo parlor in Clifton was the first to apply. Day care centers, a few non-profit organizations, barber shops, restaurants and other small companies soon followed. Now, just a month after the process began for signing up, 92 employers representing 1,226 employees and families have applied to be included in the city of Cincinnati’s CincyCare program, a pilot health care project intended to help uninsured employees who work for small companies in the city. “I was surprised by the response,” says Dan Gahl, a Cincinnati Health Department official who will be project coordinator for the program. “I hope it highlights a diamond in the rough.” The $1.4 million program – a partnership among the city, health department and the private sector – will offer primary care, health evaluations and limited prescription benefits to employees of Cincinnati companies who are ineligible for federal health care benefits. The employees will otherwise have to meet federal income guidelines. A medical home The program was about two years in the making, according to Gahl and Hirsh Cohen, an assistant city health commissioner. The idea was born when the city’s health department was going through budget discussions with the city and there was talk of possibly closing one of the department’s seven health centers, which handle about 135,000 visits each year. Councilmember John Cranley (who did not respond to phone calls and e-mails for comment) and others stopped that closing from happening, say Gahl and Cohen. Cranley thought the city health centers a great asset and began to think of a way to get more to use them. “He thought, ‘Why don’t we leverage that asset to do a program to get employed but uninsured workers in the city into a program that would use the health centers?’ ” Gahl says. City council set up an advisory committee to look into the possibility. They came up with a two-year pilot project. Funding was provided by the city through a federal block grant of about $600,000,with another $100,000 provided by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati for the first year and again in the second year. The program is expected to begin March 1. Employ- ers who have applied to be The rationale for the proincluded generally include gram is pretty straightforward those who employ anywhere – encourage businesses to from two to 20, with most re- remain in the city and attract serving slots for three to six other businesses to the city. employees. It’s a market most “What I’ve heard from some health insurers don’t go after, employers is that it gives them says Gahl, because there’s “no an advantage among the comeconomy of scale.” petition in the suburbs for emThe process would involve ployees,” Gahl says. “They’re an employee or family mem- looking at the health of their ber filling out a medical his- employees. That’s a bigger tory and having blood drawn deal than I ever thought it for analysis. would be.” “So right off the bat we It would mean a healthy hope to identify people who work force is a productive have no idea they have high work force, with less absencholesterol, no idea they have teeism. high glucose,” Gahl says. “A lot of people who don’t Patients would choose a city have health care end up in an health emerc e n t e r, gency “Everything they need will which be at that home for primary r o o m , ” would G a h l and preventive care. That then bewill be provided at a $10 co- s a y s . c o m e “ T h e payment. There will be no the pacost of pre-existing exclusions.” t i e n t ’s doing “medithis care cal home.” in an ER is about 10 times the “With that, primary care cost of doing it in a clinic. It will intervene and stop it from will provide a more cost-efbecoming a major and ex- fective program.” pensive problem,” Gahl says. “We know there’s an unmet “Everything they need will be need of uninsured people, and at that home for primary and we want to get them into some preventive care. That will be sort of regular care model to provided at a $10 co-payment. show that getting that care is There will be no pre-existing actually going to improve their exclusions.” health over the two years,” Cohen says. Healthy for business A handful of cities that are trying a similar program, both say. Because the program is a pilot project, it will be closely monitored over the two years. “We’re going to watch what kind of people, what kinds of employers sign up,” Cohen says. “We’ll be measuring the utilizations and outcomes of this data to be in the forefront of creating maybe a new approach of going forward, maybe with different funding or subsidies. We want to have enough data to go out on the streets and expand this to a broader population -- what it costs and how it should be funded.” What they’ll be looking at, basically, after two years is the “wellness of the individuals,” Cohen says. The incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama is also encouraging. “I’m not expecting a total panacea,” Cohen says. “It will be incremental. I think we’ll see counties and cities think strategically about the value of health care in our own neighborhoods and be creative about how they fund things.” “My opinion is there’s going to be federal funding for health care,” Gahl says. “It’s going to be trickled down. I think Cincinnati has an unbelievable architecture to compete for those funds. I hope to be able to say that this program is evidence that we deserve that funding.” Read the Streetvibes blog for stories between issues at streetvibes.wordpress.com �STREETVIBES January 2009 Interview 13 A Chef for the People Once homeless, Michelle Ross cooks for those who still are By anGela Pancella Contributing WritEr I n the front of the serving line at Our Daily Bread is a box where guests can put “compliments to the chef.” On a recent day the box had comments such as, “I like the hamburger, I like the pasta, I like the salad” and “Doing a good job, Chef!!” with a smiley face drawn on the exclamation points. Michelle Ross started as assistant chef in October 2007 before becoming Our Daily Bread’s chef in March 2008. How did you get started at Our Daily Bread? Actually, I was doing community service. I came down here to volunteer. I liked it, and then Kathy (Ray, kitchen manager) called me one day and asked me if I wanted to work here. I was working at 2020 at the time — Juvenile (the Youth Center). I really wanted to work here anyway in the first place but they weren’t hiring at the time. So then I said, “Sure.” What was it you liked about it? I like to cook, number one. I like the atmosphere. I can relate to all the people here because I’ve been where they’ve been at in my life. What surprised you about the job? It just was overwhelming, like, oh, God, I was scared. The quantity of people and the quantity of food. But then it just became (snaps fingers) like that, I can just do it. I love it down here. I loved serving. What makes you happiest? When the food comes out good and everybody likes it. If I can talk to somebody and help them and tell my story, that really is cool. Like, there was a couple in here, they needed help with shoes and coats and stuff, so I hooked them up in the back room. They was real grateful. That made me feel good. I got messed up in drugs and alcohol real bad in ’95. I was homeless myself, living in the woods, here and there, wherever. I went through a treatment center through the First Step Home program. I highly Michelle Ross and Eric at Our Daily Bread. Photo courtesy of Our Daily Bread. recommend that program. I meal, you’ve got a place to Have you gotten to know went in there in June of ’96 want to pass that on? Oh, yeah. And I learned a come and get warm for a couthe guests? and graduated in November Yeah, I try to come out evof ’97. I’m doing good, and lot through that program; that ple hours.” Keep your gratitude — I’m still grateful for program was wonderful. And ery day and say, “Hi, how you I like working here because somebody took the time to hot water and a hot meal. doin’?” and stuff like that. I see every day what I don’t How do you process it? And I’ve been close with a lot want to be like anymore, and help me. So, yeah, every day Most of the time I try to I get to give back here. That’s of volunteers. there’s hope for those people, think back to where I was. cool, ’cause I come to work That makes it tough when too. I talk to some people I wasn’t grateful back then, going, “God, they go away. about my story. “I got messed what can I do when I was all caught up in Yeah. It kinda hurts your If you have the today for someusing and stuff, I wasn’t very heart. up in drugs and willingness to else?” grateful. I thought I was, but What would you like to see help yourself, alcohol real bad body You know what apparently I wasn’t. I learned in the future? then you and in ’95. I was I just would like to hopefulGod can do it to- homeless myself, I mean? That’s a lot of things about myself how I feel—I through treatment. I was very ly keep cooking good meals gether. I believe living in the try to feel that selfish. But I just kinda think and doing the best job I can that with all my woods, here and way. Some days back to where I was, and I and serve the people. I’d just heart. That you have to want it. there, wherever.” are better than just let everybody be where like to see peace and everyothers, but, you they’re at right now, you body getting along. I’d like to - Michelle Ross Nobody can do know, I’m hu- know? Or I’ll go talk to (So- see people get out and try to it for you. cial Worker) Miss Joyce Cue help themselves, better themman. How did you What’s the toughest part of if I get upset. But for the most selves. get involved with First Step part, it’s great. I love working the job? Our Daily Bread is an Home? I don’t really consider anyhere, I mean, I have my days, (Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine Actually, my friends told thing to be too tough — just but for the most part I love ’it Ohio) ministry of Christian me about it; they were in AA when people complain and cause I do get to see where hospitality serving more than at the time. You feel like, because your stuff, ’cause I’m thinking, I’ve been every day, which is 500 meals daily at 1730 Race St. friends helped you out, you “Well, you’re getting a free really helpful to me. When Humanitarianism Goes Bad City Council’s sneak attack on the Drop Inn Center By toM dutton, Marcia enGland, kate Fadick, cHris wilkey, and BarBara wolF Contributing WritErS B eware the new language of concern — the new humanitarianism — regarding homelessness in Cincinnati. In October 2008 Cincinnati City Council passed an emergency ordinance that, while probably not technically in violation of the state’s Sunshine Law, sure is sketchy in that it was not formally on the agenda and never received public commentary. Placed in front of council members on the day of its passing, the ordinance sailed through with barely a hiccup. Regardless of its legal status, the ordinance clearly articulates council’s intention: “Directing the Cincinnati/ Hamilton County Continuum of Care for the Homeless to immediately address the inadequacies of the current provision of services for single homeless individuals in the City of Cincinnati and to put into place a comprehensive plan to implement such services. The plan must ensure that, as a critical segment of the homeless community, single homeless men and women will have access to safe, appropriate shelter facilities and that such facilities will pro- vide comprehensive services necessary of homeless individuals to obtain and maintain housing. “Furthermore, council directs that the comprehensive plan guarantee the highest standards of care for the homeless so they can successfully move from ‘Homeless to Homes.’ In addition, all plan recommendations must insure that any facilities are ‘Good Neighbors’ and do not result in any behavior or actions that are disruptive to businesses and residents. Recommendations for shelter facilities and service models must be based on nationally recognized bestpractice methods within the context of the Continuum of Care for the Homeless and shall include case management services, medical services, mental health services, and recovery services. “Furthermore, it is the intent of the mayor and the Cincinnati City Council that the recommended best practices model will guide city of Cincinnati resource allocations for services to single homeless men and women in the future. Any and all providers of these services will be selected through an objective, competitive process consistent with HUD guidelines that homeless services planning and implementation are coordinated, inclusive and outcome-oriented. The Continuum of Care is urged to submit its recommendations to the mayor and Cincinnati city Council no later than March 31, 2009. “Furthermore, it is the intention of the mayor and the city council to empower the Continuum of Care to respond to this mandate by creating a process that in inclusive of all of the key stakeholders in the community, including but not limited to homeless providers, the business community, government representatives, funding entities and regional/national experts. Failure to present a comprehensive completed plan to council by the deadline will lead to di- See Council, p. 14 �14 Editorial STREETVIBES January 2009 Council, continued from page 13 rect intervention by council to Fourth, the ordinance has a address the homeless system rushed time schedule. Few in in a different manner.” homeless care feel comfortIf you pardon the not-so- able that a “comprehensive veiled threat of the last sen- completed plan” can actually tence, the ordinance might be accomplished by March seem reasonable at first 2009. This raises concerns glance. Isn’t it a good idea to about the validity of the proexamine shelter facilities and cess itself. City council’s statto ascertain the best practices ed intent to implement its own of homeless care from around plan “in a different manner” the nation? suggests that a script is alIt would seem so, but a clos- ready written and that failure er reading of the ordinance re- of the process to actually deveals the emperor’s clothes of liver a “comprehensive plan” this new humanitarianism. is the desired outcome. First, the ordinance is speFifth, the ordinance is miscious. Without offering evi- guided. Rather than recogdence to support its claims, nizing homeless facilities as the ordinance’s first sentence places of compassion because sets a tone of crisis in home- they deal with the least fortuless care that needs address- nate of our neighbors and thus ing “immediately.” Shelters deserve our respect, the ordiare thereby positioned as nance has the temerity to have places of deficiency. Rather facilities prove their status as than trying to “good neighThis “good nurture a sobors.” At this cial discourse neighbor” policy is historical mothat can al- where the ordinance ment, when low citizens criminal acts reveals its true of violence to learn from and appreci- intentions, because on homeless ate otherness the elephant in the i n d i v i d u a l s — to come to are increasing room here is the see the homeand when citDrop Inn Center ies are in efless for their gifts — the fect criminalordinance reinforces the dom- izing the homeless by passing inant, pernicious discourse draconian legislation and inthat sees homeless people as curring more police sweeps deficits, as lower-than-life in- (Washington Park), the ordividuals needing to be fixed, dinance, in the worst of the disciplined or regulated. discredited blame-the-victim Second, the ordinance is tradition, faults shelters imspurious in that its pitch for plicitly as bad neighbors from comprehensiveness is be- the start and relieves other lied by its narrow focus. At a neighbors of their responsibiltime when the fastest growing ity to civil community relasegment of the homeless are tions. This “good neighbor” polfamilies with children — 25 percent of the total homeless icy is where the ordinance population are children, and reveals its true intentions, be45 percent of this number are cause the elephant in the room 5 or younger — the targets of here is the Drop Inn Center the ordinance are single men — the second largest home(49 percent of the total) and less shelter in the state and single women (16 percent). home to mostly single men Third, the ordinance is mis- and women. Many do not see directed. Rather than address room for a homeless shelter the political-economic forces in a neighborhood experiencthat actually create homeless- ing renewed development in ness — lack of affordable the so-called Gateway I, II, III housing, joblessness, poverty, and IV; a redesigned Washingless public assistance, lack ton Park; a new SCPA — all of child support, massive in- at a time when city and corequality — the ordinance ig- porate figureheads chime for nores those forces and shifts economic mix. attention to homeless proNo, all this mobilization of viders as if they are the only people’s time and resources to problem in this matrix. look at “best practices” with a Sam Burton, longtime volunteer at the Drop Inn Center. Photo by Andrew Anderson “clean slate” is merely cover Rhine, as if, yet again, they proffer is best for the poor. for city council’s real inten- are the problem. Styling themselves as the new tion: to displace the Drop Inn Attacking social services humanitarians, the highbred Center from Over-the-Rhine. is nothing new in U.S. cit- rhetoric of compassion only This should come as no sur- ies and continues to grow in masks the lowbrow project of prise. City and corporate pow- popularity. Zoning ordinances urban colonialism. Be not surers-that-be have been plotting targeting social services have prised about the new language the Drop Inn Center’s future been put in place over the past of concern that will take form behind closed doors for some several years in states such as and rain down over Cincintime now. But even when they Washington, Maryland, Flor- nati. It will go something like have been out in the open, ida, Texas and Connecticut. this: their track record has mostly Some have been challenged The way we care about the amplified Cincinnati’s unre- by the American Civil Liber- homeless, both as a society lenting war on the poor. For ties Union on the basis that and in our Queen City, is unexample, Cincinnati does not they violate the Constitution. acceptable. The homeless are have just one anti-panhan- In a landmark 1985 case, the not getting the services they dling ordinance, but two. In U.S. Supreme Court ruled that need. The homeless need supfall 2001 city council passed a Cleburne, Texas, ordinance port systems. And this lack of the “Impaction Ordinance” to similar to that put forth by support is affecting the neighrestrict public monies in af- Cincinnati City Council was borhood negatively—the confordable housing development overturned because it fur- ditions in Washington Park, in poverty-stricken communi- thered no government interest for example, have to change. ties. The ordinance mistakes other than the removal of so- We are behind the times. We symptoms for causes by im- cial “pariahs” due to commu- need to put resources behind pugning low-income housing nity prejudices. the facilities. We need to build as the cause of poverty rather It’s all just a little bit of a new state of the art facility. than job We are not l o s s , fooled by this A compassionate Cincinnati would work to governdiscourse — develop relationships and connectedness mental which is just among those who are homeless and their rollbacks, code to disneighbors, not simply move the homeless out declining place the Drop of sight. wages, Inn Center and patterns take its land. of racial discrimination and history repeating, as ShirA humanitarianism worthy geographic segregation and ley Bassey would say. In the of its name argues for a difpoor education; and the list 1960s “Urban Renewal” came ferent societal vision — for a could go on. And then this to be called “Negro Removal,” different political imaginary: past June, in a resolution (No. precisely because it displaced One that stands for eradicating 4-2008) that seems to take its blacks from their neighbor- homelessness altogether, not cue from the Housing Impac- hoods across the country. See- just building another shelter; tion’s attempt to restrict af- ing that the script has already and one that stands to counter fordable housing, city council been written, we can now call economic inequality, not just this time is trying to reduce council’s pattern of ordinanc- settle for economic mix. the concentration of social es as well as its most recent Let us work toward a society service agencies in Over-the- “good neighbor” policy pre- that is empathic and compascisely for what they are trying sionate, one that adds services to do, “Homeless Removal.” and adds housing, the sum of As the project for Homeless which the Drop Inn Center is Removal gains steam, some, already doing. A compassionof course, will be rank and ate Cincinnati would work callous to the poor. Good rid- to develop relationships and dance, they will say. But the connectedness among those more sophisticated will veil who are homeless and their their intent in a faux generos- neighbors, not simply move ity, believing that what they the homeless out of sight. If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. �STREETVIBES January 2009 Short Story 15 Yale, continued from page 8 drove it halfway across the country — 16 hours — to see his little brother Micah. But Lucas never goes home to Michigan for more than a week during breaks; it’s just too much trouble, he says. When he is back, he usually crashes at his best friend’s apartment. “It’s hard,” he admits, referring to his relationship with his parents. “I want to accept their apology. I want to be OK with them.” Like Ye, Lucas was also 17 when he left his house with then-12-year-old Micah in tow. He had been living in Detroit — ranked the most dangerous city in the United States in 2007 by the FBI’s crime statistics report — since he was 10 and, he explains, “It got to the point where it just wasn’t safe to be in my household.” Strangers came in and out of their house at all hours due to his parents’ lax security; and on more than one occasion he was robbed in his own bedroom. “I didn’t know what was going to happen to me when I went to sleep,” Lucas says. “And I damn sure didn’t want to have to sleep outside of my little brother’s room every night.” At first, being on their own wasn’t that bad, Lucas says. Two of the day’s meals were provided at school, and they stayed with a family already housing one of Lucas’ friends, who was in a similar situation. Though he knew he needed to move, he still felt conflicted. “I was turning my back on my family, on my neighborhood,” he says, “and that’s one thing you don’t do. No matter what.” Soon after they realized their sons were not returning, Lucas’ parents started calling. They threatened to call the police if Lucas didn’t immediately bring his brother home. Because Lucas was still a minor, he couldn’t fight his parents for legal custody of Micah. But he held his ground. After some negotiation, he agreed to let Micah stay with his older sister, who was also living in Detroit. “I would never have done it if (Micah) hadn’t said, ‘I’m going to be safe. You take care of yourself,’ ” Lucas says. * * * As a teenager, Miles Marks, class of ’10, never got an allowance. He laughs, remembering his childhood, as he sits over breakfast. “I used to sell tea bags and tell people it was reefer,” he says. He’s still chuckling as he recalls growing up in Chicago and “doing a Cheering crowds at Yale don’t know that even Ivy League athletes have experienced homelessness. lot of things I probably Marks says when asked about gambling, Ye says, declining shouldn’t * * * how much money he had to elaborate further. Shortly have been doing at that age.” When Marks was 8, his par- when he left. “If I remember after Brad moved in, Huan “I mean, it’s scary to wake ents sent him and his 5-year- correctly, I had about $3 worth went to live with friends, and up and find bums outside your old sister to live separately of quarters in my coat pocket. Ye moved in with his father. car, but it seems like people I had about 20 singles, two Ye was never formally with their maternal and patertry to glamorize it when they nal grandmothers, hoping they twenties, and $100 my grand- asked to leave, so he stayed do stuff like that,” Lucas with his father for another says, referring to Tyra Banks’ would be safer away from father had given me.” One hundred sixty three three weeks after the sex con- undercover experience as a their rough neighborhood. frontation with his friend from homeless person. Marks moved to another part dollars. boarding school. But with his of the city, and his sister went He finds the concept entirefather’s constant insistence to Missouri. ly ridiculous. * * * that he “reconsider (his) bad Marks’ grandmother died “There was no tangible end habit” — his decision to be when he was 15, but he confor me,” he says. “I had no idea “When I was born (my tinued to live in her house parents) had a yacht and two with a man — Ye knew his fa- how I would handle it menwith his two aunts. Before cats,” Ye says. “Then the yacht ther’s home was not the place tally. Would I lose my damn he needed or wanted to be. his grandmother’s death, his sank, and I got older.” mind? … I spent 48 hours in a “It’s incredibly uncomfortAunt Lind* had started dating car, where I didn’t leave but to Ye’s parents divorced when able to live with someone who a man named Greg, whom his he was 5, and he and his older use the restroom.” grandmother had never liked. brother Huan went to live with thinks very, very, very little of During the year and a half you,” Ye says, “It’s doable, Marks always he was on his own and wasn’t their mother but it’s miserable. thought it was staying with friends, Lucas es“There was no in the sub“I think for him the most because Greg tangible end for me,” urbs of Bos- upsetting thing was his reac- timates he spent three to four was white, months living off and on in his ton. he says. “I had no tion to my reaction,” Ye’s fabut after Greg car. But, he idea how I would ther reflects. “Like, he had no and Linda got Logistically, at least, benotes, living idea I would have that kind of married and handle it mentally. ing an athlete made fulfilling arrangements Greg moved Would I lose my damn did not be- reaction. I just started to cry, I some basic necessities easier, in, Marks dismind? … I spent 48 come prob- was so upset. I tried to think of even in high school. what a good father does in that covered the While he worked to pay for hours in a car, where I lematic until situation.” truth. food, he showered at the gym he was 14 or He says he was most wor- and used the school’s laundry Marks says didn’t leave but to use 15. Around the restroom.” Greg was that time, his ried about the stigma Ye facilities to wash his clothes. “loud and igHis bonds with many memmother began would face. “My biggest concern was if norant” and bers of the custodial staff alseeing a man he had chosen this as a deciwould start unnecessary fights named Brad. Although Ye was lowed him to get away with with him. He would come at boarding school at the time, sion,” he says, “it would be being at school at odd hours. into the living room and, the information his brother re- very costly to him for the rest “I know what it’s like to feel of his life.” Marks says, scream, “‘Turn layed made him uneasy. invisible, too,” he admits. The ensuing argument, that fucking TV off!’” for no Heated verbal fights bereason. When Greg got physi- tween Huan and Brad turned he says, “marked a point of * * * cally abusive, Marks knew he physical time and time again, departure that we’ve never had to leave. and Brad had problems with broached again.” To be continued...Feb 09. “I want to get this right,” Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �16 Vendors Resource Guide STREETVIBES January 2009 Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 25 cents and sell the paper for $1, keeping the money they have earned. The vendors can be identified with a white badge and can be found selling the paper in downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northern Kentucky and area churches. The money they earn helps them meet basic housing, food and health care needs. Not all vendors pictured. Josephine Baskerville Doris Binion Terry Ranson Anthony Williams Nell Williams Grady Cook Cleo Wombles James Davis Jon Darby Dede Stoops Julie Walker Kenneth Stonitsch Antonio Hodge Leonard Jackson Samuel Jackson Riccardo Taylor Berta Lambert Mary Mueller Brandon Nelson Mark Shears Charles Cole Alfred Woolfolk Terrence Williams Raynard Jones Richard Tyree Michael Holley Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point...381-SAFE Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6907 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter...872-9259 Talbert House...684-7965 PATH Outreach...977-4489 Treatment: Women Resources First Step Home ...961-4663 Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside...591-2246 Emmanuel Community Center...241-2563 FreeStore/FoodBank...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart...381-0111 Goodwill industries...771-4800 Healing Connections...751-0600 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...2715501 Mary Magdalen House...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...351-7921 St. Vincent de Paul...562-8841 The Caring Place...631-1114 United Way...721-7900 Women Helping Women...977-5541 Treatment: Both City Gospel Mission...241-5525 Justice Watch...241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Worker House...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter...661-4620 AA Hotline...351-0422 CCAT ...381-6672 Joseph House ...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center ...281-7422 Sober Living ...681-0324 Talbert House...641-4300 Shelter: Both Advocacy Anthony House (Youth)...961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS)...761-1480 Drop Inn Center...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network...471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center...221-3350 St. John’s Housing...651-6446 Appalachian Identity Center ...621-5991 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency ...569-1840 Contact Center...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 Greater Cinci Coalition for the Homeless..421-7803 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center...5798547 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center ...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids ...363-3300 Stop AIDS...421-2437 Shelter: Men Housing: CMHA...721-4580 Excel Development...632-7149 OTR Community Housing...381-1171 Tender Mercies...721-8666 Tom Geiger House...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Food Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry..961-1983 Our Daily Bread...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House...784-1853 DIC Live In Program...721-0643 Prospect House...921-1613 Starting Over...961-2256 Health Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network ...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center ...381-2247 Hamilton county Mental Health Board...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control ...946-7628 Health Resource Center ...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County..458-6670 Oral Health Council...621-0248 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center...859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House...859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission...859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth...859-581-1111 Mathews House...859-261-8009 NKY Homeless & Housing Coalition...859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen...859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic...859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc...859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY...859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary...859-559-5011 VA Homeless...859-572-6226 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels...863-3184 Salvation Army...863-1445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource January 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: The Year’s Longest Night Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a ‘Street Walker’ Pg 4: Hitting the Streets Pg 5: Annual Dinner Continued The Longest Night Continued Pg 6: Beaten for Being Homeless Pg 7: Stickin’ It with the Most High Pg 8: Hidden Homeless of the Ivory Tower Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: New Year Notes Pg 11: Surviving the Hurt in the Heart Pg 12: Proving Cincy Cares Pg 13: A Chef for the People Pg 14: Council Continued Pg 15: Yale Continued Pg 16: Resource Guide Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Margo Pierce Angela Pancella Michael Henson Larry Gross Alyssa Konermann, Lew Moores Dede Stoops Alan Attwood Brittany Middlebrooks Terrence Williams Bill Joiner Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Richard Blumberg DeJong family Alan Attwood Berta Lambert Lynne Ausman Laura Damasceno Joe Wessels Steve Novotni Andrew Freeze Georgine Getty Michael Henson Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alan Attwood Alyssa Konermann Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Arts & Poetry Berta Lambert Bill Joiner Brittany Middlebrooks Chef Cincinnati city council Cooks Dede Stoops DeJong Family Depression Drop Inn Center education GCCH Georgine Getty Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Annual Dinner Gregory Flannery Harness Tower Hate Crime Humanitarianism Joe Wessels Larry Gross Laura Damasceno Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Michelle Ross New Year Ohio Photography Richard Blumberg Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Steve Novotni Street Paper Terrence Williams Yale https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/bdbe82d2f9079243eee59c401fa9302b.pdf cc7a9c5f9695fadf564c8e72fd4774f7 PDF Text Text Vendor P. 9 Profile Post Prison Blues P. 9 Parks are for Loitering P. 5 STREETVIBES $1 July 1-14 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 156 All Right to Be Different Recovery Center empowers clients recovering from mental illness By Larry Gross Contributing Writer Linda Zachary comes from a family of 11 children. She’s the mother of three grown children and a grandmother of five. She lives in East Walnut Hills and was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 19 years old. “I didn’t realize I had a problem,” she says. “I re­ member, when I was little, my mother thought I was talking to myself, but I was hearing voices. I thought the voices were OK. “I did not accept (the di­ agnosis) at first. I’ve been in and out of hospitals while try­ ing to get my degree, having those highs and lows. I didn’t accept my illness until I was in my 40s.” She’s an artist with many of her paintings hanging on the walls at the Recovery Center in Mount Auburn. She started out as a client but now is on staff. “I help out when needed in every sense of the word,” Zachary says. “I teach classes, fix coffee, sweep floors, an­ swer phones – a little bit of everything.” Zachary is open about her illness, especially with her family. “The more I learn about my illness, the more I let them know, because my illness runs in our family,” she says. “My father was schizophrenic, I had a brother who was schizo­ phrenic and I have a nephew who’s schizophrenic. In the black community, you didn’t talk about it. You were just See Different, p. 4 Artwork by clients of the Recovery Center in Mount Auburn adorn the walls. Some of the artwork is for sale. Photo by Andrew Anderson. Human Priorities Ballot initiative would let voters decide By GreGory FLannery editor Should city government support human services – for example, housing assistance for homeless families and treatment for people who have drinking problems? Voters could soon get the chance to decide if the city of Cincinnati should spend 1.5 percent of its general fund on human services. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is working on a charter amendment that would make the funding mandatory. The minimal spending was the city’s policy for more than 20 years. Former Mayor Char­ lie Luken, a Democrat, tried to kill the funding in his pro­ posed 2005-06 budget. That man has helped talking about the need to re­ effort failed but city council draft the language of the char­ store this funding,” Spring has slashed the help it gives ter amendment and plan a peti­ says. “For too long we have human services ever since. been hearing “For sev­ promises of eral years r e s t o r a t i o n . “For too long we have been talking about now, the city Now, especially government the need to restore this funding. For too with the cur­ has not been long we have been hearing promises of rent economic living up to restoration. Now it is the time to act.” problems, it is the prom­ the time to act. Josh Spring ise of 1.5 Soon we will percent,” be launching a says Josh tion drive to let voters decide, campaign to collect enough Spring, executive director of Spring says. signatures to legally force the the Homeless Coalition. “In­ The charter amendment city government to hold a vote. stead between 0.6 percent and 0.7 percent of the general fund won’t be on the November This vote will give the people has been going to these much ballot. Organizers are con­ the opportunity to decide.” The city isn’t saving money needed services. With the sidering a special election in­ most recent budget, this was stead. 2009 is an election year by cutting the funding; it’s approximately $2.6 million for city council, and placing losing money, Spring says. dollars instead of about $3.79 the charter amendment on The spending cuts keep the the same ballot would turn city from leveraging its small million dollars.” Because the city’s charter human-services funding into a investment – 1.5 percent – is its constitution, an amend­ partisan issue – the very situ­ into larger support from other ment would force council to ation it’s supposed to change, sources. Spring says. “These dollars serve as fund the programs. City council keeps cutting matching dollars; they mul­ The Homeless Coalition the funding; a charter amend­ tiply themselves in the form has been working closely on the proposal with Christopher ment is the best way to sup­ of opening opportunities for Smitherman, president of the port human services, he says. larger monetary grants,” he “For too long we have been says. Cincinnati NAACP. Smither­ �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 70 the length, in minutes, of Where Drunk Men Go. (See page 10.) 100 the approximate number of corporate volunteers who “invaded” Washington Park. (See page 5.) 40 the percent of blood-flow increase that lavender causes a man’s “junk.” (See page 8.) 111-22 the number of the law called the “Protecting Ten­ ants at Foreclosure Act.” (See page 14.) 10,000 the cost, in dollars, of a painting for sale at the Recovery Center. (See page 1.) 60 the cost, in dollars, of a speaker from the “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau. (See page 3.) 1977 the year Hudson Brothers Cleaners opened. (See page 12.) 500 the number of daily meals served by Our Daily Bread. (See page 13.) 15 the number of students who didn’t graduate at a high school on Rosebud Sioux Reservation in 2008. (See page 6.) 9 the amount, in dollars, an ex-con has to live on for a week. (See page 9.) Streetwise By GreGory FLannery Justice is a Cheap Sandwich A man uses illegal drugs, gets caught and pays the penalty. He spends the next 13 years living drug-free, stays out of trouble, finds work and becomes a stellar employee. When he applies for a job with the city of Cincinnati, he is one of only 15 out of 68 applicants to pass the civil service exam. Sounds like a good job candidate, right? Wrong. Gene Mays found out that 13 years of sobriety, honest living and hard work count for nothing in the city’s eyes. The civil service commission ruled that a felony conviction bars anyone, no matter how qualified, from working for the city. After losing a lawsuit, Mays took his case before the Ohio First District Court of Appeals, which last month ruled 2-to-1 against him. Appeals Judge Mark Painter, who issued the dissenting opinion, blasted the majority’s decision as “baloney.” Citing the civil service commission’s failure to exercise discretion – which, Painter said, is required by law – he took issue with a magistrate’s finding that the commission has “the absolute right” to bar former felons. That interpretation is absolutely wrong, ac­ cording to Painter. “Commissions do not have rights; people do,” he wrote. The appeals court should have overturned the civil service commission’s ruling be­ cause it was arbitrary and unreasonable, Painter’s opinion said. “When people do turn their life around, we should applaud and help them help them­ selves – not ban them from employment by imposing arbitrary rules,” he wrote. That kind of clarity is why we’re going to miss Painter when he moves to a job at a new United Nations appeals court in September. Some of His Best Friends Are Cavemen Clarity, however, isn’t the word to describe a June 10 column in CityBeat by Joe Wes­ sels. To borrow a phrase from Painter’s ruling, the column’s observations about homeless people are “eyewash.” Wessels opens by saying he’s never been homeless but allows that he could be in serious financial trouble if he misses a paycheck. “Giving up sometimes seems like a great idea,” he writes. “Or getting a simpler job. Or no job and no responsibilities. You know, being homeless.” A blithe, un-thoughtful reverie about poverty can be forgiven. But Wessels doesn’t stop there. He trots out the old canard about homelessness being a freely chosen “lifestyle.” “I don’t like finding excuses for these folks,” Wessels writes. “I’m not into feeling sorry. Living in Over-the-Rhine, I’ve had enough conversations with the ‘chronically homeless’ to know that it’s more acute than chronic. Many like living the way they do.” Many? The column cites no numbers, of course. Wessels’s argument is nothing more than the oft-used excuse given to justify ignorant remarks about racial minorities, ho­ mosexuals and other oppressed groups: “Why, some of my best friends are black/gay/ homeless.” Consider the way Wessels describes one of his sources: “Tom Banks, an Over-theRhine character, made a point to me recently.” Could any characterization be more dis­ missive, more disrespectful? Mr. Banks is “a character,” a bit player in the colorful street theater that Wessels sees when he looks at poverty. Wessels speaks truly when he says he isn’t “into feeling sorry” for homeless people. Last year he used his column to criticize churches for engaging in the untidy practice of giving food to poor people in Washington Park. He’s entitled to his opinion, of course, uninformed though it might be. But he is not entitled to use his tenuous affiliation with Streetvibes to give himself a veneer of exper­ tise. His June 10 column takes note of the fact that Wessels is a member of the Streetvibes advisory board. I’d like to point out that the advisory board hasn’t met in more than a year. I’d also like to point that Wessels is no longer on the advisory board. I wish I could say he was dumped for his neanderthal opinions about homelessness, but the advisory board was dissolved before the column was published. Those Darned Naysayers Mayor Mark Mallory’s rhetoric about the Streetcar That Will Save Cincinnati is no better. Cincinnatians for Progress is a lobby formed to oppose a ballot issue that would – gasp – give voters a chance to vote on the proposed streetcars. Letting voters decide the issue is “dangerous,” according to a June 10 press release announcing a rally for the group. Mallory, who chairs Cincinnatians for Progress, couldn’t come up with anything better than the lame assertion that some people just want to hold Cincinnati back. “Once again, however, the naysayers in our community want to put a stop to that progress and leave our city in the past,” Mallory said. That’s why they oppose the streetcar plan: They hate progress. They probably hate Cincinnati itself. Thanks for clearing it up. STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Paul Miller, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, Lynne Ausman, Dave Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Murray Bodo, Stephanie Dunlap, Lea Ottenheimer Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Paul Kopp, Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman, Lea Ottenheimerm, Mikki Schaffner Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Community News Eight Minutes with a 3 Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. ‘Rebel With A Cause’ She’s bent on making a positive impact By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer This rebel doesn’t have a clear vision for the work she’ll do over the next 15 years, but she knows what she wants to do right now – end homeless­ ness as we know it. And she’s doing it one pound of coffee at a time. Lynne Ausman is admin­ istrative coordinator at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) – the woman with her hand on the purse strings – and that means her immediate thoughts fall to the people in the lobby less than 20 feet from her desk. “I wish we’d have enough coffee, creamer, sugar and lemonade and cups anyone wanted so we wouldn’t run out,” she says. “It’s not a huge expense but unfortunately it’s a small expense and the small ones are the first ones to go. It’s the one we put off when we have bigger expenses like keeping the lights on and keeping the doors opened, the A/C or heat on.” Ausman didn’t start out with homelessness as a target for her advocacy; all she knew was she wanted to pursue a career in the field of human rights. A corporate job that in­ volved cube-dwelling sound­ ed like torture. Inspired by a college professor who “who survived the Rwandan geno­ cide … by swimming across the lake out of Rwanda into the Congo,” she moved back to her hometown of Cincinna­ ti, making a two-year commit­ ment to AmeriCorps*VISTA working for GCCH. “I got into how homeless people cycle through the jus­ tice system and what it does to them on the outside,” she says. “I found that homeless people go through this cycle. They hit the street, they may stay two or three nights in a homeless shelter here and there, but then they’re in jail. Then jail spits them out eight hours later, 10 days later, whenever, back on the street into that exact same situation that put them there in the first place. “They go back to their thing and they end up in jail again. layout. I do as much as I can to keep me con­ nected to the mission.” That means speak­ ing engagements, “ad­ vocacy events” and generally educating people about the prob­ lems faced by people without a permanent address. “We reach between 2,500 and 3,000 com­ munity members a year with our speaking en­ gagements,” Ausman says. “Our targeted populations are high schools and colleges. The reasons for the education programs are two-fold. There’s a lack of knowledge about homelessness, so if we can teach people about homelessness and we can turn someone from the apathy that they feel about homeless­ ness into empathy, then we’ve done something good. “We know that hate crimes committed against homeless peo­ ple are typically com­ Lynne Ausman, administrative coordinator at the Greater Cincinnati mitted by high school Coalition for the Homeless. Photo by Andrew Anderson. boys or people under the age of 25, typically It’s a constant cycle, and I keep her from the reason for men. We specifically target found that it was costing tak- what she does – ending home­ our education programs to ing taxpayers in jail costs – I lessness. didn’t figure in court costs, at“There (are) two things people in those age groups so torney fees, public defenders non-profits have to focus on,” that we can create empathy in them so that they don’t come down town and beat up people If we had proper social safety nets, or commit hate crimes.” they wouldn’t be staying on the There’s a fee for having a speaker from GCCH speaker’s streets and they wouldn’t be using bureau, but the $60 provides a shelters (and) taxpayers wouldn’t be meager stipend for non-staff paying thousands of dollars a year for speakers and might cover the them to sit in jail. This is a community cost of mileage if the price of problem and it needs community gas stays below $4 a gallon. Hardly a revenue generator, solutions.” - Lynne Ausman much as Ausman would like it to be, speakers are integral to - $43,000 a person per year. she says. “You have to focus building awareness. “One of our speakers grew That’s a real disservice. We’re on your mission and you also spending all this money put­ have to focus on how you’re up in a blue-collar home. He ting people in jail, basically going to get the money, the had both his parents. His mom giving three hots and a cot but resources to achieve that mis­ was a substitute teacher, his nothing to help them to get out sion. And sometimes there’s a dad worked for the post of­ fice – a stable home,” Aus­ of where they are, if they want disconnect. to get out of where they are.” “We’re small enough that man says. “He had a college Since 2006 Ausman has that’s just not possible. I have degree and he was homeless. evolved into a multi-tasking to help in other areas. So one When we take him to speak, staffer who refuses to allow way I keep connected is work­ he always strikes a chord, es­ the practical aspects of her job ing with Streetvibes, doing the pecially with college students. They think, ‘This magic piece of paper’s going to keep me safe and secure the rest of my life.’ When he says, ‘I have a college degree just like you will,’ people are (shocked.)” More comfortable talking about the issues surrounding homelessness, Ausman says what most non-profit staffers say – “The job’s not about me or about the people who work here – it’s about the people we serve.” “Homelessness isn’t a prob­ lem of an individual; it’s not a micro-level problem,” she says. “It’s not that one per­ son’s problem. Maybe some decisions that (a) person made led to their homelessness, but if we had proper social safety nets, they wouldn’t be stay­ ing on the streets and they wouldn’t be using shelters (and) taxpayers wouldn’t be paying thousands of dollars a year for them to sit in jail. This is a community problem and it needs community solu­ tions.” Whether she’s writing a grant or brainstorming ideas for expanding Streetvibes sub­ scriptions, Ausman is a wom­ an bucking the stereotype of her generation. “I found a home here. That’s kind of ironic because this is the Homeless Coalition, but I found a population that I enjoy working with,” Ausman says. “I’d never worked with homelessness; I’d never been exposed to it prior to working here. I found something I can build a passion for. “I think it’s possible to end homelessness today. It’s crazy for adult men and adult wom­ en, but especially for a child who had no way of stopping it or contributing to it. Families are the fastest growing seg­ ment of the homeless popula­ tion, and I think that’s deplor­ able.” If you want to help make Lynne’s job a little easier, drop her a note and ask her where to send a check or drop off a box of coffee cups, a few pounds of coffee, paper towels or a few containers of lemon­ ade. Call 513-421-7803, ext. 11 or write lynneausman@ cincihomeless.org. �4 STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Community News All Right to Be Different (Continued from page 1) shunned. You were special. “When growing up, I remember my father coming home from the hospital and remember him losing a lot of weight and taking a lot of medicine. The things my mother would say to a house full of kids, you know: ‘Your father is sick. Be quiet.’ There were teenagers in the house. How do you tell teenagers to be quiet?” “I remember that table full of medicine. Nobody would say anything about it. My mother would say, ‘He’s just sick – leave him alone.’ ” Today Zachary believes there are fewer stigmas associated with mental ill­ ness. She’s happy with her life. “I’ve got the support I need – from my family and from the Recovery Center,” she says. “It’s very peaceful at the Recovery Center. It’s like home. You don’t have to put on airs. There’s peace.” Accepted behavior The Recovery Center is a consumer-driven agency funded by the Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and the Health Foundation Linda Zachary was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 19. of Greater Cincinnati. It offers peer support, self-help, education and commu­ Photos by Andrew Anderson. nity involvement activities for those recovering from mental illness. At the entry way is a garden with a wide variety of summer flowers, low bushes and plenty of mulch. A homemade sign says, “Please do not sit on the CRI, helping the mentally ill. “I just really liked what they were doing,” Pedoto says, “giving back to indi­ flower garden!” viduals who were suffering from mental illness.” People who arrive before 11:30 a.m. get a free lunch. On this particular He started volunteering at CRI, teaching computer classes. This resulted in Wednesday, the menu is hot dogs and chips. Looking ahead to Friday, the fare is a full-time job. He then returned to college and studied a little better, a taco salad. psychology so his training would better fit the field. Drawings and paintings by some of the clients Sixteen years later, he hasn’t looked back. He enjoys “We serve 30 to 40 clients adorn the hallways at the Recovery Center. Most of empowering those recovering from mental illness and is a day and have over 300 the art is quite good and can be purchased at reason­ proud of the Recovery Center. members that come through able prices – but not the paintings done by Liz. For “We serve 30 to 40 clients a day and have over 300 our door. The goal is to help Tool Box Needed, she’s asking $15,000. Her Cup members that come through our door,” Pedoto says. “The those members go back to of Purple is priced at $10,000. One guesses she‘s goal is to help those members go back to work, school, work, school, maybe become joking. maybe become a volunteer in the community or enhance a volunteer in the community The hallways at the Recovery Center are abuzz their personal growth.” or enhance their personal with students going to and from classes. The ages “The idea of the Recovery Center is that we’ll be a growth.” of the students vary, some in their 20s, some much stepping stone to something else out there in the com­ -Chris Pedoto older. With students recovering from different kinds munity, so what I tell folks is when they come in here, the of mental illness, their behavior varies. goal is to actually get rid of ya – and I don’t mean that Most students seem “normal” – communicating in a bad way. It just means I want them to be successful out there in the com­ with each other and discussing their classes. Other students don’t make eye con­ munity.” tact or converse in any way. A few walk through the halls with their heads down. Part of preparing clients for that success is a variety of classes, including Some have a tendency to talk to themselves. support groups for people suffering from mental illness such as bipolar disorder At the Recovery Center, it’s all accepted behavior. It’s all right to be weird. or schizophrenia. The center also offers classes in physical wellness, computer A younger woman is talking on the phone in the lobby. Her behavior seems fine but suddenly an outburst of animal noises comes from her mouth. This oc­ training, self esteem, weight management, creative writing and job readiness and preparation for the GED test. All classes are free of charge. curs more than a few times. “We try to listen to our members and take feedback from them,” Pedoto says. Program Manager Chris Pedoto approaches the client, who apologizes for the “They help us determine what kind of classes we’re going to put together. We outbursts. Pedoto isn’t critical of her behavior. In a warm, friendly voice, he sug­ gests she move away from the lobby so as not to make guests coming through want to know what’s going to help them to be successful in their recovery.” the front door uncomfortable. He sets the client at ease. ‘Demon possessed’ ‘Get rid of ya’ Pedoto has been with the agency since it opened in 2006. Married since 1995, he has four young children and lives in Mason. He doesn’t mind the long com­ mute. “I enjoy my work,” he says. “I look forward to coming in everyday.” After finishing college with a degree in marketing, he worked one year in business. Several of his friends were working for a local health agency called Chris Pedoto is program manager at the Recovery Center. David Kreate, a peer recovery specialist at the Recovery Center, teaches classes, runs support groups, interacts with the clients and prepares lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays. Like Linda Zachary, he has schizophrenia, diagnosed in 1981when he was 18 year old. “One thing that I believe in that a lot of people disagree with is the idea of forced medication at times,” Kreate says. “I’ve had it forced on me and looking back, I’m glad they did, because I would never have progressed as far as I have without it.” Despite the need for medication, Kreate has quit taking it several times. Ev­ ery time he stopped, he ended up in the hospital. “I was kind of thickheaded,” he says. “It took me awhile to realize that doesn’t work.” There are several reasons that some mentally ill people stop taking their med­ icines, according to Kreate. “There are the side effects – making you really tired or making you gain weight,” he says. “I also think it’s a matter of pride. We want to be able to handle our problems on our own without a pill, without a crutch.” Kreate lives with his wife in Coryville. They have two cats named Larry and Moe and a stuffed cat named Curly. He’s aware of the stigma surrounding mental illness. “I think it’s a lack of understanding first and foremost,” he says. “There are people who think you’re demon-possessed if you hear voices. You know, get into the 21st century here. “There are also people who think if you just get out of bed and get a job, you would be alright. We just need to try harder or we’re just lazy or that a per­ son likes collecting disability and not having a job. That’s not the truth. People who think that See Different, p. 5 �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Community News 5 We’re Supposed to Loiter in the Park Cleaning is nice, but respect is better By Lynne ausMan Staff Writer May 29 was a big day in Over-the-Rhine. Well, that’s what I have been told. That was the day of the Mayor’s Corporate Challenge, when hundreds of corporate executives and staff descended on Over-the-Rhine with grandiose ideas that they would clean up and clear out all that is bad and leave a trail of magic fairy dust in their path to keep things clean and tidy until next year when they do it all again. Because I knew that this event was occurring and that the kick-off was in Washington Park, I decided to take a detour on my normal route to my office and drive by the park. I expected to see cars lining the street and hundreds of groggy-eyed corporate staffers wearing the same T-shirts expressing how great they are because they took a few hours out of their day to clean-up Over-the-Rhine on one spring morning a year. I’m not knocking volunteer work. I volunteer, I love to volunteer and I appreciate all that volunteers do, whether they volunteer once a year or once a week: It’s all still good. What I am knocking, however, is that instead of hundreds of volunteers ready to do their too many people, too many part and clean up, I saw barely police. I spoke with some guys a hundred. From a distance hanging out on the steps of I could pick out a few of the Memorial Hall; they said that groups – the orange shirts, the there was definitely a sense white shirts and the blue shirts that they weren’t welcome. – all with their individual “I don’t know what they are corporate going to clean logos and up,” said one. Why do people have “They have slogans. T h a t such a problem with people come morning in and clean people loitering there were up the trash in in parks? Last I m o r e the park every checked, parks are people morning and FOR loitering. in the they just put park than in some new normal – landscaping. the 100 or so volunteers – but The park is already clean.” I also noticed something was I am so tired of people who amiss. It took me a minute say they care about Overor two, but I finally realized the-Rhine and want it to be what felt different about the a “successful” community park. Usually on a cool spring swooping into the community morning, the park is full of without a care in the world people in the gazebo and about the people who already sitting along the outer walls of live, work and play in Overthe park. That morning there the-Rhine. I think Over-thewere none. Rhine is already a successful Instead of people enjoying community – last I checked the park, there were police Over-the-Rhine residents were officers everywhere I looked mostly families with children – some on horseback, some on – despite the fact that there are foot, some in cars with lights no elementary schools in Overflickering, some on Segways, the-Rhine. Thankfully, the some on bikes. old Rothenberg Elementary I spoke with one man who School is scheduled to be was sitting quietly on a bench renovated and re-opened. in the park. He said that no When I walk down the street one told them to leave, but in some other neighborhoods, most moved along anyway – I might as well be invisible. All Right to Be Different (Continued from page 4) should be given an extended people it serves, but to society vacation and stay home and do in general.” nothing – then they’ll figure out it’s not so ‘Guardian angels’ great.” Kreate Empowerment is a sees a day In the main wonderful thing. coming when hallway at mental ill­ the Recov­ ness will car­ ery Center ry less stigma. is a drawing on a plain white “Cancer used to have a sheet of paper. It looks like it’s stigma attached to it, but not drawn in pencil. The drawing, so much anymore,” he says. simple but elegant, shows a “I think there’s a day com­ guardian angel in the clouds. ing when it will be accepted Melissa Sheridan drew it. to have a mental illness and She lives with her husband you’re not thought of so dif­ and three cats in Northside. ferently than anybody else.” She suffers from major de­ Kreate’s favorite part of his pression, post-traumatic stress job is interacting with other disorder and anxiety. Sheri­ people who have mental ill­ dan’s been a client at the Re­ ness. He thinks the work he covery Center for a little over does at the Recovery Center is a year. important. “I believe in guardian an­ “A good mental health sys­ gels that surround us and pro­ tem is the foundation of a sol­ tects us,” she says. “In con­ id, stable society,” he says. “I sidering that, with my mental feel that mental health servic­ health diagnosis, I also had es are vital – not just for the a physical diagnosis where I almost died. I leaned on my spirituality more so than ever, and it gave me hope to think there were angels protecting me.” Sheridan’s physical prob­ lems started after a plane flight in 2004. “I was diagnosed with chronic vertigo, which is inner-ear dizziness,” she says. “I started getting migraines and dizziness and was afraid to eat, because I was afraid I would get a migraine and was afraid I would vomit, so I de­ veloped anorexia N.O.S. (not otherwise specified) due to another physical illness (ver­ tigo). I was at the point when I came to the Recovery Center. I only weighted 62 pounds. I almost died.” With the help of the Recov­ ery Center and a dietitian, her weight is now up to 95 pounds and she’s no longer diagnosed with anorexia. She tries to eat healthfully, saying “no thank you” to the hot dogs and Mounted officers patrol Washington Park while corporate volunteers gathered for the “Mayor’s Corporate Challenge.” Photo by Lynne Ausman. In Over-the-Rhine I walk down the street and people I have never met say “hello” or “good morning,” not because I look especially friendly, but because I am another person walking down the same street. I always return their kindness with “hello” or “have a good day.” When people from outside Over-the-Rhine want to do good, they immediately go to Over-the-Rhine and look for trash to clean up or community gardens to weed – or homeless people to shoo away or affordable housing to tear down in favor of expensive condos or shelters to suffocate until they have no choice but to move. I get that the event is the “corporate” challenge, but why isn’t it the “community” challenge? Why aren’t the social services in Over-theRhine invited to participate? Why aren’t their clients? Most important, why aren’t the people who live in Overthe-Rhine and use the park invited to help? Which gets me to another issue – why do people have such a problem with people loitering in parks? Last I checked, parks are FOR loitering. As the kick-off ended and the crowd of 100 volunteers begins to disperse and go off to their work sites for the day, the park regulars began to return. The Recovery Center is located at 2340 Auburn Ave. For more information, visit www.recoverycenterhc.org or call 513-241-1411. chips for lunch. Sheridan goes to the Recov­ ery Center three or four days a week – not only to attend classes but also to teach. She is known at the center as the “computer whiz” and teaches computer courses. “I hope to one day work for the Recovery Center,” she says. The Recovery Center is a safe place for people recov­ ering from mental illness. There’s no judgmental behav­ ior in sight, but there are a lot of hugs. Linda Zachary is the master at this. She appreciates everybody at the center and isn’t afraid to show it. Everybody seems to love Chris Pedoto. The worst thing about his job is “a lot of things coming at me at one time,” he says. “There are a lot of re­ sponsibilities.” Even so he always seems to have a smile on his face. Some of the clients exhibit unusual behavior, such as the man who has become known as “the complimenter.” He’s a pleasant person who always has nice things to say about your hair, your shirt, your jacket – whatever. He’s al­ ways looking for “thank you,” which he follows up immedi­ ately with “you’re welcome.” If that’s weird, what ex­ actly is normal? Maybe David Kreate puts it best. “I sometimes take pride when someone calls me ‘weird,’ ” he says. One behavior that doesn’t seem to occur at the Recovery Center is sadness. In general, everybody’s too busy help­ ing others or improving their lives. You get a sense that the employees and clients are a family, a family pull­ ing together, encouraging and cheering each other on. Empowerment is a wonder­ ful thing. �6 National News Poetry Corner Sunday with Julian By Murray Bodo, oFM She consoles me as I meditate before Mass – Julian of Norwich, that is, who says, “We are clothed, wrapped in the goodness of God.” And she consoles me after Mass, when I drive home to the friary and pass two prostitutes who are sitting on folding chairs next to the curb helping each other with make-up. And that evening, too, when I go to Frisch’s for a Big Boy and fries and a boy’s talking to his girl friend in the booth next to mine – talking and talking – and his girl friend’s eyes say she just wants to hold him and quiet him – and he keeps talking and her eyes keep trying to say, Let’s leave. And when I leave, he’s still talking, ”You know what I’m saying?” and she’s still trying to subtly persuade him they should leave and then I’m walking behind a middle-aged man, a son helping his older mother to the car and ahead an older man’s walking with his pregnant teenage wife and she’s smiling as he talks and eats an ice cream cone and I think, the Mass still isn’t over. And as I get into the car, Julian’s in my thoughts again and I say to myself, They’re all clothed in the goodness of God – and I’m about to drive away when a prostitute, tattooed abundantly, comes to my open window and asks, “Do you have a lighter I could buy from you?” and I say, “No, but I can give you some matches” and she says, “I don’t do matches,” and I’m wondering is there a code here I’m not aware of? and she says, “Hey, you’re the guy who didn’t give me a ride earlier, aren’t you? and of course I was and didn’t, fearing what it might look like, forgetting Julian, and she says, “I said to myself, Okay, I like the jerk anyway,” and walks away. And then I drive away and it’s twilight and I’m left with memories of this day and I think, clothed or naked, we are wrapped around in the goodness of God and yes, the Mass begins when it ends, and when I get home, I pick up Julian and she says, “Mother Jesus leads us into his blessed breast through his open side, and there gives us a glimpse of the Godhead and heavenly joy…” Talk about being wrapped in God’s goodness! The Mass begins. Excerpted from Wounded Angels, copyright 2009, Blissfool Books. STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Homeless in High School On and off the reservation, kids are struggling 1 By Lea ottenheiMer Contributing Writer Four years ago I was a dis­ illusioned graduate student at the University of Vermont about to receive a master’s degree in English literature, a degree becoming more and more useless as humani­ ties departments in the na­ tion’s universities continue to shrink. Philosophy and social science programs don’t bring in nearly as much money as engineering or pharmacology; therefore the humanities are Homeless students often cannot finish high school. Photo by Lea Ottenheimer. obviously a worthless study. I ended up joining Teach for that affected me the most dur- sistant principal, Mr. Roberts, America, a division of Ame­ ing my two years teaching split her $100 bail with me ricorps, basically because I high school on Rosebud. and I went down to get her. couldn’t think of anything else Mr. Roberts, who was not a I wanted to do. Homeless students Native American, had begun From August 2006 through the year as the PE teacher but June 2008 I taught 11th and One of my many students, was finally recruited as assis­ 12th grade Katie Black tant principal after we were English at St. Bear, often without one for six months. I had a lot of Francis Indian had nowhere Our original assistant princi­ faith in this School on the to sleep or pal, a member of the Rosebud young woman’s Rosebud Sioux eat, let alone tribe, left two months into the intelligence and Reservation a place to do school year after a falling out spirit. I couldn’t in South Da­ homework. As with the superintendent — a watch her miss kota. Rosebud with many of real cowboy of a man from her chance is just east of her classmates, Nebraska, complete with all when she was Pine Ridge Katie’s mother the conservative values and so close. I went Reservation, was an alco­ prejudices of the last genera­ through her where Dances holic and her tion. Yes, a superintendent of grades with With Wolves father wasn’t an Indian school who really our assistant was filmed. in the picture. didn’t like Indians. How cli­ principal and The film typi­ Her older sis­ ché. knew that, if she fies the ro­ ter developed a When I got to the jail, I passed all her mantic idea meth habit and didn’t bail Katie out right finals, which she mainstream took off to Cal­ away. Instead, I asked to see seemed capable America holds ifornia while her in the visitor area and I of doing, she about Native Katie bounced sounded her out. I wanted to would graduate. Americans: between the know whether she really want­ they were a couches of dif­ ed to graduate, whether she noble people ferent relatives had any dreams or aspirations, conquered by us and now re­ and friends, many of whom whether she would be willing membered fondly, yet with a were also alcoholics. At the to buckle down and not go out small sense of guilt, as a sad end of her senior year, Katie with her friends or drink until but rich part of our cultural ended up in jail two weeks be­ she had reached her goal. She history. fore graduation for an unpaid promised me that she was se­ I emphasize the word “his­ under-age drinking ticket. Be­ rious about graduating, and I tory” because the fact that cause she had no money and bailed her out. these tribes survived and none of her relatives or friends It wasn’t until we got into continue to live in the most was willing or able to bail my old beat up Honda and I oppressive, deplorable condi­ her out, she would have had asked where I was taking her tions receives little attention to stay in jail for at least five that I found out she really in the mainstream media. We days. This would cause her to wasn’t living anywhere. For think it’s enough to pay them miss her final exams at school the past couple weeks she had tribute with Hollywood epics and keep her from graduating. been staying at her friend’s and by naming sports teams It would be the second year apartment in what we in the after them. The reality of the she failed to graduate high city would call the “projects.” modern life of many Native school and, like many of the Katie’s friend, who had never American communities is other young people on her graduated, had a 1 ½-year-old very different from our ro­ reservation, she most likely son and lived off government mantic fiction. While Native would have given up and not aid, much of the money going Americans have experienced gone back to try a third time. to alcohol, drugs and ciga­ their own unique form of dis­ I had a lot of faith in this rettes. When I pointedly asked enfranchisement, many of the young woman’s intelligence her about it, she admitted that problems I observed on the and spirit. I couldn’t watch it was not a living environ­ reservation were similar to her miss her chance when she ment that allowed her to get those of all poverty-stricken was so close. I went through any schoolwork done, and it areas I’ve seen in America, her grades with our assistant was easy for her to miss the both rural and urban, includ­ principal and knew that, if she bus to school, her only means ing substance abuse and passed all her finals, which of transportation, because homelessness. It was adoles­ she seemed capable of doing, cent homelessness, however, she would graduate. The as­ See High School, p. 7 �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 National News Power to the Cardholder 7 ‘Credit Card Bill of Rights’ provides overdue protection for consumers By ariana shahandeh Contributing Writer tic. First, there are new limits on penalties and interest-rate During his visit to a high hikes. In addition to requiring school in New Mexico in a 45-day notice to consumers May, President Obama heard before increasing their intermultiple complaints about est rates, the Credit Card Acharsh and countability, unfair fees ResponsiThe Credit Card and penalties bility and Accountability, charged by Disclosure Responsibility credit-card Act of 2009 and Disclosure companies. will prohibit In response, companies Act of 2009 will he said, prohibit companies from retro“Those days from retroactively actively raisare over.” ing rates on raising rates on Obama existing balexisting balances. was referances. ring to a bill Under the signed into new law, law May 22 that makes exten- consumers will be allowed to sive reforms to the process of set their own credit limits – getting and maintaining plas- subject to approval – and will be protected from unlimited fees for violating them. When the law goes into effect Feb. 22, 2010, it will require that credit card statements be mailed 21 days before payments are due. And while many credit-card payments are now allocated by lenders toward low-interest balances first, next year payments above the minimum must be distributed evenly between balances or used to pay off those with higher interest rates first. One of the biggest restrictions extend beyond the credit card companies and will hit young consumers as well; the bill will prevent people younger than age 21 from being issued credit cards without co-signers who show proof of Homeless in High School Buffalo on the Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Photo by Lea Ottenheimer. there was no alarm clock to make sure she woke up in time. Without much hesitation, or forethought, I offered to house her and take her to school every day until graduation, on condition that she didn’t go out with her friends or drink. She readily agreed. She desperately wanted that feeling of accomplishment that comes when you finally achieve a goal that you have been working toward. Katie graduated high school in June of 2007. All it took was a safe place to sleep, quiet space and the resources to complete her schoolwork. She planned to follow a career in nursing and remain on the reservation working at the hospital there. Katie is just one example of many other students at St. Francis Indian School whom I saw struggling with homelessness. The resources for social services on the reservation are even more limited than in the cities. I was lucky to have been in a position to give Katie a hand up at just the right time, but there were others whom I wasn’t able to help. There were others who continued to struggle to stay awake in class because they had to sleep on their uncle’s couch with people drinking and carrying on around them the night before, others who had been kicked out or forced to run away from their houses and had to find a barn or an abandoned trailer home to sleep in until they could find somewhere else to crash for a while. Unfortunately, our school did not have any dorms for those students who needed a safe place to sleep. The county school over in the next town had dorms but they were overcrowded and had a waiting list. As there weren’t enough resources available, the homeless students continued to struggle in school, often succumbing to the substance abuse all around them. I’m no expert on the matter but from what I observed, the despair that pervades the reservation from generations of forced poverty and oppression expresses itself most prevalently in substance abuse. Yet this type of despair is not only to be found on the reservations. Anywhere that people struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds, one will find that type of despair. Alcohol and drugs make you feel better for the moment; the high helps you forget about your problems for a while. Eventually your use starts creating more problems in your life so you use more to try and feel better; and before you know it, you’re caught in a self-defeating cycle. The crime of being poor At the beginning of this cycle, in my opinion, lies the despair that poverty brings. American ideology screams at us that true happiness is measured in material possessions and social status; and those who have the least are to be viewed as objects of disgust, ridicule and condescending pity. One of the greatest of all the mythological American icons is that of the “self-made man,” the person who drags herself out of poverty into a position of wealth and power. But how many young people never find a hand up? There were 15 other students in Katie’s class that year who didn’t the ability to pay on their be- clandestine amendment allows half. Critics say this will make loaded firearms to be carried it harder for students to be- through wildlife refuges and come cardnational holders and parks. Taken in its entirety, that the foThe bill the bill’s language cus should might not means some people have been quite revunder age 21 may not olutionize on debt education. the credit be allowed to carry a Alternative indus­ credit card, but they suggestions try but it may carry loaded included shows a guns in national mandatory growing parks. personal attitude in finance favor of courses in consumer college. protection by Congress. Along Taken in its entirety, the with the Lilly Ledbetter Act bill’s language means some passed earlier this year, requir­ people under age 21 may not ing equal rights for women, be allowed to carry a credit we’ve seen a congressional card, but they may carry load- effort to protect, rather than ed guns in national parks. A restrict. (continued from page 6) make it to graduation. Some 20 percent of the population people tell me I should feel could be considered middle good that I was able to help class. Those were, of course, one make the fami­ it. I say, lies that American ideology is one out had the screams at us that of 15 anymost sotrue happiness is thing to cial and measured in material feel good political possessions and about? power in social status; and In this the com­ those who have country’s munities the least are to be current as well, viewed as objects of finanyet many disgust, ridicule and cial criof the chilcondescending pity. sis, many dren of people the poorer have lost families and continue to lose their jobs, were allowed to fall through homes are being foreclosed the cracks and forced to fend and the despair that accompa- for themselves. It seems that nies these losses will take a toll poverty is a crime in itself in on those families. How many America and it is the children people have already turned to who are being punished for substance abuse? And how the “sins” of their parents. many adolescents will end up We are turning out a grow­ without a safe place to sleep? ing number of uneducated and Perhaps I am mistaken, disenfranchised adolescents but I’ve always thought that every year. It makes me wonthe United States of America der what kind of society we’ll was supposedly a govern- be left with after a hundred ment formed around the ideal years or so. of providing opportunities to My experience on the resthe formerly disenfranchised: ervation was a depressing public schooling, public li- one, not just because I bore braries, the right to vote and witness to the continuing ophold office and the right to pression of Native Americans, effect political change when but because I also saw familgovernment policies become iar tragedies. We are spend­ outdated or just don’t work. ing trillions of dollars muckThe reality of the situation, ing around in other countries however, both in the cities and while the disenfranchised on the reservations, is that the children in this country are size of your wallet determines left to fend for themselves. If how many and what types of possible, I believe I’m even opportunities are made avail- more disillusioned now than I able to you and your children. was four years ago. God bless Not every family on the reser- America. vation was dirt poor. At least �8 STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Recipe Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Your tour guide into the steamy side of vegetarian cuisine Lavender Lemonade 5 cups cold water 1 ½ cups sugar ¼ cup fresh lavender leaves or 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers 2 ¼ cups lemon juice or 10-14 freshly squeezed lemons, depending on the size 1 lime Fresh lavender flower stems for garnish (optional) By aLecia a. Lott Contributing Writer Cold, refreshing, sweet-tart lemonade is the answer to the Cincinnati’s hellishly humid Julys and Augusts. Lemonade is summer. Lemonade is sun­ shine. Lemonade is…an aph­ rodisiac? Well, no. But add lavender and you’re a step in the right direction. A decadently aromatic herb, lavender is a popular aromatherapy ingredient, and its essence is used in all sorts of household products from soaps to eye masks to toilet cleaner. But people from as far back as ancient Rome have suspected this purple flower’s addictive scent might have more — ahem — fun ef­ fects than just soothing aching backs or curing insomnia. Photo by Andrew Anderson. There’s now scientific data to back up these beliefs. Recent studies by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago suggest that the scent of lavender (combined with the aroma of pumpkin pie of all things!) can increase blood flow to a man’s, uh, junk by 40 percent. You can’t argue with science. After a sumptuous meal, smooth jazz (or country, hiphop or punk, whatever does it for you) and a frosty glass of lavender lemonade on a steamy summer evening, sexy activities may soon follow. Don’t forget to share a slice of pumpkin pie for dessert! 1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 ½ cups of the water, 1 cup sugar and the lavender; bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. 2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat, cover and let cool. The longer you let the lavender infuse into the water, the stronger the flavor will be. When the syrupy mixture is cool, strain it into a large pitcher. 3. Add the syrup to the remaining 2 ½ cups cold water and lemon juice, stirring well. Add a couple squeezes of lime juice, to your taste. 4. Add ice cubes just before serving. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish with fresh lavender stems if you have them. Try adding vodka and/or basil or mint next time. Vendors’ Artwork Artwork by Anthony Williams Berta’s Art Corner “Fountain Framed in Neon” Downtown, Cincinnati, Ohio ! ? t a h W y a S _____________________ “Until they become conscious, they will never rebel; and until after they they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious.” - George Orwell, 1984 �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Vendor Profile Disability, Theft, Loneliness and Death 9 No easy street for a ‘Streetvibes’ vendor By JereMy FLannery Contributing Writer Advancement of Science for four years, he says. He was employed as a soundman for Life on the streets of Cin- various bands, including Billy cinnati has been traumatic for Squier, and as a part time meStreetvibes vendor Kenneth chanic. Stonitsch. Since being evict“You’re looking at no ed from his house in 2007 he dummy,” Stonitsch says. “I has slept in stairwells, under also worked for the Minute bridges, in parks, in camps Men Temporary Agency for along the Ohio River and in 15 years. Some of those jobs abandoned buildings. were a nightmare, but I was He refuses willing to do to sleep at them as long the Drop Inn “Sometimes you as I was capaCenter after get so miserable, ble. Plus, I was having his a mechanic on but you can’t possessions the side, but I feel sorry for stolen there on lost it because yourself. I got three separate my back is so to continue to occasions, he bad I couldn’t says. He says do it anymore. survive. You has seen four If I could get can’t give up.” dead bodies of back into it, - Kenneth fellow homeI’d try, I really Stonitsch less people would. But it since becomtakes money, ing homeless. and I’m not He was almost added to that making any.” tally through a shotgun, but Stonitsch suffers a cascade the assailant accidentally shot of medical problems and has his own arm off, he says. undergone five surgeries since “I was living in a house with 2007, he says. His spine col21 acres of land,” Stonitsch lapsed in 2005 from epidural says. “But I was evicted in lipomatosis, he has rheuma2007 and the house was torn toid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, is down. Before it was torn deaf in his left ear and suffers down, someone went in there from a loss of equilibrium, he and stole all of my things – says. His swollen ankles promy speakers, sound equip- truding from the tongues of ment, my tools and my high his shoes, shout the need for school diploma was stolen crutches. But showing signs there, too.” of weakness can be dangerous Stonitsch graduated from on the streets, he says. the United Electronics School “You can’t use crutches of Technology in Cuyahoga out there – they’ll beat you Falls, Ohio, in 1975 and still to death,” Stonitsch says. “If carries proof of it. He was they see you are handicapped, a registered member of the they’ll beat you. There’s nothAmerican Association for the ing worse than being trapped Kenneth Stonitsch, a ‘Streetvibes’ vendor, has experienced many difficulties since becoming homeless. Photo by Andrew Anderson. in a disabled body and an able mind – because you’re aware.” Stonitsch has been denied Social Security disability ben­ efits three times, most recently on June 14. “I’m committed this year to find a job that lets me sit down,” he says. “They say there are 14,000 jobs out there that I can do. Just give me one of them.” Stonitsch has lost three “sit-down” jobs because each employer considered him a health risk for the company’s insurance, he says. Now he sells Streetvibes around Findley Market to earn an income. “Cleo Wombles (another vendor) hooked me up in De­ cember of 2007,” Stonitsch says. “I work seven days a week if I can, if I don’t run out of copies. I sell to people in their cars because pedestrians just walk right past me. Sales have been bad and I think it’s because of the failing econo­ my. I sold only six copies all day yesterday. But they roll up in $50,000 cars and they say they don’t have money? Some people say, ‘I’ll get you next time,’ and some of them do. Some people offer me money, but they don’t even take a copy of Streetvibes. I guess they’re just not interested in reading.” Stonitsch is the adopted son of a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, he says. His father died in 1994, he says. His wife died the same year of brain tumors. His mother sends him money, but she is a 14-hour bus ride away from Cincinnati and Stonitsch cannot physically withstand the trip, he says. “I’m at the end of my road, but somehow I keep going,” he says. “It’s a lonely-ass life, being homeless. I cry a lot. I have an idea why this is hap­ pening to me – because I’m disabled. Standing out there selling those papers, it hurts me. It ain’t funny. Sometimes you get so miserable, but you can’t feel sorry for yourself. I got to continue to survive. You can’t give up.” Post Prison Blues For ex-cons, the price of redemption is out of reach By PauL KoPP Contributing Writer In most people’s view, in­ carceration is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. Yet it seems that for those who are released after serving their term, the prob­ lems are just beginning. Just as all felons have unique per­ sonalities and their crimes greatly vary, time in prison can significantly differ from person to person. The postlockup experiences, however, are strangely similar. When someone with a fel­ ony record leaves prison, he is at a severe disadvantage. Not only does he have trouble readjusting to mainstream so­ ciety, but he’s also unable to find work and has to cope with the shock of having been in­ carcerated. Though they come from dif­ ferent backgrounds, it seems virtually all former prison­ ers end up in the same place: struggling to make ends meet and shunned by the public that was supposed to forgive them after they served their sentences. Although released from prison, in a sense felons are serving life terms. Following are accounts of the different paths that led three people to prison and the one road they are all on now. ‘Give me a chance’ “We have $9 to live on this whole week. I have to laugh or I’ll cry. I can cry real easy since I’ve been in prison, and a man shouldn’t cry,” Tony Griffin says with a bitter smile. Like most people with a fel­ ony conviction, Griffin, 49, is finding it hard to get a decent job. His soft intonation when he talks about his life makes obvious the desperation he feels. He is desperate for re­ demption, for another chance that society won’t give him. “I will be 50 years old in a few months, and I can’t get a job,” he says. “I’m only mak- Tony Griffin was convicted of non-payment of child support and spent 18 months in prison. Photo by Paul Kopp. See Prison, p. 11 �10 Theater Review STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 If I Was A Drunkard, Tell You What I’d Do Men sing of drink and God By stePhanie dunLaP Contributing Writer “The problem is … sober lives long but poorly/wears ties/buys insurance/gets ev­ erywhere it plans to.” It’s a measured life, in jux­ taposition to the drunk who “walks on a new planet under a new set of rules.” That planet’s allure is illu­ sory, and the new set of rules doesn’t hold as Hague’s drunk spirals down, clutching at car­ pet shag on the way. If the gods gave us drink to secure their places in heaven, at least they gave us poetry and music to lift the rest of us closer. Poet Richard Hague and poet-musician Michael Hen­ son collaborated to present Where Drunk Men Go, a 70-minute show that played ‘Upside-down for five performances at the craziness’ Coffee Emporium as part of the 7th annual Cincinnati Drinking is no shortcut from Fringe Festival in late May troubles to the divine. “The and early June. only way out is through,” be­ The show was billed as “a comes the theme of the latter poem with music.” Given the part of Hague’s piece. “The transcendence of Henson’s Michael Henson (left) and Richard Hague perform “Where Drunk Men Go.” problem is we’ve got to go musicianship, it could equally Photo by Mikki Schaffner. there.” There’s no going back, have been tagged “music with and “what’s spent is spent.” a poem.” Just when Hague brings the drunk to the gates of hell, those doors open to a Make no mistake: Hague’s long, ambitious poem is very good. There is a fa­ surprising grace as warm light floods the sparse stage. miliar wildness that suffuses his writing, whether it speaks of ecstasy or agony “And in some upside-down craziness, we are all forgiven,” Hague says. or just plain … numbness. Early on he delivers the line, “Beer on an empty Henson breaks into the first major-key, upbeat song of the show (All My stomach … love is possible.” Who at some level doesn’t recognize the yearning Love, All My Kisses) while Hague shadow-dances with glee. toward all-encompassing love, the divine, the maiden/mother/ The entire reading is thick with richly imagined images, crone, the father/son/Holy Ghost? but the show would have had even more impact if Hague Who doesn’t recognize the holy shit what did I do, the dear The show calls out to had memorized his poem, or at least chunks of it. Though his God what have I become? those gods again and recitation was mostly fluid, a few times he lost his place on “No monk more lonely than the lonely drunk,” Hague again. An audience the page and broke the spell. says. member starts Most of Henson’s contributions were musical interludes, However, Hague’s poem can also alienate those who aren’t the performance though sometimes he added quick percussive slaps on his men, drunks or Appalachian. The show would perhaps have by reading aloud guitar to emphasize a line. He was a steady, humble foil to been more appropriately titled Where Drunk Appalachian epigraphs reprinted Hague’s ebb-and-flow energy as poet-performer. Henson’s Men Go. in the program. eyes followed Hague throughout the show, and his face kept Hague speaks of men “not wanting to foul our wives and some knowing look. mothers with all that’s wrong in the world inside us.” Though Henson’s knowing probably came from the same insight one lover drove herself mad drinking Mad Dog wine, most of he brings to his regular column in Streetvibes, “Hammered: Essays on Pov­ the poem’s female characters stand concerned on the side, asking, “’Oh Jesus, erty and Addiction.” Henson is also a chemical dependency counselor at Talbert what did you do to yourself?’’ and “Dear God, where did you go?” The raucous women populating the poem’s dive bars – women named Maureen, Reba, Jenny, House and the Drop Inn Center. Hague is an award-winning figure on the local and national poetry scene who Susan, Carol, Joy – are clearly of a certain demographic. The poem’s men appeal hails from the steel mills and rail yards of Steubenville. In addition to his poetry, to the goddess and find hagmother, but it is harder for a woman to find herself he teaches at Purcell Marian High School. in this piece. The show was ably directed by John Ray, whose simple presentation trusts the The specificity of Hague’s poem is probably necessary, because going this power of this “poem with music” to carry the show. The stage held just a stool deep in 70 minutes means piercing narrowly – but the tunes Henson chose for Henson and stands for his two guitars. broaden the production’s appeal. Though the traditional gospel and bluegrass In one of the most memorable lines of the evening, Hague says, “Life drags us standards are distinctly earthy, and though the twang in Henson’s voice rings of along like someone hit by a car and not killed. We’re all along for the ride, drunk Appalachia, his pure, lonesome keen is nothing short of otherworldly. or sober, wrecked or whole.” Hague’s poem traces an exhaustive map of man’s drunkenness along richly ‘Spiritus contra spiritum’ vivid scenery. Henson’s vehicle takes us to the gods in the carpool lane. The drunken descent that Hague describes from every angle starts with noble intentions. The drinker doesn’t aspire to be a drunk but to reach for something that, like love, still seems possible at first: “reading real books … drinking smart and talking to good guys.” But at some point the drunk runs across what the poem calls the five rules of the universe. Two of those are “Oh shit, never again,” and “I do it for the gods in me.” The show calls out to those gods again and again. An audience member starts the performance by reading aloud epigraphs reprinted in the program. One is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s, “A man is a god in ruins.” A Biblical epigraph is from Matthew 11:19: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they said ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax col­ lectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” However, gods and men were drinking and trading places long before Christ. “After all it was the gods who gave us drink…(to) make their places more secure,” Hague says. Resisting alcohol by invoking the spiritual is a newer twist. In 1961, psychotherapist Carl Jung replied to a letter from Bill Wilson, found­ er of Alcoholics Anonymous. “You see, ‘alcohol’ in Latin is ‘spiritus’ and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison,” Jung said. “The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum” – invoking God to stave off alcohol. Hague’s poem also addresses a sobriety particular to the one-time drunk. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Local News 11 Post Prison Blues (continued from page 9) ing $8 an hour, and in this economy that won’t even fill the gas tank up in your vehi­ cle.” In 2004 Griffin was con­ victed of non-payment of child support and spent 18 months in Lancaster and London Cor­ rectional Institutions. He still seems to have a positive outlook, though it doesn’t come easy for him and his longtime girlfriend, Becky. He constantly worries about providing for her and says he won’t eat unless she has. Since his release in 2005, he has been unable to find work anywhere except at a car wash. Before and briefly af­ ter he served his sentence he worked as a limousine driver but was laid off due to the economy. A 40-hour week at the car wash brings in a pay­ check of $90, but he’s often sent home early due to rain or few customers. Griffin pays $663 a month in child support, $300 for rent, $100 for two cell phones and whatever else he can on food and gas for his Chevy Blazer. Unable to pay for groceries, he went to apply for food stamps but was told he makes too much money. If he gets a job interview, it goes well until they broach the topic of his record. “I say, ‘Give me a chance.’ They just look at me and say, ‘Sorry, you’ve got a felony.’ After that, the interview is pretty much over,” Griffin says. ‘Stuff I’ve seen’ Billy Williams, 29, origi­ nally from Santa Monica, Calif., was convicted of ag­ gravated robbery in Ohio. He spent most of his 5-year sen­ tence at Lebanon Correctional Institution. “I look at prison as a place where it opened my eyes on life,” he says. His tone is striking at times. He is very open to sharing his stories and thoughts about his experience. Williams says prison was only about surviv­ al, and the mentality he devel­ oped while incarcerated still affects him emotionally and psychologically, “The stuff that I’ve seen, the things that I’ve been through, I take out on my wife, and she doesn’t deserve it,” he says. He talks passionately about the prison system. He says the inmates run the prisons, and the guards and administrators act only as “babysitters.” “It’s either going to make you or break you,” Williams says. “The only thing you can do is keep a clear head and stay focused. If you don’t do that, your first slip-up could be the last time on this earth.” Williams has had difficulty finding work. On the jobs he found, he has experienced discrimination because of his record. While he was working at a Marathon gas station, his manager accused him of steal­ ing a case of soda. The charge was absurd not only because he didn’t do it but because he is also a diabetic, Williams says. “They use my record against me. But if I drink a case of 24oz. Pepsis, I’ll be dead,” he says. Williams keeps looking for work but doesn’t have a job. With government aid, he’s studying business manage­ ment at Southwestern College downtown, hoping to one day own a restaurant. Subhead: ‘Ears on the out­ side’ Tauras Harrison, 30, was convicted of aggravated rob­ bery. He was part of a group of teenagers who committed a series of burglaries. Though he was a minor, he was convicted as an adult. Because someone who was with him had a gun Harrison faced more serious charges. “They said (the burglaries) were planned, which was a Billy Williams was convited of aggravated robbery and spent five years in prison. Photo by Paul Kopp. lie,” he says. He got into a lot of trouble in prison, once trying to es­ cape. Harrison spent most of his eight-year sentence at Chillicothe Correctional In­ stitution. There, because the prison has a medium security level, the environment was less violent, he says. He doesn’t believe he suf­ fered psychologically from his experience. “It wasn’t a horror story,” Harrison says. “The way I did my time, I didn’t really get into the whole prison thing. My ears were still on the out­ side.” While inside, he learned how to better control the an­ ger issues that might have led to his criminal activity, Harri­ son says. He was released in 2004. “For the first month I really didn’t leave my mama’s front yard,” he says. Though he has filled out applications everywhere he can, he has only been able to find work through temporary- Tauras Harrison was convicted of aggravated robbery as a minor but was tried as an adult. He spent eight years in adult prison. Photo by Paul Kopp. employment services. He re­ cently became a father. With no money to buy milk for his child, Harrison says society isn’t giving him legal alterna­ tives. With the help of govern­ ment aid and loans, Harrison is attending Southwestern College, with plans to own an own automotive repair shop or become a certified mechanic. He acknowledges the mis­ takes he made and has clearly made an attempt to understand why he made them. “I could have taken other outlets, but I wasn’t think­ ing about it, or I didn’t know about them at the time,” he says. “I automatically started thinking, ‘I know I can do this to come up with some money.’ There’s a lot of people that are in prison because of that (type of thinking),” he says. �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Guest Column 12 Missing Hudson Brothers Cleaners A neighborhood business that was like an extended family By Murray Bodo, oFM Contributing Writer ers Cleaners, located on Elm Street between Green and Elder, was where stories were It’s Saturday morning on told, hearts were comforted, Pleasant Street, where I’ve loneliness assuaged and those lived for 30 years. I’m sitting who needed to get in from the at a table in Findlay Market cold or heat were welcomed. missing And now Hudson it is gone When there were Brothers like so Cleaners, m a n y neighborhood disputes, which for business­ the three women would 47 years es in the band with us to ensure was the inner city, the rights of the poor in “meeting though the neighborhood. Their place” it’s been of our replaced last big neighborhood neigh­ by Onyx outreach was to make borhood. Te r m i t e the cleaners the Rich and and Pest headquarters for the p o o r , Control, Obama for President inner­ run by Campaign. city and Cooksuburb, ie’s son, all ethnic Leonard backgrounds and religions, Phipps III. straight and gay would take When Curlen, Dorothy and their cleaning or just drop in their two daughters first came to greet and listen to Dorothy from the original cleaners on Hudson, who passed in 2002, Baymiller in the West End, and her two daughters, Duane run by Curlen and his brother and Dorothy, affectionately Charles, there were stores, known as “Cookie.” Curlen now largely abandoned, on Hudson, who founded the both sides of Elm Street cleaners on Elm Street, died in from Green to Elder. There 1977, two years before I came was Lathrop’s Drugstore, to the inner city. the Ibold Cigar store, Shiff’s Like my dad’s New Mexico Shoe Store, a furniture store, a Sporting Goods Store when bakery, a sausage market and I was a boy, Hudson Broth- a store that sold china. Find- lay Market had stalls on both sides of Elder Street between Elm and Vine streets. It was a neighborhood, and the cleaners soon became an integral part of it. From the time I arrived in 1979, I always looked forward to dropping in to see Doro­ thy and her two daughters. I thought of them as the neigh­ borhood newspaper. They seemed to know everything that was going on and acted as a kind of rear guard for our friary that abuts the back door of their building. When none of us friars were at home, the mailman knew to leave pack­ ages with them. When there were neighborhood disputes, the three women would band with us to ensure the rights of the poor in the neighbor­ hood. Their last big neighbor­ hood outreach was to make the cleaners the headquarters for the Obama for President Campaign. There was a steady stream of police and firefighters bringing their uniforms for the cleaning discount estab­ lished by Curlen Hudson, who also gave discounts to meter persons, Greyhound Bus driv­ ers, the Bengals and some of the Reds, like Lee Mays, who frequented the cleaners regu­ larly. And when there was un­ Crossword claimed cleaning, the cleaners donated the clothes to neigh­ borhood churches and welfare agencies. Duane and Cookie are particularly proud of this service to the poor, especially those who needed clothes to wear to job interviews. “We miss you, too,” they said recently, “all of you who were our family – because this was a family and we al­ ways treated our clients like family.” I can vouch for that. I miss Hudson Brothers Cleaners and their whole extended family, people who came from all over the city and suburbs and from Kentucky, as well. And from the looks of disbe­ lief on the faces of those who saw the “Closed” sign for the first time, their “family” misses the owners and workers at the cleaners, too. As one disconcerted woman said recently, “What am I going to do now?” Street Singer Next to Hudson Brothers Cleaners Not wanting to beg for money, he asked how he could earn blessing – meaning the blessing of money. He insisted and asked to sing a favorite hymn. Full throated he began, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, behold…” and all those walking by looked on as if we were happily mad. He took the money, all the while quoting accurately the Word of God who provides for those who ask for blessing and sing His praise. “They get,” he said, “fried chicken, and if they’re lucky, some clean clothes, too.” – Murray Bodo, OFM Sudoku Across 7. Enormous amount 9. Island off the SE coast of China 12. Truant 13. S American country 14. Conceited (4-9) 15. Sick 16. Norwegian coins 17. Alerted 18. Glass ornament 20. Moist with dew 22. Aspirant (5-2) 25. Female name 27. Burdensome charge 28. List of drugs 30. Evils 31. Laurel wreath 32. Approve officially for travel 33. Excess Down 1. NE Massachusetts city 2. A person’s nature Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. 3. Foes 4. Backless seat 5. Move stealthily 6. Made 8. Sureties 10. Normal depreciation (4,3,4) 11. Kernels 12. Continent 19. Person who performs unaccompanied 20. Garden plant with showy colored flowers 21. Capital of Poland 23. One removing water from a boat 24. Test 25. Black marketeer (Brit) 26. Parlor game 29. Silica gemstone The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Community News 13 Perspiration and Prayer Christian teens help overhaul Our Daily Bread By PauL MiLLer Contributing Writer their own community. It gives them a broader perspective.” Know Sweat is a program One week every summer, of Christ In Youth centered Our Daily Bread, a food and in Joplin, Mo. Its mission is hospitality ministry on Race to provide community service opportuni­ Street in Over-theties for high “It’s a good way school stu­ Rhine, goes on for the kids to dents. “shut down” learn to take “Cincinna­ to clean, paint the focus off of ti is a desig­ and do main­ nated city for tenance. It’s them and focus No Sweat” a big job that on service for Hayes said. takes lots others.” - Matt “It is a small of helping Hayes way for the hands. How kids to say do they get it ‘thank you’ done? Know for the good work others are Sweat! A group of 20 high school doing in the community.” Two hundred fifty teens students and four adult spon­ sors from a Christian youth from 15 various youth min­ organization, Know Sweat istries around the country traveled from New Carlisle, worked in multiple locations Ohio to Cincinnati the week in the city during the week. of June 15. They cleaned light Cincinnati Christian Universi­ fixtures, painted walls and ty in Western Hills, hosted the doors, waxed floors and per­ students. The kids slept at the formed a variety of other tasks school, ate morning and evening meals and prayed there. at Our Daily Bread. . “It’s a good way for the kids Once the Know Sweat stuto learn to take the focus off dents arrived at Our Daily of them and focus on service Bread in the morning to start for others,” said Matt Hayes, work, there was plenty of youth pastor and group leader. sweat. Along with Our Daily “Volunteer work acts as a cat­ Bread staff, the kids worked alyst when the kids get back to hard to finish an enormous Students from Know Sweat, a Christian youth organization in New Carlisle, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Our Daily Bread. job. “It was good for the kids to walk through the neighbor­ hood,” Hayes said. “The kids appreciate what is done here. They are blessed by being here.” At 10:30 a.m. every morning, work paused for a few minutes as the group gathered for devotional prayer, led by one of the students. For lunch, the group was treated to tradi­ tional Cincinnati fare donated by Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili. By week’s end, the make­ over was complete and Our Daily Bread was ready to wel­ come back its guests. When asked what these 20 high school students will take away most from their experience, Hayes said, “It doesn’t matter where you are from, we are all equal in God’s eyes.” Our Daily Bread, 1730 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine, is a food and hospitality ministry serving more than 500 midday meals every weekday. To volunteer or make donations, call Joan or Kathy at 513-621-6364. Editorial ‘Streetvibes’ - The Activist Newspaper Advocating justice, building community By GreGory FLannery editor Our vendors – people who are or once were homeless – stand on street corners every This is the last monthly edi- day, in all kinds of weather, oftion of Streetvibes that you fering Streetvibes in exchange will ever read. That’s because, for donations of $1 or more. starting with this edition, Our writers and photograStreetvibes is publishing twice phers contribute their work a month. New editions will without expecting compensaappear on the first tion. In fact, I am and 15th days of the only person each month. paid to write for Streetvibes Newspapers the paper. aims to be across the UnitThe Greater Cincinnati’s ed States and in Cincinnati Coaliactivist Greater Cincinnati tion for the Homenewspaper. are in decline. The less, which pubCincinnati Post lishes Streetvibes, has gone out of has committed its business. The Cincinnati En- limited financial resources to quirer has laid off staff. City- double our publication schedBeat, once Cincinnati’s lead- ule. ing alternative newspaper, has The individuals and orgalaid off staff, cut pages and nizations that fund the Homebacked away from its once less Coalition have continued aggressive editorial focus on to support its work of advosocial and political issues. cating on behalf of homeless Yet Streetvibes is growing. people. Our success is the result of Our readers have bought many people’s efforts. more papers, with the result that we have sold all available copies four times in the past year, in spite of the fact that we have significantly increased our press run. When I became editor of Streetvibes in March 2008, we were selling about 2,700 copies per month. Now we typically sell 5,000 to 6,000 copies per month. Our sales and feedback from readers seem to indicate that Streetvibes is offering what readers want in a newspaper – solid reporting, engaging photography, excellent writing and, most important, a sense of purpose. In May Streetvibes received an award from the International Network of Street Papers for a story about the exploitation of Latino workers in Greater Cincinnati. The article was the work of a community of people committed to working for justice. The workers had the courage to speak out. Activists helped the workers to organize, document their mal- treatment and bring it to the attention of the news media. Writer Margo Pierce interviewed some of the workers. Andrew Anderson captured their images. Andy Freeze, then education coordinator for the Homeless Coalition, designed the story’s layout. Georgine Getty, then executive director of the Homeless Coalition, stood strong when lawyers tried to stop us from running the story. Our vendors got the story into the hands of readers. Perhaps you’ve noticed the new tag line under our masthead on page 1: “Streetvibes – Advocating Justice, Building Community.” That statement applies to the story that won the award, and it summarizes our editorial policy. Streetvibes exists in order to advocate for justice and build community. That’s important work – and it is, I believe, the very reason newspapers exist. At its root, journalism is a form of public ser­ vice, a form of civic activism. Some newspapers have forgotten that. Driven by the desire for ever increasing profits, they have abandoned their mission, pandering to what they believe popular tastes require: a focus on entertainment, less investigative reporting, shorter stories that promote sentimental good feelings while ignoring the historic role of the free press as guardian of the people’s liberty. Streetvibes aims to be Cincinnati’s activist newspaper. Your opinion of what we’re doing is important to us. Let us know what you think and what you’d like us to do in the future. Advocating for justice, building community: This is the essence of a good newspa­ per, and it’s what Streetvibes aims to do twice a month. �National News 14 New Law Protects Tenants STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Foreclosure no longer means instant eviction By Lynne ausMan Staff Writer ensuring compliance. The law was effective as of May 20. It is the responsibility of Imagine living in an apart­ tenants, landlords, public ment for the past 12-months. housing authorities, courts, You pay your rent in full lawyers and community and on time each month. activists to understand It is the responsibility of While it’s hard to make the new law and to ensure the payments and pay tenants, landlords, public that the rights of renters the rest of your bills and are protected. housing authorities, buy necessities (electric, Prior to this act, when courts, lawyers and gas, water, phone, food, a landlord was foreclosed community activists school supplies, cloth­ on, the tenants were im­ to understand the new mediately evicted, with ing, etc.) the rent is the few if any options to save first thing you pay each law and to ensure that month. Your two children the rights of renters are their homes. Because the tenant was not being are in elementary school protected. evicted in the traditional and have good grades; sense, landlords were not they like their school and required to give any no­ their teachers. Today starts like any other apartment. You have no one to tice. In many occasions, rent­ day; you get your children off turn to for help; there are no ers were paying their rent on to school and head to work. laws to protect you or to save time each month. The Protecting Tenants at When you get home that eve­ your home. Finding a new ning, you find your landlord apartment proves to be diffi­ Foreclosure Act provides a at your door telling you that cult. You were barely making small safety net for renters he has just been foreclosed your rent, and now you have who find their landlords in on – and you have to leave. to come up with a security de­ foreclosure. At minimum, it provides renters with a 90-day You have less than 24 hours posit and rent at a new place. to vacate the property or your All of this changed May 20 notice before being evicted as belongings will be put on the with the Protecting Tenants a result of foreclosure. Many curb for trash pickup. at Foreclosure Act of 2009, tenants with a lease will be What do you do? How do which was passed as Title VII able to stay in their homes you find a new place to live of Public Law 111-22. The until the end of the lease. Ten­ and move in less than 24 provisions are “self-execut­ ants living in Section 8 hous­ hours? Where do you go for ing”; no federal agency (such ing are also protected. Any help? What recourse do you as HUD) is responsible for new owner of a foreclosed have? Until recently, the an­ swer was to take what you can and hope a family mem­ ber or a friend will take you in until you can find another home that is currently housing a Section 8 tenant must accept the lease and housing-assis­ tance payment contract. If the new property owner intends to live in the home as a primary residence, Section 8 tenants and renters with leases can be evicted; however, they must be given a 90-day notice. The law expires in 2012. Bottom line is that low-in­ come renters are often trying to make it month by month. Their apartment is what keeps them off the streets and out of shelters. When their landlord is in foreclosure, the tenants are not made aware of the situa­ tion until it is too late and they are forced to move. Where do these families go? Why didn’t the landlord pay the mortgage with the rent they are collect­ ing? The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act is a baby step in the right direction to ensur­ ing that renters are not forced into homelessness due to their landlord’s inability to pay the mortgage. It’s not foolproof and there are likely to be more renters who are evicted with­ out notice. Because the act is self-executing, demanding compliance will be difficult until the word gets out about the act and its provisions. Few news outlets have run the sto­ ry. What’s Happenin’ July/August Events Music: Acoustic Lunch Series. Piatt Park. 11:45am-1:45pm. Tuesdays through the summer. Art: Reigning Cats and Dogs: Paintings by Martha Newfield. YWCA Women’s Art Gallery. Through August 4th. Exhibits: Balloon Glow. Coney Island. July 3rd. 5-10pm. Bittersweet: The History of Sugar in North America. Findlay Market. Through July 5. 381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Through July 11. Benefits: IHN Golf Outing. Flagg Springs Golf Course. $75 for individual, $300 for team of four. Benefits Interfaith Hospitality Network. July 24. 9:30am. Contact Betsy Wones to play, 4711100. Jazz in July ‘09. The Phoenix. $25. Benefits CILO. July 24. 5:30-8:30pm. RSVP: 513-241-2600. 20th Annual Bocce Tournament. Sharon Woods Fern Hollow. Bring desert to share. Benefits Our Daily Bread. July 26. 11am5pm. Tractor Jam 2009. Gorman Heritage Farm (10052 Reading in Evendale). $10. Benefits Gorman Heritage Farm. August 1. 2-9:30pm. Know of an event or want your event posted? E-mail streetvibeslayout@gmail.com with event, date, time, and location. �STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 Resources 15 Need Help or Want to Help? Our Daily Bread Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mt. Airy Shelter FreeStore/FoodBank 681-2365 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 872-9259 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 241-5525 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 Starting Over 661-4620 First Step Home 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment: Both Drop Inn Center 721-0643 AA Hotline CCAT 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 471-1100 221-3350 Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 721-8666 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 721-0643 921-1613 Other Resources 961-2256 961-4663 351-0422 381-6672 Advocacy 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 784-1853 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center Crossroad Health Center NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 241-2965 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John Joseph House (Veterans) 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Food/Clothing 562-8841 Treatment: Women Anthony House (Youth) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 241-1064 Treatment: Men Shelter: Both 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Center for Respite Care 557-2873 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 535-2719 591-2246 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside Charlie’s 3/4 House 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Health 381-SAFE 768-6907 Shelter: Men City Gospel Mission 621-6364 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 381-2247 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 558-8888 981-5800 458-6670 977-4489 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Hamilton/Middletown 621-1868 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. Puzzle Solutions �16 Double Take STREETVIBES July 1 - 14, 2009 “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon June 10: Cincinnatians for Progress held “Keep Cincinnati Moving Forward” to oppose what it called a “dangerous” proposal to let voters decide on streetcars. Entertainment was provided by Jake Speed and the Freddies. Photos by Andrew Anderson. June 19-21: RiverSpan Sculputure Exhibition and Sale. Clockwise from top left, Bourbon Street by Mark Hopkins, Embrace by Sydney Reichman, Acrobats by Justin Poole. Photos by Andrew Anderson. June 27: Tensions ran high at a Fountain Square rally to support a democratic vote in Iran. Photos by Aimie Willhoite. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 1-14, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: All Right to Be Different Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a ‘Rebel with a Cause’ Pg 4: All Right to Be Different Continued Pg 5: We’re Supposed to Loiter in the Park Pg 6: Homeless in High School Pg 7: Power to the Cardholder Homeless in High School Pg 8: Sex, Yummy, Veggie Pg 9: Disability, Theft, Loneliness and Death Pg 10: If I Was A Drunkard, Tell You What I’d Do Pg 11: Post Prison Blues Pg 12: Missing Hudson Brothers Cleaners Pg 13: Perspiration and Prayer Pg 14: New Law Protects Tenants Pg 15: Resource Guide Pg 16: Double take Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 1-14, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Lew Moores Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Paul Miller Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson Dave Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Murray Bodo Stephanie Dunlap Lea Ottenheimer Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Aimie Willhoite Lea Ottenheimerm Mikki Schaffner Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Activist Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Christians Dave Heitfield disability education Gregory Flannery High School Hudson Brothers Cleaners Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Larry Gross Law Lea Ottenheimer Lea Ottenheimerm Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson Mikki Schaffner Murray Bodo Park Paul Kopp Paul Miller Prison Recovery Center Stephanie Dunlap Streetvibes Teens tenants Voters https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/fdafad13d654995db5d8042f1b70ccdd.pdf 493998e99b07fe1b59e0875daf7bcc91 PDF Text Text Sexy, Yummy, Veggie P. 8 Art to Save Our Souls P. 3 Will it Be Moved? P. 11 STREETVIBES $1 July 15 - August 2, 2009 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 157 A Streetcar Named ‘Democracy’ NAACP wants voters to decide By Paul KoPP Contributing Writer The Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP wants citizens to decide on a proposed streetcar plan approved by city council. The plan calls for the construc­ tion of a 3.9-mile long street­ car line around downtown and parts of Over-the-Rhine, with a connector leading to uptown neighborhoods at the top of the hill. The city hopes the streetcars will create new jobs, business and economic growth. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo­ ple (NAACP) wants voters to decide. The NAACP has circu­ lated petitions for an amend­ ment to the city charter that would require a referendum Streetcars of varying designs and styles are seen in many large American cities. to determine whether a major transportation project, such as In addition to the $200 million cost to build the tions to make sure voters get to decide. streetcars, should be approved. The NAACP says it “All we are demanding is a vote,” says Christo­ streetcar system, operating costs will cause a furhas already submitted sufficient signatures to put the pher Smitherman, president of the NAACP. “They ther $60 million dollar issue on the ballot but is continuing to circulate peti­ seem to fear people voting on this issue.“ imbalance, Smitherman See Streetcar, p. 4 Making More Than Pizza Q&A with the head of Venice on Vine By angela Pancella Contributing Writer Rina Saperstein is executive director of Power Inspires Prog­ ress, which operates Venice on Vine, a restaurant and employ­ ment-education program at 1301 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. What is Venice on Vine? The restaurant's purpose it to sell good food and be a com­ fortable place to visit. We're about more than just pizza. Be­ cause we're an employment education program, we are helping our employees gain a work history and job skills so they can get out and get a better job. What are the requirements to work here? One of our eligibility criteria is that our employees have to be from inner-city Cincinnati. Right now we have people from places like Avondale, Price Hill, Camp Washington. A fair num­ ber come from Over-the-Rhine. A fair number are from tempo­ rary homeless shelters and transitional housing. Other criteria: You must be over 18, you must want to work, you must want to make chang­ es. We're not a part-time or See Pizza, p. 7 Venice on Vine teaches local residents more than just preparing delicious pizza. Photo by Andrew Anderson. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 6 the day in July when a radio commentator talked about ordinariness as a virtue (see page 5). 7-14 the ages for kids to learn meditation at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (see page 14). $200 the cost, in millions, of the proposed streetcar system (see page 1). 72 the number of hours the Navy put a sailor in the desert to prepare him for torture (see page 5). 4 the number of American Indians portrayed on a T-shirt protesting European colonization (see page 3). 3.9 the number of miles covered by a proposed streetcar system for the city of Cincinnati (see page 1). StreetSense STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 By Kayla ThornTon Contributing Writer Fun with Sexually Transmitted Diseases Infertility, brain damage, heart disease, birth defects, cancer and death are among the benefits promoted by CityBeat’s new twist on alternative journalism. “Dear Maija,” a column by Maija Zummo, CityBeat’s listing editor, serves up a twenty-something version of advice that is irre­ sponsible at best and, at worst, down right creepy. Her July 1 column isn’t only offensive; it’s dangerous. “I have herpes and I hate it,” Rock and a Burny Place writes. “I’m very good looking, and men always hit on me, but I feel as though I shouldn’t go home with them because they might get her­ pes from me and then get pissed about it. I’ve thought about trying to get someone to emotionally rely on me enough that I could tell him the truth and then take those drugs they advertise on TV and just try not to give him herpes, but what if I get sick of his neediness?” Zummo responds, “Don’t take yourself so seriously. Some people (you, condom companies, etc.) act like STDs aren’t a joke, but the truth is they are — all of them except AIDS, which isn’t funny. Another joke is that most guys in Cincinnati already have herpes. I’d say that one out of four guys you meet at a bar, especially a bar downtown, will have herpes. So you have a one in four chance of sleeping with someone who’s already infected, which cancels itself out. You and this new herpes-riddled suitor could even laugh about each other’s outbreaks and playfully make fun of each other’s genital sores. (I told you STDs were funny!)” the street on which Mark Shears often sells Streetvibes (see page 6). 20 the number of dollars that keep addicts from getting help (see page 10). 47 the percent of employees being laid off by Hamilton County of Jobs and Family Services (see page 12). Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Yeah, funny. Fun with Fake Pills Editor Gregory Flannery The “one in four” chance of hooking up with a herpes-infected man apparently is a guess, something not checked with the health department, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or any other medical professional. Art Director Lynne Ausman Here’s another little ditty from the CDC that Zummo didn’t bother with: “Young people (ages 15 to 24) have fives times the reported chlamydia rate of the general population.” That demo­ graphic is a big part of CityBeat’s readership – people who need sound advice on safe sex. In­ stead, this is what they get. Zummo goes so far as to recommend a specific prescription drug for treatment. “ … if you aren’t a gambling sort of woman, I’d suggest either a) getting a Valtrex prescrip­ tion or b) stealing an orange pill bottle and writing ‘Valtrex’ on it,” she writes. “Then the next time you’re at a bar trying to lure some muscled hottie in light-colored jeans back to your place, just ‘accidentally’ drop the Valtrex bottle out of your purse. Eventually you’re going to find a guy who looks at the bottle and makes the following positive conclusions about you: 1) you’re easy, 2) you have herpes and 3) you care about managing your outbreaks, which he’ll see as both responsible and attractive. So my advice is … get a Valtrex prescription and start going to downtown bars.” But she doesn’t stop there. Fun with Date Rape 12th Streetvibes is an activist newspaper, advocating justice and building community. Streetvibes reports on economic issues, civil rights, the environment, the peace movement, spirituality and the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Distributed by people who are or once were homeless, in exchange for a $1 donation, Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “Even if you don’t find the right guy with herpes, there’s still a 50 percent chance you’ll get roofied. Either way you’ll get laid.” For the uninformed, a “roofie” is a slang term used to describe a powerful sedative that’s slipped into a person’s drink – usually a woman’s – in order to knock her unconscious in order to rape her. Also referred to as a “date-rape drug,” some are GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine. Could all of this be dismissed as an attempt at satire? The column isn’t so labeled. A staff writer (without a medical degree) offers medical advice, suggests date rape as a “positive” way to get laid and encourages theft in response to a question about spreading herpes to unsuspecting men. Isn’t that funny? The CDC has brought about the decline of many STDs though education and awareness. It combats the uninformed and dangerous misinformation spread by sixth-grade kids and now, sadly, a newspaper, CityBeat. Instead of helping to end a health epidemic, the paper gives instruc­ tions on how to keep it going. If the forum were a publication with a reputation for authentic satire, such as The Onion, this could be dismissed. But in a newspaper trading on its reputations for award-winning journalism (as CityBeat Co-publisher John Fox did in the same edition in which this column appeared), this kind of writing crosses so many journalistic and ethical lines it’s unconscionable. StreetSense is an occasional column written under pseudonyms to prevent the authors from losing their jobs. Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Alecia Lott, Larry Gross, Stephanie Dunlap, Suhith Wickrema, Georgine Getty, Angela Pancella, Jaisha Garnett Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Paul Kopp, Aimie Willhoite, Lynne Ausman Proofreader Jennifer Blalock The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and Streetvibes. We are members of: �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Art Review Art for the Mind and Spirit 3 An exhibition for the socially conscious and unafraid By Margo Pierce Contributing Writer A Buddhist monk, an un­ description of Janie, Jackie employed writer and a doc­ and Jody, my body stiffens: It’s evocative, laden with meaning that the artist brings in addition tor walk into an art exhibit, “My recent art has been an to that of the viewer. Awareness and thoughtfulness are as much on and what follows is as sur­ exploration of the mentally display as swaths of paint and clay sculptures. real as that unusual mix of ill or brain-diseased self as people. One reason might it relates to how we as inbe that this isn’t a madedividuals see our identities for-TV-movie art show with wine and cheese and people dressed in diamonds and how society as a whole views us.” and Dolce & Gabbana. This exhibit, at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Over­ Is art supposed to consider those unpleasant and uncomfortable things that we The-Rhine, is described as “a community art show and event of sociopolitical don’t discuss over dinner when the entire family has gathered and young ears are expressions for peace and justice.” SOS (Save Our Souls) Art has images of present? Why not? Who said it has to just be about flowers and pretty landscapes controversial comedian George Carlin hanging with collages supporting gay that make us feel happy or connect us to pleasant experiences from our past? marriage and a drawing of former Vice President Dick Cheney going off a cliff These pieces make me think, challenge my preconceived notions, inspire re­ in a wheelchair. actions I couldn’t anticipate. This art gets to me. The first piece in the exhibit, Waiting for the Wolf, is a life-size statue of a The use of words stands out to me, the writer. As a woman, it was also an­ young girl wearing a red velvet cape. Nothing unusual about that, until you get noying. Man, mankind and humanity – nowhere did I see womankind. At the closer and see the child is covered in pieces of egg shell. Her body is a collage of top of Who Are the Founding Fathers by Tom Phelps is a picture of four Native broken fragile white bits with only the eyes of a retail store mannequin intact. American men in full feather and animal-skin regalia positioned in front of the The artist, Kymber Henson, four dead U.S. presidents on focuses her work on the fragil­ Mount Rushmore. The center ity of childhood and the hor­ of the piece is a T-shirt with rors many children witness, a row of American Indians according to Saad Ghosn, the on horseback done up in war doctor and artist who orga­ paint and full “riot” gear of nizes SOS Art every year. The bows, arrows, guns and other exquisite detail of those tiny weaponry. “Fighting terrorism pieces so carefully placed is since 1492,” the T-shirt says. remarkable, even beautiful, No indication is given that, until my mind registers the prior to the arrival of Europe­ ironic symbolism, the shatter­ ans, women served as the head ing implications of innocence of most American Indian tribes lost in the red cape of Little or that white men refused to Red Riding Hood. acknowledge their positions Henson offers a chilling of power and respect. description of Waiting for the Words are as powerful as Wolf. images, so when Ghosn says “My piece relates to the “patriarchy” when describ­ vulnerability of childhood, ing one of the nine panels of whether it's a child who suf­ his woodcut I react internally. fers from incest and feels help­ A circumcised penis poking less or any child at the mercy down out of the sky dropping of human traffickers or serial globs of semen onto a land­ pedophiles," Henson says. scape of people below isn’t ‘The Observer’ by Saad Ghosen. Photo Saad Ghosn. Sexual assault, physical something I would have cho­ violence, malnutrition, aban­ sen to illustrate the missing donment, under-funded public schools, waking up sick in the middle of the night feminine. My mind rebels at the male focus on the missing feminine. As I stand alone, juvenile detention, addiction and a host of other terrors flood my mind, on his right and the monk on his left, he explains that a portion of The Observer until it’s too upsetting to look at that piece of art that probably took hundreds of illustrates his frustration with the negative impact male domination has had on hours to create. A voyeur, I want to look. An advocate, I have to tear my eyes our culture. It was another piece I didn’t feel comfortable discussing with a away because there’s nothing I can do about all of that standing in an exhibit. monk. But is that true? Walking the classroom galleries, my head already swimming with thoughts That is the power of SOS Art. It’s evocative, laden with meaning that the art­ and reactions, I take in the pictures: One is “two victims of war,” depicting the ist brings in addition to that of the viewer. Awareness and thoughtfulness are as killer and the killed and the obituary pages of the New York Times post 9-11-01 much on display as swaths of paint and clay sculptures. – many faces smiling, some not. What does the monk think of this first piece after hearing about the varied The walls are covered in controversy, suffering, anger, hope (more Obama ways in which adults tell him they suffered as children? I wonder but I don’t images than I was prepared to count), fear, passion. I felt surrounded by the ask. Besides, he’s already moved on past the next several pieces and is asking most important issues of our time, uncensored. Ghosn is right: The art school is Ghosn about a picture. the perfect place for this exhibit because he isn’t forced to choose which images The lobby gallery is the first of three – the other two are upstairs – and I’m must be left out because of being politically incorrect or offensive – the stan­ torn between intrigue and anxiety. If this is just the beginning, what’s to come? dards are content and quality. As a feeling of being overwhelmed starts to grow, I hear my name called. Af­ ‘Art gets to me’ ter looking at Peace Men, a sculpture by Gloria McConnaghy – a happy Buddha in the center – we move down the hall to look out the window at the end. An “I want to go to the place where I am nothing and everything.” This statement artist several stories below is painting a mural on a brick wall. The painting is of by India Ayre is part of a painting called Present Moment by Lisa Vaughn. people painting: a pretty picture in the real world devoid of controversy. Wandering empty classrooms with art on the walls – some nubbly with paint and compositions made of three-dimensional objects – I keep my hands in my For a better world pockets, restraining my fingers from touching. The casual setting makes me want to believe it’s OK to feel those pieces, unlike a museum with guards and SOS Art isn’t just an opportunity for like-minded people to gather, bemoan squawking radios. I’m not visually impaired, a reasonable excuse for wanting the current cultural climate and go home feeling depressed and disempowered to touch in order to experience. But not being able to touch makes me feel I’m by the impossibility of significant change. A schedule of events that engages missing something. people in conversation and inspires action is part of the two-week exhibition. Then I see a series of three paintbrushes caked with white paint, each con­ “Movement Inquiry Workshop,” directed by Ethan Philbrick – performer, mu­ tained in a box, like a shallow diorama, hung in a trilogy. I can’t touch those even sician, dancer, filmmaker and educator – is an “interactive performance focus­ if I were allowed, but I can still feel their stiffness. As I read artist Kurt Storch’s ing on themes of social justice, accountability, See Art, p. 9 �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Community News 4 No License to A Streetcar Named ‘Democracy’ Look Real-estate agent peeked, but was it a crime? By gregory Flannery editor Climbing a ladder to look into a vacant house is trespassing even if there is no sign saying, “Keep Out,” and even if the person taking a peek is a real-estate agent, according to a July 2 ruling by the Ohio First District Court of Appeals. In a scathing dissent, Appeals Judge Mark Painter said the conviction was silly. “Evidently being short on criminals, we are now reduced to convicting realtors for looking at foreclosed houses,” he wrote. Acting as his own attorney, Michael Janson appealed his con­ viction in Hamilton County Municipal Court. When a neighbor saw Janson climbing into a vacant house, he called the sheriff’s office. Janson stayed until the deputy ar­ rived and admitted he’d looked inside, saying his mother was interested in bidding on the property. The deputy arrested him. “As a realtor who specialized in foreclosures, Janson could have arranged a legitimate viewing of the property without the necessity of climbing up a ladder and look­ In addition, the ing in a window without any kind of authoneighbor who called rization,” the appeals the cops on Janson court ruled. had mown the vacant Ohio law doesn’t re­ property’s lawn. Why quire signs forbidding wasn’t he prosecuted people from entering for trespassing? other people’s property without permission, - Judge Mark Painter the ruling found. In his dissent, Paint­ er sneered at the convic­ tion, straining to find any sign of criminal conduct. “The defaulting owners had vamoosed,” he wrote. “Who knows if it were even possible to get permission to look at the house? So he stopped there and peeked in the window (accord­ ing to his testimony), using a ladder that was leaning against the house. For this he was arrested, taken to the hoosegow, pre­ sumably in irons, and made to post bail. He was then made a convicted criminal. Janson was no burglar. When the neighbor called the law, he waited for the officer to arrive. Where was the crime?” If anything, Janson did the owners of the property a favor, Painter argued. “It would be more reasonable to assume that the owners of the house, having defaulted on the mortgage, would have been more than amenable to a realtor checking the house out with a view to bidding on it — the higher the bid, the less the default­ ing owners owe,” Painter wrote. In addition, the neighbor who called the cops on Janson had mown the vacant property’s lawn. Why, Painter asked, wasn’t he prosecuted for trespassing? Although trespassing is one of the least serious criminal con­ victions in Ohio law, the way this case was handled brings to mind great injustices in classical literature, according to Paint­ er. “Someone should have had the common sense to dismiss this case before it came to trial,” he wrote. “Failing that, the trial judge should have thrown it out. Failing that, this court should do the right thing. But all failed. And a 52-year-old lawabiding citizen is dragged through the court system and made a convict. Michael Janson must feel like Jean Valjean — except that Valjean actually committed a crime. Janson is not guilty of a crime. His misfortune is that he lives in a county where he would be convicted anyway.” (continued from page 1) says. The NAACP believes that, even if the city receives federal funding, taxes surely will be increased, he says. “Once they interject our money, it’s something differ­ ent. (City council) forgets the money they are talking about isn’t theirs,” Smitherman says. “If there is one thing I understand, its money. I’m a stockbroker.” Construction costs for the project total $128 million, ac­ cording to Meg Olberding, a spokeswoman for city man­ ager. Money for construction Seventh and Walnut in downtown Cincinnati could one day be will come from capital fund­ a streetcar stop. Photo by Paul Kopp. ing, which can only be used for long-term projects, she the route, the streetcar sys­ devleopment of the streetcar, says. Taxes won’t increase, tem will help close the budget they will be responsible for but instead the city will pay deficit. It is the city’s general its upkeep, which Monzel for the project using revenue fund that has a deficit – but the says the city estimates will from various sources, one be­ city never planned on using cost roughly $3 million a year. ing the sale of Blue Ash Air­ that money for the streetcars, “They are hoping to get half of port. The city also expects to she says. Their hope is that that in fares, but what if they receive funding from the fed­ the streetcar will replenish the don’t get half of that in fares?” fund. Monzel says. “Their business eral govern­ plan is a little weak. One of “It’s been ment. The city says proven in two my big fears is we are going “The city taxes won’t different stud­ to be on the hook to maintain has found ies that street­ this thing.” increase, but $61 million cars bring Monzel says city officials dollars,” Ol­ instead the city don’t almost 3-to-1 realize the strength of berding says. will pay for the grassroots opposition to the return on an “We need $57 project using investment,” streetcars. million more, revenue from “There are people out there Olberding and that is various sources, says. who are saying, ‘This is a proj­ what we are ect that is going to impact one Chris Mon­ one being the presenting to zel, a Repub­ neighborhood and there are the federal sale of Blue Ash lican, is the 50 other neighborhoods out government.” Airport. only member here that need funding, that Smither­ of city coun­ need economic development man, a city cil to oppose projects but they don’t need a councilmember from 2003­ the plan. He says he supports streetcar,” he says. 2005, says the city budget is Mayor Mark Mallory and already looking at a $20 mil­ the NAACP’s proposed char­ lion deficit for 2009 and $40 ter amendment because he city council members in sup­ million for next year. He also believes that voters should port of the streetcars didn’t says he warned his colleagues decide on any project of such respond to e-mail and phone at City Hall of the under-fund­ a large magnitude. He also messages seeking comment. ing of the city’s retirement believes the streetcar system Some council aides directed will require new taxes. He questions to the city manager fund, but they didn’t listen. “Will city council, the compares the issue to the sales and Cincinnatians for Prog­ mayor, the manager – all of tax for the Reds and Bengals ress, a pro-street car lobby, them – continue to ignore this stadiums, which voters ap­ neither of which responded. Councilman Chris Bortz – financial crisis in July 2009 proved. “For such a massive project, who, Smitherman says – owns by pushing the building of a $200 million streetcar that we something bigger than Paul property along the proposed cannot afford to operate?” he Brown Stadium, it just makes streetcar route, was one of sense to have a vote,” Monzel those who couldn’t be reached. says. In addition to more taxes, says. “(City council members) Tracy Schwetschenau, Bortz’s Smitherman speculates that supported the vote on the sta­ chief of staff, says he doesn’t the city will layoff 600 work­ dium sales tax, but now when have a Blackberry to access ers, which is about 10 percent it comes to this, you say ‘No, his city e-mail, but she’d give no, no, we don’t want to put him the interview request if he of its staff. visited his office at City Hall. Olberding acknowledges that on the ballot.’ ” He also believes the opera­ With council out of session the city’s budget problems but says that, by spurring eco­ tional costs for the streetcar this month, things are pretty nomic growth through new will be a potential problem. slow there, and they are happy businesses and housing along Though the city does plan to about that, Schwetschenau receive capital funding for the says. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Issues None Dare Call Him Lawrence 5 Larry Gross and the art of the ordinary By gregory Flannery editor A commentator on National Public Radio on July 6 la­ mented “the elevation of ordi­ nariness to a virtue.” He was referring to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin but made me think of Larry Gross and his new book, Living Out Loud. Gross doesn’t commit the vice of elevating ordinariness but he does celebrate it – when he isn’t busy shaking his fist at it or trying to improve it. Full disclosure: I wrote the introduction to the book, and some of the essays mention me. See? Ordinariness. What’s extraordinary about Gross’s work is his deter­ mination to extract meaning from the chaos around him. Bus rides become occasions for moral intimacy, outrage or wonder. Bars, preferably What’s extraordinary about Gross’s work is his determination to extract meaning from the chaos around him. Bus rides become occasions for moral intimacy, outrage or wonder. Bars are where his muses hold forth. Far from trying to pretty up the grit that makes up the characters’ innards and their environs alike, Gross studies them as a naturalist would, cataloging the latest act of discourtesy or gentleness that he runs across. filled with smoke, are where his muses hold forth. Far from trying to pretty up the grit that makes up the characters’ innards and their environs alike, Gross studies them as a naturalist would, cataloging the latest act of discourtesy or gentleness that he runs across. “I have a willingness to talk to anybody, and I think that opens you up to encounters you wouldn’t have otherwise,” he says. “I also think by mak­ ing eye contact – which a lot of people in this town won’t do – you’re letting yourself in for it a little bit.” The dig at “this town” is intentional. Most of Gross’s essays first appeared in CityBeat, where he has also pub- See Larry, p. 13 Larry Gross, author of ‘Living Out Loud.’ Photo by Andrew Anderson. Heroism and White Guilt Shower lessons and other kinds of torture By DaviD heiTFielD Contributing Writer his age and weight (rocks in his pocket) to enlist in WWII, was a prisoner of war. “Nothin' Whenever I'm out drinking to talk about,” he said, and we with Republicans, the script never talked of it again. I have usually calls for an interven- his Purple Heart. He never tion – not about my drinking, really talked about the times of course, but he was shot, about my evil either: “Just There was a hot political views doin' a job.” box, there was – that ends in The marwaterboarding, a predictable keting tool of there was lots stalemate, fol“Support Our of slamming lowed by someTroops” exists people against one offering me as a politically walls. a hearty handcorrect piousshake and a ness to hide drunkenly sinthe ugly side of cere “Thank you for serving conservative White Guilt. So, our country.” I'm here to help. It makes me throw up a Thirty years ago I vollittle in my mouth. And that's unteered for the Navy and not necessarily the drinking, worked as a Korean linguist either: I get the same gassy for four years. While America feeling when I see a soccer was a different place then – mom driving like hell while my high school had a smoktalking on her cell phone, her ing lounge for students – and barely-controlled SUV sport- the service was peacetime, ing a “Support Our Troops” maybe I can give you a few bumper sticker and a ribbon. things to think about so that Or over the recent Fourth of the next time you feel the need July weekend, which televi- to shake a vet's hand to thank sion has now turned into a him for his service, you'll first “Support Our Troops” holiday. wonder just where that hand So now we support our troops has been. on Veterans Day and of course Memorial Day and of course Cut vertically the Fourth. On Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our troops. I was enticed into the miliAt Christmas, we remember tary by an attractive woman those stationed overseas for I met at a party who was attheir sacrifices. tending the Naval PostgraduI was 30 when I found out ate School in Monterey, Camy late father, who lied about lif. She told me Monterey was about the most beautiful spot on earth, and there was a language school there, and I should look into it. After my recruiter sold me on the idea that joining the military and wearing the Navy cracker jacks uniform would result in “getting more pussy than you can shake your dick at,” my choice was between delivering pizza to Miami Univer­ sity coeds who, at their most generous, would piss on my townie face, or I could go into the world and procreate. I was put on a train to Chicago for boot camp at Great Lakes. One area of boot camp that they don't tell in movies is the emphasis on personal hygiene, because they assume many of the recruits have been too busy being heroes to learn how to clean themselves: how to brush your teeth; how to shave (always use cold water after the shave to close your pores); how and when to shower (use Zest soap so there is no residue to clean up before an inspection), stuff like that. Company 079 was soon marked as a company that would not go through formal graduation ceremonies, so we became something of a company of rejects. Our laundry officer, from the Bronx, was expert at procuring drugs (blotter acid was popular in the day) and other contraband. I remember one night I was on duty when a kid slit his wrists. As medics were carrying him out on a stretcher, his drill instructor was screaming about how he had failed him, that if he wanted to be successful in this life he had to learn to do things right, and the next time he took a razor to his wrists he should cut vertically, down the arm. Boot camp was where I, and many others, heroically took up smoking. Smokers got frequent breaks called “smoke and Cokes,” when you could buy a soda and smoke a couple of butts. A few weeks into boot camp almost all of us were smokers. After boot camp came lan­ guage school at the Presidio of Monterey, which overlooks the Monterey Bay Peninsula. It was not only just as beauti­ ful as I'd been told, but it was California in 1979, before AIDS and even before herpes was a big concern. One friend of mine, an Air Force linguist named Pam, had a list of her sexual partners and had hoped to make 100 before she even thought of getting married. I don't know if she ever made it, because she flunked out. A friend I'd made in boot camp, who held a master's degree in something, told me during the flight to San Francisco that he was gay. He taught me about fine dining, quite the experi- See Heroism, P. 6 �Issues 6 Heroism and White Guilt STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 (continued from page 5) ence for a kid for whom “eating out” was a hamburger at the Red Barn; and also introduced me to San Francisco, which included things like “fisting” bars and other avenues for anonymous gay sex. He flunked out, too. For me, it was mostly a year of partying. Beer was cheap, and so was the sex, being pre-AIDS California. We had strippers on base once a month, and they soon added male strippers as well, with the idea that the females would get drunk and worked up and want to screw and it was good for morale all around. I made many friends. One guy, who also flunked out, introduced me to his “oneone-one” theory, which meant going down to Carmel beach, under I believe the ninth and 10th fairways at Pebble Beach Golf Club, and drink one beer, smoke one joint and eat one Quaalude and then enjoy the day. My closest friends were other people from the Midwest, as we could discuss our heroism, but there was quite the assortment of characters, including the high-school dropout with a 170 IQ, or the guy who specialized in cultivating legal ways of getting high. Silly torture Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape was a program started by the Air Force at the end of the Korean War. All we knew going in was that it involved getting tortured for a couple of days. This program was for people who might be in danger of getting captured by the enemy and is generally reserved for air crew and Navy SEALs. I was originally scheduled to fly when I got to Korea, so this is why I was sent there. I'd love to tell my personal story about surviving SERE school, but I don't have one to tell. I failed the swimming test before deployment. I honestly don't remember if it was intentional on my part or not; I do recall I wasn't crazy about the idea of getting tortured, although I'm also not a very good swimmer. Still, failing the swim test set me up for several months at Coronado, where I had nothing to do but call in at 8:30 a.m. to check in, then spend the rest of the day at the beach being a hero, while they changed my billet from a flier to a land-based analyst, which takes an inexplicably long time to do in the military. While I hung out in beautiful San Diego, I also got to meet a good number of people going into and coming out of SERE training. The gist of what I heard was this: First, there was a period of sleep deprivation and starvation, about 72 hours in the desert. After you were exhausted and weak came the capture and 24 or so hours in the POW camp. The rules were skin could not be broken and no blood drawn, but anything else was fair game. The “guards” wore vague Eastern Bloc uniforms and spoke in an exaggerated Slavic accent. There was a hot box, there was waterboarding, there was lots of slamming people against walls. Just when you thought it was all about to end, one of the guards gathered ev­ eryone in formation, brought out a Bible, told their captors in the fake Slavic accent that there was no God, no hope, only the all-knowing Commu­ nist Party to answer to, with various people telling me that the Bible was either spat upon or pages were ripped out, I guess depending on the mood. At this point, a number of otherwise strong young men would just break down and start crying, and then the cav­ alry charge would blare out, the captives would be “saved” and the ordeal ended. The most memorable story came from a guy I'd befriended about a week before he participated in SERE. He was a very pragmatic guy, a little older than most of us, and he saw this all as a silly game for some sadistic military play. During his POW session, he explained to his captors that he was sick of the silly games and he would tell them whatever they wanted to know, because he was tired and hungry and this was all kinda stupid. At that point, the Slavic accents were dropped by the guards. “We're not gonna torture you if you don't want to take part in that,” he was told, “but let me tell you what a sorry American you are.” There, after days of weaken­ ing from the lack of sleep and food, they told him stories of heroic POWs of the past, and what they had to endure, and they did so selflessly. Whatever it was, it worked. He came back a totally changed man, having been shamed into a gung-ho soldier from that point on. He described his own past personality as “cowardly” and vowed never to allow that to happen again. I don't know about the effec­ tiveness of torture for eliciting information from enemies, but it seems to be very effective in inducing conformist ideology on our own people. This is the first of a series. The Hustle Man Selling wares, time and ‘Streetvibes’ By JereMy Flannery Contributing Writer When living on the streets, you try to survive with the means at your disposal. Mark Anthony Shears sells his time and acquisitions. “People call me ‘the Hustle Man,’” he says, “because I wash people’s car windows, detail cars, and if anyone gives me clothes or other things for the FreeStore, I try to sell what I can first to get by.” Streetvibes is another item Shears sells to earn a living. He would like to attempt writ­ ing for the newspaper some­ day, he says. “I read the paper first so I know how to sell it better, to get to know the city better and know the conditions of the poor and homeless,” he says. Shears has been homeless on and off for eight years, he says. He started selling Streetvibes in December 2008. He uses a gentle yet fearless ap­ proach when selling the paper. He shakes hands with a pastor and two people in the middle of a conversation on 12th Street and shouts to a man be­ fore he escapes in his car. He sells a few copies to people standing on the sidewalks of Main Street and greets oth­ ers. He sells a copy to a man in a coffee shop and to some­ one working at Art Beyond Boundaries. He pitches sales in other stores along Main Street, but gets no bites. “I know a lot of people down here and they say, ‘That Mark Anthony is a good guy’ because I wash people’s car windows, and if people get their cars busted into, I try to find out who did it for them,” Shears says. “Some people will offer me some money but let me keep the issues so I can sell them to someone else.” Shears is a U.S. Army vet­ eran who served with an army task force in Honduras in 1988, he says. He has never received benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he says. He studied photography at Central Texas College and earned a massage therapy license in Killeen, Texas, he says. His fall into homelessness began in New Jersey, he says. “I was living in New Jersey and was contracted to work for People Express Airlines, and I had a one-night stand and got a woman pregnant,” Shears says. He then moved to Cincin­ nati, where he was robbed of $500 meant to pay for child Mark “Hustleman” Shears is a ‘Streetvibes’ vendor and Army veteran. Photo by Andrew Anderson. support, he says. He served six months for non-payment of child support and has faced homelessness on and off ever since, he says. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Q&A Making More Than Pizza 7 (continued from page 1) Venice on Vine is open Monday-Friday 10:30am - 8pm for Carry Out or to Eat In Need to grab ‘n go? Order ahead by calling (513) 221-7020. second job, we're a place you Another part of daily activi- kids?’ you have to say, ‘No, I come because you want to ties: After you've worked here have to go to work.’ If the paget in the workforce full-time six to nine months, we expect role officer wants to meet with e v e n t u a l l y. you during You do have work hours, We want people to have some successes to be physiyou have to they can talk about when they leave here. cally capable say, ‘Can we of doing the make it a dif­ - Rina Saperstein job of a resferent time?’ taurant, too. ” Your emThat means lifting 25 pounds, you to be active in job hunt- ployer's expectation is that working in hot and cold en- ing, to go to job fairs, take part you will prioritize work over vironments … and you have in mock interviews. We're one all, but everybody else exto be willing to do every job place where we don't mind if pects you to prioritize them. in the restaurant. You have to you look for a job while you're Learning how to survive in a make pizza, clean the bath- on the job! work environment is learning rooms, be on the cash register. What are some of the barri- to juggle that sense of prioriYou also have to participate ers your employees have faced ties. I say, “You don't have to in your educational develop- in looking for work? love your job, but you have to ment. All of our employees Many of the people here act like it.” work with tutors and all in have had issues of addiction We want people to have different ways. One person and are in recovery. Many some successes they can talk might be working on computer people – not all – have been about when they leave here. skills, another person might be incarcerated. For some, that's We don't want people to have studying for her GED, another minor. For others, it can be a to tell potential employers, might be saying, "How am I major barrier to employment. “Well, I had a job for a month going to start my small busi- Several people can no longer and then I left that, and then I ness?" Another person may be work in health care, for exam- went to another job and then I learning to read. In whatever ple, because of a conviction, left that one too.” The people form it takes, educational de- and so they are completely who work here can say, “I'm velopment is a requirement of changing the field in which working right now, and last the job; it's not an option. they'll work. Other people week, this happened on the You also have to show up here never grew up in an envi- job and this is how I solved for work every day; we're ronment where work was val- it.” We want people to have pretty strict about that. ued and so they never learned accomplishments and then What are the work days the skills necessary. Think to be able to talk about them like? back. How did you get your with pride. There's a big barPeople work 20 hours a first summer job? Usually rier, though, and that is there week – a four-hour shift five it's from someone you know. are very few entry-level jobs days a week, so there's plenty There can be a big barrier if in the inner city. People have of time to do whatever else people don't have connections transportation issues when you need to do in your life. to the work force. ... Even if there are jobs out in the subEvery person has an assign- the skills required in the job urbs on schedules that don't ment, which rotates every do not require a high school work with the bus lines. three weeks. If you're starting education, the employer will Also, we're creating classes new in that job, you shadow still say you need to have a of people who are unemploysomeone else. After you've high school education. able, especially considering done it for a while, somebody A lot of people lack knowl- the number of people with a then shadows you. You're re- edge of employers' expecta- conviction record. That's a se­ sponsible for your tasks. You tions. I tell people starting rious policy issue. I'd say local learn by direct supervision, here, “Be aware that when your employers have to step up. If shadowing and teaching. sister says, ‘Can I drop off the you walk into a place and you Venice on Vine is located at the corner of Vine and 13th streets in Over-the-Rhine. Rina Saperstein, executive director of Power Inspires Progress. Photos by Andrew Anderson. see a help wanted sign, say, “I know a program that could provide you with employees that have proven they have a work ethic. They can take control in a tough environment.” That would be my plea. You have to find your own value in work because it's not going to come externally; it's not always going to be bread and roses. I've seen a lot of people have a sense of pride and accomplishment. It's a really big deal when they hit their one-month or threemonth anniversary. They understand the value of that. What has surprised you at Venice on Vine? I'm surprised by how many people here are victims of violence and how that shapes their lives. I just think about the level of grief they must carry. Someone may have a son who's paralyzed, or her children's father was murdered, or his grandchild was shot. It's constant. It's like, “How can I expect people to come to work and concentrate on the pizza?” Every time you see a report of a shooting in the paper, somebody here knows them or it's somebody's family member. It's so easy to draw the lines between “us” and “them,” to think, “We're the law-abiding, good people.” But all those people are somebody's nephew, somebody's son, or somebody's gonna end up here later when they figure out they don't want to be part of that world anymore. We have people who do a wonderful job. It's not easy when 14 people walk in wanting to eat within 15 minutes. And there's constant turnover here; everybody's always training, nobody's ever fully trained. (Our employees) show up for work every day for very little pay. That's incredible dedication. I have really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the people here. We do form a community. I'm happy when people have moved on and are doing well and that does happen. What are your goals for Venice on Vine and Power Inspires Progress? I want people to come here (because) they want a good slice of pizza. It helps if they are a little tolerant, if they know we're not fast food. But we still have to put out the food. We can't run the program unless we can satisfy the customers. We make half of our money from sales. That was a really important goal, and I'm really proud we did. Our donations are huge to us and our big fundraiser in September is a quarter of our budget. (At nonprofits) we're always telling people, "You've got to work for your money, you can't de­ pend on handouts," and so we do the same. But we can't sur­ vive on just what we can earn. (Our employees) are still go­ ing to need food stamps, and we're in the same boat as the people here. It used to be the trend in non-profits to talk about selfsufficiency, but the reality is interdependency - it's resourcefulness. �8 Recipe STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Your tour guide into the steamy side of vegetarian cuisine Lazy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce For the dipping sauce: ½ cup natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth) 1 tbsp minced garlic ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce ¼ cup water (more if needed) 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp Asian chili paste 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves by AleCiA A. lott Contributing Writer The fact that I’m a vegan doesn’t mean I love salads. In fact, I have to force myself to eat them just like everyone else. At many casual restaurants, they’re simply a glorified steak or chicken sandwich sans bread. Once all the ani­ mal flesh and secretions are omitted, all I am often left with is wilted lettuce and maybe a few pale, measly wedges of tomato and scraps of carrot. Olive oil and vinegar – yawn – might be the only dairy-free dressing option. How depress­ ing. When I make salads at home, I enjoy them because I can throw in my favorite stuff: beans, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, nuts, dried fruit, olives. That said, salads are labor-in­ tensive and dull, with all the prep work, the green leafy healthfulness. Many of my favorite foods – French fries, sushi, chips ’n’ guacamole, samosas – have many fun things in common that salads lack: They are finger foods that don’t require utensils. (I use chop- 1. In a small bowl or food processor, combine everything except the cilantro until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more water if sauce is too thick. 2. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir in the cilantro just before serving. This sauce will keep for up to 5 days. Photo by Andrew Anderson. sticks to eat sushi because they’re fun, but sushi is traditionally a finger food.) There is a dipping sauce involved, which makes everything in life better. With the exception of the fries, they are a touch exotic, whereas big ol’ leafy salads are a very American thing. Today’s recipe, colorful Vietnamese-style spring rolls, combines the nutritious, crunchy virtuosity of a salad with the dip ’n’ dunk, otherworldly appeal of my favorite fare. The ingredients and measurements are simply a guide- ! ? t a h W y a line. You can fill them with whatever you like; and if you are lazy like me, you can just use pre-sliced veggies. The toughest part is dealing with the spring roll wrappers, which are made of delicate rice paper and can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. You might have to practice a few times but soon you’ll be a pro. If you don’t want to make the dipping sauce, just buy the yummy Thai Kitchen Peanut Satay Sauce, as I do. I told you I’m lazy! For the spring rolls: 8 spring roll wrappers 1 cup shredded red cabbage ¾ cup shredded carrots 1 cup broccoli slaw 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips ½ cup fresh bean sprouts ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1. Dip a wrapper in a shallow bowl of warm water to soften. Carefully place it on a clean towel briefly to blot, then place it on a cutting board or flat work surface. 2. Place a small amount of each ingredient on the bottom third of the wrapper (the edge closest to you). Pull the bottom edge over the filling and tightly fold in the sides. Dab the top edge with water and tightly roll up. (You can cut the roll in half if you wish, but that will make it messier to eat.) 3. Place the roll seam-side down on a serving platter. Re­ peat with remaining wrappers and filling ingredients. 4. Serve with small bowls of dipping sauce. Berta’s Art Corner S When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. – Dom Helder Camara ________ Become a fan of Streetvibes on Facebook! “Vertical Wrap” Government Square, Downtown Cincinnati �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Art Review Art for the Mind and Spirit 9 (continued from page 3) and social responsibility.” Sally Lawson-Bailey leads chanting and meditation. “Immigrants and Immigrant Right Issues: a Local Perspective” is a panel dis­ cussion facilitated by Dan La Botz, historian, followed by a potluck meal, mu­ sic and the documentary film, The Cats of Mirikitani, “an intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing power of community and art.” Live music and poetry readings are interspersed throughout the schedule, with poets scheduled to read the night we visit. They are all published in For A Better World: Poems and Drawings on Peace and Justice by Greater Cincinnati Artists. After the visual stimulation it’s hard to just listen. My eyes wander over tattoos, clothing, hair and looking for what people do while they listen. One woman knits. Unable to follow the words I hear with my eyes open, I follow along with the poems in the book Ghosn autographed before handing it to me. “I want to see the tables turned, George Bush stopped at the border Incoming, stripped of his cowboy boots and jeans, His counterfeit dignity….. Five hundred detentions per day, in this land where we are free to ignore the truth, the home of the brave and patriotic bumper sticker. (excerpted from Mohammed’s Return by Karen Arnett) My fingers flip pages, not as satisfied as they would be trailing over bumpy paint, but content to wander. The black/white/gray drawings paired with each group of poems feel stark. But maybe that’s the point. So many fight to protect their right To gluttony, ease, ignorance and spite The right to be crude The right to eat any food They desire. It sits and expires While others subsist on handouts And sound-outs, and closeouts “Get your nose out”s and “Mind your business”s Are fired like arrows at those who care Enough to say, “Wait, stop there ‘Waiting for the Wolf’ by Kymber Henson. Photo by Bill Howes. And just think.” (excerpted from Lines by Celeste Brott) This is the monk’s favorite so far, the poet’s thoughts clearly communicated on paper and in voice. The bios of all contributors reveal contributors from ages 9 to 85. At the be­ ginning of the reading, the moderator thanks Ghosn for giving local poets an opportunity to publish and be heard each year. Not one to read poetry, I’m not aware of the lack of a market or audience, but given how infrequently poetry gets the spotlight and the low value place on cultural pursuits, it makes sense. I’m glad to be present, to witness the creativity. Poet (and Streetvibes columnist) Michael Henson takes the stage and de­ mands attention with a seemingly spontaneous presentation of an engaging piece. He doesn’t sound rehearsed or hesitant – he’s excited and pulling us along with a happy and energetic cadence. What follows is A Poem for Esme and the reason for the gathering is driven home with somber silence between spoken lines. Two women close to me cry and hold hands – friends of the fam­ ily of Esme Kenny? Peace and justice are complicated concepts to understand but their lack seems obvious as the death of a young girl. Inspiring action to address the lack is important and essential. ‘Present Moment’ by Lisa Vaughn. Photo by Saad Ghosn. Throwing around words Only shows we’re lazy Letter will fall on deaf ears And empty heads. If words could change the world, Mouths would be gods And language would be magic. But we’re thrown words around Long enough. The world doesn’t need more words, The world needs action. And we need the world. – All Talk by Christopher Patterson SOS Art was May 29–June 7 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Over-the-Rhine. Smaller exhibitions will run throughout the year at various locations. To receive updates about where and when these shows will take place, e-mail Saad Ghosn at ghosns@ucmail.uc.edu �Column 10 For Want of Three Items Why not just help any addict who asks for it? Twenty dollars. A photo ID. A piece of mail with your name and address on it. These three items are what you will need if you want to go into detox at a center I won’t name because good people work there trying to do their best with the circumstances they are given. If you lack any one of them, you will be turned away. If your photo ID is not from the state of Ohio, you will be turned away. And the piece of mail needs to be a bill or some other of­ ficial piece of mail – not just a letter from your aunt – or you’ll be turned away. A homeless certificate, completed by one of the en­ tities legally authorized to issue a homeless certificate, will stand in for the ID and the piece of mail. But not the $20. When I took My Friend (I won’t name him either) over to the detox center, he had none of them. I thought everything had been set up with emergency-room social services. We had a 9 o’clock appointment and I picked him up at the hospital in plenty of time. But when we got there, the receptionist asked, first thing, “Do you have a photo ID, $20 and a piece of mail?” I had the $20. I was ready for that. My Friend got out his photo ID, but it was a Kentucky ID, so it didn’t count. “I don’t live there no more,” he told her, but it didn’t matter. So did he have a piece of mail? It took a moment for My Friend to register the question. He looked befuddled (he was, after all, befuddled). He searched through his wallet and came up with nothing. “Do you remember I told you, ‘Bring a photo ID, $20 and a piece of mail’? ” My Friend did not. He had been drunk or on Valium for the past 48 hours, so he was lucky to remember anything at all. So there we were. It had taken hours of work by a num- 20 minutes. Twenty minutes was too long to wait. My Friend was sent away. He got in later that day. They released him three days later and he went right back to the bottle. I don’t know if they offered him a treatment referral and he refused or if there were no post-detox treatment available. ***** Twenty dollars. A photo ID. A piece of mail with your name and address on it. Try to remember, if you ever end up homeless and addicted, to hold onto these three items. When you’re beat down and crazy and addled and you don’t by MiChAel henson know whether to live or die, but you’re willing to ber of people to get My Friend give it just one more shot, just to this point, but we were be sure you can prove who stumped for lack of an ID and you are. a piece of mail. It would be a shame to We tried to explain that ever treat the wrong person. My Friend was homeless. So It would be a shame to de­ where was his homeless cer- tox someone under false pre­ tificate? tences. It would be a shame to Time was running out here. save the wrong life. My Friend was about to lose ***** his spot to the next person on the list. We figured out that My Friend had a homeless certifiWhy is addiction differ­ cate on file and that we could ent from any other disease? get someone to fax it over in When My Friend fell down ammered H STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. and broke his arm a few days later and it got infected, he showed up at the emergency room door, broke as ever, with the same Kentucky ID and no mail in hand. No one at the ER bothered about his out-of-state ID or his lack of mail or $20. They treated him. And I know it wasn’t cheap. It involved at least three days in a hospital bed and plenty of antibiotics and a whole team of doctors and nurses. What we say is that addic­ tion is a disease like other dis­ eases. What we do is to treat it like a moral failing. Why do we set up barriers to treat­ ment? Why do we set up stan­ dards for the addict we do not have in place for anyone else? ***** What if it were simple? What if you could just show up, shaking, miserable, bowels trembling, vitals spiking, hope nearly gone, numb in mind, barely able to think, much less think straight, without ID or mail or barely a dollar to your name (that you can’t prove is yours)? What if you walk up to a facility where they said to you, “We don’t care who you are or where you come from. We can see you’re sick and we’re happy to help.” But they don’t. Maybe they say that to cli­ ents with hefty wallets and good insurance, the people who still get mail from Netflix or the phone company, who have their $20 handy. But they don’t say that to the people I take to detox, who tend to have a lot of burnt bridges but not a lot of money or official mail. But let’s imagine they could welcome anyone who showed up. Would that be a bad thing? What if we had the funding to cover beds for every addict who shows up in need? And what if we would follow up detox with treatment at what­ ever level is appropriate? And what if there were supportive case-management services available to help the addicts get their IDs and addresses together? Would there be a downside? If there is, I don’t see it. But why do I even ask? Is there a single governmental entity at the federal, state, county or local level ready to put the money behind a real effort to prevent, intervene or treat chemical dependency or provide support for the strug­ gling addict? We can have an extended debate on whether to buy an­ other boat for the Hamilton County Coast Guard. But we don’t talk at all about how to rescue My Friend. Health Food in Times of Peril A celebration of books and characters By Jaisha J. garneTT Contributing Writer The potato peel pie sadly only exists in the pages of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows but it's probable that the ingredients would have been something like this: 2 pounds of potatoes 2 cups raw, grated potato peelings 1 cup of water 4 medium sized beets, strained and chopped The main ingredients of an epistolary novel set in 1946 that celebrates the power of books to inspire and strengthen readers in times of darkness are equally simple: 1 island under German occupation 1 roasted pig 7 founding dinner guests An armful of books Infinite letters of correspondence 1 amiable protagonist named Juliet Ashton Juliet Ashton is a young writer, a lover of all things literary, in her early thirties. As the novel opens, she is on tour promoting her book, Izzy Bickerstaff Goes to War, a collection of newspaper columns published in the newspaper the Spectator during World War II. Though the book is a success, Juliet admits to her editor that she is disgruntled at the thought of having to write another book as Izzy Bickerstaff – she doesn't want to be seen as a "light-hearted journalist anymore." Still discontent with her career, short on ideas and dispirited by the deprivation left behind by the war, she receives inspiration from a letter by a stranger on the British island of Guernsey. Dawsey Adams is inquiring about the other works of Charles Lamb, briefly speaking of living on Guernsey during the German occupation and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Juliet's curiosity is inevitable, and so a correspondence with Dawsey begins: "Why did a roast pig dinner have to be kept a secret? How could a pig cause you to begin a literary society? What is a potato peel pie – and why is it included in your society's name?" Here's how the literary society came to be: A pig kept in secret from the German soldiers spurs a spontaneous dinner party. The guests lose track of time and find themselves sneaking back to their homes one hour past curfew. Unfortunately, the German patrol officers are alerted and begin questioning the guests. Under the pressure of the moment, Elizabeth McKenna confesses that the group had just been at a meeting of the Guernsey Lit- erary Society and that the dis­ cussion of Elizabeth and Her German Garden had been so absorbing that everyone lost track of time. What started as a lie to save themselves grew into a strong society of friends united by their love for reading. Readers learn that the society is still quite active, meeting every fortnight, and the quirky potato peel pie is still served, though the Germans have since left their island. Such an extraordinary tale couldn't help but spark Juliet's frequent communication with the rest of the Guernsey resi­ dents. Long-distance friendships begin to form and soon Juliet decides to visit the is­ land. But the visit turns into an extended stay, and research for an article in the Times spans into something greater when Juliet decides that her next book will be based on the residents of Guernsey and their life during the German occupation. Over 20 different voices are portrayed in this novel, yet it never feels disjointed. Each letter is another piece of the story. It takes a while, however, to get used to the ever changing point of views, matching the characters with their back-stories. The novel stands as an en­ tire story and does not feel fragmented. The overarch­ ing love for all things liter­ ary and the darker undertone of war connect to bring a story that speaks of life and strength. The story possesses ounces of English character, and both sweet and sour love stories wind quietly beneath the heavier story lines, con­ juring up scenarios that could fit flawlessly into the pages of any Jane Austen novel. Lighthearted without being cliché, humorous, warm and poignant to its very core, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society charms with every page. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Editorial 11 The Drop is Dead, Long Live the Drop Lies, damned lies and TV news By georgine geTTy Contributing Writer was. I hear it from homeless people and social service pro­ viders. I hear it from people who love the Drop Inn Cen­ ter and people who hate it. I heard it from my hairdresser, my massage therapist, the lady bagging my groceries and the baristas at any coffee shop in town. My general rule is to wait sent to the Homeless Coali­ tion listserv, Clifford stated: “Please be aware that this “The Drop Inn Center is story is not accurate. We have closing,” it’s said with certain­ received no communications ty, urgency – the kind of voice from anyone at City Hall re­ garding forced relocation or that someone uses to tell you a celebrity is dead. threatening our funding. In “Oh yeah?” I say. Inside, I fact, we have been actively involved in a city-initiated roll my eyes. “Absolutely.” process called “Homeless to Homes,” which They’ve heard is attempting to it The new School for Creative and provide holistic, from: Performing Arts (SCPA) knew exactly collaborative so­ A. So and so who their neighbor was when they took lutions for home­ who works at less individuals the Drop Inn on their beautiful new building and the in Cincinnati. Center school has made no statements about The process was B. A blog concerns with the Drop Inn Center. initiated by Rox­ C. A politi­ anne Qualls, and cian the initial report D. A local celebrity at a cocktail party. until I hear it three times from was approved by City Coun­ And the punch line? people I trust and then call Pat cil.” And yet, there that story “There’s no way that they Clifford, executive director of are going to let the Drop the Drop Inn Center, and ask sits in cyberspace. When you Inn Center stay next to that him if it’s true this time. He google the Drop Inn Center, school.” always patiently explains that after its home page, WLWT’s Set aside the fact that the it is not, unraveling where the article is the first to pop up. new School for Creative and rumor might have started. He’s Not a retraction to the article. Performing Arts (SCPA) been hearing from me more Not a mea culpa. The article. knew exactly who their neigh­ and more frequently over the Maybe WLWT could no bor was when they took on past few years. their beautiful new building But this last time, I didn’t and that the school has made even wait three times. no statements about concerns “The Drop Inn Center is with the Drop Inn Center. Set closing.” aside the fact that SCPA stu­ “Oh yeah?” I said. dents volunteer regularly at “Yeah. I saw it on the news, the Drop Inn Center – not just on the feed at the bottom. It next door, but actually in the said the city bought them a building. Set aside the fact new location and will hold that the Drop Inn Center lived their money until they move.” next door to Washington Park Good golly, “they” have re­ Elementary School for around ally stepped up their game. 30 years with no problem. Set On June 24, WLWT (Chan­ aside the fact that people ex­ nel 5) reported, “The city's periencing homelessness are largest homeless shelter not drooling pedophiles wait­ could lose its funding unless ing for the opportunity to prey it moves.” The on-line report upon school children. that followed its run on tele­ Set that all aside. vision states that the Drop Inn Who are “they?” And how Center is located across the did “they” come to have street from SCPA and that city enough power to take out an officials are buying them a autonomous, fiscally responsi­ new building due to concerns ble non-profit agency? I hope about the students. The Drop Inn Center doesn’t want to “they” never come after me. “You know. Developers.” move, the article concludes, Oh, I know developers. but the city will cut its fund­ I’ve been hearing about the ing if it doesn’t. Drop Inn Center’s imminent A call to Pat Clifford. He demise since before I even had no idea where the story knew what a Drop Inn Center came from. In a later email Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com The Drop Inn Center is at the corner of 12th and Elm streets. Photo courtesy of Drop Inn Center. longer resist the appeal of the rumor. Maybe they had reached a critical mass of hearing it so many times from so many people that they just couldn’t help themselves. But there’s an old saying that goes, “What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth.” That’s the kind of thing you usually say to your kid. It’s not the kind of thing you should have to say to a major local news source. Each night the Drop Inn Center opens its doors to around 250 people who are having the worst night of their life. They take those folks and move them from hopelessness, addiction and despair and into housing, employment and hope. Don’t they have enough to worry about without having to make a formal statement every day assuring us all that they are still alive? �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Issues 12 Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves The cost of political apathy By suhiTh WicKreMa Contributing Writer Yet when the Hamilton County Department of Jobs and Family Services – the department that issue food stamps, provide day care vouchers, protects abused Imagine what a Cincinnati City Council meet­ and neglected children, protects elderly people, en­ ing would like if city council were in the process of forces child-support orders, provide cash assistance laying off 47 percent of the police department. The to the very poor, helps people to join the workforce council chambers would be packed to capacity with – is about to lose 47 percent of its employees, there is only a murmur of protest. uniformed officers, their family Why is that? members, neighborhood vigilante Those of us who work at the De­ groups and ordinary citizens. Funding is partment of Jobs and Family Servic­ Imagine what the school board always about es see ourselves as social workers, meeting would look like if Cincin­ political power nati Public Schools were in the pro­ advocates for the poor and injured and influence. We cess of laying off 47 percent of its and as a part of the helping profes­ social workers employees. The school board meet­ sion. On a daily basis, we motivate seem reluctant ing would be packed with teachers, our customers and other profession­ their spouses, students, parents and als to do tasks that they might not to develop this ordinary citizens. political power and want to do. We facilitate meetings Do you remember the Hamil­ with people who might have oppos­ influence. ton County Commission meetings ing viewpoints to a given problem when the commissioners propose and develop a consensus solution. to reduce the sheriff department’s Given these skills, one would budget? The hearing room was filled with sheriff’s think we would be able launch a successful cam­ deputies, their spouses, their kids, their parents and paign against these decimating cuts. However, we community members. have been unable or unwilling to organize and pres­ Do you remember what the city budget hearings sure the politicians to stop the hemorrhaging at our looked like two years ago, when council members work place. People in the helping profession seem proposed to close down a number of city health cen­ inherently incapable of organizing into a political ters? The hearing rooms were full of health depart­ force. ment employees, health care advocates, consumers, Funding is always about political power and influ­ and ordinary citizens, all waving socks: “SOC – Save ence. We social workers seem reluctant to develop this political power and influence. This malady per­ Our Clinics.” The clinics were not closed. When the city manager suggested selling the Cin­ meates the entire human service/social work profes­ cinnati Water Works, threatening the quality of our sion. The reluctance of social workers and helping water and union jobs, workers, union leaders, civil professionals to demand a valued place in this soci­ rights organizations, consumer advocates and or­ ety has baffled me. dinary citizens initiated a petition drive to stop the Over the years I have come up with many differ­ sale. ent explanations for why members of the helping Across 1. Singers 4. Public affairs channel 7. Majestic 10. In a menacing manner 11. Ethnic defense body 12. Conforms to 16. Article 17. Duplicate 20. Take flight 21. Annulus 22. Bring ashore 23. Snakelike fish 24. Not so much 27. Passed with flying colors 29. Gibbet 30. Confederate general 32. Show failing mental faculties 33. Fencing position 35. Obnoxious 36. Former South American civilization 37. Foul 38. Support for injury Down 2. Persia 3. Turn 4. Star sign Crossword profession are unwilling or unable to organize and demand respect. Explanation one: Women dominate the helping profession. Misogyny still prevails in our culture. The de-valuing of a profession dominated by women is just a reflection of this misogynistic culture. I do not find this theory convincing. Women domi­ nate the teaching and the nursing professions. Teach­ ers’ unions have become a force to reckon with. The power of the California Nurses Association has be­ come legendary. Teachers and nurses have gained by this organized action – the median income of a teacher with over 20 years experience is $58,000. The median income of a registered nurse with over 20 years experience is $63,000. The median in­ come of a social worker with 20 years experience is $41,000. So, the misogyny of our culture does not appear to be a determining factor in the economic subjugation of the helping profession. Explanation two: Social workers are overworked and underpaid, thus not having any surplus time or energy to organize. This is circular reasoning. If so­ cial workers were well organized, they would not be underpaid and overworked, but we cannot organize because we are overworked and underpaid. At one time, teachers and nurses were also over­ worked and underpaid. Somehow, members of these two professions found time to organize into strong unions, giving them political power and influence. This translated into better pay. Explanation three: The tolerance of low wages by social workers has been explained by saying that so­ cial workers see their work as a “calling,” thus will­ ing to work for low wages. A recent Government Accountability Office report estimated that the turn­ over rate among child-welfare workers is between 30 and 40 percent. It See Social Workers, p. 13 Sudoku Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. 5. Inadvertent mistake 6. Not supple 8. Expression of agreement 9. False 13. Worse 14. Flirt 15. Detect 17. Stride 18. I will comply 19. Small picture in a larger one 24. Lieutenant Colonel (2,3) 25. Tastelessly showy 26. Blackballs 28. Submit 31. Go out 33. Fraud 34. Enclosure The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Community News 13 Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves (continued from page 12) is hard to believe that this many people would leave their “call­ ing” on a regular basis. I do not find any of the above arguments convincing. I am not sure if there is a simple answer to explain the apathy of social workers. However, I would like to offer the following reasons as significant contributing factors. Factor one: We social workers have started to emulate some of the characteristics of the people we serve – blaming At one time, others and social conditions without taking responsibil­ teachers and ity for one’s situation are a nurses were common characteristic of the also overworked troubled people social workand underpaid. ers encounter. In social work Somehow, jargon this is known as the members of these “victim stance.” We social workers blame two professions the county commissioners, found time to the legislature, the governor, organize into the union and the society for strong unions, not valuing social work and giving them social workers. We blame ev­ eryone else for our condition, political power without doing anything to cor­ and influence. rect it – the “victim stance.” This translated Factor two: We, social into better pay. workers have become victims of our own rhetoric: "You cannot change others or the world, you can only change yourself." This is a mantra said by many social workers to their clients. It is this kind of selfcentered, individualistic thinking that has made us sit at our desks and passively watch while our co-workers’ livelihood is stripped away from them. Social workers function as agents of social control to main­ tain the status quo. We use concepts such as “victim stance” and “you can only change yourself” to keep the poor in check when the poor question social inequality. We, appear to have internal­ ized these concepts of oppression. If you are interested in organizing social workers, counselors and human-services workers into a political force, contact Suhith Wickrema at 513-281-4441 or Suhith@iac.net. Cincinnati’s City Hall. Every other year when City Council decides on the bi-annual budget, health clinics, city pools and human-services funding are the first to be cut out to balance the budget. None Dare Call Him Lawrence lished cover stories and news stories – work he takes seriously. But no one, including Gross himself, takes seriously his blogs, whose content over the years has sometimes been pornographic, often absurd and usu­ ally grumpy. Fellow bloggers and letters to CityBeat have chided him for being too critical of Cincinnati. His grievances includes the failure rate of downtown restaurants, unfriendly strangers, bedbugs, newspa­ per racks left to deteriorate after a paper has gone out of business, holiday signs left up too long, di­ rectional signs pointing to a skywalk that no longer exists and the predominance of iceberg lettuce in salads at so many meals. The complaints are his favorite response from readers, Gross says. “I love getting hate mail,” he says. “I don’t know what that says about me but I love to ruffle feath­ ers.” It says a lot about him, in fact. Gross doesn’t spare his own privacy – or, for that matter, other people’s – in his essays. He doesn’t hesitate to risk alienat­ ing girlfriends or being banned from bars because of what he writes. “People say, ‘You write so personally. You write about your brother, you write about break-ups.’ I fig­ (continued from page 5) ure either a person is going to like me for that or not like me for that,” he says. “At least they’re going to know me.” Asked if he views writing as therapy, Gross ob­ serves that many successful writers have drunk heavily and suffered depression. “I think writers are a little nuts,” he says. “I think it makes them more creative.” Does that include the person interviewing him? “Yes.” Gross left a long career as an accountant to take up writing full-time. Writing was always what he wanted to do, but family members discouraged the risk, he says. “I’ve been talked out of it all my life. Finally I get to do what I want to do,” he says. “I want to die slumped over my writing desk. For me, that would be the perfect way to go.” Gross is finishing a novel and wants to write a col­ lection of short fiction after that. The great bulk of the essays in Living Out Loud are true accounts of people he has seen, he says. “You just can’t make this stuff up,” he says. “This is stuff that just happened.” The prostitute at the Laundromat. The amateur preachers on the bus. “People have told me that weird people are at­ tracted to me,” Gross says. “I’m always attracted to people who are a little off-center.” His stories are often like that. “The Birthday Gift” is about a man who leaves his 16-year-old son at home with friends to do what they want. He won’t watch and he won’t interfere. The father goes to a bar and takes up with a woman he thought he’d ear­ lier had an affair with. Asked to criticize his own work, Gross says, “I think I’m kind of the Jack Webb of writing – a little too clipped at times, not descriptive enough. Sometimes I think it’s just the facts. I sort of rush it. There’s not a lot of extra. It’s just to the point.” Like his upbringing: a farm boy in East Enterprise, Ind. Like his name: He’s no Lawrence. “You can look at my driver’s license,” he says. “It’s Larry. That’s what’s on my birth certificate.” Ordinariness might not qualify as a virtue. But it can hold fascinating stories. Living Out Loud is available at amazon.com and can be ordered at any bookstore. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Vendor Voice 14 Time By MacK l. russell sr. streetvibes vendor The essence of time is so mysterious. The wonders, the experience, and it’s endless. Is time truly appreciated or is time depressed? Is time the beginning or the end? Do we humans understand time or is time a thing man counts upon a clock? Does time begin when one is born or when one dies? After all, who deter­ mines the mystics of it all? At times, time will keep you impatient, wondering from hour to hour. Then there are times when time comes roaring at you like a cheetah en route to clutch its prey. No one knows exactly what to do with time. In times of misfortune, time never seems to be right. But in times of good fortune, time is always right on time. We humans curse time, and we also give times its praises because we know not what time truly is. Whether we know it or not, time is truly a god because in time there is the beginning and the end. Like when one is born, we rejoice upon their arrival, and when one lies on that dreaded state of death, we have sorrow, for that person’s clock loses its tick, and that is something no battery can reset. What is time? Not even a prisoner knows, Although one may experience a lot or a lapse in time. Time waits for no one. We go through life never expecting time of our own end but some of us expect one day in time it will surely come. And know that brings about thought and questions. But who am I or you to question time, and what difference will it make? Time, mine, yours or the world’s, it matters not, Because time is not to be claimed. One must use the time given on this earth as best as one can, and when the end comes, accept thy fate for what is known in and of this world we leave behind, time and all. Be All You Can Be: A Peaceful Planet Person By BerTa laMBerT streetvibes vendor The army recruits for death and mayhem. It hides its interest in sloganeering. Appeals are made to youth’s desire for self-improvement. Wouldn’t it be grand to be all you can be? Years before this slogan is broadcast, folk artist Mary Ann Lederer paints a picture. It is hung in Mac McCrackin’s Presbyterian church in the West End. Ba­ sic elements are head portraits of three or four or so and a super-imposed phrase, “Be a Peaceful Planet person.” Not incidentally, Gordon Maham is fond of responding to inquiries from guards, police and military folk alike: ‘I represent the peaceful planet people.” In good time the author, I, Berta Lambert, suggest a combination of the slogan and phrase: “Be all that you can be. Be a peaceful planet person.” A banner has been made for me and my allies, but bumper stickers and buttons and such are yet to appear. Cleo’s Joke Corner Why did the army draft all the babies? Because they wanted to build up their infantry. What’s Happenin’ July/August Events Benefits: IHN Golf Outing. Flagg Springs Golf Course. $75 for individual, $300 for team of four. Benefits Interfaith Hospitality Network. July 24. 9:30am. Contact Betsy Wones to play, 4711100. Jazz in July ‘09. The Phoenix. $25. Benefits CILO. July 24. 5:30-8:30pm. RSVP: 513-241-2600. 20th Annual Bocce Tournament. Sharon Woods Fern Hollow. Bring desert to share. Benefits Our Daily Bread. July 26. 11am5pm. Northside Community Yard Sale. Benefits Churches Active In Northside. August 8. 9am-2pm. http://northside.net/sale for more info. Activities: JUST Community Youth Leadership Institute. July 19 - 25. Visit http://bridgescincinnati.org/programs/iyli.html. $50 (includes lodging, meals, transportation and t-shirt). Compassionate Communication of Greater Cincinnati. Integrating Nonviolent Communication into Every Day Life. July 17 at 9am or July 18 at5pm. at New Thought Unity Center. 513-300-6832 or susan@stiglercreative.com. Kids’ Meditation/Yoga Camp. July 18, 2-5pm. Ages 7-14. Gaden Khachoe-Shing Monastery (3046 Pavlova Drive, Colerain Twp.) Register at gsl@ganden.org or 513-385-7116. Parents welcome. Health Care Reform Informational Forum. August 3, 7pm, First Unitarian Church in Avondale, Hosted by Women’s City Club. US Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) will speak. �STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 Resources 15 Need Help or Want to Help? Our Daily Bread Shelter: Women and Children 621-6364 Health 535-2719 591-2246 Center for Respite Care 1730 Race Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Central Access Point Cincinnati Union Bethel 381-SAFE 768-6907 St. Francis Soup Kitchen Churches Active in Northside 557-2873 FreeStore/FoodBank 681-2365 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 762-5660 St. Vincent de Paul 4230 Hamilton Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45223 300 Lytle Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Bethany House 3600 Erie Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45227 6037 Cary Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45224 Salvation Army 562-8841 1125 Bank Street, Cinti, Ohio 45214 131 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter Crossroad Health Center 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45214 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 872-9259 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 1419 Elm Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Justice Watch 241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Treatment: Men Mt. Airy Shelter 661-4620 784-1853 721-0643 921-1613 682 Hawthorne Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45205 961-2256 Treatment: Women First Step Home 961-4080 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 2728 Glendora Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45209 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 Treatment: Both 721-0643 AA Hotline CCAT 471-1100 221-3350 Joseph House (Veterans) 1821 Summit Road, Cinti, Ohio 45237 Drop Inn Center 217 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Interfaith Hospitality Network Lighthouse Youth Center (Youth) Housing: CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 351-0422 381-6672 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board Recovery Health Access Center Sober Living Talbert House 946-4888 281-7422 681-0324 641-4300 Advocacy 114 W. 14th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Tom Geiger House Dana Transitional Bridge Services Volunteers of America 961-4555 751-0643 381-1954 Food/Clothing Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 1227 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 721-4700 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 621-5300 961-1983 OTR: 1620 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert, Cinti, Ohio 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45202 558-8888 981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 458-6670 977-4489 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center Faces Without Places Stop AIDS Other Resources Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center Peaslee Neighborhood Center Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill industries Healing Connections Mary Magdalen House People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 Hamilton/Middletown 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. Cinti, Ohio 45214 1522 Republic Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 3330 Jefferson, Cinti, Ohio 45220 357-4602 352-2902 352-6363 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Shelter: Both Anthony House (Youth) Health Resource Center Homeless Mobile Health Van McMicken Dental Clinic 2121 Vine Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 DIC Live In Program Prospect House Starting Over 1437 Walnut Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Mental Health Access Point Mercy Franciscan at St. John Shelter: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center ECHO/Hosea House Fairhaven Resuce Mission Homeward Bound Youth Mathews House Homeless & Housing Coalition Parish Kitchen Pike St. Clinic Transitions, Inc Welcome House of NKY Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 If you like what you read, but don’t live in the Cincinnati area, you can subscribe to Streetvibes. Call us at 513-421-7803 x 12 to learn more about subscribing to Streetvibes. Puzzle Solutions �16 Double Take STREETVIBES July 15 - August 2, 2009 “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon Photos by Aimie Willhoite. Streetvibes staff spent the Fourth of July at the Northside Parade and Festival. Top Left: Josh Spring, executive director selling papers. Bottom Left: Greg Flannery, edi­ tor, talking about Streetvibes. Top Right: Jeni Jenkins, education coor­ dinator sprays colored hairspay for the kids. Bottom Right: Justin Jeffre stopped by the Streetvibes booth to buy a paper and get a free temporary tattoo from Lynne Ausman, administrative coordi­ nator. The residents of Fay Apartments in East West­ wood demanded that their voices be heard. City council listened to various points of view and ultimately voted 6 to 3 to give developers a loan to renovate the com­ plex and ultimately save the homes of 700 fami­ lies. Council members in favor of renovation were Roxanne Qualls, Greg Harris, David Crow­ ley, Laketa Cole, Leslie Ghiz, and Cecil Thomas. Those against were Chris Monzel, Jeff Berding, and Chris Bortz. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 15–August 2, 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: A Streetcar named ‘Democracy’ Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Art for the Mind and Spirit Pg 4: No License to Look Pg 5: None Dare Call Him Lawrence Heroism and White Guilt Pg 6: Heroism and White Guilt Continued Pg 7: Making More than Pizza Pg 8: Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Pg 9: Arts & Poetry Pg 10: For Want of Three Items Pg 11: The Drop is Dead, Long Live the Drop Pg 12: Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves Pg 13: Social Workers, Liberate Thyselves Continued Pg 14: Time Pg 15: Resource Guide Pg 16: Double Take Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 15–August 2, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Lew Moores, Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Alecia Lott Larry Gross Stephanie Dunlap Suhith Wickrema Georgine Getty Angela Pancella Jaisha Garnett Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Aimie Willhoite Jennifer Blalock Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Angela Pancella Arts & Poetry David Heitfield Democracy Drop Inn Center Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery Health Food Jaisha Garnett Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Michael Henson NAACP Paul Kopp Social Workers Stephanie Dunlap Streetcar Suhith Wickrema Venice on Vine https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/5ab538bd0c41c621c6c5f99f74fcb333.pdf e996bd17c9d825dbfb33e2bb0f6e0bdd PDF Text Text Garry Quits Page 14 Become a fan of Streetvibes on Facebook! The Street Speaks Page 7 STREETVIBES $1 J u n e 2 0 0 9 • I s s u e 1 5 5 • C i n c i n n a t i ’s A l t e r n a t i v e N e w s S o u r c e ‘Streetvibes’ Wins International Award Journalism prize for report on exploited workers By Lew Moores Contributing Writer He spent several months working on the story, interviewing workers who had come here from Puerto Rico on the promise of a better life – lured here by a Northern Kentucky temporary-employment agency – only to find themselves trapped in a life of hellish proportions. The piece appeared here in Streetvibes a year ago, on June 1, 2008, and ran more than 4,200 words. It begins: Your boss stops by unex­ pectedly, sees a mess in your apartment and punishes you by deducting $50 from your next paycheck. Fortunately, he didn’t see the beer cans in your trash – or your boyfriend hiding in the closet; either of those could have gotten you fired. The effort has paid off, bringing not just attention to an issue of alleged human trafficking here in the Tri-state, but also international acclaim and a huge boost to the feisty and aggressive brand of journalism being practiced these days by Streetvibes. Streetvibes is an alternative newspaper dedicated to reporting on social issues and published monthly by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH). Gregory Flannery, Streetvibes editor who wrote the piece, “We Are Their Slaves,” received an award for Best Feature Story from the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) at a ceremony May 14 in Bergen, Norway. INSP is a network that promotes and supports more than 100 street-paper projects in 40 countries. Flannery and Streetvibes were among a group of finalists for the features award that included street papers – dedicated to the issue of homelessness – from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Seattle, Wash. See Award, p. 5 Streetvibes editor Gregory Flannery, left, and award winners at the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) Convention. Photo courtesy of INSP. Same Struggle, Different Strategy Coalition for the Homeless passes first quarter-century By GreGory FLannery editor next year – indications are it will be worse – there’s plenty of time to celebrate later. Yet Nothing about the Greater advocates find their work at Cincinnati Coalition for the an intriguing nexus: While the Homeless numbers The Obama is fancy, as of homeadministration has Georgine less people Getty, formight conalready increased mer exfunding for low-income tinue to rise ecutive housing and programs to in the short d i r e c t o r, term, advoprevent homelessness. likes to cates point to new observe. That is as it should be, and it’s federal funding as a sign that also why the coalition’s 25th significant improvements are anniversary passed last month underway. The Obama adminwithout any fanfare. istration has already increased People who work for the funding for low-income houscoalition and its member ing and programs to prevent agencies are too busy trying homelessness. to help homeless people. “It’s almost as if we’re on The same thing is happen- the edge of something,” says ing at Bethany House Servic- Josh Spring, executive direces, where Sister Mary Stan- tor of GCCH. ton, executive director, says that agency won’t even try to ‘We will be heard’ celebrate its 25th anniversary, which also occurs this year. Getting to this point has “We’ll celebrate it in 2010, been an often raucous process, though,” she says. with Buddy Gray, co-foundWith little doubt that home- er of the coalition, leading lessness will still be an issue marches on City Hall in the early 1980s, sometimes occupying vacant buildings in Over-the-Rhine. If Gray was the nascent movement’s rhetorical muscle, the Rev. Maurice McCrackin – waging dignified, fiercely non-violent sit-ins well into his 80s – was its moral compass. Gray is gone now, assassinated by a mentally ill man in the very Drop Inn Center that Gray had founded. McCrackin is gone, too, passing away after more than 60 years of activism in the causes of peace, ending poverty and abolishing prisons. Buddy Gray, co-founder of the Greater Significant anni- Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. versaries are useful in assessing the past and the future. Many of the See Coalition, p. 4 leaders of the Homeless Coalition in decades past are still �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 13,164 the amount of votes Brian Garry received in the 2007 city council election (See page 14.) 75 the number of the Interstate expressway whose construction devastated the West End (See page 10.) 40 the number of countries in which the International Network of Street papers is active (See page 7.) 83 the cost, in kroners, of a shot of whiskey in Bergen, Norway (See page 9.) 1300 the year some parts of Bilbao, Spain, were built (See page 11.) 46 the number of men living at the City Gospel Mission (See page 15.) 14,000 the monthly circulation figure for Virkelig, a Norwegian street paper (See page 7.) 712 the room number for “that crazy guy from the Netherlands” (See page 9.) 15 the number of men at Joseph House who volunteer at Our Daily Bread every month (See page 13.) 8 the amount of water, in ounces, used to make funnel cake (See page 8.) Streetwise By GreGory FLannery ‘CityBeat’ is in Trouble The decline of the newspaper industry nationwide is disconcerting, but the decline of CityBeat, once an ardent local practitioner of alternative journalism, is painful to watch. In years past the paper won a national investigative award for a story that helped win the commutation of Jerome Campbell’s death sentence from former Ohio Gov. Robert Taft III. CityBeat won the same award the following year for an investigation later cited by a federal judge in settlement negotiations over a lawsuit stemming from the strangulation of an unarmed man who died in Cincinnati Police custody. Now the paper seems to have discontinued cover stories and is cutting its news content even further. In a May 20 memo to his staff, CityBeat Editor John Fox announced that he is laying off staff writer Margo Pierce, who is a 2009 Peter Jennings Fellow. He’s also laying off the paper’s receptionist. But there’s more. “We’re switching to the 44” tab size with the issue of June 17 (from the current 48” size), resulting in weekly print savings,” the memo says. “We’re reducing editorial content by at least four pages each week, resulting in weekly print savings.” Among the cuts is Fox’s weekly editorial, another sign of CityBeat’s trajectory in recent years, backing away from important social and political issues in order to concentrate on art and entertainment. The sad irony is that many former readers now unfavorably compare CityBeat to CinWeekly, the all-fun, all-the-time weekly published by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Over the years CityBeat has been generous toward Streetvibes. But it’s hard not to recall what Fox told The City Newspaper in Rochester, N.Y., just after CinWeekly was launched in 2003: “No opinion columns at all. This, in my mind, means they don’t want to alienate anyone, at least at this early stage. They don’t want to give anyone a reason not to read them, but at the same time the lack of personality offers little incentive to read them.” The same words now largely apply to CityBeat. Fox hints that CityBeat’s print edition itself could be in jeopardy. He’s given up trying to make money on it. “We’re in the process of reorganizing resources and staff to focus on growth and profit in three key areas while trying to structure the weekly paper as a break-even business,” Fox writes. “If the weekly paper grows, it’s a bonus. If weekly paper revenues continue to erode, we continue to shift resources and staff to the growth areas.” The growth areas, or so Fox hopes, will be special sections/custom publications, the Worldwide Web and events. Like many newspapers, CityBeat has been trying for years to make money on its Web page. Nearly all have failed. We can only deduce from the latest staff cuts and the decision to shrink the paper even further that CityBeat hasn’t succeeded either. But ‘Streetvibes’ is Thriving There is this good news, however: Having left CityBeat, Margo Pierce plans to continue her unflinching examination of social justice. She’ll keep writing her “Eight Minutes” column for Streetvibes. There is also this good news: Streetvibes again sold its entire print run in May. That’s two months in a row, and four times in 2008-09. Next month we’ll double our publication schedule. Instead of publishing only on the first day of the month, watch for new editions on the first and 15th of each month. So is Ron English So many local politicians seem to have decided the best thing to do with homeless people is to push them out – even the once unassailable City Councilman David Crowley now wants homelessness eliminated as a priority in the city’s human- services funding – that it’s refreshing when one takes time to honor the achievements of people who rise above homelessness. Ron English, Streetvibes vendor, is such a one. With lots of help from the kinds of agencies city council wants to limit, English now has stable housing. He recently gave Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune one of his self-portraits. Portune sent a letter thanking English. “The art conveyed a message of hope and purpose to all on our campaign and me in performing my official duties as a Hamilton County commissioner,” the letter says. “We are all God’s children, with a purpose in life. You have served as an inspiration to many people by overcoming great challenges, yet always maintaining a spirit of youthful optimism and hope.” STREETVIBES June 2009 Streetvibes is a newspaper that provides relevant discussions of homelessness, poverty and other related social justice issues. It is published monthly by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Address: 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: 513.421.7803 x 12 Fax: 513.421.7813 Email: streetvibes2@ yahoo.com Website: www. cincihomeless.org Blog: streetvibes. wordpress.com Streetvibes Staff Editor Gregory Flannery Art Director Lynne Ausman Contributing Writers Lew Moores, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Paul Miller, George Herrell, Jeremy Flannery, Steven Lansky, Michael Henson, Dave Heitfield, Alecia Lott Photography/Artwork Andrew Anderson, Paul Kopp, Aimie Willhoite, Olga Collier, Angela Pancella, Mary Alice Flannery Proofreader Jennifer Blalock Advisory Committee Joe Wessels, Steve Novotni, Andrew Freeze, Georgine Getty, Michael Henson, Stephanie Dunlap, Steve Gibbs The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Programs include Streetvibes, “Voice of the Homeless” Speaker’s Bureau, Cincinnati Urban Experience (CUE), Homeless Curriculum, and Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. All donations support these programs and are taxdeductible to the full extent of the law. We are members of: �STREETVIBES June 2009 Community News Eight Minutes 3 Many people work hard to make a difference for the less privileged in the Queen City. “Eight Minutes” is an opportunity to learn who those people are and what motivates them to be a positive influence. with a ‘Mind Kitchen’ Buddhist monastery serves up health food for the mind By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer Money is a national obsession on a good day, but we’ve seen it reach an extraordinary level as unemployment rises along with the price of just about everything. Applications for government assistance are also on the rise along with the number of people seeking assistance from local and naJamyang Lama. Photos by Margo Pierce. tional charities. In the midst of the worry and upset, it’s easy to develop a singular fixation displays only a small sign currence. Each part in your on individual hanging on car, the gasoline and oil that and family “Buddhist teachings a chain-link make it function, the planning survival. fence to alert and construction of roads and encourage people In Cincinvisitors to its bridges, the manufacture of to be more caring nati, a Tipresence. Led traffic lights, the maintenance betan Bud- and understanding. by two monks, of streetlights, emergency asdhist monk It is important to the monastery sistance that’s available for a is working to understand the offers a vari- car crash and everything else help people interconnectedness ety of classes, it takes to make a trip to the keep sight of or teachings, grocery store adds up to more between human the broader for students people than it’s possible to beings and the context of who are new count. And this doesn’t even the world in environment we live to study, those take into account the people which they in. Imagine living in who have been it took to make the clothes on live. a world without any p r a c t i c i n g your back or all of the prod“ S o m e Buddhism for ucts and services you used behuman beings at groups open years and ev- fore getting behind the wheel. all.” a community eryone in beIt is the effort of others that - Jamyang Lama soup kitchen tween. makes driving a car possible. to feed people This quiet, If all of those people who who are hungry. That is very unassuming mind-kitchen did that work over dozens of good,” says Jamyang Lama of serves up thoughtful fare that years chose not to share their Gaden Samdrup Ling Monas- sounds familiar to anyone expertise and work, then drivtery (GSL). “We have a com- who has explored almost any ing your car would not be posmunity mind-kitchen that will faith tradition or considered sible. And that giving is an satisfy many mind-hungry the value of life. important point, according to people. As a member of our “Buddhist teachings en- Jamyang. community, we provide mind courage people to be more “Generosity is a very imporfood. The same way we need caring and understanding,” tant practice in Buddhism,” he food for our stomach, we Jamyang says. “It is important says. “The generosity I’m talkneed food for our mind. Bud- to understand the intercon- ing about is a true generosity. dhist philosophy and Buddhist nectedness between human It is giving without strings atteaching offers the mind food. beings and the environment tached or any hope of a return. “The most important thing we live in. Imagine living in a We must have wisdom when is the mind. The mind is the world without any human be- practicing generosity. We must basis for whatever we experi- ings at all. From a young age – differentiate between what we ence. Happiness (and) suffer- when you were born, growing need to be able to work hard ing are emotions of the mind. up and until the moment you to help others, because withBuddhist philosophy offers a are driving your car today – out the resources we need for way to be wiser, more com- you rely on the hard work of a ourselves, we won’t have the passionate, a better human countless number of people to conditions necessary to do our being, a better citizen of our make all of this possible.” work.” country.” That interdependence beTo illustrate this last point Unobtrusively and unex- comes clear just considering Jamyang tells a traditional pectedly located in Colerain everyone it takes to make Tibetan story about a poor Township, GSL Monastery driving a car an everyday oc- family. The entire family was “A most important teaching in Buddhism is to look beyond the characteristics of people – the color of skin or … religious affiliation – to truly understand basic human nature,” Jamyang says. “Fundamentally we are the same. We all wish for happiness and none of us wants any suffering.” To end suffering and experience happiness each person must work to create the conditions in her life to make those outcomes possible. Following the law of karma – or cause and effect – it’s essential to do the work necessary to receive the benefit. If flowers make you happy (effect), you must do the work of planting flower seeds, watering those seeds and caring for the plants (cause). starving, and one day a generTo enjoy flowers, you must ous person gave the family a plant flower seeds, not grass loaf of bread. seeds. While “Fundamentally this seems obA decision had we are the same. vious, it unto be made about what to We all wish for derscores the do with the happiness and none logic behind bread; if evof us wants any the reason for eryone had a GSL’s mindsuffering.” small piece, it kitchen and - Jamyang Lama the importance wouldn’t satisfy their hunger of the food it or give them serves, including generosity. enough strength to benefit “In Buddhism, we believe from that bread. So the father the outcome of generosity is decided to eat the entire loaf prosperity,” Jamyang Lama so that he would have enough says. “When you give somestrength to go out and do work thing to someone else, you that would make it possible create karma to experience for him to provide food for the prosperity.” entire family. For a schedule of programs The story also highlights and other information, call the interdependent nature of 513-385-7116 or visit www. all beings, using one family as dgtlmonastery.org. a metaphor for the family of all beings in this world. Jamyang Lama teaches a class at GSL. Photo by Margo Pierce. �4 Community News STREETVIBES June 2009 Same Struggle, Different Strategy (Continued from page 1) Rev. Maurice McCrackin with peaceful protesters in the background. Photo by Jimmy Heath. five years later, and we’re all doing the same thing.” But Stanton is quick to point out her own overstatement. services funding. The face of homelessness has “We met with the city counchanged, and so have the ways cil members so they know that homew h e r e less people w e ’ r e receive help. coming Diversificafrom and tion of serwe know vices and w h e r e collaboration they’re among agencoming cies within f r o m , ” the coaliStanton tion mean says. “That h o m e l ess dialogue is men, homesomething less women important and children, to celehomeless adbrate. Do I dicts, mentalalways feel ly ill homeit turns out less people, the way I homeless wanted it military vetto? No. But A sign in the coalition offices is a statement to visitors and a erans, homeI feel they reminder to veteran advocates that the coalition is not about less people are listenneed who ing. Our waiting for change. Photo by Lynne Ausman. medical care experience and homewith the city is that we have Though just 24 years old – communicated well.” a year younger than the coali- less people who need food are It is telling that, according tion he heads – Spring readily far more likely to receive the to both Stanton and Spring, cites the history of the local City Councilman Christopher movement and the national Bortz asked if the Homeless phenomenon that spawned it. Coalition will use “Buddy “In that era, the issue of Gray’s guerilla tactics” if it homelessness was more male doesn’t get what it wants. and addicted,” he says. “Then Stanton quotes Spring’s re- in the 1980s, with the reign of sponse: “We will be heard.” Reagan, current-day home- Bonnie Neumeier (left) has been a community activist and advocate since the 1970s. Photo by Jimmy Heath. active in the cause, including Stanton, Steve Gibbs, Bonnie Neumeier, Pat Clifford, Donald Whitehead, Jimmy Heath, Katie Heinz, Mary Burke, Sister Mary Grafe, Andy Hutzel, Tom Dutton, Dave Logan, Bob Moore, Beverly Merrill and others. “There is a significant amount of people who stuck around,” Spring says. “Their passion is very clear but it is also an indication that they have hope that homelessness will go away and is solvable.” Many of the staff of the coalition and its member agencies are younger, of course. But much more has changed as well – for example, the fact that more than 40 agencies now make up the coalition, the fact that the agencies have paid staff and the fact that the work is largely done by licensed social workers and administrators rather than by skilled protest organizers. “There’s a professionalism among the members of the coalition,” Stanton says. “These are master’s level social workers and people with years and years of experience. It’s not that we are mad at city council and will sing, ‘We Shall Overcome.’ Those days are in the past. “We’re not going away. We won’t just take whatever you give us. But we aren’t marching in front of City Hall anymore. We’re inside talking.” Spring and directors of various social-service agencies met individually with members of Cincinnati City Council earlier this year. The meetings came in the midst of contentious arguments about zoning proposals to restrict social-service agencies, leading to a lawsuit against the city by the Homeless Coalition and other groups; proposed cuts in city funding for social services; and now a proposal to eliminate homelessness as a priority in the city’s social- and so we change strategies. Throughout that era, the late ’70s to the mid-’90s, the strategies changed, too.” Even while trying to establish quiet dialogue with city officials, Spring has shown several times that he can muster a crowd on short notice, if needed. On a recent Monday he learned that a council committee would hold a hearing on a major change in funding the next day. With less than 24 hours to organize some kind of presence, he sent e-mails and worked the phone. “A hundred and 20 people showed up on Tuesday, and that was very encouraging,” he says. ‘Never did we dream’ Spring is an interesting amalgam of the fiery origins of the coalition’s origins and the professional management of its latter days. “In a time when there weren’t shelters, before the Drop Inn Center existed and before we had a lot of the agencies we do, it was more about going forth and occupying a building,” he says. “It was easier for a broader group of people to see that those things needed to be done. “We should never compromise what we believe, but not everything stays the same, lessness was created. It went from 500,000 homeless under Reagan to 3 million under Bush senior. The last time we had seen homelessness like that was the Great Depression, and it was for a limited amount of time.” Stanton both revels in the fact that the coalition is larger and stronger than ever and rues the fact that it’s necessary work. “I don’t think any one of us ever dreamt that we would ever have this integrated and sophisticated level of services,” she says. “But never did we dream that, in 2009, people who owned homes would be ending up in shelters. Twenty- particular assistance they need than they were 25 years ago. “What we have done is possible because we have built a strong coalition in the city,” Stanton says. “Clearly we are the best area coalition of agencies in the city. We always sought cooperation and collaboration.” Looking ahead, Spring sees more work but also greater promise. “Families and youth are the fastest growing population of homeless,” he says. “That will be on the rise. Homeless in general will be on the rise. At least 3.5 million people a year experience homelessness in this country. That’s a vast number. But the Housing First model is gaining momentum. This is something we should have had 25 years ago. It’s encouraging that we’re now seeing more funding to reduce homelessness. “For future generations, at some point in the near future, ‘homelessness’ should no longer be in the vocabulary. It should be only in the history books.” Buddy Gray (left) and former executive director Donald Whitehead (right) protesting against former City Councilman Arn Bortz, uncle of current Councilman Chris Bortz. Photo by Jimmy Heath. �STREETVIBES June 2009 Community News ‘Streetvibes’ Wins International Award 5 (continued from page 1) tion of journalism as competitive sport, so I’ve never put The piece chronicles the much stock in awards.” But, circumstances of Puerto Ri- he added, “this one has meant can workers encouraged to so much to our little paper…In come to the Tri-state by a tem- this case the coalition thought porary-employment agency, it would be useful to particiAble/Diverse Personnel Co., pate. If we were to get some on the promise of a better sort of acknowledgment, it life, and where some ended might be good for the develup working at a local meat- opment of the paper.” Besides, the mainstream packing plant, Cincinnati Processing, which processes pork media, especially print meproducts for Kroger and where dia, Flannery believes, have they complained of unsanitary in some cases abandoned their working conditions and sexual watchdog responsibilities, the harassment and brought their one thing that most distinconcerns to the United Food guishes American media from media in any and Com“This award from other counmercial INSP underscores the try. Workers importance the print “NewsUnion. are “ T h i s media has in protecting papers isn’t a the rights of individuals i n c r e a s i n g backing s w e a t - and holding accountable ly away from shop in those who would exploit longer pieca Third them. Streetvibes will es, investigaWorld tive pieces,” continue to ask the country; it’s a job difficult questions and says Flannery, who has Gregory Flannery, Streetvibes editor, accepting the Best Feature Story Award from the in suburchallenge authority been Street- International Network of Street Papers (INSP). Photo courtesy of INSP. ban Cin- because everyone, vibes editor cinnati,” especially the most the past 15 is enterprise reporting and go- lease that, while the FBI does stands the temporary-employFlannery vulnerable in our months and ing into the kind of detail you not acknowledge any ongoing ment agency is no longer in wrote last June of society, need a reliable was news ed- don’t see on, say, broadcast investigations, “Streetvibes business. But he also said one itor of the alt- journalism. It’s more authori- has learned that allegations of the workers recruited by the the terms voice.” weekly City­ tative reporting than you get of human trafficking against company has spoken with the of em- - Gregory Flannery, Beat for eight on blogs or internet news ser- Diverse are being investigat- FBI on two occasions about ployment Streetvibes editor. years. “They vices. So what I hope is that ed. Additionally, the United the allegations of trafficking. at Able/ “The FBI, of course, never are dumbing the award means is that Street- Food and Commercial WorkDiverse. down, if you vibes is doing what newspa- ers union has been invited to comments,” Flannery says. He wrote about the overparticipate in discussions with “This award from INSP uncrowded apartments workers will. I think what we’re see- pers do well.” Cincinnati Processing to im- derscores the importance the are steered to live in and the ing in some newspapers that ‘Difficult questions’ prove working conditions at print media has in protecting exorbitant rent they pay to the are succeeding is that they’re the plant.” the rights of individuals and sticking to what newspapers personnel company for the Flannery said he underholding accountable those GCCH said in its press reprivilege; excessive charges have always done well – that who would exploit them. for transportation to places Streetvibes will continue to of employment, sometimes ask the difficult questions and within just a mile of their challenge authority because home; fines and deductions everyone, especially the most from paychecks for not cleanvulnerable in our society, need ing apartments and even fines a reliable voice.” for missing work above and Streetvibes has been in exisbeyond forfeiting that day’s tence for 14 years, and GCCH pay. is celebrating its 25th anniver“Our effort to make Streetsary this year. The newspaper vibes an authoritative source is distributed by vendors, offor information and agencies ten homeless, who buy the parelevant to the plight of indiper for a quarter from GCCH viduals experiencing homeand then sell it on the street lessness is paying off, and for a buck. The newspaper’s this award from INSP demoncirculation has increased to strates this,” says Josh Spring, 6,000, and it plans to publish GCCH executive director, in a bi-weekly beginning July 1. press release announcing the In addition to the features international award. category, INSP also gave Flannery said that, when awards in categories such as he cut his teeth in journalism Best Interview, Cover, Phoback in the 1980s, his editor, tograph, Design and Essay. Dennis Nichols of the Mount Award for Best Feature Story presented by the International Network of Street Papers. Winners included newspapers Washington Press, a weekly Photo by Mary Alice Flannery. from the United Kingdom, in suburban Cincinnati, had Brazil, Canada, the Philip“taught me to sneer at the nopines, Zambia and Germany. Don’t dumb down Want more Streetvibes? Check out the StreetvibeS blog streetvibes.wordpress.com �Book Review 6 Death, Race and Place The use of capital punishment is all over the map in Ohio Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All.) Entertaining executions Instead, Welsh-Huggins tells stories, such as the public hanging in Columbus in 1844 that begins his book. From statehood in 1803 until 1885, By Dave HeitFieLD when the legislature moved Contributing Writer executions to the state penitentiary, at least 84 men and Between 1981 and 2002, 43 one woman were put to death percent of all capital indict- by individual counties in ments in Hamilton County re- Ohio – including at least 15 in sulted in death sentences, the Hamilton County. The method highest in the state. In Cuyaho- was usually hanging, the site ga County, 8 percent of those was often near the scene of so indicted the crime, ended up on While television legal and often death row; thousands of melodramas have and in Frankprobably soured most people would lin County, 5 of the country on plea attend. The percent. 1844 event bargains, the fact is was a double Same state, same law, that 90 percent of all hanging, and same stan- criminal charges are despite frigid dards. resolved with a plea; early Feb“While ruary temthe courts system these three peratures, would probably counties and crowds startcollapse if it worked ed gathering their big cities,” Andrew any other way. days ahead Welsh-Hugof time. gins writes About a quarter of the specin the introduction to his fine tators were women, many new book, “have their differ- people were drinking on the ences, and while their murder day of the hanging and at least rates are not identical, there is one spectator was trampled to no evidence that the number of death by a horse. death sentences bore any relaHe tells the story of the 1837 tionship to the actual number hanging of John Washburn in of homicides committed in a Cincinnati, attended by thougiven year.” sands. Walsh was apparently Columbus Associated Press something of a character, reporter Welsh-Huggins has with doctors doing a post-exwritten something remarkable ecution examination finding in No Winners Here Tonight. a watch Washburn had stolen Not only has he meticulously from a priest who came to pieced together the first com- pray for him earlier in the day. prehensive history of the death 1867 saw the hanging of three penalty in Ohio – significant people, including a 15-yearbecause Ohio has been one of old boy, who said from the the most ardent executioners gallows, “If there was a crowd in the nation's history – but he of boys here, I might tell them has done so avoiding the ver- how to behave.” bose academia or the moralisWith the exception of 1963tic crusade that encrusts most 99, Ohio has executed people texts on the death penalty, or throughout its history, and anything to do with our penal even some before statehood. system. (In contrast, feel free Welsh-Huggins mentions a to judge this book by its cover, 1792 triple hanging in what released about the same time was then Fort Hamilton after but with a marketing cam- they were convicted by courtpaign that Ohio University martial of desertion. Press lacks: Dreams from the “Fort life was arduous, and Monster Factory: A Tale of desertions were common,” Prison, Redemption and One 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM Welsh-Huggins writes – a view at least some Hamiltonians would still share today. The third chapter centers around Wilford Lee Berry Jr., the “volunteer” who did not want to appeal his conviction and who became the first person executed in Ohio in 36 years. The chapter encapsulates so much that is at stake in death penalty cases – he spares no details in telling either the gruesome murder, nor the horrible life of Berry – and the title of the book comes from a quote from then-Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery after Berry's execution. Almost half the men on death row are black, as are about half the prison inmates – which is about four times greater than the black proportion of the population. It's clear that race matters. WelshHuggins points out that it is much more difficult to determine exactly how race matters. In his own study of people indicted for capital crimes in Ohio from 1981-2002, he found that if the victims were white, a killer was about twice as likely to go to death row. He found that when the victim was white, 17.9 percent of offenders were sentenced to death, whereas STREETVIBES June 2009 So it is not surprising that Welsh-Huggins found that during 1981-2002 in Ohio, just over half of capital indictments ended with a plea bargain. Looking at the percentage of people receiving the death penalty at the start of this review, the disparity can be accounted for to some degree by the use of the plea bargain to resolve cases: Cuyahoga and Franklin counties led the way with 56 and 55 percent indictments ending with a plea, respectively. Hamilton County, by contrast, has the lowest capital indictment rate of Ohio's major metro areas, but also the most people on death row – 20 percent of death row inmates in Ohio in 2007 were from Hamilton County. Deters is quoted saying, “It's a very frustrating situation when down here we take that whole area of law so seriously and apparently there's others in this state who are pretty cavalier about it.” As these numbers suggest, geography also has something 8.5 percent received that sen- to do with capital cases, and tence when the victims were Welsh-Huggins contrasts Butblack. Perhaps more interest- ler County – which is overing, when both the offender whelmingly Republican and and the victims were white, supported George Bush in the 18.3 percent of the offenders 2000 and 2004 elections – and were sentenced to death; when Montgomery County, which voted for the offender Hamilton County has Al Gore and victims the lowest capital and John were black, 8.4 percent indictment rate of Ohio’s K e r r y . were sent to major metro areas, but E v e n death row. also the most people on t h o u g h MontgomCiting a death row – 20 percent ery County study by David Baldus, of death row inmates in has about there is dis- Ohio in 2007 were from 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 more peoHamilton County. turbing eviple than dence that Butler, prosecutors during the same 1981-2002 simply seem more willing to add aggravating circumstanc- period, Butler County filed es to trigger the death penalty 32 death penalty indictments, compared to 18 in Montgomwhen the victim is white. ery County, and each county sentenced seven people to Pleading to live death. Butler Country ProseIn the chapter on plea bar- cutor Robin Piper is quoted in gaining capital cases, Welsh- the book as saying he sees no Huggins begins with a quo- inequality in that: “I just think tation from Hamilton County it has to do with a difference Prosecutor Joe Deters: “It's al- in geography.” There's much more in No most the lazy way to do this.” Winners Here Tonight, and While television legal melothere are no easy anwhile dramas have probably soured most of the country on plea swers to our criminal justice bargains, the fact is that 90 system in general and capital percent of all criminal charges offenses in particular, Welshare resolved with a plea; the Huggins does us a wonderful courts system would probably service by presenting such a collapse if it worked any other rewarding read with immediate and local implications. way. Are you interested in helping with Streetvibes? Are you a writer, poet, artist or photographer? If so, contact Greg Flannery at 513.421.7803 x 12 or email streetvibes2@yahoo.com �STREETVIBES June 2009 International News 7 The Street Speaks Convention shares idea, calls street papers to work harder By GreGory FLannery editor “Vendors do not exist for the benefit of street papers. Street papers exist for the benefit of Bergen, Norway – People vendors. … Our work is alwho work for street newspa- ways about power and powpers would benefit from sur- erlessness, about helping and gery on their heads, according refusing to help. … Don’t let to A. John Bird, the irresistible anyone ever put you off a projforce behind ect that you the growth “The person in need believe will of the me- alleviate soalways comes first. dium across cial injusVendors do not exist the globe. tice.” Bird is- for the benefit of street sued a call papers. Street papers The big to arms at exist for the benefit of issue the 14th anvendors. … Our work nual conferThe INSP ence of the is always about power conference and powerlessness, InternationMay 12al Network 17 drew 95 about helping and of Street Padelegates refusing to help. … pers (INSP). Don’t let anyone ever from street “If I could papers in 29 put you off a project start over, I countries. that you believe would make Workshops all of you will alleviate social focused on kneel on the injustice.” - Hildegard practical isfloor and I sues such as Denninger of BISS. would cut fundraising, a piece of editorial deyour faces,” he said. “I would velopment and fostering ventake the blood and smear on dors as advocates. the top of your heads, ‘I will Many street papers in Eudo whatever it fucking takes rope are glossy magazines, to bring an end to homeless- sometimes at least partially ness.’ ’ funded by the government; The founder of The Big Is- and many seem to sell better sue, a Scottish street paper, than their counterparts in the Bird reminded editors, writers United States. Trond Schjefand managers of street papers stad, editor of Virkelig, the of their mission. northernmost street paper in “There is nothing nicer, the world, sells 14,000 copies nothing more encouraging and a month in a Norwegian city nothing more important than of 65,000. By contrast, Streettalking to people who work vibes has recently sold 6,000 to get out of the dungeon, copies a month in Cincinnati, the Bastille, that is homeless- part of a metro area of about ness,” he said. 1.5 million. Bird and Hildegard DenThe street papers of the ninger of BISS, a German world vary by design and constreet paper, received special tent but share a fundamental INSP awards for their con- characteristic: people who are tributions to the street-paper homeless or otherwise destimovement. Like Bird, Den- tute sell them. ninger harked back to first Journalists love to argue, principles. and so the INSP general “The person in need al- meeting featured a spirited ways comes first,” she said. exchange over what would Papers from all over the world attended the INSP Convention. Photo courtesy of INSP. A. John Bird, founder of The Big Issue in Scotland. Photo courtesy of INSP. seem to be an utterly dry topic, a charter amendment to allow proxy voting at future conferences. Serge Lareault of L'Itinéraire in Montreal, framed the issue in terms of democratic process. “Since the beginning of the INSP, it has been ‘one paper, one vote,’ ’ he said. “But many of them have been too poor to attend.” Lareault’s observation was true in the case of Streetvibes. The paper was able to send a representative only as a result of the generosity of the INSP, the North American Street Newspaper Association, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Hamilton County Appeals Judge Mark Painter and contributing writers Larry Gross and Margo Pierce. The debate about proxy voting ranged into proposals for voting in absentia and via e-mail, both of which were defeated. The argument again was about egalitarianism. “Not everyone has access to a computer,” Lareault said. Between sessions, delegates compared procedures for managing vendors. Ilse Weiss of Strassenkreuzer in Germany, said her paper requires vendors to prove their income and to speak at least basic German. Gerda Kolb of Augustin in Vienna said her paper takes a hands-off approach to vendors’ compliance with laws about reporting their earnings. “We don’t write anything down,” she said. ‘We have no rules about who can sell the paper.” Many delegates enthused about Barack Obama’s election as president of the United States. A woman from Germany said her 13-year-old son’s soccer team named themselves the Obamas. Kayoko Yakuma of The Big Is- sue Japan said her monthly paper put Obama’s photo on the front cover. “We sold out in two weeks,” she said. Tina Juul Rasmussen of Hus Forbi in Copenhagen marveled at former president George W. Bush’s claim that God directed his military policy. “If the prime minister of Denmark said he was being directed by God, he would be out of office the next day,” Rasmussen said. ‘Active in democracy’ The conference opened with a reception at Haakon House, a 13th-century fortress on Bergen’s North Sea coast. Deputy Mayor Trude Drevland welcomed delegates by highlighting the importance of street papers. “We politicians must find a way to help the poor,” she said. “Street papers stand up for justice.” Thomas Anthun Nielsen, editor of Megafon, the street paper in Bergen, said the city government has been a strong supporter of the paper. He expressed surprise at Cincinnati City Council’s effort to restrict emergency shelter and social services for homeless people. The reception included a drum and dance performance by street kids from Sao Paolo, Brazil, rescued by the Children at Risk Foundation. Are Hjelle entered treatment for heroin addiction after beginning work as a vendor for Megafon. “When I sold Megafon, I had a unique experience: People talked to me,” he said. “This magazine is very good. It helps people. It really does. Keep on doing what you’re doing. The most important thing is for the people out there to know someone believes in them.” Megafon, like several other street papers, is affiliated with programs to help homeless people find jobs, overcome addiction and secure stable housing. Other papers are much smaller operations. Bill Shaw works at The Jeepney Maga­ zine in the Philippines. “I’m executive director,” he said. “That means I get to edit the paper, and I deliver it also.” During a discussion of child labor, Shaw talked about Filipino children forced to dive into sewage pits to open clogged drains. He also talked about stories that his paper doesn’t pursue because of potentially violent repercussions. Another editor said he is working in Namibia because of the press crackdown in his native Zimbabwe under dictator Robert Mugabe. Those kinds of risks are fortunately uncommon for papers in Europe and the United States, where the movement is growing. “More people are exploring the possibility of starting street newspapers across the United States,” said Joanne Zuhl, a member of the board of the North American Street Newspaper Association. Matt Shaw attended the INSP conference in order to prepare for the launch of a street paper in Charlotte, N.C. Shea Davis represented Street Speech, a street paper founded last year in Columbus. Days after the conference ended, word came that a street paper is being organized in Toledo, Ohio. Bird, the UK editor, called street papers ‘the dumbest form of social intervention ever invented.” But 18 years after founding The Big Issue, he acknowledged the value of what he’d begun, citing the notion that first inspired him. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could find a way to get homeless people active in democracy?” he said. �8 STREETVIBES June 2009 Local News Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Your tour guide into the steamy side of vegetarian cuisine 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. baking soda ¾ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 1 cup water Canola oil, enough to cover the bottom of a skillet ¼ inch By aLecia a. Lott Contributing Writer As a food writer, summer is difficult for me because there are so many colorful fruits and vegetables available that are ripe and bursting with flavor and sunshine that you really don’t need a recipe to put yourself right smack in food heaven. Sun-ripened tomatoes plucked from someone’s garden. Watermelon that drips down your chin. Corn on the cob slathered with lime juice, olive oil and salt… these are the things that I wait for all year. There’s a certain summer food, however, that isn’t found in nature but is just as Funnel Cakes Toppings: Powdered sugar, pie filling, cinnamon Photo by Andrew Anderson. important to one’s survival and well-being as the season’s abundant produce. I’m talking funnel cake, people. Ahh, the sizzling-hot, powdered-sugar sensual experience that is funnel cake. Pull it apart with your fingers, shove a big fluffy hunk of it in your mouth, and sigh with pleasure as the rest of the world disappears. Why is this food that everyone loves only available a few months out of the year and only at carnivals and Front Page fairs? Not anymore! It’s very easy to make funnel cake yourself. Never again will you have to wait in long lines behind couples making out or people with humongous stuffed purple teddy bears. Never again will you get sick from a funnel cake that was preceded by a corn dog, a Slushie and a spin on the Tilt-a-Whirl. OK, maybe you will, but you don’t have to anymore. I love summer! 1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add water. Beat mixture until smooth. 2. Fill a skillet ¼ inch high with canola oil, and heat to 375°F. 3. Cover bottom opening of a funnel with your finger. (If you don’t have a funnel, try pouring the batter from a measuring cup with a spout.) 4. Pour ¼ cup batter into funnel. Hold the funnel over the center of the skillet. 5. Remove finger from funnel end to release the batter into the hot oil. Move funnel in a slow, circular motion to make a freeform design. 6. Fry two minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. 7. Serve hot with your favorite toppings. Front pages from the past 12 years of ‘Streetvibes’ 1 February 1997 (first issue) July 2001 April 2005 August 2006 November 1999 August 2003 April 2008 January 2009 ! ? t a h W y a S _____________________ “The work must be political. It must have that as its thrust. That’s a pejorative term in critical circles now: If a work of art has any political influence in it, somehow it’s tainted. My feeling is just the opposite: If it has none it is tainted. ... The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time” – Toni Morrison, “Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation,” in Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation �STREETVIBES June 2009 International News 9 Half-Moon over Norway Notes from an infrequent traveler By GreGory FLannery editor giraffe meat. He hoped to sample whale before returning home. The rainiest city in Europe High-school seniors in bagis Bergen, Norway, according gy red pants were in the throes to guidebooks I of a 30-day party, apparread before visA Ukrainian iting. Some esently with the delegate said timates were for expectation that that his city rain 350 days a they spend the government, year – virtually month drinking every day. I saw like Cincinnati’s, beer and having is hostile to no rain in Berfun, collecting decals for their gen. homeless After only two pants at the bars people and the hours I learned they visit. The organizations that red pants mark how to turn on help them. the lights in the teenagers my hotel room. as newly legal This required beer drinkers, inserting the room’s key card and people generally tolerinto a special slot on the wall. ate their exuberance. After 30 Then the lights came on with a days of carousing, the students snap! crackle! pop! take their final exams. Nearly all the Europeans I Bergen’s public squares are The midnight sky in Bergen, Norway. Photos by Gregory Flannery. met spoke English, including busy day and night, sometimes delegate from Germany said, A Ukrainian delegate said with a Canadian writer had a a man who advised me on traf- with music playing, frequently “You must visit me in Stutt- that his city government, bathroom so large that, as he fic safety after I came close to with broad expanses of flow- gart. The beers are so cheap! like Cincinnati’s, is hostile to put it, “You could fit a whole being run over. ers and almost always with We can get 24 for nothing.” homeless people and the orga- family in there.” This poor “If you’re not careful,” he people relaxing. The city stays A Norwegian editor said his nizations that help them. decent man arrived in Bergen said, “you’ll put an ugly dent active long into the wee hours, friend went up north. He asked A German freelance writer unaware that he’d be sharing in that man’s car, and he’ll be with pedestrians strolling and a boy where he could find li- said he’d heard of Cincin- a room with someone who very angry at you.” showing no sign that doing so quor in the village. The boy nati because of its Oktoberfest snores like an angry drunken When I arrived in Norway, is in any way dancelebration. Hav- bear. I’d always imagined CaBergen’s public squares are busy ing thrice visited the nadians to be a hearty lot; but no one asked for my pass- gerous. An editor port or identification. I simply told me the whole day and night, sometimes with United States, he after the first night, it was clear walked out of the airport. Re- country is abuzz music playing, frequently with disagrees with what that our co-habitation wasn’t turning to the United States, about a homicide, he said is a common going to work. He’d never get broad expanses of flowers and I had to show my passport the first this year in almost always with people relaxing. perception among any sleep. twice, fill out paperwork from Norway. Europeans. That is why, for most of the Department of Fatherland At 1 a.m. one “Europeans, espe- the conference, I slept on the Security, take off my shoes night a flock of pointed to a church. “That,” cially in the north, tend to talk bathroom floor with the door and belt, empty my pockets seagulls flew just overhead, he said, “is the only place you to one another only if there closed. I considered it a kind and pass through a metal de- scattered by the sound of a NOT can find liquor.” is a purpose,” he said. “They of participatory journalism, a tector. red van with the sign “Boobs” The best after-party was in think Americans are superfi- small taste of the discomfort Reindeer steaks were the roaring past, techno-pop and Room 712, headquarters of the cial, but it’s not true from my that homeless people endure main course at an elegant strobe flights blaring within. I man people at the conference experience. Americans are every night. It wasn’t so bad. awards banquet for the Inter- enjoyed the seagulls but really called “that crazy guy from so friendly. They are perfect I just had to lie still until the national Network of Street wanted to be in that van. the Netherlands.” Standing on hosts. They take you to parties sun came up, or risk falling Papers (see stories on pages Beer and liquor prices are the balcony of his room, I was and introduce you to every- into the toilet. The slot for the 1 and X). A delegate from very high in Norway. A slim struck by the half moon hov- one.” key card to turn on the lights Namibia contrasted the taste shot of whiskey cost 83 kro- ering over the mountains. The hotel room I shared was in the other room. of reindeer with elephant and ners, or about $12 U.S. A There are many street performers in Europe. A view of Lake Nordaas from Edvard Grieg’s House. Become a fan of Streetvibes on Facebook! �Column 10 Still Struggling Over-the-Rhine is as strong as its people I wrote this history of Over- cil, the Peaslee Center, the Although one can see comthe-Rhine in the early 1980s. Contact Center, the Over-the- fortable homes on 14th and Bonnie Neumeier recently Rhine Community Housing Broadway and other pockets resurrected it for her work Network, Streetvibes, and oth- of former wealth, the vast with Miami University stu- ers mean that the neighbor- majority of these houses were dents. How much has changed hood still has a voice, even if built to box poor people into in 25 years? the politicians and developers as little space as possible. The For one thing, the neighbor- try to kill it off. point was to minimize space hood is no longer a base for and maximize rents. Over-theAppalachian residents. Most Over-the-Rhine history Rhine workers had to endure of those folks are scattered what other urban working around Cincinnati, a great Over-the-Rhine is an inner class people had to endure in many in Price Hill and envi- city neighborhood immedi- the 19th century. The generarons. ately north of the downtown tions of poor, working-class They have been replaced business district, one square people who have followed to in part by the new cadres of today have expeurban pioneers, particularly rienced a similar along Main Street and Vine history: overStreet. The neighborhood is crowding, exploiby MiChael henson tation, cramped becoming where you go to find the arts and, with the Cinlives. cinnati Art Academy and the The German innew School for the Creative mile in size with 12,000 low- fluence in the neighborhood and Performing Arts, will income black and Appalachian peaked in the early part of the continue to be. residents. There are two main 19th century. Beginning in the The neighborhood has been threads to Over-the-Rhine his- 1930s, peaking in the 1950s impacted by murders. Many tory. First, the neighborhood and continuing today, the people thought the murder has been a port of entry for neighborhood began to receive of musician Michael Bany succeeding waves of migrants, new residents who migrated would slow the first from Eu- from the economically detransformation The vast majority rope, then more pressed regions of Appalachia of Main Street. of these houses recently from and the Deep South. In the first It did for sever- were built to box Appalachia and stage of this migration, white al years. Many poor people into the Deep South. Appalachians became the people thought Each of these major group in the neighboras little space (and some as possible. The groups has left hood. Over-the-Rhine became hoped) the murits mark on the a center for Bluegrass and point was to der of Buddy minimize space neighborhood country music. Later, as major and on the city sections of the West End were Gray would and maximize mean that the itself. destroyed for urban renewal rents. Drop Inn CenSecond, the programs, which included the ter and the housing move- neighborhood has functioned building of Interstate 75 and ment would dry up and blow as one of the concentrations new business development, away. (They never missed a of the poor. It has been where large numbers of displaced beat.) The murder of Timothy employers have looked for blacks moved into the neighThomas (yes, I said murder) cheap labor. It has been where borhood. Black residents now led to the riots of 2001. the poor have looked for cheap constitute a majority in OverBut the dismal fact is that housing. And because resi- the-Rhine, although there rethere have been many more dents feel the neighborhood main large numbers of white murders, mostly of people has been one of the centers for Appalachians. Both groups who made the news only for exploitation, Over-the-Rhine have historically been at the a moment, and most of them has a history of resistance and bottom of the city’s economic traceable in one way or anoth- struggle that continues today. and social ladder. er to the impact on the neighThe neighborhood takes its Throughout the 1960s, borhood of crack cocaine. name from the canal, which in 1970s and the 1980s, the This is the most heartbreak- the nineteenth century formed neighborhood residents have ing change in the years since its southern boundary. People fought to change this pattern who moved north from the of poverty and I wrote this piece. Of course, there has contin- city’s center were said to have discrimination. ued to be the slow murder of gone “Over the Rhine.” The The neighborpoverty, disease, and addic- Germans, who moved to the hood was one city in great numbers after of the local tion. Homelessness has persisted 1894, were for many years the battlefields in in the neighborhood, but so dominant group in the commu- the war on povPoverty has the work of homeless ad- nity. They formed a number of erty. vocates, including the Greater churches, cultural and athletic won that war, Cincinnati Coalition for the clubs, and until World War I, of course, but Homeless and that damn Drop classes were taught in German a black-white Inn Center that refuses to go for a part of each day in the coalition was away, in spite of every effort public schools. Germans were formed which by city council and developers not the only immigrants, how- remains intact ever. There were many Ital- today in spite to plan it out of existence. The neighborhood is home ians, Greeks and Spanish as of fifteen years to a growing community of well as native-born Americans of stress and struggle. Some recovering men and women, living in the neighborhood. Contrary to a popular myth, of the areas of in part because of the work of Over-the-Rhine was not built struggle are: the Drop Inn Center. Institutions like the Over- for a comfortable middle class • E d u c a t i o n : Residents of the-Rhine Community Coun- community of the late 1880s. ammered H STREETVIBES June 2009 Michael Henson is author of Ransack, A Small Room with Trouble on My Mind, The Tao of Longing and Crow Call. This column is part of a monthly series on poverty and addiction. Over-the-Rhine have fought housing stock through specto gain recognition for black ulation and abandonment. and ApThe commuThey have been palachian nity has fought culture, im- replaced in part by to bring new provements the new cadres of housing into the urban pioneers, in the eduneighborhood to particularly along gain quality recational Main Street and programs habilitation for Vine Street. The in the comlow-income peoneighborhood is ple. Demolition munity and becoming where to prevent control and antiyou go to find the closing displacement of neigh- the arts and, with ordinances have the Cincinnati Art borhood been of some Academy and the help. Several schools (six new School for have closed low-income selfthe Creative and in the past help co-ops are Performing Arts, actively rehab10 years). In 1982, will continue to be. bing units. But the neighdisplacement is borhood worked together still a major threat. There to keep one neighborhood has been a recent trend of school, Peaslee Elementary, “gentrification” in which open. A number of parents, upper-income speculators both black and Appalachian, are buying up properties, tried unsuccessfully to sue renovating them and rentthe Board of Education to ing them out at much higher prevent closing. rates. This is part of a na• The Drop Inn Center: Alcotional trend in which private holism and drug abuse redevelopers, in an attempt to main major problems in the attract young professionals, neighborhood. One response displace low-income famihas been the Drop Inn Cenlies and the elderly. ter shelterhouse which • Historic Designation: In houses and feeds 125 to 150 concert with the city, a street alcoholics nightly. It is group of preservationists, unique as a treatment center gentrifiers and real estate in that over half of the staff speculators are attempting are recovering alcoholics to have the entire Over-thewho have come through the Rhine community designatcenter’s program. However, ed a historic district. Overthe center has remained unthe-Rhine and its member der fire from the city’s busigroups oppose the designate ness elite because of its loas it is presently proposed cation near Music Hall and because of their belief that has had to face a number of it will only fuel the current attacks from city bureaucraspeculation occurring in the cies. Unions, churches, proneighborhood. fessionals and concerned With articles and media neighbors continue to rally coverage such as an October to work for the center. Last 1981 60 Minutes segment and year, after a major fundrais- a New York Times article, May ing drive, the center was 1983, Over-the-Rhine gains able to buy its building. even national attention and • Housing: Over-the-Rhine recognition in its struggles. has lost a great part of its We live and grow. Interested in volunteering with Streetvibes? Contact Greg Flannery at 513-421-7803 x 12 or by e-mail at streetvibes2@ yahoo.com �STREETVIBES June 2009 International News Lessons in Spain 11 Savoring the differences that matter By PauL KoPP Contributing Writer Time I did not have any idea what Walking around Bilbao at I would encounter on my visit any point in the day, one can to Spain. The trip had been feel a vibrant human energy. finalized very quickly; and Lunchtime starts about 2 p.m. about a week after the arrange- and lasts several hours, with ments had been made, we most stores closing for the duwere on our way. I found that ration. Only the small bars that knowing very little about the line the streets are open, and place I was going only added most people stop in on their to the excitement and sense of lunch break. These bars serve wonder brought by immersion tiny appetizer-sized sandwichin a foreign culture. es known as “pintxos,” the Bilbao is not exactly a hot- Basque equivalent of Spanish bed of tourism, which, from tapas. my perspective, worked to the Usually topped with Iberian city’s advantage. Situated in cured ham or any number of Basque counlocal meat, The Spanish try in the north fish and cheese have the sense combinations, of Spain, capito separate tal of the provthere seemed ince of Biscay, to be an endthemselves from Bilbao has a less variety the world of population of of pintxos at commerce long a little more a fairly cheap than 350,000. enough to relax and price. Light eat lunch. Surrounded by but filling, this low lying, fortype of meal est covered mountains, a walk made me think about my avin any direction leads to beau- erage lunch break at home: altiful views. ways rushed, and usually only A rather industrious city, spending about 20 minutes at Bilbao’s image was com- home or a restaurant eating pletely different until about food that makes me immedi20 years ago, according to a ately want to take a nap upon gentleman in a café. It is/was returning to work. The Spana factory town with a strong ish have the sense to separate history of class struggle. themselves from the world of The simple act of leaving commerce long enough to retown is refreshing. The expe- lax and eat lunch. riences of my trip made comWitnessing a siesta, I started ing home feel like I was, in to understand the implications some way, being cheated. New of these differences and to see questions and thoughts came some evidence that, when it to me during my time away, comes to some things, particuand even more have surfaced larly how we treat ourselves, since my return. I began to we got it wrong. think very intently about the From what I heard from many differences between the other Spaniards, the people quality of life in the United of Bilbao are known for their States and in Spain. strong work ethic, seemingly An American in Bilbao, Spain. Photo by Olga Collier. working all the time. Yet they didn’t seem especially stressed like most hard workers I know. The difference might be in what is called the “mañana attitude,” holding that there will always be more time to finish work, so why rush and get worked up about it? I met a couple from Madrid, graduate students in their mid-twenties. Both were soft spoken, and it was easy to talk about issues that can make conversations awkward: religion, politics, money. They were concerned to learn how many hours a week the average American works (twice as many as they do), let alone the vacation and sick time we receive. The Spanish generally have one to two months of paid vacation each year. For a few days I stayed at the flat of a group of Basque students in a neighborhood they jokingly deemed “the Bronx of Bilbao.” “You’re my boy, Paul,” he said. So began a spirited night drinking this licorice-like Welcome elixir. I spent a lot of time walking With its own complex lan- through the narrow cobbleguage and deep-rooted tradi- stone streets of Casco Viejo, tions, the Basque presence in “old town” in Spanish. The orBilbao struck me as mysteri- igins of the city date to 1300. ous. The Basques I met spoke Though the buildings are very of immense pride in their old, they are filled with conculture and heritage. Unfor- temporary stores, restaurants, tunately cafés and Though the buildings it seems bars. The are very old, they are m o s t younger A m e r i - filled with contemporary g e n e r a cans know stores, restaurants, cafés tion’s culonly of the ture was and bars. The younger Basque able to generation’s culture separatexist right was able to exist right ist group, next to the next to the traditional E T A , traditional w h i c h environenvironment in perfect throughment in balance, as if it had out the last perfect always been there. half cenbalance, as tury has if it had alwaged a guerilla campaign to ways been there. gain autonomy from Spain. In Stepping into one of the fact, other Spaniards warned bars for a quick coffee is quite me of the potential hostility I a treat. The Spaniards make might experience. their coffee by grinding cofBut the Basques I stayed fee beans and putting them with were some of the nicest, through an espresso machine, most welcoming people I have making it less bitter. The servever met. They were fascinat- ing size, like all the beverages ed by American pop culture. I was served there, were sigThe flat-mates were fluent in nificantly smaller than in the Basque and Spanish, as well United States. as English, to varying levels. Witnessing these differencOne night a flat-mate named es has allowed me to see some Garxot proudly announced he of the abnormalities of Amerwanted me to try patxaran, a ica’s culture of excess. We try Basque liquor made from ber- to do everything on a grand ries particular to this region. scale. From the 20-ounce After each of us had finished Cokes, the cars we drive and our first sampling, the bottle the big screen TVs to the mansat untouched for a few min- sions that Americans dream utes. We each had been eyeing of, we are so wired on conthe bottle during this time, po- sumerism that we can’t slow litely gauging each other’s re- down. action. As I reached in to pour We can learn something myself another, Garxot’s face from other cultures. flashed a sly smile �Guest Column 12 With Craving and Mortal Fear STREETVIBES June 2009 What Do Schizophrenics Seek? By steven LansKy Contributing Writer muskiness you don’t want to get close to. It’s rough to take him into a restaurant or a car. Well, that’s a trick question. He’s with you, so he won’t get The noun form is deceptive. asked to leave. I don’t like it. People with Years ago I drove 3,500 schizophrenia seek commu- miles in three weeks when nity. We seek connection. We I was on a medicine hiatus. crave contact and live in mor- There’s no good way to say tal fear of it. I sicken to my this. I was stopped twice at stomach when I think of how night for driving without my cowardly I am lights on. Both when it comes Now, doubting the times I talked to sharing my very premise that I my way out truest desires. tickets. belong in this box, of My psychiaThe second trist knows this cube, this magic time the men this. She un- domed flying carpet searched me derstands. with wheels below and my car. I was drivand a wheel to grip There is sense ing in the that the drive in fleshy fingers, snow tonight was a necesclean fingernails, and saw Eddy sary journey, droopy mustache (his real first thousands of over them. name)walking miles through against traffic snow and ice, in the fourto be kicked lane street. He walked with a out of a nightclub on Beale hitch in his step. Sometimes Street in Memphis, and later he has a cane. In the dark, it to be asked to leave a bed & was difficult to tell. He limps breakfast in Cambridge, Mass. along, a small bag clutched in I tried to contact a psychiatrist one hand. Often between fall but I couldn’t connect. There and winter I see him at the bus was this Harvard doctor. Fear stop. It’s too cold to live out- caused me to hide, walk, run side. He smells bad – urine, and seek. Desire. Stretched. feces, and the sharp pungent Me. To. My. Limit. alcohol tilt. He’s in a state of Staring through the night, feeling the car behind creep Go to the clinic, find a psy- noia. No, don’t start reading closer, pulling at me with chologist, use tests, measure body language. Lost baggage. some essential Christian grav- the way with statistics. Speak- Luggage left by the roadside. ity, smellLuggage ing benzene with a They want to get closer, to learn about it, and knowhitch in but they’re afraid. They might catch the ing that the his step. “laziness.” The “sensitivity.” Never mind all the He smells ice falling misunderstanding about paranoia. bad, only from the sky was somesome spirit energy, and yet the ing the language might include times. reason for the pulsing craving understanding the dose. Take His house is cluttered. A desire was never clear. the dose. Take it and stick to university professor who lives Running away. Running it. alone. A lot of books. A lot of towards. Circling like some Why am I angry to be artwork. Many friends have nomadic migrating goose, dosed? Dosing doesn’t con- artwork up. Many artists are honking and looking for oth- nect me. Neither does work- friends. Schizophrenia is art ers on the highway to form ing on my own stuff while on friendly. “Right, Poet?” some streamlined pattern on the dole. That’s what they call Just want out. Want to be the wing. disability. They don’t think a man in a dark room with a Breaking ice off of a run- I’m a freeloader, but boy are woman. One at a time. Make ning car. Bitchy vibrat- they scared of what I’ve got. babies. Want to perpetuate the ing steel, humming pistons, They’re sure I’m a freeloader, species. Not just anyone. Her. coughing exhaust, trusting I could be pushing a broom, I desire her. I want to be with that some reason fuels this making sandwiches, washing her. I love her. I think about machine. Now, doubting the dishes, keeping count, selling her. No, I don’t obsess. I like very premise that I belong in tickets, washing cars, deliv- her voice. The way she dancthis box, this cube, this mag- ering pizza, driving over the es. Her eyes. I love her eyes. ic domed flying carpet with road, but I have a professional Big brown eyes. Warm as wawheels below and a wheel to job. University professor. ter from a spring. The way her grip in fleshy fingers, clean Teacher. Intellectual. That’s body moves. I’m afraid to say fingernails, droopy mustache respected. But the disability it. She walks like a waterfowl. over them. goes with that. They want to She flies like a goose. She is Do poets belong in cars at get closer, to learn about it, goose. all? but they’re afraid. They might Old sage, tell me, does Is schizophrenia so separate catch the “laziness.” The “sen- goose fly overhead? from poets that there is only a sitivity.” Never mind all the correlation once a semester? misunderstanding about para- Call 513-421-7803 x11 to learn about Streetvibes subscriptions Crossword Sudoku Across 1. Pitted 4. Pertaining to a sponge 8. Specialist in mathematics 13. Match 14. In the greatest degree 15. Find the answer 16. Virginia cape 18. Places a ball 19. Oceanic abyss 21. Bell-shaped flower 23. Semitic person 27. Without selfcontrol 31. With a quick succession of beats (3-1-3) 33. Nursemaid 34. Long, cylindrical piece of wood 35. Vehicle 36. Not fully conscious (4-9) 37. Potent 38. Intolerance of another race Down 2. Drink container Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. 3. Highest mountain 5. Leading 6. Beard 7. Shrewd 9. Narrative 10. Bee dwelling 11. Cable 12. Small island 17. Agent 20. Hole 22. Cure-all 24. Most mature 25. Tiny piece 26. Striking volcanic island 28. Hawaiian island 29. Aware of 30. Whips with lashes of leather thongs 32. Hickory-nut The fundamental goal of a Sudoku puzzle is to use the provided numbers, or givens, to discover which numbers logically fill in the empty squares. The only rule of Sudoku is that each of the nine rows, each of the nine columns, and each of the nine 3x3 subsections must contain all of the numbers from one to nine, and each number consequently can occur in each row, column and subsection only once. Solutions on Page 15 �STREETVIBES June 2009 Community News Giving Back with Deep Voices 13 Joseph House residents serve Our Daily Bread By PauL MiLLer Contributing Writer “The guys clean, serve, do whatever needs to be done,” says Calvin Wooten, associate Started by a member of the director and treatment coordiSisters of Charity and a retired nator at Joseph House. businessman, When Jo“While they Joseph House seph House give back to the is a residential was unable to community, (our serve lunch in treatment cenits own kitchter for homeguys) get to look less veterans en, it partnered at themselves by suffering from seeing people who with Our Daialcohol depenly Bread for (are) living what dency or drug meals. they were living. addiction. Be“I talked ginning with with Kathy We’re teaching Our one building some basic living (Ray, containing Daily Bread’s skills, teaching eight beds, kitchen manthem to get out Joseph House ager) about of the mentality now operates sending 20-30 of drug users.” multiple buildguys over for ings with 100 lunch,” WooCalvin Wooten beds. ten says. “I On the secsaid, ‘How can ond Tuesday of the month, we help?’ ’Cause we wanted residents from Joseph House to give back. So she said, volunteer at Our Daily Bread. ‘How about volunteering one day a month?’ ” The partnership continues today. Once a month 15 or more men walk from Joseph House on Republic Street to Our Daily Bread at Race and Elder streets, doing any chores that need to be done. “We’ve got a wealth of talent here,” Wooten says. “I learned from the beginning that these are some awesome guys. We’ll get trucks unloaded, we’ll send over cooks. We try to instill in these guys a sense of responsibility to the community.” A volunteer at Our Daily Bread, who has also volunteered at Joseph House, agrees: “It’s their way of giving back. They come down to eat. It teaches them to be humble. You gotta be humble to be a volunteer.” Besides volunteering, Joseph House residents experience other benefits at Our Calvin Wooten, associate director and treatment coordinator at Joseph House. Photo by Angela Pancella. Daily Bread. “While they give back to the community, (our guys) get to look at themselves by seeing people who (are) living what they were living,” Wooten says. “We’re teaching some basic living skills, teaching them to get out of the mentality of drug users.” Ray appreciates the attitude the men bring to the job. “They look out for each other,” she says. “If one of them is slipping up, the others will call him on it.” That’s part of the message, according to Wooten. “We tell our guys, ‘These are your brothers. Take care of one another,’ ” he says. When weather prevents other volunteers from traveling to Our Daily Bread, Joseph House residents are always available for the call. “On snow days they always send someone,” Ray says. “When they come, there’s so many of them. When we are praying the ‘Our Father,’ we have all these deep male voices. It’s great to hear.” The men of Joseph House say the Serenity Prayer helps them focus on their path to recovery: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Sometimes, Ray says, one or two Joseph House volunteers end the “Our Father” with the tagline they use with the Serenity Prayer: “It works if you work it.” Our Daily Bread, a food and hospitality ministry at 1730 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, offers a mid-day meal, serving more than 500 meals every weekday. To volunteer or donate food, call Joan or Kathy at 513-621-6364. Letter to the Editor To the editor: I wanted to say I enjoyed your article in Streetvibes this month “Retreat to Silence,” June 1 edition). If it is any indication of good subject matter and writing, I’ve never been to Gethsemani, nor am I particularly religious, yet your description of the place was really fascinating. One of the things I most enjoy about this part of the country are places that speak to something universal but couldn’t be from anywhere but here. Nice work. Rob Wall Ohio Justice & Policy Center 215 E. 9th St. Suite 601 Cincinnati, OH 45202 �Local News 14 Garry Quits Council Race STREETVIBES June 2009 Will focus on green efforts and 2011 race says. Buildings in Cincinnati could become green by improving their insulation and windows to efficiently maintain interior temperatures, Garry says. Hamilton County By JereMy FLannery also needs to improve drainContributing Writer age systems to more efficiently filter sewage, he says. The Losing a campaign endorseU.S. Environmental Protecment from his own political tion Agency has sued Hamparty could make a candidate ilton County and the city of feel green. That’s the reaCincinnati for water-pollution son Brian Garry has dropped violations. out of the race for Cincinnati Buildings in Cincinnati City Council as a candidate in could reduce carbon gases 2009. while creating a habitat for The Democratic Party enbirds by planting vegetation dorsed Garry in the 2007 on building tops, according to council race. He placed 18th in Garry. Chicago, San Francisco the election, receiving 13,164 and other cities have already votes. The top nine finishers implemented vegetation into won seats on council. But this building plans. year the Cincinnati DemoGreen initiatives should cratic Committee decided not Brian Garry. Photo courtesy of One Cincinnati Campaign. involve profitable work for to endorse him, despite a letter of support for Garry from ment through business, volun- you enter with this sense of ide- Low-income earners could business owners and workers Vice Mayor David Crowley. teer projects and advocacy, he als,” Garry says. “But the sci- develop new skills and find to improve the environment, Garry says he was one vote says. Garry’s platform focuses entific methods of change are higher paying jobs through Garry says. A sustainable living wage and affordable housshy of being endorsed. on creating sustainable green not as idealistic. It’s more like such initiatives. ing are essential parts of being “I’m disappointed with jobs, technology, transporta- moving the football down the Garry also wants to see new green, he says. their decision, tion and space. field by inches – “When people but I’m choosing Garry’s platform One way to small increments “When people talk about it, sipping talk about it, sipnot to run as an work toward of compromises focuses on some green tea and saying, ‘We’re ping some green tea independent canthose goals to achieve those creating going green,’ but then choose to and saying, ‘We’re didate, to not run even without idealistic goals.” bulldoze the poor people out and going green,’ but against the party,” sustainable green being elected Garry would then choose to jobs, technology, rebuild, that’s not equitable. It is not he says. “There to office is like to work are a lot of comGarry’s mem- with the Cincin- being green when people cannot find bulldoze the poor transportation munity leaders bership on nati Chamber of affordable places to live.” - Brian Garry people out and reand space. build, that’s not and my supportthe Hamilton Commerce to equitable,” Garry ers pursuing me to County Re- provide sustainrun this year, and I am not.” gional Planning Commission’s able living for low-income manufacturing jobs created says. “It is not being green Instead, Garry says he’ll Green Building Committee, earners through the Mayor’s for the production of genera- when people cannot find afcontinue the community ac- the Cincinnati Human Ser- Green City Initiative, he says. tors and equipment for envi- fordable places to live.” Garry and his brother have tivism he’s been involved in vices Advisory Commission, The growing demand for en- ronmentally friendly energy throughout his adult life, and the Mayor’s Green Cincinnati vironmental initiatives is an sources such as wind turbines operated the Green City Ecohe’ll prepare for the 2011 race. Initiative and the Commu- opportunity to increase and and solar panels. Workers Struction Co. for 24 years. The His campaign team, the “Gar- nity Development Advisory improve the work force – an could also find construction company is a member of the ry Green Team,” will work to Board. opportunity Cincinnati can- employment in initiatives to U.S. Green Building Council improve the city’s environ“When you get into politics, not afford to pass up, he says. improve the quality and cost- and uses building materials efficiency of buildings in Cin- certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to offer more cinnati, he says. “(Buildings) need to be sustainable building practices made energy efficient for the for the environment and consake of the homeowners, ten- sumers. Garry says he plans to open ants and the environment, and a store, the Green Depot, that’s especially meaningful to at 1235 Vine St. Over-thelow-income people when they have to pay $2,000 per year Rhine. to heat their homes,” Garry Cleo’s Joke Corner A bee was flying through the air with his legs crossed. I asked where he was going. He said, “I’m going to the BP station.” �STREETVIBES June 2009 Vendor Voice 15 We Are Here Homeless people gather downtown because they must 1 By GeorGe HerreL streetvibes vendor It’s 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Most people are still snug in their beds fast asleep. Yet at Nast Trinity Church on Race Street across from Washington Park, a dozen or more volunteers have been awake for hours and are now gathered in the church’s dining room. Hands linked, heads bowed, they say a prayer over the food they’ve been preparing and begin to assemble plates to serve to the more than 100 people who will show up today. It’s not necessarily a holiday or any special occasion. These people repeat this same routine faithfully every Sunday morning and evening. The people they’re serving aren’t visitors from out of town. As a matter of fact, many of them spent the preceding night sleeping in doorways or on park benches. Others found refuge in one of the emergency shelters. Yet this is an open-invitation meal. All are welcome; homeless is not a prerequisite. A few blocks away, the City Gospel Mission on Elm Street serves two meals a day, seven days a week. Food for the soul is offered just as frequently by way of morning and evening worship services before each meal. Forty-six men live at the shelter and participate in men’s self-help programs. In addition, the City Gospel Mission serves 100 meals daily. The Drop Inn Center serves three meals a day seven days a week. These organizations have one other thing in common. They depend upon donations to replenish their food stocks, and at times those donations are meager. At those times, organizations such as Food not Bombs and St. John’s Social Services provide less formal “sidewalk” meals. There was a time not long ago when other organizations would gather at Washington Park and set up grills and tables or pull their pickup trucks and vans right into the park and serve bowls of steaming soups or stews to the hungry, often offering prayer as well. But the city of Cincinnati began prohibiting such free meals in the park, citing everything from health code violations to excess litter as reasons. Now, as the new School for the Creative and Performing Arts approaches completion on 12th Street, concerns are being raised about the safety of the students and the effect that the blight of homeless people milling around will have on their impressionable psyches. But if you really want to change the future, what better teacher could there possibly be than “reality’? Homelessness is a problem in Cincinnati, a problem that needs to be dealt with and not hidden in the shadows. Allow me to give you some facts and figures: • 1,300 people experience homelessness each night in Cincinnati. • Twenty-five percent of Cincinnati’s homeless are children. • Twenty-five percent of Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. Puzzle Solutions homeless people are veterans. • The majority of the organizations in Cincinnati that provide services to homeless people are located downtown. Therefore, the homeless population in downtown is greater than in most any other area in the city. “We are here.” We cannot simply be swept under a rug and be expected to go away. We don’t want to be out here, but many of us have issues that we need help with. Let’s get together and figure out solutions to those problems, because only by dealing with them can they be solved. George Herrell is a Streetvibes vendor. �16 STREETVIBES June 2009 Double Take “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” - John Lennon Rally to legalize marijuana on April 20, 2009. Homeless Standdown, a resource fair for individuals experiencing homelessness, on May 6, 2009. National Day of Prayer on May 7, 2009. Photos by Andrew Anderson. Need Help or Want to Help? Shelter: Women and Children Central Access Point...381-SAFE Cincinnati Union Bethel...768-6907 Bethany House...557-2873 Grace Place Catholic Worker House...681-2365 Salvation Army...762-5660 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter...872-9259 Talbert House...684-7965 Resources Treatment: Women First Step Home ...961-4663 Treatment: Both City Gospel Mission...241-5525 Justice Watch...241-0490 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Worker House...381-4941 Mt. Airy Shelter...661-4620 AA Hotline...351-0422 CCAT ...381-6672 Joseph House ...241-2965 Hamilton County ADAS Board ...946-4888 Recovery Health Access Center ...281-7422 Sober Living ...681-0324 Talbert House...641-4300 Shelter: Both Advocacy Anthony House (Youth)...961-4080 Caracole (HIV/AIDS)...761-1480 Drop Inn Center...721-0643 Interfaith Hospitality Network...471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center...221-3350 St. John’s Housing...651-6446 Catholic Social Action ...421-3131 Community Action Agency ...569-1840 Contact Center...381-4242 Franciscan JPIC ...721-4700 Greater Cinci Coalition for the Homeless..421-7803 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center...5798547 Legal Aid Society ...241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center ...421-1108 Peaslee Neighborhood Center ...621-5514 Project Connect Homeless Kids ...363-3300 Stop AIDS...421-2437 Shelter: Men Housing: CMHA...721-4580 Excel Development...632-7149 OTR Community Housing...381-1171 Tender Mercies...721-8666 Tom Geiger House...961-4555 Dana Transitional Bridge Services Inc. ...751-0643 Volunteers of America...381-1954 Food Lord’s Pantry...621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Soup Kitchen & Pantry..961-1983 Our Daily Bread...621-6364 St. Francis Soup Kitchen...535-2719 Treatment: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House...784-1853 DIC Live In Program...721-0643 Prospect House...921-1613 Starting Over...961-2256 Health Center for Respite Care ...621-1868 Cincinnati Health Network ...961-0600 Crossroad Health Center ...381-2247 Hamilton county Mental Health Board...946-8600 Hamilton County TB Control ...946-7628 Health Resource Center ...357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van...352-2902 McMicken Dental Clinic...352-6363 Mental Health Access Point...558-8888 Mercy Franciscan at St. John...981-5800 NAMI of Hamilton County..458-6670 Oral Health Council...621-0248 PATH Outreach...977-4489 Catholic Social Services...241-7745 Center for Independent Living Options...241-2600 Churches Active in Northside...591-2246 Emmanuel Community Center...241-2563 FreeStore/FoodBank...241-1064 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart...381-0111 Goodwill industries...771-4800 Healing Connections...751-0600 Madisonville Education & Assistance Center...2715501 Mary Magdalen House...721-4811 People Working Cooperatively...351-7921 St. Vincent de Paul...562-8841 The Caring Place...631-1114 United Way...721-7900 Women Helping Women...977-5541 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center...859-491-8303 ECHO/Hosea House...859-261-5857 Fairhaven Resuce Mission...859-491-1027 Homeward Bound Youth...859-581-1111 Mathews House...859-261-8009 NKY Homeless & Housing Coalition...859-727-0926 Parish Kitchen...859-581-7745 Pike St. Clinic...859-291-9321 Transitions, Inc...859-491-4435 Welcome House of NKY...859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center...859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary...859-559-5011 VA Homeless...859-572-6226 Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels...863-3184 Salvation Army...863-1445 Serenity House Day Center...422-8555 Open Door Pantry...868-3276 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2009 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource June 2009 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: ‘Streetvibes’ Wins International Award Pg 2: The Vibe Pg 3: Eight Minutes with a ‘Mind Kitchen’ Pg 4: Same Struggle, Different Strategy Continued Pg 5: ‘Streetvibes’ Wins International Award Continued Pg 6: Death, Race and Place Pg 7: The Street Speaks Pg 8: Sexy, Yummy, Veggie Pg 9: Half-Moon Over Norway Pg 10: Still Struggling Pg 11: Lessons in Spain Pg 12: With Craving and Mortal Fear Pg 13: Giving Back with Deep Voices Pg 14: Garry Quits Council Race Pg 15: We Are Here Pg 16: Resource Guide Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Lew Moores Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Paul Miller George Herrell Jeremy Flannery Steven Lansky Michael Henson Dave Heitfield Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Paul Kopp Aimie Willhoite Olga Collier Angela Pancella Mary Alice Flannery Jennifer Blalock Joe Wessels Steve Novotni Andrew Freeze Georgine Getty Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Aimie Willhoite Alecia Lott Andrew Anderson Andrew Freeze Angela Pancella Buddhist Monastery city council Dave Heitfield George Herrell Georgine Getty Gregory Flannery International Award Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Joe Wessels Joseph House Journalism Lew Moores Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Mary Alice Flannery Michael Henson Norway Ohio Olga Collier Over-the-Rhine Paul Kopp Paul Miller Spain Stephanie Dunlap Steve Gibbs Steve Novotni Steven Lansky street papers Streetvibes Traveling Vegetarian