3 10 22 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/296cdb205d5917621b2aaae7194c4119.pdf 8b68f393224d0344a6a5e5789e421e0f PDF Text Text Artists as Activists Page 16 Profs and Prophets of Non-Violence Page 6 Vendors Celebrate Page 12 STREETVIBES $1 Jan. 15 - 31, 2010 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 169 Set Afire, Homeless Man Feels Burned by Police Says skeptical detective accuses him of lying By GreGory Flannery Editor The next day, when Smock saw the Rev. Fred Cook, the minister called police. Smock ou can’t blame peo­ told the officer that he didn’t ple who live on the want to pursue the matter. streets for being less When Smock lived in a camp than comfort­ along the Ohio able with law River a few years enforcement; ago, his camp “They attacked some of their ex­ mate was killed. Mr. Smock simply periences with Because the per­ because he is police officers petrator has nev­ homeless. They have been less er been caught, believed that, than pleasant. because Mr. Smock Smock says, he Thus when is homeless, he had little hope George Smock is not human and that his assault was set on fire therefore they could would be treated during the night viciously attack him as important. of Dec. 27, 2009, “My friend – and possibly he didn’t call po­ they called him murder him.” lice. Stringbean – got - Josh Spring “I didn’t fill beat to death,” out a police Smock says. report that night, which I “Nothing ever came of that. should have done, but I’ve got They’re going to make me a to live down here,” he says. “I priority?” don’t want to be made out as When Josh Spring, execu­ a snitch.” tive director of the Greater Y George Smock says four youths set him on fire Dec. 27. Photo by Gregory Flannery. Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, heard about the attack on Smock, he urged Smock to cooperate with po­ lice. “I told him that the people who set him on fire might try to do it to one of his friends,” Spring says. That argument convinced Smock. But now he’s having second thoughts. Residents Only: New Policy at the Drop Inn Center Shelter restructures, emphasizes helping homeless people By Jeremy Flannery Contributing WritEr T he general public may no longer stop by for a meal, relax and watch television at the Drop Inn Center. Since its founding until re­ cently, anyone could go to the homeless shelter. People who are unemployed or mentally ill were welcome, whether homeless or not. The change in policy is part of a restructuring meant to focus the Drop Inn Cen­ ter’s resources on meeting the needs of homeless people, ac­ cording to Executive Director Pat Clifford. “Residents-only is the big­ gest policy change,” he says. “Services once provided to the general community are now restricted to residents. In terms of our funding and making sure the homeless get what they need, we want to be clear that that is our main goal – to help them find per­ manent housing.” The Drop Inn Center reor­ ganized its programming last July. When people arrive at the center, placement specialists now meet with them to eval­ uate their needs beyond im­ mediate shelter so they can find and maintain perma­ nent housing, Clifford says. The majority of people who go to the Drop Inn Center See Policy, p. 11 ‘Trying to survive’ The night of Dec. 27, Smock was at the corner of Main and Court streets, near the Ham- See Burned, p. 4 Read the Streetvibes blog for stories between issues at http://streetvibes. wordpress.com Follow us on Twitter (StreetvibesNews) and Facebook (StreetvibesCincinnati) E-mail us at streetvibes2 @yahoo.com Pat Clifford, Drop Inn Center executive director. Photo by Andrew Anderson. �2 The Vibe By The Numbers 18 billion The quantity of toxic wastewater, measured in gallons, that Chevron Corp. has allegedly dumped in the Amazon forest (see page 5). 25 The percentage of Cincinnatians who fall under the federal poverty level (see page 7). 96-1 The vote in the U.S. Senate to subsidize airlines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks (see page 9). 222 The number of beds at the Drop Inn Center (see page 1). 50 StreetWise By GreGory Flannery Editor Dealing Death in Our Names Aren’t we proud, Ohioans? Having made national headlines by botching yet another execu­ tion last September – the governor called it off after state guards labored for two hours to kill a man, repeatedly jabbing him with needles – we succeeded Jan. 7 in poisoning another condemned man in just nine minutes. The new execution protocol, used to kill 37-year-old Vernon Smith, disproved the conservative hypothesis that government can do nothing efficiently. In this time of state budgets, isn’t it comforting to know that Ohio can at least kill well? Put aside, if you must, the moral question of whether the state ought to be involved in the business of dealing death. Another problem is the ultimate punishment is applied when ulti­ mate certainty is not possible. Consider the case of Kevin Keith, who has been caged on Ohio’s Death Row for 15 years. Last month the Ohio Supreme Court declined his motion to present new evidence of his innocence. Keith was convicted of killing three people in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1994. But the case against him is deeply flawed, according to his attorney, Assistant State Public Defender Rachel Troutman. “We are deeply troubled by the Ohio Supreme Court’s failure to allow Kevin Keith to present newly discovered evidence that overwhelmingly proves his innocence and identifies the true perpetrator,” Troutman says. “The Supreme Court’s denial means that no jury will ever hear that the state of Ohio failed to disclose evidence implicating the person who committed the crime for which Kevin stands to be executed. Now, instead of getting the new trial he is consti­ tutionally entitled to, an innocent man faces execution. “Kevin has maintained his innocence from the time of his wrongful arrest and conviction and throughout the 15 years he has sat on Ohio’s Death Row. He has an alibi for the time of the shootings supported by four witnesses. There is no forensic evidence that links Kevin to the crime. As newly discovered evidence shows, the state suppressed evidence identifying the true perpetrator and fabricated evidence in an attempt to bolster the legitimacy of the tainted eye­ witness identification used to wrongfully convict him. The execution of an innocent person, especially one who has not been given a fair hearing, is the gravest injustice that no Ohioan can support. We appeal to the state of Ohio to prevent the execution of an innocent man.” Search Warrants Needed for Cell Phones The number of years the United States has made progress in racial equality (see page 10). The state’s high court did issue one recent decision that deserves credit. It ruled last month that law enforcement must have a warrant in order to search the contents of a suspect’s cell phone seized during an arrest. The decision – the first time a state supreme court in the United States has ruled that warrants are needed to search cell phones – applies constitutional prin­ ciples to modern technology, according to Carrie Davis, staff counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. 13 “Even with changes in technology, we do not sacrifice our core civil liberties,” she says. “Oftentimes the law fails to keep up with the fast pace of technology, but this decision lays the groundwork for greater privacy protections as the digital age advances.” The age at which Mark Schmieder was hit with a hose by a priest (see page 3). 56-55-1 The Bengals’ record under Coach Marvin Lewis (see page 11). 27th The night in December on which four youths set George Smock on fire (see page 1). 54,027 The number of copies of Streetvibes sold by vendors in 2009 (see page 12). $2,344 The cost of a liquor license for a casino in Ohio (see page 10). Kindness Unbowed by Cold or by Nazis Kindness to homeless people is always to be noted and celebrated, especially given the bru­ tality that they so often experience (see “Set Afire,” page 1.) The arctic blast that has frozen much of the nation led the Cincinnati Health Dept. to open the city’s Winter Shelter for 11 of the first 12 nights of the new year. This prompted people in the community to offer food, clothing, blankets and other donations, according to Rocky Merz, spokesman for the health depart­ ment. Unfortunately, however, the shelter isn’t able to handle the donations, he says. People who wish to donate items to help homeless people can call Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, at 513-421-7803, ext. 13. The Winter Shelter, housed at the Over-the-Rhine Recreation Center, 1715 Republic St., also opened twice in December. The shelter has averaged 109 persons per night. Anyone – not just homeless people – can stay at the Winter Shelter when it opens. The city opens the shelter when the temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Kindness of a much higher order lost one of its greatest practitioners this week with the death of Miep Gies at age 100. When the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Gies helped shelter Jews being hunted for slaughter. Her most famous beneficiary was Anne Frank and her family. They were later captured, and Frank died in a concentration camp at age 16. Her diary, pre­ served by Gies, is perhaps the best known book about the Holocaust, The Diary of a Young Girl. University of Cincinnati Professor Steve Sunderland, a contributing writer for Streetvibes, knew Gies and counted her a friend. “Miep and I met during one of my visits to the Netherlands as part of my work with the Anne Frank Foundation,” Sunderland says. “She and I shared many talks and tears and an abun­ dance of chocolate. When I first met her, her husband, Jan, was still alive and joined in our discussions of what it was like to feed families in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Both were lowkey peace activists, not wanting to brag or judge others. But it was clear that they both felt that the number of people involved in the resistance was way too small. I last saw Miep when she visited Cincinnati under the wing of her good friend, Cor Suijk.” STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 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 Michelle Dillingham, Samantha Groark, Margo Pierce, Paul Kopp, Jeremy Flannery, Michael Henson, David Heitfield, Kelissa Hieber, Jeni Jenkins, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Lynne Ausman, 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 January 15 - 31, 2010 3 Community News A Priest to Prisoners and the Poor A minister who served others By Vickie cimprich Contributing WritEr M The Rev. Mark Schmieder was known for his work in Over-theRhine. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. ‘God’s saint in this community’ By JeFF hillard Contributing WritEr O n only the second time I ever walked into the Hamilton County Justice Center, about three years ago, as a member of the county's Jail Chaplaincy Team, I met Fr. Mark Schmie­ der in our chaplain's office on level 3. I had no idea who he was. He sat at a desk across from Bob Barbara, another long-termer on the chaplaincy team and a very close friend of Fr. Mark’s. Bob's mis­ sion is to supply inmate requests for complimentary reading glasses. Very, very few county jails in the country – if any – allow such a minis­ try, which made my proximity to these two wise men extremely spe­ cial. Bob said, nodding to Fr. Mark, “Jeff, this is the main man.” I think Fr. Mark blushed, and I know he chuckled. “That's what he thinks,” Mark said. I said, “I've heard about you, Fr. Mark.” He said, “That’s not a good sign.” He chuckled some more. That impression immediately stuck: hu­ mility, sweet spirit, deflection of any kind of “authority” he might have had, absolute humor and goodwill and encouragement. He encour­ aged me, gave me a few pointers, what maybe I didn’t learn fully in chaplaincy training. He soon put on his fisherman's cap, he gave me a hug, and he and Bob, finished, headed to B&G Restaurant for lunch around the corner. He was usually always there at the Justice Center on Friday, with Bob, morning until noon. It didn’t take me long, either, to fathom his brilliance. How could he run St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House, too? In the times I saw him after that, I realized that he was God’s saint in this community in the world. Making calls until the very end of his life, with tired, cracked voice, he was never really tired and he was always the voice of the voiceless. ark Schmieder's body was not at the front of the middle aisle, head to the altar, and feet to the congregation. How­ ever, something was parked out of the way by the back east wall in a pine box. Inside was something long, waxened ice blue. The first thought was, “What is a miraculously semi-preserved relic doing in St. Francis Seraph Church in Over-the Rhine? “My God,” I said. “Is that Mark?” Maybe it was not embalmed. Some logistic snafu with the authorities had held it up. That would fit with Mark. No myrrh in no Gilead. It had in fact been on ice from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 so he could die with family in Washington State, and then be with all his loved ones in the Ohio Valley. But everybody enjoyed a photo of him in his teens in the seminary, chubby faced, beardless. The story of his birth was told. He looked dead at his emergence, and they laid him on a table out of the way so everyone could work on saving his mother's life. When they got her stabilized, somebody noticed that Mark was alive. Cold and unattended for some time, with a broken leg. One of his many personal conversions came when he remembered having been hit with a hose by a priest when he was about 13. Then he was part of one more fellowship: Survivors of Priest Abuse. All along he has been aiding and abetting survivors of many sorts. A while back he'd laughed and said maybe nine priests would show up at his funeral. So many turned out they overflowed their assigned seating. The church was packed. Chairos men sang their song around the body during the final commendation. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr was there. The day after The Enquirer announced Schnurr's purchase of a really expensive house in Anderson Township, Mark had stormed into the Chancery: You can't do this. I joked with Glenn Miller that there might be salvation for Schnurr after all: When the real estate market recovers, Schnurr sells at a big profit and gives the money to the poor. The past two years Mark canoed in Paddlefest. He'd sold the canoe he'd rescued Gordon Lightfoot in to Ken Palasin, who glided down the Ohio with Vickie Cimprich, next to Mark and Mary Repaske in 2008. Seems Mark was on one of many Canadian rivers when he came upon this dude stuck on a rock. The next Lightfoot concert in Cincinnati, Mark received two tickets. At least one resident of St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House, which Mark had led for some time, was at the reception. This man has lost his family and career to alcoholism. He's working his program now. Likes to read in the house library and work out at the neighbor­ hood gym. He said St. F-St. J was the five-star homeless shelter of Cin­ cinnati. He stayed till the reception was over and worked with Mark's lay Catholic community, Anawim, until all was cleaned up. These workers operated sort of psychically: no one told anybody what needed to be done; all knew. Judy Tensing had gone out to Washington to be with Mark when he died; the catering group she had helped found served a fine feed for all. Judy worked the whole reception and cleanup. Mark had pancreatic cancer; so had Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. Mark's was diagnosed about last March, feast of the Annunciation, about nine months before Christmas. Mark is Epiphany's supernova, his colors awhirl in any ether, any's far sight. The Stable (For the Rev. Mark Schmieder) By Vickie cimprich The shepherd with the antalgic gait was the first to arrive. A swaddling mild autism over all protected. A young girl had been left behind with the flock and the sick man who was going to die soon. The shepherd who loved men held Joseph, each chosen by angels. One teenager passed the placenta and slept well into the next day. All were strong, all were bright. �4 STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Local News Man Feels Burned by Police Continued from page 1 ilton County Department of Jobs and Family Services. Four African-American teenagers doused him with charcoal lighter fluid and threw a match on him, he says. His coat lit on fire. “These four young boys walked up to me,” Smock says. “It was dark. They had a square can that you start your charcoal with, and they threw a match at me. My coat caught on fire. They said, ‘Now we got you, motherfucker.’ Everything hap­ pened so fast.” Smock says he had a can of Gatorade and doused the fire. He was uninjured. Now Smock feels threatened by police investigators. “They’re trying to turn it around,” he says. “They said they’re going to arrest me for making a false report. The detec­ tive said, ‘We can’t find any residue on the coat.’ ” Smock says he took investigators to his current campsite – a location he declines to identify – and turned over the coat. “I went back and got the coat and gave it to him,” he says. “I’m trying to do the right thing here. I was willing to let it go. If I did set myself on fire, why would I take him where the coat was? The coat’s been out there for two weeks in the rain and everything else. That’s why there’s no residue. I’m the victim in this and they’re trying to Fighting hate crimes make me out to be the one who did it.” A longtime family friend gave Smock the coat, he says. Smock says he has long familiarity with discrimination against “My new Carhartt coat that I got for Christmas – why would I homeless people. He has been cited in the past for drinking in pub­ burn my own coat?” lic, he says. A police investigator told Smock that he suspects Smock ignited “I’ve sat in the Salvation Army lot and watched college students a cigarette lighter in the coat pocket, causing it to burn. walk up and down the street drinking,” he says. “Just because “I don’t even smoke,” Smock says. “I don’t have a lighter. I chew they have money, they’re better than me? You’ve got these people tobacco.” drinking at tailgate parties. It’s OK for them to do it. But if I take a Last week Smock might have made his own legal situation – and 40-ounce (beer) down there, I’m hit in the mouth. It’s an old ex­ the investigation of the assault – more complicated. He says that, pression: It means I’m screwed.” in his exasperation, he gave a new ac­ Smock has agreed to speak at a fo­ count of the incident to a detective. rum on hate crimes being organized by Smock says he told a detective that The workshop/forum on hate crimes will meet the Homeless Coalition, according to he had been on riverbank and leaned Spring. from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. against something that ignited the “They attacked Mr. Smock sim­ Scheduled speakers include Michael Stoops coat. ply because he is homeless,” Spring of the National Coalition for the Homeless “He was browbeating me,” Smock says. “They believed that, because Mr. and Brian Davis of the Northeast Ohio says. “I gave in to it.” Smock is homeless, he is not human Coalition for the Homeless. At this point, however, bristling at and therefore they could viciously at­ the suggestion that he started the fire, tack him and possibly murder him. The Smock says he’ll fight in court any charge filed against him. Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) condemns “I’m not trying to get anything out of this,” he says. “They’ll nev­ this hate crime and all hate crimes. GCCH encourages all people er find these guys but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be accused of who are homeless to be especially cautious, especially at night, and lying about this. I fly a (panhandling) sign. I don’t rob anybody. But to keep watch for one another.” they want to do this to me. I think it’s wrong. I’m just out here try­ The workshop/forum on hate crimes will meet from 1:30 p.m. ing to survive.” to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. Contact Rob Goeller (robgoeller@cinci­ Smock says he doesn’t remember the detective’s name. Spring homeless.org) at 513-421-7803 x15 for further details. Scheduled says a contact in the police department told him that the detective speakers include Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the might be using an investigative technique, testing Smock’s ability Homeless and Brian Davis of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the to withstand cross-examination if the assailants are caught and go Homeless. to trial. Streetvibes vendors keep 75% of sales. Consider helping Streetvibes with our publication costs by making a tax-deductible donation or by purchasing a 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. $25 Please return your contribution to: GCCH 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Name: Address: E-mail: $50 $100 $150 Other $ _______ �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Local News The Good Justice News of 2009 5 Progress on workers’ rights and the environment By kristen Barker Contributing WritEr W e seek to start the new year with a look back at hardfought victories in 2009, in order to look forward to 2010 with energy and wisdom: Cadbury goes fair trade Visit www.globalexchange.org An iconic UK candy company became the first mainstream producer of Fair Trade sweets in July. Cadbury will sell its Fair Trade­ certified chocolate bar at no extra cost, a move expected to triple the volume of Fair Trade co­ coa sourced from Ghana. Student pressure leads to factory re-opening in Honduras Congrats to United Students Against Sweatshops for their vic­ tory against Russell Athletics, which closed its factory in Hondu­ ras after workers there tried to form a union nearly one year ago. Students at 96 universities persuaded their schools to suspend or sever ties with Russell Athletics, a major supplier of college spiritwear. In late December, Russell announced that it plans to re-open the factory and re-hire all 1,200 workers. Just say no to bovine growth hormone In February, Yoplait and Dannon announced they would no longer purchase milk from dairies injecting their cows with Mon­ santo's controversial genetically engineered synthetic hormone, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Another Fair Food movement victory! Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Bon Appétit Management Co. built an innovative new model for fair labor stan­ dards in Florida's tomato fields. Bon Appétit ManVisit agement Company becomes the first food-service www.ciw-online.org company to establish game-changing fair labor requirements that integrate minimum fair wages, worker empowerment stipulations and incentives to growers who exceed minimum requirements of the agreement. The first Latina justice Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina and the third female U.S. Supreme Court justice – a historic moment for the country and an especially important moment for Latinos. Toledo Public Schools ban ASVAB After four years of organizing efforts led by Learning Not Recruit­ ing, the Toledo School Board, by unanimous vote, passed a revision to its entire policy manual on military recruitment. Toledo has be­ come the first district in the country to ban the Armed Service Vo­ cational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB), the military entrance test, from being given in any high school in the district. Bye bye, missile defense In September, the Obama administration eradicated Bush-era plans to deploy missile-defense components in Poland and the Czech Republic. Climate change Tens of thousands of people from around the world took to the streets of Copenhagen to call for meaningful action to address cli­ mate change, despite continuous attempts to squelch it. Inside Co­ penhagen's meeting halls, indigenous peoples from small island nations and the Himalayas spoke powerfully about their rights and their needs. Corporations are not people Visit www.yes.org Three towns in Maine – Shapleigh, Newman and Wells – have passed ordinances that strip corporations of the rights of “personhood,” a legal concept that allows companies to claim the same rights as individual citizens. New coal plants cancelled According to Green America, the No­ vember cancellation of the proposed 960-megawatt coal plant in Meigs County, Ohio, was the 101st new coal plant to be canceled since 2002. Visit www.greenamericatoday.org www.ohiocitizen.org Kimberly Clark, emerging leader in sustainability In August, after years of pressure from GreenPeace and others, Kimberly-Clark, the company that makes Kleenex, Scott and Cot­ tonelle, announced a new policy that places it among the industry leaders in sustainability. Kimberly-Clark set a goal of obtaining 100 perVisit cent of the wood fiber for its products from en- http://www.kleercut.net/en/ vironmentally responsible sources. By the end of 2011 the company will no longer use any pulp from the Boreal Forest unless it is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified. The policy also prevents the company from cutting endangered forests and increases its use of FSC-certified pulp and recycled fiber globally. U.S. commits to limit greenhouse gas emissions In June, the U.S. House of Representatives’ passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which marked the first U.S. nation­ al commitment to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Tiny town sends multinational packing A six-year campaign by McCloud, Calif., residents forced Nestle to abandon its plan for a mega water-bottling plant. Visit http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/ Community garden bonanza in Cleveland Access to open land in Cleveland has incited a community-gar­ den explosion. By various counts, more than 200 community gar­ dens – neighborhood grow-your-own collaborations – have sprung up on empty lots. Taking back the land – responding to foreclosures in Miami A grassroots initiative through the organization Take Back the Land is finding temporary housing for homeless families in Miami, Fla. Homeless families are matched with houses that have been foreclosed on and are owned by the local government or a bank. The hope is that, by allowing homeless families to live in vacant homes, they will be given the opportunity to conserve their re­ sources and find permanent housing of their own. Most significant conservation victory in 15 years Two million acres of wildness in nine states will receive new pro­ tection under a bill signed into law March 30 by President Obama. The measure has been called the most significant conservation victory in the last 15 years. Hawaii will be 40 percent powered by renewable energy The state of Hawaii and Hawaiian electric companies have al­ lied to dramatically expand renewable energy. Their agreement re­ quires that 40 percent of the island be pow­ ered by renewables. A Victory for indigenous Ecuadorians Visit www.yesmagazine.org Ecuadorian indigenous tribes have won a ruling against Chevron Corp., which owns Texaco. Their 16-year­ old, $27.3-billion liability suit concerns Texaco’s nearly three de­ cades of activity in the Lago Agria area of the Amazon, during which, plaintiffs say, the company dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the rainforest. Excerpted from the newsletter of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center. Missed an Issue? Check out the Streetvibes archive at www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes �6 Local News STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Profs and Prophets of Non-Violence Laughter is one way to become one By aimie Willhoite Contributing WritEr W hat is violence? Surprisingly, today most would define vio­ lence solely as a physical action or force that causes bodily harm. We cannot ignore evidence, though, that violence is more than just brute force. Mental, emotional and spiritual violence exist as counterparts to this physical expression. And if we devote more time understanding the complex layers of violence, it will ultimately lead to deeper dis­ cussions, which can be dedicated to the idea of non-violence. What is non-violence, and how might we actually be able to practice it within our own lives? I am a student at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) where I re­ cently finished an intense course, “Prophets of Non-Violence,” taught by Professor Patrick Murphy Welage. I have been a part-time student for many years and I truly feel that no other course has affected me as strongly as this one. The content was gripping and the overall experi­ ence life-changing. At Xavier University and NKU, Welage teaches theology and philos­ ophy with an emphasis on social justice and non-violence. He is also a certified laughter yoga teacher. We found out what laughter yoga is when one of our classes was turned into a laughter-yoga-body-mind experience. It was definitely awkward at first, forcing ourselves to laugh without any prompting, without any comedy. It was a matter of faking the laughter until it finally became real and natural. By the end of the class, hilarity was echoing from person to person. The lesson was to use laughter as a practice of non-violence, be­ cause laughter is non-political, non-religious, non-racial and non­ threatening. Like music and art, laughter is a universal language that can transcend many barriers: language, age, gender, race and social class. It enhances our personal relationships and connections with one another. Laughter can suspend or remove divisions between peo­ ple, showing a way to a more peaceful existence together. Patrick Welage teaches laughter yoga and non-violence. Welage is the type of teacher who makes things interesting and wit­ Photo by Aimie Willhoite. ty, although his objective through it all is to have his students thought­ fully examine theories and practices associated with violence and non-violence. We spent a significant amount of time trying to understand apart­ growth and revelation. Our autobiographies would also be based upon heid in South Africa. We were inundated with facts about unspeakable the writings and practices of one of the prophets of non-violence we acts of oppression, torture and violence perpetrated toward blacks at had learned about. How had our life experiences shaped our views on the hands of a white supremacist government. Many turned a blind non-violence? What changes could we make in our lives to soar from eye to what was going on. Apathy is an all too familiar response to hor­ theory alone to a daily practice of being peacekeepers? rendous violations against human freedoms. Each student made a presentation before the class. Nothing could We read A Human Being Died That Night: A Story of Forgiveness by have prepared us for what we were about to share and experience Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and Priest and Partisan with one another. We each had a story to tell. Our ini­ by Michael Worsnip, hoping to gain some insight into tial reservations about opening our lives to a room­ some of the root causes of this violence in South Africa Apathy is an all too ful of strangers were gone. Something had occurred and how the country would ever recover from it. The throughout the duration of the semester. familiar response to Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed so One by one we shared our stories and memories: horrendous violations that the country could shift toward truth, reconcilia­ against human freedoms. drug addiction, rape, violence, domestic abuse, al­ tion and most important, forgiveness. coholism, loss of loved ones, serious illnesses, child Forgiveness, faith, redemption and spirituality abuse, divorce, affairs, single parents, depression, sui­ were at the center of many of our discussions. We each had our own cidal thoughts and attempts. It was almost unbelievable, the gravity of unique frame of reference and life experiences to pull from. Our class what we were doing in this small class setting. Their pain became my was made up of Christians from many denominations, Muslims, Bud­ pain, and my pain became their pain. dhists, atheists and agnostics. It was also a sweet mixture of gender, I am convinced that, unless you face the truth, the truth cannot age, race and social class. It was an amazing little community our set you free. Facing ourselves takes courage, let alone facing others. classroom had turned into. Healing and recovery begins with dialogue. I was able to make the cor­ Over the course of the semester we worked on writing a research- relation between what the professor had been teaching us and what based spiritual autobiography. It was to be a deeply personal account we were doing for one another as a class. In the very speaking of “un­ of our own spiritual journey, sharing our own stories of joy, pain, speakable acts,” a person, family, community or nation can begin to heal. Dialogue is purgative medicine for an ailing world. Even if it takes a lifetime, we must encourage one another toward forgiveness when we have been emotionally, spiritually or physically harmed. Pumla Gododo-Madikizela, who described her personal ex­ perience with the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commis­ sion, wrote about the effects of forgiveness she witnessed in others. “Some societies are finding it more constructive to focus on discov­ ering and nurturing the conditions that make forgiveness first con­ ceivable, then ultimately possible,” she wrote. Forgiveness is a form of non-violence. We need to nurture it within our corner of the world. The final moment of enlightenment came for me as I listened to a young Muslim student discuss what this class had meant to him. He was able to articulate what the majority of us also felt. We were all proud of one another for having the bravery to share our stories. We put ourselves in a very vulnerable position, and yet what we found was that no one judged us or rejected us. We respected one another’s individuality. No one’s faith, beliefs or race were attacked. We simply listened to one another and learned from one another. We accepted our differences. One has to wonder how different the world might be if what hap­ pened within the classroom could happen outside it. We all have the Former South African President Nelson Mandela. REUTERS/David Gray. potential to be prophets – advocates for non-violence. �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Housing Issues Cramped Affordable Housing 7 Many cannot afford adequate room, subsidies are insufficient By michelle dillinGham Contributing WritEr P eople who live in affordable housing tend to be young families, senior citizens, single parents, people with dis­ abilities, recently unemployed, low- to moderate-income workers and the formerly homeless. This covers, well, just about all of us at one point or another in our lives. There is an additional layer of us who need affordable housing, but who have issues that exclude us from even being considered as tenants. These issues in­ clude poor credit, conviction record, or eviction history. Housing is considered “affordable” when total housing costs consume less than 30 percent of a family’s income. In 2009 the federal poverty level for a family of four was an annual income of $22,050 or less. For this family’s rent to be “affordable,” they will have to find housing that costs no more than $550 per month, and this includes the cost of utilities. Most landlords now require ten­ ants to pay utilities. I took a quick glance at the rentals advertised in the local paper under “Three Bedroom Apartments.” I did not find ANY three-bed­ room apartments advertised for $550 or less. There are some twobedroom apartments for that price, but a two-bedroom apartment is inadequate for almost any combination of a family of four: single mother, a 3-year-old, 5-year-old and a 13-year-old? No, especially given the floor plans of most two-bedroom apartments: not a lot of room. Two parents, a 12-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old girl? Not ideal. Remember, a full 25 percent of Cincinnatians fall under the fed­ eral poverty level. So a full quarter of our city’s residents cannot afford adequate housing, and adequate in this case is simply being large enough to accommoIn 2009 the federal date family size. Overcrowding and doublingpoverty level for a family up is all too common. Since this family cannot afford any of the of four was an annual income of $22,050 or less. three-bedroom rentals, there are two choices. For this family’s rent to be The first choice is to seek out housing subsidy “affordable,” they will have programs they can qualify for. They will be told to find housing that costs there are none available right now. Their second choice is to take a rental that is inadequate no more than $550 per month, and this includes to accommodate their family size, so they will have to hide how many children they have so the cost of utilities. they won’t be denied housing. This touches on fair housing issues, as landlords cannot legally restrict the number of people in an apartment to less than two per bedroom, regardless of age or sex. Below is a list of the affordable housing subsidy programs that exist. At first glance it appears lengthy and seems like a lot of pro­ grams. In reality, many are either not being adequately utilized, or they are sorely underfunded for the housing needs that exist in our city. Each of these subsidies has a set of policies. Policies are similar to laws: They exist because people weren’t doing what was right, so other people made a policy so that people would do the right thing. Therefore social justice is often preceded by a mandate. There are opportunities for local advocacy for each of these pro­ grams to be utilized and supported. When an affordable-housing development is proposed, there are opponents who write letters and testify at City Hall asking city council members not to approve the subsidy. A recent example was the opposition to a Section 202 project (senior housing) planned for College Hill. Neighborhood resistance blocked it. It is crucial that supporters of affordable housing be informed and vocal so that our city’s families will be able to access these subsidies and have a better chance at afford­ able, accessible and adequate housing. Primer on housing subsidies (Excerpted from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Meeting the Housing Needs of Families”) Community Development Block Grants (CDBG): Created in 1974, the CDBG program passes money to states, some urban counties and cities with populations above 50,000. Municipalities typically use a portion of these funds for housing development – such as home rehabilitation and the acquisition, rehabilitation and resale of vacant properties – and for economic development, including commercial areas. Section 8: Rental assistance to very-low-income tenants. Section 8 tenants pay up to 30 percent of their incomes for rent; the federal government pays the difference between that and a HUD-deter­ mined fair-market rent charged by the property owner. There are two kinds of Section 8 programs. Housing certificates or vouchers are tied to the tenant, for use wherever the tenant lives. The second type, called Section 8 project-based housing, is tied to the apart­ ment unit, so that anyone who moves there receives the subsidy. Low Income Housing Tax Credits: In 1986 Congress created this credit, which is now the most important mechanism for promoting the development of affordable rental units. … Tax-paying develop­ ers receive a tax credit for a portion of the costs of developing af­ fordable rental housing. HOME: HOME funds go to eligible communities for affordablehousing development, including homeownership counseling and local tenant rental assistance. Empowerment Zones: The federal government designated many low-income areas throughout urban and rural America as empow­ erment zones, eligible for roughly $100 million per zone in federal grants and other incentives. Housing is not a central thrust of the Empowerment Zone process—it is fundamentally geared toward business development, job creation and job retention, and often is used for various kinds of commercial and industrial development – but most empowerment zones have some housing elements in their plans. Section 202: This federal program of financing housing for the elderly was created for non-profit developers. It is a deep source of subsidy, providing capital advances and project-based rental as­ sistance for elderly tenants. Section 811: Provides both capital advances and project-based rental assistance to persons with disabilities. HOPE VI: Congress created HOPE VI to revitalize distressed public-housing communities. Any public housing authority (PHA) that operates public housing units is eligible to apply for HOPE VI funds. It encourages PHAs to seek new partnerships with private entities to create mixed-finance and mixed-income affordable housing that is radically different from traditional public housing “projects.” Continuum of Care Funds: These funds can be A full quarter of used for temporary and permanent housing and for our city’s residents supportive services. cannot afford Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG): ESG funds can adequate housing, be used to convert buildings into shelters or to reand adequate in this habilitate existing shelters. The funds also can be case is simply being used for homelessness prevention activities, social large enough to services and operating costs. accommodate family Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS: size. Overcrowding These funds can be used for a variety of purposes, and doubling-up is all including acquisition, leasing or rehabilitation of too common. buildings; supportive services; and rental assis­ tance. Housing Trust Funds: Perhaps the fastest growing new sources of government subsidies are housing trust funds created by local and state governments. These funds take dedicated revenue sourc­ es, such as real estate transfer fees, and commit them to subsidize the development of low-income housing. One way to help advocate for local affordable housing is to join the efforts of Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA). Contact Mi­ chelle Dillingham at mdmswlsw@hotmail.com if you are interest­ ed in joining AHA. 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. �8 Recipe Veggie Stir-Fry “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long” STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Cheap and Easy Veggie Stir-Fry 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large white onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 packages ramen noodles 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (or make your own) 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce 1 cup veggie broth or 1 cup water and 1 tsp veggie bul­ lion 1 package frozen mixed veggies (depending on prefer­ ence, I prefer a mix of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, baby corn, snow peas and red peppers) In a stir-fry pan or skillet on medium low heat, sauté onions and garlic in 1 tbsp oil until the onions turn translucent. Push the onions and garlic slightly to the side, add the oth­ er tbsp oil and heat for 30 seconds, then carefully add the package of frozen veggies, mixing in the onions and garlic. Cook on medium heat until tender, about 4 minutes In a bowl mix together the veggie broth, chili sauce and teriyaki sauce. Add mixture to veggies and bring to a boil. Photo by Jeni Jenkins. By Jeni Jenkins Staff WritEr T his quotation is tak­ en from the 1986 film Little Shop of Hor­ rors, in which a plant keeper must meet the demands of a ravenous plant that feeds on humans. Instead of plants that feed on people, this col­ umn is for people who feed on plants. Sometimes when I get home from a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is go to the grocery store and then spend hours in the kitchen cooking dinner. This recipe is one that I concocted with things I had in my kitch­ en when I wasn’t feeling Suzie Homemaker-ish. Serving Size: 3-4 fairly hun­ gry bellies. Break ramen noodles in half and mix into the veggies. Cook on medium heat about 4 minutes or until noodles are tender. Artwork by Anthony Williams Cleo’s Joke Corner A cat died and went to heaven. He complained that he had to work too much. Then a mouse went by on roller skates. St. Peter said, “See? Meals on Wheels!” ! ? t a h W “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” - Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Say___________________ �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Guest Column Stop Bleating, Start Barking 9 Nationalize the airlines and stop the whining By daVid heitField Contributing WritEr “I 'd rather be sniffed by a dog than endure a whole body scan by a man,” a woman said this morning on the Diane Rehm Show. At first I thought, Freud's eternal question, “What do women want?” had finally been answered. My mind engorged with thoughts of a certain librarian I know teaching this old dog some new tricks. But further listening revealed the talk-show caller’s statement The only critiques I've was simply more annoying read against the taxpayer yelping about how we should deal with potential terrorist bailout of the airline attacks on airlines. industry after 9/11 came It's annoying because I from the likes of American don't hear anyone talking Heritage magazine. about the crux of the prob­ lem: The half-assed Christmas bombing attempt of Delta's Northwest Flight 253 by a lonely and unstable young man wearing women's underwear is yet another example of the failure of our corporate welfare state. Delta CEO Richard Anderson bemoaned the near tragedy, making the point that a for-profit company is in no way responsible for providing a safe and re­ liable product for its customers, nor should it suffer financial consequences for any failure of its business model. Sound familiar? “We're obviously disappointed,” Anderson said. “The things that have occurred over the last decade to this industry and the work we've done over the last decade ought to give us a better result than the peril that our crews and passengers faced on Christmas. … You can be certain we will make our points very clear­ ly in Washington.” Let me make my point very clearly, Mr. Anderson. Shall we review your work over the past decade? You opportunistically took advantage of 9/11 to revive a failing business model (threatened by the likes of up­ starts such as Southwest Airlines) through a $15 bil­ lion taxpayer bailout of the airline industry, enacted less than two weeks after the World Trade Center trag­ edy. Not enough, in 2003 taxpayers gave your indus­ A passenger removes his shoes as he places his belongings in a tray at a security try another $3.2 billion. You filed bankruptcy, much checkpoint at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. REUTERS/Larry Downing. like other giants in our corporate welfare state, a rem­ edy largely available only to needy corporations, not needy individuals, thanks to more bipartisan lobby­ ing efforts during the Bush years. You gutted pension plans, slashed deal with pirates. When the economy tanks, carjackings increase. pay so pilots and crew earn scarcely more money and respect than a Just a few decades ago hijackings were commonly in the news. Ar­ greeter at Wal-Mart, charged people's clothes to travel with them and chie Bunker once suggested that we stop hijackings by arming all the passengers – just pass out the guns as people board and collect them bought yourself another airline. Christopher Hitchens, the famed atheist whose amygdala won a at the end of the flight. Amusingly, Congress included a provision in the recent transportation bill to allow successful coup attempt of his brain af­ Amtrak passengers to bring theirs on ter 9/11 (his view that science is always What’s new is that any such failings of human board. It appears that traveling at 35,000 good and religion has caused all the evil feet in an aluminum tube with people in the world is proven by the actions of character are now met with ransom demands on packed like sardines breathing recycled the Council of Trent, which must have the American taxpayer, to provide a certainty that air has some risk – who knew? hatched the nefarious plan to drop a will never exist, except for the certainty that some What's new is that any such failings of new bomb codenamed Fat Baby Jesus corporate interest will reap rewards. human character are now met with ran­ on Nagasaki), opined in Slate that the som demands on the American taxpay­ fault lies not only with “our endlessly er, to provide a certainty that will never exist, except for the certainty incompetent security services” but with “public opinion that sheep­ that some corporate interest will reap rewards. ishly bleats to be made to ‘feel safe.’ ” Take that, Brutus. While I'm certainly sympathetic to the ideas of the rational con­ Hitchens conveniently ignores that our half-assed efforts to make servatives who argue we should always let these industries fail, that the sheep feel safe is a compromise of trying to detect terrorist activ­ ity while not taking measures so obtrusive that they negatively impact solution is political suicide in this climate of zero net job growth in the profits of the airline industry. Like the woman above, if sniffing the past decade and double-digit unemployment. Which is why we should nationalize the airline industry. (I'd per­ dogs keep more customers flying than body scans, then that's where we'll go. And if for some reason we do go with body scans, who pays sonally prefer to let it fail and invest in new rail travel, so we don't fall for the estimated $100 billion cost? The American taxpaying sheep, a century behind the Chinese with their new cross-continent bullet of course. And when profits erode because the woman decides not to trains.) If air travel were completely under the control of Homeland fly at all, we'll help pump up the airlines' coffers with more taxpayer Security, we could take more stringent measures concerned with passenger safety without worrying about profit margins. We could money. This Too Big to Fail corporate theocracy is untenable, and to be fair guarantee every flight has at least an air marshal aboard. We could be to my brethren on the right, the only critiques I've read against the more stringent in deciding who is allowed to board the plane. Hell, we taxpayer bailout of the airline industry after 9/11 came from the likes could even treat pilots and crews to a little more pay and respect. We just can't afford to keep responding to fear with corporate wel­ of American Heritage magazine, warning that we were headed down fare, be it financial institutions (free markets can only work when the a bottomless rabbit hole. The Airlines Transportation Safety and Sys­ tem Stabilization Act passed in the House by a vote of 356-54 and a middle-class subsidizes the rich), the defense industry (it's OK to kill whopping 96-1 in the Senate. It seems corporate welfare is our only civilians, Blackwater; and it's fine to gang-rape women, Halliburton – here, let's give you some more taxpayer money, too), or the airlines. source of Congressional bipartisan support. Transportation terrorism is hardly a new phenomenon. Railroads We need to bare our teeth and bark at these assholes, instead of tuck­ ing our tail and peeing in submission. hired Pinkerton guards to deal with robbers back in the day. Stage­ coach travel was fraught with risk. Shipping concerns still have to �10 Local News STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Why Martin Luther King Matters Xavier University plans week of commemoration By dan rozier Contributing WritEr I t is Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, the people who have lived, worked and died for racial equality and the actions necessary to maintain the momentum of our progress. All next week (Jan. 18-22) Xavier Univer­ sity is hosting events “We must understand and that reflect King’s lega­ cy. Student groups from appreciate our past in order to shape and change across the campus our future. Consequently, have banded together to provide lectures, the graveness of the holiday is unchanged and art exhibits, films and will forever be a reminder a march and rally that are all free and open to of African Americans’ struggle in this country as the public. For a comwell as current motivation plete list of the events, times, locations and for growth.” additional details visit - Lundon Brown www.xavier.edu/mlk. Relatively speaking, it could be argued that, in the past 50 years, the United States has made more progress in racial equality than any other nation. In just a half-century we have witnessed the fight for equality go from the streets of Birmingham to the Oval Office. With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, we watched affirmative action come to fruition, and overnight he was the personification of the American Dream. It wasn’t just a victory for African Americans; it was a triumph of a nation, and for a fleet­ ing moment, it seemed that “We shall Over­ come” could be changed to “We have over­ come.” Yes, we have come a long way; but in the midst of our success, we must not forget the history, the people and their passion that laid the foundation for such progress. Nor can we let it blind us from the progress that has yet to be made. “We must understand and appreciate our past in order to shape and change our The grave of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. REUTERS/Tami Chappell. future,” says Lundon Brown, president of be lessened by any singular act, no matter the Black Greek Society at Xavier Univer­ its magnitude.” sity. “Consequently, the graveness of the The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity is one holiday is unchanged and will forever be of 10 student and university organizations a reminder of African Americans’ struggle sponsoring Xavier’s Martin Luther King Jr. in this country as well as cur­ events at Xavier next week. rent motivation for growth.” “On the surface, our nation’s Student leaders are adamant “The historic election of an African-American about creating and encourag­ election of President president illustrates a society ing open dialogue about how Barack Obama does transcending racial injustice. King’s legacy is still alive today, However, with a critical eye, not diminish the even though we have an Afri­ one still recognizes the institu­ need to celebrate can-American president. tional and systematic issues of King’s legacy.” “The historic election of race that still plague our great - Aaron Marble President Barack Obama does nation in areas of education, not diminish the need to cel­ incarceration and poverty,” ebrate King’s legacy,” says Aaron Marble, a Marble says. senior at Xavier University and president of For a complete list of the events, times, lo­ Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. “Rather, it pro­ cations and additional details about events vides the opportunity to celebrate the leg­ at Xavier University celebrating King’s lega­ acy. Dr. King’s impact and influence cannot cy, visit www.xavier.edu/mlk. To the editor: I understand from an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer that the $2,344 per year for a new class of liquor license for casinos equals the most expensive retail liquor license currently is­ sued by the state, but I wonder how that peculiar figure was decided upon for existing retail liquor licenses for night clubs, etc. More importantly, did anyone give any thought to factors such as (1) increased state income from “well oiled” gamblers and (2) balancing the incentive of casinos to give away free drinks with an opportunity for Ohio to profit much more by changing a considerably higher licensing fee? With so much potential for increased state earnings, simply repeating the odd $2,344 fee seems very irresponsible from a fiscal standpoint. That's incredibly “small beer” in the casino world. Four such licensed casinos in the state would earn Ohio a mere $9,376 per year from the li­ censes, though the likely growth in profits of both casinos and the state from increased betting by drinkers would be many, many times that amount. If it’s virtually certain that casino owners will want to give away free drinks, why doesn’t Ohio be smart and charge them at least $250,000 per casino site for the license? How could anyone be surprised that casino officials consider the negligible fee of $2,344 to be “appropriate”? Finally, if the state is going to profit from the dispensation of alcohol, let’s have a good look at the Casino Control Commission’s guidelines and possibly insist that everyone who plans to drive away from a casino site first passes a simple test to ensure they’re under the legal bloodalcohol limit. Robert A. Pohowsky Madeira, Ohio Have something on your mind? Let us know by sending a letter to: 1 117 E. 12th Street 1 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 1 streetvibes2@yahoo.com �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 11 Local News New Policy at the Drop Inn Center Continued from page 1 are facing transition between housing and stay for less than a month, he says. The center has 222 beds – 180 for men and 42 for wom­ en. For chronically home­ less people, the center offers case management to connect them with medical care, drug rehabilitation and employ­ ment, Clifford says. The cen­ ter employs nine case man­ agers, with five onsite and four offsite. The Drop Inn Center has a dorm housing 120 people who need initial housing as­ sistance. It also has a “step up” dorm with a capacity of 60. The requirements for that program are having employ­ ment, establishing a bank ac­ count, attending education classes and a willingness to volunteer to keep the center clean. The perks include a larger storage area for per­ sonal property and being sur­ rounded by like-minded peo­ ple seeking ways to improve their lives, Clifford says. Since August 2009 the Drop Inn Center has achieved a success rate of 60 to 65 per­ cent in helping people find permanent housing, he says. “We’re trying to raise the bar with no new increases in funding,” Clifford says. “The reorganization was budgetneutral. We invoked creativ­ ity, stole ideas from other shelters and listened to sug­ gestions from residents and The men’s dorm at the Drop Inn Center prior to recent renovations. Photo by Andrew Anderson. “We’re trying to raise the bar with no new increases in funding. The reorganization was budget-neutral. We invoked creativity, stole ideas from other shelters and listened to suggestions from residents and staff. The feedback from staff, the community and residents has been very positive.” - Pat Clifford staff. The feedback from staff, the community and residents has been very positive.” The Drop Inn Center regu­ larly remains at full capacity, Clifford says. The center is or­ chestrating an interfaith col­ laboration to provide shelter once it reaches full capacity. Once the center is full, people still in need of shelter are di­ rected toward organizations such as the Cincinnati Chap­ ter of the Saint Vincent DeP­ aul Society. “That’s why we advocate to be prepared in September to November for the winter,” Clifford says. “We don’t turn anyone away because of ca­ pacity. The result is some people have to sleep on the floor. To me, it’s a success sto­ ry of collaboration.” The Drop Inn Center re­ quires people who come seeking help to show identifi­ cation before being accepted into the shelter, Clifford says. The staff needs to know who is inside the building, he says. For someone who can­ not provide state identifica­ tion, the center will provide its own form of identification after being sure the person is not a sex offender, he says. State law prevents former sex offenders from staying at the shelter because of its proxim­ ity to the new School for Cre­ ative and Performing Arts. People who have been banned from the Drop Inn Center can use a grievance process by completing a reen­ try form available at the Drop Inn Center or at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. For more information about the Drop Inn Center, call 513-721-0643 or visit www.dropinn.org. We Don’t Understand, but Thanks Victory doesn’t have to make sense By B. cliFton Burke Contributing WritEr A t the beginning of the year, not many expected much from the ol' Bengals this season, and who could blame them? They were fresh off a fourwin season, they played in the toughest division in the NFL and had lost one of their stars, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, to free agency. Expectations were predictably lukewarm for their 2009 campaign. Then the wins came, and the world was flabbergasted. For Bengal fans, skepticism turned into relief, which then turned into excitement and eventually morphed into ela­ tion. For such a hard-ridden and long-suffering fan base as the Bengals', this season was something of a dream come true. Sadly, however, there are still those who are far from satisfied with how things have turned out. Many lifelong fans remain highly critical of the team’s direction and the style of play the organization has adopted. Either the run-first, defensive-minded mentality is not their preferred style of game, or the coaching staff's perceived unwillingness to stray from the script in any way contradicts their version of common sense. In both cases, they ultimately go after Head Coach Marvin Lewis. It seems incredible to me that Cincinnati hasn't taken to Marvin more. Before him, the team was completely lost at sea; inept in every way. Since then, they are 56-55-1, which is at least consistently visible from the shoreline. They have won the division twice in that stretch and have never finished last. While certainly not matching the kind of win totals with that of New England or Indianapolis, Marvin Lewis has the Cincin­ nati Bengals solidified within the ranks of league respecta­ bility – something many once considered out of reach for such a dismal organization. I think one could make a good case for Lewis as the NFL Coach of the Year. Not only is he credited for the turn­ around in wins, he's had to also redefine the culture that surrounds Bengals football. This team is now made up of professionals who can be ex­ pected to go about their busi­ ness on and off the field in a levelheaded manner. Gone is the sideshow that came with all the dramatic divas of the past. The most made-for-TV of them all, Chad Ochocinco, remains with the Bengals, but even he is more serious about his job this season than what he's demonstrated in years past. Much was written about the emotional overload the team faced on a number of occa­ sions. From the unexpected deaths of Chris Henry and Vikki Zimmer to the tsunamis in Samoa, Marvin has needed to be a friend and mentor instead of just a coach to his players. Yet in the face of all of that, not only has he kept the train on the track long enough to manage a winning season, his team swept the AFC North and now finds it­ self in the postseason. Yes, he is steadfast to his philosophy even when it ap­ pears to go against reason, true he sometimes employs curious ways of clock-man­ agement and yes, I agree that there are flaws to his predict­ able nature, but for now, the man is winning, and I think it's about time the world rec­ ognizes that fact. Plus, I don't see a replace­ ment stepping in and im­ mediately elevating this team to an even higher level. If anything, it would likely take time for a new coach to become entirely comfort­ able with his new team; and STREETVIBES Vendor Mary frankly, I'm tired of starting over with new coaches, espe­ cially when the guy currently leading the pack is moving at a steady pace. To all those expecting a quick post-season exit to justify your prolonged pes­ simism toward Marvin and his staff, you're missing the point: It's more fun when the team you’re rooting for wins. If the man in charge contin­ ues to accomplish that task at the rate he's on, I see no rea­ son to make a change. Thanks, Marvin, and keep up the good work. Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. �12 Community News STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 A Chance to Celebrate Adath Israel again benefits ‘Streetvibes’ vendors By Jeni Jenkins Staff WritEr W ith the help of Adath Israel con­ gregation, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) held its annual Streetvibes vendor holiday party Dec. 21, 2009. This celebration is an ex­ pression of appreciation for the dedicated vendors, a way to let them know how much we value their hard work and their commitment to spread­ ing the word about homeless­ ness. The Streetvibes vendor pro­ gram is designed to distribute news that educates the pub­ lic about social justice issues in Cincinnati, as well as pro­ vide a source of income for low-income and homeless or dren from Adath Israel. formerly homeless individu­ After the meal, vendors als. Last year received gifts. 111 vendors Each vendor d i s t r i b u t e d Thanks so much to Adath was individu­ 54,027 cop­ ally “adopted” Israel for helping make ies of Streetby families of our vendors’ holiday vibes, which Adath Israel, party a success for the amounts to and some ven­ seventh year in a row. approximate­ dors received ly $40,520 in gifts for their potential profit for our ven­ spouses, children and grand­ dors. children. One vendor, William Twenty-six vendors at­ Bussell, who joined our ven­ tended the party, enjoying a dor team in October, received meal provided by members a brand new bike that he will of Adath Israel. The spread use for selling Streetvibes in included LaRosa’s pasta and Northern Kentucky. pizza as well as a few homeThanks so much to Adath cooked dishes and home­ Israel for helping make our made cookies. As they took in vendors’ holiday party a suc­ the food, the vendors relaxed cess for the seventh year in a to holiday music, enjoyed a row. sociable chat and read holi­ day cards handmade by chil­ Nelle Williams, Streetvibes vendor, waiting for gifts. Photos by Jeni Jenkins. Antonio Hodge poses for a picture. Cleo Wombles, Streetvibes vendor, is known for his clown costume. James Brown shows off his t-shirt. Vendors received gifts from Adath Israel congregation. �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 13 Poetry Corner The Sorrow and the Pity By spencer ledyard My left kidney gave up, Dislodged and died. It was knocked loose by Sarai in an effort small By comparison to what we had read: Jews stampeding like beasts of burden from Buna, Freezing, starved, and it didn't stop on any ac­ count. A sociopath might call it an evolutionary trek. A humanist might call it credo. Night. It is called, Night. I am at a loss, two days later, in the hospital. I am a Catholic; “credo” comes into my head readily From the Nicene or the Apostle’s Creed. In Latin it means literally “I be­ lieve.” wrote earlier. The first conversation we had was about Jewish guilt Because I had heard of it and thought it was a myth, Or a mythical being haunting some section of the Torah But she said it was one of those untranslatables: Something understood thru years of context clues, And I felt like she was brushing me off. I told her that for gentiles, the ones I knew, Jewish guilt was understood vicariously thru Holocaust media. She was not offended when I said this But told me I was supposed to. I felt like Annie Hall. She said the guilt was a part of the community, And that was part of it, being responsible to the family. We sat in the library, reading Night, side by side, And when she finished first she walked behind me, Put her gray, sweatered breasts on my neck And her arms around my chest while I read on. When I finished she said, “Take me home, Matthew.” We rode the train holding hands like father and son. Tiny, she slammed me thru the door of our apartment And on to the bed and took the ache out on me. In the dictionary it means a creed, but I’m rambling. It is nice to research etymology rather than to feel “At a loss” for what to call it. I turn off the computer. I am biting my eraser and my left eye keeps twitching. Sarai is Jewish and so good to me, kidney be damned, And we met in a sweet way, kissing the first day, And she brought me a good bunch to eat here President Obama listens to Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, author of Night. And I read her a few short stories I REUTERS/Markus Schreiber. I love her but you already know that and love feels small Next to this guilt, pulling like fingers against a noose, Guilt that I can’t say anything to balm the brutality, Guilt that this poem is never going to be enough. 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 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. �14 International News STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Watch the Birdies, Pay Attention They might tell you about ecological woes By ido liVen StrEEt nEWS SErviCE T EL AVIV, Israel – Or­ nithologists say that climate change is having a profound effect on bird behavior and suggest that this phenomenon can act as an early warning sys­ tem to the dangers posed to Earth. “The fact that birds are changing their behavior means that climate is chang­ ing already,” says Marco Lambertini, chief executive of Birdlife International (BI), a conservation federation working to protect birds and their habitats. “Birds are an excellent early warning system to what is happening to climate.” Numerous studies have been tracking the effects of climate change on the sur­ vival, migration and repro­ duction of different bird spe­ cies. As spring temperatures rise, the breeding of ficedula flycatcher has been delayed across Europe. The same rea­ son was attributed to earlier breeding by tree swallows in North America and an oppo­ site tendency in Antarctic sea birds. “Some are winners, some are losers. Some species will expand, some species will run out of habitat,” said Lamber­ tini, speaking with IPS on the on the sidelines of the annual Bird Watching Conference in Tel Aviv last month. “But it’s estimated that for each spe­ cies that benefits, three spe­ cies will be in trouble.” While climate change re­ lated threats to human live­ lihood might seem clear, the other consequences for man are not too obvious. “We still need to consider the intrinsic value of nature, its spiritual, aesthetic, emo­ tional and recreational values which are as important as its economic value,” said Lam­ bertini. “The Economics of Ecosys­ tems and Biodiversity,” a re­ cently published study aimed at setting a price tag on Earth’s natural assets, considers the avian aspect. Insectivorous birds, according to the study, play an important role in crop production as they regulate insect pests. “Maybe people are not aware of it, but the situation is quite acute,” says Prof. Marcel Visser, who heads the animal ecology department at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. “There are already many species which are de­ clining quickly,” he told IPS over telephone. A study by Visser published last year found that 12 out of 24 European bird species studied have decreased their migration distances through the past 70 years. “There’s always a lot of variation,” he says. “It’s not that all the species change in the same way.” Another study conducted by Durham University scien­ tists projects that by the end of the century nine out of the 17 European birds studied might actually be undertak­ ing longer journeys north­ wards. One key element is food availability. Alterations in weather patterns directly af­ fect the timing of vegetation growth and the birds that feed on it or on the insects they eat. In many cases, bird migra­ tions are no longer synchronized with food abundance. Other factors that are known to be challenging bird survival on land and sea include prey distribution and shrinking hab­ itats. “They need to adapt themselves,” says Yoram YomTov of Tel Aviv Uni­ versity, who found some bird species in England to be changing their body weight. “Those who Climate modeling predicts a northward expansion for the European don't adapt – their roller (coaracias garrulus) but suitable habitats are a question. Photo numbers decline, by Markus Varesuvo/IPS. those who do – their numbers remain stable “The only thing that can be “Flood defense is some­ or even increase.” done is reduce greenhouse thing that we have to do, but When it comes to project­ gas emissions and make sure we support prevention rather ing the risks birds face, orni­ the temperature doesn't in­ than firefighting,” says Lam­ thologists avoid numbers. crease by more than, say, one bertini. “If we don't tackle the “It all depends on how our or two degrees,” he says. root problem, we will need climate is going to change. If BI – which has affiliates in bigger and bigger defenses – the temperature is going to more than 100 countries – it’s not feasible.” rise by two degrees, the pat­ believes that some mitigation A study published last year terns will be different from measures are inappropriate. by researchers from three when temperature rises by “Badly placed wind farms, universities in Canada and four degrees,” says Visser. unsustainably produced the United States found that BI currently ranks climate bio-fuels and harmful irriga­ male mockingbirds in more change a distant ninth among tion and anti-flood measures variable climates sing more the different threats to birds are posing new threats and complex tunes. and issued a formal position stresses on birds and their Mockingbirds sing to at­ on climate change only in habitats, too,” a position pa­ tract mates, and the complex­ June 2008. per by the organization says. ity of the chanting might indi­ “Some conservation move­ “We don’t object to wind cate the quality of the singer. ments – and BI is probably farms. We want wind farms But although finer tunes are part of it – have woken up late to be located in places which thought to help the feathered to the challenge. But I think are not impacting biodiver­ troubadours adapt better to we are pretty much on course sity,” Lambertini says. harsher climes, the acceler­ to fight it very hard,” Lamber­ Similarly while sea-level ating rate of change could tini told IPS. rise poses a threat to both mean the birds are singing Conservation measures coastal human communities their own requiem. targeted at particular bird and low-lying ecosystems, Courtesy of Inter Press Ser­ species are not the way to inadequate barrier construc­ vice. deal with the threat posed by tion could put shore birds at © Street News Service: climate change, says Visser. risk. www.street-papers.org 1128 Walnut St Pizza by the Slice Tues and Thurs Buffet($7.00)-11AM-2PM Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat 9PM-3AM Become a Fan of Streetvibes on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/streetvibescincinnati �STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 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 961-4663 First Step Home 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 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 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 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 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 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 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 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 621-1868 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 Go Ahead: Ask a Vendor A Call to Greater Cincinnati Poets Invitation to a dialogue with our readers Write for ‘For a Better World 2010’ 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. It’s time to get your verse on. SOS Art, the annual exhibit of art on themes of peace and justice, pub­ lishes a collection of poetry each year. Saad Ghosn, who organizes SOS Art and writes the “Artists as Activists” column for Streetvibes, is now col­ lecting 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 previ­ ous 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. Go ahead. Ask. 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. �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES January 15 - 31, 2010 Power of Uncomfortable Art Kurt Storch’s painting advocates mental health “I am a regular guy, husband, and father,” says Kurt Storch. “I am OK with being me, but it has not always been that way. Fear and self-loathing marked much of my early life.” Storch, a visual artist, has suffered from clinical depression since his early childhood. When he was 2 years old, he discovered crayons, coloring books and Play-Doh and used them as an immediate means to express himself and find respite from the torments of his condi­ tion. He did not, however, become serious about art until in his mid-30s when, going through a serious depressive episode and heavily selfmedicated, he tried to take his own life. Luckily, he did not proceed all the way, sought medical help and actively started confronting his situation. One of the decisions he made then was to pursue an art career. Storch attended the Academy of Communicative Arts in Cincin­ nati, graduated with a degree in design and illustration and worked for several years as a commercial artist. This, however, did not satisfy him. Doing work for others was taking him away from his own needs and connecting him more with his underlying anger. He found him­ self slipping more into depression and decided to quit. Storch did not do art for several years afterwards. He later got pro­ gressively back into it, focusing more on himself, discovering a new spiritual dimension to his creativity. His works during that period consisted of a series of assemblaged boxes, subconsciously executed; they talked to him after the fact and opened a road to his psyche, con­ necting him to his ego. They also addressed sev­ eral social and political as issues that preoccupied him: gun violence, the role the AK 47 plays in By saad Ghosn modern society, the inContributing WritEr discriminate targeting of black males by the police, the distorted vision of God and Judeo-Christian symbols by Western civilization. His art had become mostly process-oriented, away form the commodifiable, sellable product. It was helping him sort out his issues, unravel and express the alienation he was going through, assert himself and find his voice. Unfortunately, Storch quickly discovered A rtists ctivists Manic Depression, painting by Kurt Storch. Photo by Kurt Storch. Kurt Storch standing next to his painting, Oh Happy Girl. Photo by Bill Howes. that society did not easily accept mental illness, that it was frightened by it and rarely knew how to deal with it. His condition kept him iso­ lated, losing friends and job opportunities; it also prevented him from sharing his works with others. Two years ago Storch met Barbara Gamboa, a local visual art­ ist who was using her art to combat her own post-traumatic stress disorder. Gamboa got him to show his work and encouraged him to fight through his art the stigma of mental disease. She involved him in Hope and Strength Through Art, an exhibit she was curating at the time, sponsored by the Mental Health Arts Collaborative. The exhibit connected him to many other professional and non-professional art­ ists who, like he, were suffering from mental illness. Through artists’ talks, they all shared their personal trials and tribulations with the disease, telling their own story. For Storch, it was an empowering ex­ perience, one that opened new horizons and made him determined to become an activist for the cause of mental wellness. “I started using my art as a metaphor for spiritual awareness to help myself and others who suffer and are stigmatized by mental ill­ ness,” he says. “I wanted my work to make a comment about my own condition as well as that of others. The creative process can also help anyone realize what is going on inside and find a therapeutic outlet.” Storch is now very active in raising awareness about mental illness and the stigma it places on the individual, self-inflicted or imposed by society. He shows his related work whenever the opportunity presents and gives talks on the subject, sharing his own experience. He was recently invited to display his works at a seminar featuring a psychia­ trist who had written a book on the topic. Manic Depression, one of the paintings Storch exhibited, pertained to the brain-diseased mind and its implications to the individual. It shows two frightened and distraught faces of a woman with the words “manic depression” written on them; also a brain depicted upsidedown, an airplane falling, metaphor for despair, and an anatomical picture of a man cut in half, allegory to the way mentally ill individu­ als often view themselves. Storch also added the image of Groucho Marx because Marx had said, “I would not want to be a member of any club that would have me as a member” – a statement many mentally ill people would also make. To personalize the piece, Storch incorporated in it the brushes he used to paint it, thus reflecting on his own creative process and on the process of the disease itself; he also signed it “CC,” for Cody Ca­ vanaugh, the alias name of a “female consciousness” that allows him to expand his dimension and speak not only from the standpoint of a man but of that of a universal being espousing the entire humanity. In Oh Happy Girl, another painting he displayed, Storch put a face on the anger many mentally afflicted individuals experience, anger that often leads to uncontrollable violence. He represented the face of a furious woman wearing a voodoo hat, next to an image of many hearts alluding to the various conflicting emotions she might have, depending on the day. For Storch, art now has an explainable purpose. It helps him reach self-realization and allows him to loudly convey his messages and raise awareness about mental illness. He also uses it to bring mentally afflicted individuals in contact with their own healing creativity. “I consider my art successful if it makes a statement rather than simply being a vehicle for something only pretty,” he says. “It’s not commodifiable anymore. I want it to trigger a dialogue with the view­ er where the stigma of mental illness becomes evident and uncom­ fortable.” 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 2010 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 15-31, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Set Afire, Homeless Man Feels Burned by Police Residents Only: New Policy at the Drop Inn Center Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: A Priest to Prisoners and the Poor Pg 4: Man Feels Burned by Police Pg 5: The Good Justice News of 2009 Pg 6: Profs and Prophets of Non-Violence Pg 7: Cramped Affordable Housing Pg 8: Veggie Stir-Fry Pg 9: Stop Bleating, Start Barking Pg 10: Why Martin Luther King Matters Pg 11: New Policy at the Drop Inn Center We Don’t Understand, but Thanks Pg 12: A Chance to Celebrate Pg 13: The Sorrow and the Pity Pg 14: Watch the Birdies, Pay Attention Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Power of Uncomfortable Art 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 15-31, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gregory Flannery Lynne Ausman Jeni Jenkins Michelle Dillingham Samantha Groark Margo Pierce Paul Kopp Jeremy Flannery Michael Henson David Heitfield Kelissa Hieber Jeni Jenkins Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Lynne Ausman 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 Adath Israel affordable housing Aimie Willhoite Airlines Anthony Williams Bill Haigh Clarissa Peppers David Heitfield Drop Inn Center Eli Braun Gregory Flannery Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Kelissa Hieber Kurt Storch Larry Gross Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Martin Luther King Jr. mental health mental illness Michael Henson Michelle Dillingham Non-Violence Paul Kopp police brutality Priests Prisoners Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Stephanie Dunlap Steven Paul Lansky Xavier University https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/8b69206eb00c6ddfb2393869a5423308.pdf cee429c8d2873a449d5d9f6b3a568921 PDF Text Text Underground Rappers Cecil Thomas serves Page 6 dinner, Page 13 Membership Drive Page 14 STREETVIBES $1 Jan. 1 - 15, 2010 • Advocating Justice, Building Community • Issue 168 May They Finally Rest in Peace Remembering homeless people who died in 2009 Albert Ollie John Graham By Paul KoPP Contributing Writer David “Peaches” Bryant James Arnold H “Gary” Ken McClure Derek Gibson Fanni Edwards Daniel Byrum Joseph Wright Ken Tucker George Cannon Scott Wheeler Eddie Seamon Matthew Harmeyer Bob Carle Jessie Frank Frank Roper Rodney Sosby Eric Smothers Eugene Burgess the unknown and the unnamed Photo by Aimie Willhoite. Dorris Dawson Anthony Wright... rate the individuals who lost their lives, those attending the ceremony were given a chance to say a few omelessness often car­ words about those who died. ries a stigma in main­ Rob Goeller, civil-rights out­ stream culture. It seems reach coordinator for the Homethat those who are homeless have less Coalition, compiled a list of lost their voice in society. Though the homeless or formerly homeless they suffer from people who died problems simi­ last year: lar to those who It seems that those who are Ken McClure: homeless have lost their judge them, they In addition to liv­ are ridiculed for voice in society. Though ing in the neigh­ their mistakes and they suffer from problems borhood, McClure viewed as a lesser similar to those who judge worked in main­ class. them, they are ridiculed for tenance for Over­ The differences their mistakes and viewed the-Rhine Combetween an avermunity Housing as a lesser class. age middle-class (OTRCH) for a person and a number of years. homeless person are sometimes He died of complications from few. It is sometimes a matter of cancer, with his family by his side. chance, luck, family history, un­ “He was a great guy,” says Amy foreseen health conditions, etc. Silver, a social worker for OTRCH. The element of choice and free “He was friendly, warm, reliable, will, things we can control, might laid back and patient. He was older seem to debase this argument but and he lived a really long life. He one must remember that one bad worked up right up until before he choice can carry massive repercus­ died.” sions. Many homeless lives end in Fanni Edwards came to Cincintragedy, tragedies that most never nati from Kentucky when she was know about. 17 and was “on her own and feisty The Greater Cincinnati Coali- ever since,” Silver says. tion for the Homeless held its anA long-time resident of Over­ nual observance Dec. 21 in Wash- the-Rhine Community Housing, ington Park for homeless people she was in her early 90s. When her who died in 2009. A fire inside a health failed, she moved to a nurs­ trash bin symbolized the struggle ing home. that homeless people go through “She was always fighting, always to keep themselves warm in the staying alive,” Silver says. “She cold winter months. Following a moment of silence to commemoSee Peace, p. 5 Metropole Tenants Gain Support But what went wrong at the ‘alternative’ newspaper? By GreGory Flannery editor L ow-income tenants who want to keep their homes in the Metropole Apartments downtown have support from an impressive array of progressive organizations. The Cincinnati Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People passed resolutions Dec. 17 supporting the Metropole Tenants Association and condemning the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), which has pur­ chased the building. 3CDC is forcing residents to move so it can turn the Metropole into a boutique hotel. The Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cin­ cinnati has written the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), supporting the tenant association’s complaint alleging See Metropole, p. 5 Robert Wavra from the Metropole Tenants Association. Tenants have been working to build community support to save their homes. NAACP pledged its support on Dec. 17, 2009. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. �2 Editorial By The Numbers 8th Cincinnati’s ranking in a list of most segregated urban areas in the United States (see page 1). 1943 StreetWise By GreGory Flannery editor Bad Words are a Matter of Perspective The parishioners at St. Mary Church in Hyde Park have been generous toward Streetvibes over the years. But we have apparently offended one of them, and now our vendors will pay the price. The parish last month sent a letter saying our vendor may no longer stand on the church steps with the pastor after Mass. Nor will the pastor urge parishioners to buy Streetvibes. the year that women successfully used non­ violence to save Jews from the Nazis (see page 2). This is because a single parishioner complained of “coarse language” in Streetvibes and “the political nature of the content,” saying he wouldn’t want his young children to read such material. 4,452 We love children. We hope there are always children and that each of them is happy, healthy and loved. But no, Streetvibes isn’t written for children. Homelessness, poverty, oppression, racism and war are beyond the ken of children. May it ever be so! We remain grateful to adults – Catholics, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Wiccans, atheists and ag­ nostics – who buy Streetvibes and support our homeless and formerly homeless vendors. If our language is sometimes coarse, that’s a reflection of the fact that life can be coarse. the number of people reached by the speakers bureau of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (see page 10). 25 the cost, in dollars, of a membership in Affordable Housing Advocates (see page 14). 350 the number of guests who enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services (see page 13). 3 to 4 the servings, measured in “fairly hungry bellies,” created by a recipe for Chipotle Veggie Philly (see page 8). 3 the age at which a child named Precious first endured her father’s sexual abuse (see page 9). 29 the percentage of people tested by Stop AIDS who are infected by hepatitis C (see page 4). 08-4499 the file number of a case in which federal judges supported prisoners’ rights (see page 3). Language is inevitably political, reflecting the values of those who use it. Consider the article that Cliff Radel wrote about a Hamilton County assistant prosecutor in the Nov. 27 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The story, which led that day’s edition, told of the tenac­ ity with which Anita Vizedom advocates on behalf of crime victims. Her zeal, Radel wrote, stems from the fact that Vizedom and her family experienced the trauma of violent crime when three of her relatives were stabbed to death. One cannot read the article without be­ ing moved by the tragic loss that Vizedom’s family endured or admiring her determination to protect others from experiencing the same suffering. But Radel’s tribute goes beyond empathy and admiration. His paean to the pursuit of justice perverts the meaning of the concept. Radel works himself into a lather, describing Vizedom “as she gets ready to question a piece of evil on the witness stand.” A piece of evil? Reporters have access to many words to describe someone who is on trial: “defendant,” “accused,” “suspect,” “prisoner.” Piece of evil? The presumption of innocence for a person charged with a crime is a hallmark of demo­ cratic governance, an essential principle that is too easily and too often laid aside as we struggle to deal with crime. The Enquirer’s blithe disregard for this principle is more than mere pandering to the crowd; it is patently anti-democratic. Whether the language is too coarse for children, persons more religious than we will have to decide. But we think “the political nature of the content” is coarse and offensive. Obama Should Look to Indianapolis The conservatives who blasted the choice of President Barrack Obama as recipient of the Nobel Peace prize were wrong – until he proved them right. Obama’s election gave hope that the people of the United States had rejected the Bush regime’s aggressive military poli­ cies. Then Obama shamed the prize by using his acceptance speech to defend escalation of the U.S. war on Afghanistan. The ill-begotten war, launched eight years ago against a country that had not attacked the United States, will grow still more bloody with Obama’s decision to send another 30,000 troops. Steve Sunderland, whose inspiring column returns to Streetvibes with this edition after a year’s absence, contrasts Obama’s embrace of aggres­ sive war with the non-violent message of earlier Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. (see page 7.) Perhaps most unfortunate is Obama’s reference to the Nazi terror as proof that some­ times war is justified and violence is a moral act. Adolf Hitler is the quintessential historical example cited by people who insist that good people sometimes must take up arms. But what Obama and others ignore is the fact that non-violence, did, in fact stop the Nazis on the few occasions it was tried. In 1943, at the height of the Holocaust, the SS seized Ger­ man Jews who were married to non-Jewish German women in Berlin. The wives gathered outside the building and mounted a non-violent protest that grew for the course of a week, yelling, “Murderers!” at the SS and police. Hitler capitulated, ordering more than 1,700 im­ prisoned Jews released. He even ordered the release of 35 who were already in Auschwitz. The men survived to the end of the war. STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 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, Jeni Jenkins, Stephanie Dunlap, Saad Ghosn, Lynne Ausman, 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: Non-violence works, and Obama need not have looked back 65 years for evidence. Con­ sider the case of Angela Montez, a clerk at a check-cashing business in Indianapolis who was confronted by an armed robber in late October last year. A security camera caught the crime on tape, and for a few days it captivated the nation. Terrified, Montez managed to reason with the robber, getting him to talk about his motivation. (Unemployed, broke, his family was facing eviction). She got him to lay down his gun and even to kneel with her in prayer. After half an hour in the presence of this gentle, clear-headed woman, the robber left the scene, leaving Montez unharmed and eventually surrendering to police. That is the kind of behavior that the Nobel Peace Prize was meant to honor. �STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 8 Column 3 M I N U T E S in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals A law student argues in federal court – and wins By MarGo Pierce Contributing Writer T he question addressed: To what extent must the Ohio Depart­ ment of Rehabilitation and Cor­ rections (ODRC) protect inmates from each other? The partial answer: Already established is the fact that a “These people are credible death threat requires prison officials to take steps human beings. to protect an inmate who is at There’s no court in the United States or risk. But a new ruling clarifies Ohio that, because the threshold for what defines someone is put into a credible threat and reduces the “gray area” for making a de­ prison, says we throw away the key cision. The significance of the rul­ and whatever they ing: “It doesn’t stand for some do to each other novel change in the law, but is fine. It doesn’t’ mean that they are it does push the envelope of deliberate indifference,” says animals. It doesn’t mean that they don’t Brett Renzenbrink, a law stu­ dent who on Aug. 6, 2009, suc­ deserve the same protection under the cessfully argued case number 08-4499 before the U.S. Sixth law that the rest of Circuit of Appeals. us would expect.” After George Hamilton re­ - Brett Renzenbrink ceived a death threat in 2004 and requested protective cus­ tody (keeping an inmate out of the gen­ eral population), an ODRC employee named Jack Bendolph made the deci­ sion to transfer him to the Warren Cor­ rectional Institute and put him in the general population. As an inmate there, he was beaten so severely by a group of inmates who belonged to the Aryan Brotherhood that he almost died. Ac­ cording to some accounts, he flat-lined before reaching the hospital. “The right at issue here is the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, which among other things requires prison officials to ‘take reasonable measures to guarantee the safety of the inmates,’ ” the Sixth Circuit ruled. “Bendolph testified he knew that the Aryan Brotherhood exists throughout the Ohio prison system and that their ‘hits’ could follow a prisoner from one prison to another. A jury could certainly find, therefore, that Bendolph was aware of facts from which he could have inferred that Hamilton faced a In addition to helping prisoners defend their rights, Ohio Justice and Policy Center offers the Second Chance Clinic, helping hundreds of first-time, non-violent offenders expunge old criminal records so they can move on with their lives. A weekly clinic meets in Over-the-Rhine, three monthly clinics are in other neighborhoods and clinics also meet at colleges, businesses, churches and community events. If you or someone you know needs help with a legal matter, contact the Ohio Justice and Policy Center at 513-421-1108. substantial risk of serious harm.” The court ruled that, by ignoring the fact of Ham­ ilton’s situation, Bendolph acted with deliberate in­ difference, resulting in the beating that left him with mental-health problems, irreparable damage to his sight and hearing and loss of the ability to taste. While it’s true that some­ one who commits a crime forfeits some rights when s/ he goes to prison, there are other basic human rights that aren’t suspended. For a system of justice to work, these fundamental rights must be protected, and that’s why Renzenbrink is proud of his involvement with Hamilton’s case. “It’s about taking care of and preserving the system of justice as it was designed to be. … In the end, that’s what I feel should be pro­ tected – what the system was built on,” Renzenbrink says. “I think the system should work the way it was theoretically designed; and when it messes up, there should be consequences. “These people are human beings. There’s no court in the United States or Ohio that, because someone is Brett Renzenbrink. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. put into prison, says we throw away the key and whatever they confined to his home as a result of postdo to each other is fine. But that also traumatic stress disorder – he can’t be in doesn’t mean that people who have been a public place “without thinking some­ convicted of any offense – from a petty one is going to attack him” – and some theft, a DUI to a sex offense or murder form of restitution will serve as a recog­ – doesn’t’ mean that they are animals. It nition that that prison system messed doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the up. same protection under the law that the “I don’t think for a minute that giv­ rest of us would expect.” ing him money is going to change what A senior in the Salmon P. Chase Col­ he has become,” Renzenbrink says. “He lege of Law at Northern Kentucky Uni­ wants to make sure that, if anything versity, Renzenbrink was a member of happens to him, that his grandkids are the Constitutional Law Clinic with the taken care of.” Ohio Justice and Policy Center (www. As for Renzenbrink, the months of ojpc.org) when he argued Hamilton’s preparation, arguing before the court case in front of the Sixth Circuit Court. and the outcomes will have a lasting im­ He has also served as co-counsel with pact on his future career. the Commonwealth Attorney's Office “I do feel like it was something that’s in Kenton County and assisted with two important, and it’s something that’s go­ felony convictions. ing to serve as a catalyst for the rest of “When it comes to the criminal jus­ what I do in my career,” he says. tice system … it shouldn’t be treated as “I have no problem with certain pris­ though it’s a high-school rivalry,” Ren­ on officials/positions having discretion zenbrink says. “The only way to have any – that is important. At some point you sort of progress in these systems – and have to have humans there to make a this is the way it was originally designed human call about these decisions, espe­ – is a sense of compromise, both ideally cially in the case now in the Ohio prison and practically.” system, where prisons are 150 to 200 Denied a review of the ruling by the percent overcrowded. Those decisions entire Sixth Circuit Court, the Ohio At­ become a lot more difficult. But when torney General’s office is now in the it comes to a point where you have a midst of negotiating a settlement with death threat … I think that changes the Hamilton. Renzenbrink says Hamilton is game.” 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 January 1 - 15, 2010 Local News Prickly Issue: Needle Exchange Health agency tries to gauge possible benefits By JereMy Flannery Contributing Writer S top AIDS of Cincinnati is seeking information about whether the community would benefit from a syringe-exchange pro­ gram to prevent the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C. Contaminated syringes account for about 36 percent of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States, accord­ ing to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Stop AIDS says about 70 to 90 percent of injection-drug users are infected with hepatitis C. Formerly known as AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, Stop AIDS is working to prevent the spread of these diseases while offering medical services to people already infected. Amy McMahon, the agency’s CEO, says Stop AIDS provides free testing for HIV and hepatitis C. Clients have the option of anonymous or confidential testing. For people who test positive, case managers coordinate education, counseling and medical services. Housing assistance is also provided to eligible clients. Stop AIDS currently assists about 1,000 clients with case management, McMahon says. All of their services are provided free of charge. From 2006 to 2008, about 29 percent of people tested by Stop AIDS were infected with the hepatitis C virus, according to Adam Reilly, a Stop AIDS educator. An estimated 200,000 Ohioans statewide are in­ fected. A needle exchange program might improve public health, according to Adam Would a needle-exchange program stop the spread of the disease? Reilly and Amy McMahon of Stop AIDS. Photos by Aimie Willhoite. “We’re just trying to get a handle on the local situation to see how effective it would be,” McMahon says. “It’s a politically charged issue be­ such as disinfectant sprays, he says. Reilly wants to educate users that cause people will argue you’re enabling drug use. I understand this argu­ bleach is the effective way to clean syringes before use and that a sharps ment, but I don’t agree with it. It’s not a drug issue as much as a public- container is the safest way to dispose of used syringes. But many partici­ safety issue. You don’t want kids finding these syringes or people in public pants within the focus groups laughed at the suggestion of using sharps picking them up and using them.” containers, he says. Current and former injection-drug users are completing surveys for “They recognize that that’s the best way to go with it, but they just don’t Stop AIDS to offer information about how they obtain, clean and discard see that option available in the public area,” Reilly says. their syringes, Reilly says. Sixty surveys have been completed, and the Stop AIDS employs 26 full-time and one part-time staff and has about agency hopes to get 20 to 30 more, he says. 400 volunteers, McMahon says. The total hours donated by over 200 ac­ Health professionals, police officers and injection drug users are par­ tive volunteers was equivalent to 13 full-time staff positions last year, she ticipating in focus groups hosted by Stop AIDS to provide information says. and discussion about the issue, McMahon says. Thirty focus groups have Congress passed an appropriations bill in December that includes a met, and Stop AIDS aims to conduct 20 more. Reilly estimates it will take provision ending the ban against federal funds being used for needletwo more months to obtain the rest of the surveys and host the other exchange programs. The provision allows state and local governments to focus groups. decide if federal funds can be used for such programs. “When you get regular participation In Ohio, State Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-Cin­ from police officers and medical profes­ cinnati) last year introduced House Bill 274. sionals – and these are beat cops who have If the bill becomes law, it will “provide an a great idea of what’s going on in the area – affirmative defense to certain offenses in­ then we really get an idea of the local situ­ volving a hypodermic or syringe that the ation and a better collaboration and coor­ person is 18 years of age or older and pos­ dination of services,” McMahon says. sesses or otherwise obtains the hypodermic The organization will make the data or syringe for the purpose of having a clean available to the public once the collection needle to avoid HIV exposure and to per­ and analysis is completed, Reilly says. mit an authorized person to sell or furnish “Instead of just showing up and talk­ a hypodermic without a prescription to a ing, most of them have been eager to look person who is 18 years of age or older who up drug courts’ and probation courts’ re­ wishes to obtain it for that purpose.” cords to provide statistics with their own The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleve­ encounters,” Reilly says. land currently is the only clinic in Ohio that The majority of injection-drug users provides a syringe-exchange program. who participated in the focus groups said For more information about Stop AIDS’ they found syringes in public places, ac­ services or volunteer options, call 513-421­ cording to Reilly. Users often clean the sy­ 2437 or visit www.stopaidscincinnati.org. ringes with water or household chemicals 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 January 1 - 15, 2010 Local News May They Finally Rest in Peace continued FroM PaGe 1 Friends and family gather around a barrel in Washington Park to remember homeless and formerly homeless individuals who passed away in 2009. A candle for each person was lit in their honor and memory. Photo by Aimie Willhoite. was on a liquid diet before she pasted away. She tried to sneak a solid meal; and when she was caught, she cussed out the nurses. She died later that day.” Derek Gibson, who was in his 50s, died of congestive heart failure. “He was getting back on his feet,” Silver says. “He helped his sister out at her hair salon. He was really close with his family. He was housed with us before he passed away. We were happy about that. He didn’t die homeless.” Frank Roper was taken off life support by his family af­ ter suffering a major heart at­ tack. He was in his 50s. “Frank was a good guy,” says Valerie Dowell, an advocate with the Health Care for the Homeless program. “He was a real mild-mannered person. I saw him maybe a week before he died. I had known him in the past. He went to the Drop Inn Center drug and alcohol program. He just couldn’t get it together. About a week be­ fore he passed, I saw him sit­ ting outside. I talked to him and let him know he didn’t have to do this. I told him if he ever needed any help, he could call me.” Rodney Sosby, who was in his 40s, died from an over­ dose of pain medication while staying at the Drop Inn Center. Dowell says he spoke often about his family and how he wanted to get himself together. “He complained about his knees and his legs hurting a lot,” Dowell says. “The day before he took the pills, I was talking to him about trying to get housing. It kind of shook me when I heard he died, be­ cause we had just been talk­ ing the day before.” Eric Smothers, who was in his 30s, died when medica­ tion prescribed for an infec­ tion sent him into cardiac arrest. He was a longtime res­ ident of the Drop Inn Center. “He had a beautiful spirit,” Dowell says. “His death took me for a loop also. It was really hard to get him into housing. When he got into housing, he showed me his keys.” Eugene Burgess, who was in his 50s, was a longtime resident of Over-the-Rhine who had a long criminal his­ tory with drugs and alcohol. He suffered from leg ulcers; and because of his drug use, he didn’t take care of himself. He had stayed at the Drop Inn Center and Respite Care Cen­ ter until Dowell helped him find permanent housing. “He had been in housing 5 for six months,” she says. “I gave him a referral for a guy who rents rooms, and that’s where he was living.” Anthony Wright, a long­ time resident of Over-theRhine, died from a heart at­ tack while incarcerated for drug charges. He had high blood pressure and a long history of drug abuse. “He went to the peniten­ tiary, and two days before he was supposed to be released, he had a heart attack and passed away,” Dowell says. Joseph Wright, who was in his late 50s, died after a long bout with cancer. A Navy vet­ eran, he worked to become sober at Joseph House, which serves homeless veterans, according to Calvin Wooten, associate director and treat­ ment coordinator for the agency. Ken Tucker was also a vic­ tim of cancer. An Air Force veteran, he worked with Jo­ seph House to overcome his addictions before his death. Others who passed away in 2009 include James Arnold, David “Peaches” Bryant, Bob Carle, Dorris Dawson, Jessie Frank, John Graham, Mat­ thew Harmeyer, Albert Ol­ lie, Eddie Seamon and Scott Wheeler. Metropole Tenants Gain Support continued FroM PaGe 1 Perhaps most disappointing was the uncritical way that the article repeats 3CDC’s characterization of the role played by the Greater Cincinnati Coali­ tion for the Homeless, which publishes Streetvibes. “The corporation believes the relocation actu­ ally will leave tenants with better homes and that the Homeless Coalition is intentionally stoking fear among tenants in an effort to generate controver­ sy,” CityBeat reported. Lay aside, if you will, the paper’s failure to ques­ tion the premise that opposing the loss of low-in­ come housing is motivated by a desire to “generate controversy.” housing discrimination by 3CDC. A statement by the religious group says the forced displacement of the residents is immoral: “It is morally wrong to forcibly move a people from their homes for capital gain.” Support for the HUD complaint also comes from Affordable Housing Advocates. Elizabeth Brown, president of the organization, wrote HUD, saying 3CDC’s plan will adversely affect racial integration in Cincinnati. “Removal of these residents from the neighbor­ hood clearly does not ‘affirmative­ ly further fair housing,’ ” Brown wrote. “Rather, it furthers the de­ struction of an integrated com­ munity and creation of another racially segregated neighborhood in the Cincinnati area, the eighth most segregated urban area in the United States.” Progressives who back the ten­ ants were, however, surprised by a Dec. 9 report on the issue in a once reliably progressive newspaper, CityBeat. The article’s language casts the controversy in terms that are sometimes deceptive and that at other times seem calculated to make the case for 3CDC. The subhead for the article, for example, says, “Metropole’s con­ version sparks tenant relocation,” as if the tenants have a choice in the matter. A more accurate, if un­ intended, description comes from the article’s quotation of 3CDC President Stephen Leeper: “We lit­ erally drive people to other build­ The Metropole Apartments are located on Walnut Street. ings,” he told CityBeat. Photo by Clarissa Peppers. The article’s major failing is in CityBeat’s own in­ stitutional memory. Reporting 3CDC’s claim that eviction will leave Metropole tenants “with better homes,” the paper seems ignorant of its own re­ porting on previous 3CDC promises. In 2006 CityBeat recounted the corporation’s takeover of a low-income boarding house on Race Street in Over-the-Rhine, quoting a 3CDC official saying, “We worked with the landlord to find alter­ native housing for residents.” That assertion evoked a quick rejoinder from a pastor who said 3CDC’s as­ sistance wasn’t worth much and led, as CityBeat re­ ported, to at least one resident having to take shel­ ter at the Drop Inn Center. Back issues of CityBeat aren’t the only documents worthy of ref­ erence as Metropole tenants fight to save their homes. Rob Goeller, civil-rights outreach coordinator for the Homeless Coalition, points to 3CDC’s own articles of organiza­ tion as a non-profit corporation. The documents say 3CDC is committed “to combat commu­ nity deterioration, provide relief to the poor and distressed (and) eliminate discrimination and prej­ udice.” Whether the corporation’s take­ over of the Metropole qualifies as providing “relief to the poor” is now a matter that HUD will have to adjudicate. Meanwhile filmmaker Barbara Wolf has given tenants the oppor­ tunity to have their own say in The Metropole is Our Home. The film can be viewed at http://www.vi­ meo.com/8127941. �6 Music STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 New Voices of the Voiceless Underground rappers restore empathy and originality in Hip Hop By ariana Shahandeh Contributing Writer F ifteen years ago a man wrote a song using a woman he loved as a metaphor for something else that broke his heart. The woman was soulful and independent. Her creativ­ ity was penetrating. The man wrote that he met her when he was 10 years old and he anticipated her always being there for him in the future. They grew up together on the East Coast. He shared his lyr­ ics with her and they connected over a mutual appreciation for authenticity “If you keep feeding people and music. Then she moved to Los Angeles. She the same meal over and over got into show business. She changed again, eventually they’re gonna want something else. her clothes, her friends, her purity. And I think we’re at the point Drugs and sadness consumed her. The songwriter was rapper Common. And in Hip Hop where people at the end of the song, he exposes who want something else.” she really is: "Who I'm talking ‘bout y'all - Jasiri X is Hip Hop." Common's song, "I Used to Love H.E.R (Hip hop in its Essence is Real)," was about his experience with disillusionment. He watched something he loved and respected be­ come something ugly. But he stayed in the game as a Hip Hop art­ ist, similar to how someone might stay in an unhealthy relationship, hoping for change. He used a woman as a metaphor for the industry to illustrate the pain of watching love change. He loved Hip Hop. It was hijacked by influences outside himself, and the original charac­ ter was lost. It has become a timeless parallel. ‘It’s just shocking’ Jasiri X (right) gives an interview about homelessness in Pittsburgh. Today the metaphor is remixed by an emerging Hip Hop artist from evant to many people because it defined moments and attitudes of strug­ Brooklyn NY, Radiant Amar, with a short lyrical video series he collec­ gle, discontent and hope for something better. But what was thought to tively titles, “I Still Love H.E.R.” It's Amar's way of re-inspiring hope in the be empathy was actually just sincerity. He was rapping about his own music we once called the voice of the voiceless. experiences; they just happen to be familiar with many others’. Now that “I still love Hip Hop in its original form,” he says. “I’m just trying to his experiences have narrowed, so has his pool of inspiration. What start­ revolutionize it and take it to a different place.” ed out as a strength for Jay Z is now his greatest lacking. In his full song, “Piece of the Pie,” Amar writes, An artist attempting to give voice to those who can’t “I could write a verse about the cars and clothes, speak for themselves must be able to form a connec­ the bank rolls and hoes/How every night the weed “A friend of mine sister’s boyfriend tion to them. Coming from a background of violence smoke's flowing out of my nose/Platinum plaques shot his mother over some kind and struggle, Radiant Amar attempts to reach out and coming out of these flows.” In an industry where of dispute. And if there weren’t affect his audience’s experiences, playing for charity these topics rule the airwaves, Amar follows with a guns all throughout the street, that fundraisers and organizing community programs. more authentic admission: “When in reality I hardly In collaboration with his brother and mainstream wouldn’t have happened.” get shows/I'm not hard to provoke/'Cause where I’m rapper TI’s KINGS organization, Amar designed a - Radiant Amar from you might get scarred or get choked/Or both, “Turn in Your Gun Day” at Texas Southern University. by street entrepreneurs that's out for C-notes.../Hope Anyone could come and turn in any guns, registered that you’re a friend and not a foe when I’m hungry/But it’s funny ’cause or unregistered, without legal repercussions. even friends are foes when it comes down to money.” “A friend of mine sister’s boyfriend shot his mother over some kind While Amar addresses the ugliness surrounding money in his environ­ of dispute.” Amar says. “And if there weren’t guns all throughout the ment, most mainstream material paints a different picture. street, that wouldn’t have happened. So we decided something had to be “Ninety percent of what’s on the radio is indifference,” says under­ done.” ground rapper Jasiri X. “Think about all the songs that are still being With an upcoming campaign to get their music played on local sta­ played (about) how much jewelry and how much ice and how much tions across the country, and consistently positive support on Youtube, money is being thrown in the air – and we’re in one of the worst economic Amar’s and Jasiri’s success, despite not having support of a major label, recessions.” demonstrates the level of support in Hip Hop audiences for a more com­ Jasiri X further comments on the disconnect between mainstream art­ plete genre. ists and their audiences in his song, “Silent Night,” in which he draws “If you keep feeding people the same meal over and over again, even­ attention to the lack of social commentary on many mainstream rap al­ tually they’re gonna want something else,” Jasiri says. “And I think we’re bums: “I ain't talkin TI's wife or Keisha Cole's Mama/I'm talkin none of at the point in Hip Hop where people want something else. That’s why us voting one year after Obama/I ain't talkin bout Chris Brown and how you see artists like Lil Wayne coming out with rock, and Kid Cudi making he put his fist down/I'm talkin bout tea parties that lie about big crowds/ some fusion (music). They’re just trying to be different than the same old All these media distractions have a crushing effect/A burning house al­ “Shake ya booty, we’re going to drink a whole bunch of champagne.” ways takes out the ones who slept.” Radiant Amar and Jasiri X both rap about their experiences, but that is When asked if he thought such commentary was an obligation, Jasiri not where their expression stops. In Jay Z’s 15-track album, Blueprint 3, said, “At a time when there is so much upheaval in the world politically the words “I” (including contractions) and “me” appear approximately – the economy, so many people are suffering – it’s just shocking that you 450 times. Another mainstream rapper, Drake, used those words nearly can come out with an album and not (comment).” 375 times on his seven-track mix tape, So Far Gone. Artists like Amar and Jasiri have written complete songs using those words only a handful of Getting H.E.R. back times, if at all. Beyond sincerity, a Hip Hop artist needs to be above self-centeredness. Jay Z, a popular mainstream rap/hip hop artist, has been most criti­ Empathy is a resource artists can utilize forever. There will always be ma­ cized for the lack of social commentary on his latest album, Blueprint terial if you are capable of being inspired by others’ experiences – if you 3. Now that he is among the most successful musical entertainers in the are capable of feeling their pain, hoping with them, loving with them, world, what will he write about that people can relate to? Jay Z dug a cre­ crying with them, being too prideful for their own good with them, be­ ative hole for himself by limiting his material to one source: his experi­ ing insecure with them, omitting the truth with them, finding God with ences. them, losing God with them. When Hip Hop becomes less of an “I and When he was first rising from a life of drug dealing, his music was rel­ Me” – and more of an us, we and you – genre, we may have H.E.R back. 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 1 - 15, 2010 Guest Column 7 Obama Wrong about Non-violence His thesis is dangerous and misinformed By Steve Sunderland Contributing Writer A s a peace educator, I look at the pres­ ident's recent speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize with sadness. I had wanted the president to add his “teach­ ings” to history's heroes of peace – Gandhi, Mandela and King – and celebrate their deep wisdom about promoting peace precisely at a time when violence and terrorism were gain­ ing favor. I had wanted to read and hear the president acknowledge that the fable of vio­ lence has to be understood and rejected. The fable goes something like this: Violence is the reality of the world and must be met with violence or otherwise the evil forces of the world will see weakness and make more violence. The logic of the fable is that stra­ tegic violence can prevent both limited and broad-scale violence by showing the makers Former South African President Nelson Mandela. REUTERS/David Gray. of violence that their actions will never be tol­ erated. Gandhi and Mandela that non-violence can What is so wrong about these examples is I wanted President Obama to reject this be achieved as a part of governance, and he that people might use Obama's statements to fable as having little sway as his guiding prin­ has learned from King that non-violence is a skip over the complicated history of the role ciples, just as it had no philosophical or politi­ productive seed for the future. of resistance and non-violence in fighting cal weight for Gandhi, Mandela and King. The Tragedy, because so many people have Hitler and Al Qaeda. Moreover, it ignores the violence of the soldier, being a killer and being bought into the fable of violence as the answer history of successful civil rights movement killed, as acts of service were no long tolerable and justify the destruction of people by many against terrorism in America and Mandela’s as the central way of governing, I had longed violent means. The United States is fighting repudiation of violence in successfully chang­ to hear him say. I wanted the president to turn two wars within the confines of the fable. It ing the brutal South African government. the rationale for violence on is tragic that “reality” is only Non-violent methods, while usually not as its head and instead make represented as empowering dramatic as bombs and gunfire, have had and clear that a new day in diplo­ The president must know the violent tendencies in in­ are having a steady positive effect on all forms macy will be tried, that a hier­ of coercion. that every tyrant has used dividuals and countries. archy of peaceful efforts will Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize To speak at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony the language of justice to be made, and that violence acceptance speech, instead of of the limited effectiveness of non-violence in justify acts of brutality, and lethal sacrifice would be being a brief for peace, is an recent history continues a mind-set of exclud­ used only as a last straw, only eloquent defense of violence. ing non-violent approaches as a basis for real in defense and only with great caution. It is wrong. Violence, dressed up as “just war,” politics or an effective response to conflict The 21st century, I hoped he would say, is a way of justifying actions that cannot be and turns advocates of non-violence into na­ cannot go any further along the path of filling acceptable to those of us who are committed ive and romantic people. The belief that “real” governments and leaders cannot dare use cemeteries with “enemies” and “heroes” and to peace. I say, “dressed up,” because con­ structive peace, peace with justice and digni­ non-violence if their attempts at policy and expect that these results will stop violence. I listened for him to say this is a new day ty, cannot rest on violence, either threatened personal conflict reduction are to be taken se­ riously is a dangerous rewriting of history. of hope and tragedy. Hope because nations, or actual. Sadly, Obama has mistakenly chosen to use The president must know that every tyrant communities and individuals believe that we the heroes of peace – Gandhi, King and Man­ has used the language of justice to justify acts can resolve conflicts with compassion, dis­ dela – as people different from him, people of brutality, whether the “justice” arises from a cussion, compromise, innovation and recon­ ciliation; and the United States will be going who were not heads of governments that had phony reading of a law or the “justice” springs down this path, opening discussions, crossing obligations to protect their lands. Even more from a manipulated religious principle or the borders with respect, discussing taboo areas tragically, Obama has used the examples of promotion of a bogus sense of national char­ acter. of history and meaning and working even Hitler and Al Qaeda as case studies in the in­ The reality is that non-violence is both a harder for justice through non-violence. As a ability of non-violence to stop state violence tough-minded concept and a tough behavior leader of a major nation, he has learned from and local terrorism. to live in policy and personal life. Choosing to have checks and balances, or deciding to al­ low all voices in major decisions, including dissenting ones, or resisting arbitrary uses of religious and secular laws, or encouraging participation by previously held-back groups, or making room for different standards and people in places and experiences, or seeking counseling for temptations to violence, or al­ lowing alternative ways of solving conflict to flourish, are all actions that require a muscu­ lar approach to human relations. Resisting violence in word and deed forc­ es the compassionate person to look deeply into how shallow or profound are his own concepts. The greatness of Gandhi, King and Mandela was in their capacity to look at vio­ lence and reject it in any form even if it meant jail, brutality and torture. Their reality was, unlike President Obama, created in a lifetime of struggling with acts of personal and po­ litical violence. The threats of brutality were realized as oppressive governments and in­ dividuals seized on their tenacious hold on non-violence. This history of courage, wis­ dom and love has yet to be fully shared with our culture in ways that change the weight of The grave of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. REUTERS/Tami Chappell. compassion to the greater strength. �8 Recipe Veggie Philly Steak “Feed Me, Seymour, Feed Me All Night Long” STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 Chipotle Veggie Philly Brian’s Specialty Chipotle Mayo • 1 up mayo (or vegenaise) • 3 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (available in ethnic-food section of grocery store) • In a food processor, combine mayo and chilies, and blend until smooth. It’s OK to have a few chunks of chilies. • Cover and refrigerate. Sandwich • 1.5 tablespoons olive oil • 1 large white onion, sliced into rings • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1-2 Anaheim chilies, cut into ¼-inch strips • 1-2 red sweet peppers, cut into ¼-inch strips • (Mix and match different kinds of peppers of your choosing) • 1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced, with stems removed • 3-4 whole wheat hoagie rolls (or your preferred vegan bread) • 8 oz. Provolone cheese (or no cheese for vegans) • Salt and pepper to taste Photo by Jeni Jenkins. By Jeni JenKinS Staff Writer T his quotation is from the 1986 film, Little Shop of Horrors, in which a plant-keeper must meet the demands of a ravenous plant that feeds on humans. Instead of plants that feed on people, this col­ umn is for people who feed on plants! I love food. I especially en­ joy sampling and preparing new and exotic veggie cui­ sine from all over the world. Since converting to vegetari­ anism three years ago I’ve struggled preparing certain recipes from my own meat­ and-potatoes background, so I have taken up re-creat­ ing traditional dishes that call for meat and re-invent­ ing them with a vegetarian twist. I hope you enjoy them as much as I. Before I became a vegetar­ ian I used to love to go to one particular street vendor who served up one of the best tasting Philly cheese-steak sandwiches on the curb in my hometown. Here is my veggie twist on this tantaliz­ ing fave. Serving size: Completely dependent on the number of bellies or the size of the bel­ lies, but I would say 3-4 fairly hungry bellies. (Created with the help of my good friend, Brian For­ sythe). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or wok over medium low heat. Sauté veggies, adding them to the pan in this order: 1. Onions and garlic, 3-4 minutes until the onions turn translucent 2. Add peppers, cook approximately 1 min 30 seconds 3. Turn the heat up slightly to medium-high, add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Remove from heat. Lightly coat the back of each hoagie with the left-over olive oil, using a basting brush Bake the hoagies on a baking pan, oil side up, at 350 for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip and place face-up on baking pan. Divide the sautéed veggie mixture onto the hoagies. Top with cheese. Heat sandwiches until cheese is melted or slightly browned. Remove from oven and spread each roll with chipotle mayo. Feed! Artwork by Anthony Williams Alone by david graham I am a broken bridge between generations past, and those yet unsung. I am a mountain of old ideals, standing above a valley of budding dreams. I am a blind bird in flight, seeking familiar voices to guide me home. I am alone. I am a visionary within vision, shaking my fist at an unshakeable God. I am a boy at heart, trying to make sense of a crumbling world. I am society’s hope, of living carefree in a wilderness of peace. I am alone. I am yesterday and today, the future, an untraveled path. I am a faulty compass, mapping out uncharted desire. I am old and young, newly born, and dying of a broken heart. I am alone. ! ? t ha W y Sa ___________________ “One’s struggle against oppression is meaningless ... unless it is connected to the oppression of others.” -- Alice Walker, Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart: A Novel �STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 Film Review Not a ‘Precious’ Happy Ending “Sometimes I wish I was not alive. But I don’t know how to die. Ain’ no plug to pull out. ‘N no matter how bad I feel my heart don’t stop beating and my eyes open in the morning.” ~ Precious in Push by Sapphire. By lynne auSMan Staff Writer P recious is based on Sapphire’s book Push. At 16, Claireece Precious Jones (played by Gabby Sidibe) has sur­ vived hardships most of us luckily will never have to experience. Precious is physically abused by her mother, raped by her father and tormented at school. She is illiterate, poor and without support. It seems that the odds are stacked against her – and they are, but Precious still carries on. Set in 1987 Harlem, Precious is surrounded by poverty, drug dealers, addicts and hopelessness. Mo’Nique breaks from her usual comedic roles and gives an astounding performance as Mary, the abusive and demanding mother with the right amount love masked by jeal­ ously and anger. Precious has one child and is pregnant with a second by her own father. Mary knows but does not stop the abuse. In one clip, we see her father descending on Precious as her mother peeks in the room while walking down the hall. Precious, 16, is in junior high school. Be­ cause of this and her size, the other students torment her. When Precious is called to the counselor’s office, she is asked to talk about her home life and pregnancy. When she refus­ es to talk, she is discharged from the school. Regardless of Precious’s dislike of the school counselor, the counselor proves to be the first of several advocates on her side. She tells Pre­ cious about an alternative school, Each One Teach One, which can help Precious prepare cious has the opportunity to continue attendfor and earn a GED. ing school to earn her GED, care for her child Throughout the movie, Precious is asked to and build her own life. She begins to heal and speak about the incest she endures, her home move on with her life through the support of life and her mother’s abuse of the social-wel- her new friends and counselors. fare system. Each time Precious flashes into Just when things seem to be improving for an alternate reality, where she is an entertain- Precious, Mary visits to tell her that her fament star with a seemingly perfect life. She ther has died. Precious takes the news with has an attractive “light-skinned” boyfriend, the same blank stare that has been her hallfashionable clothes and is the center of at- mark throughout the movie. It wasn’t until tention for a mass of adoring fans and pho- her mother gave her the news that her father tographers. had AIDS that Precious reacts with some At Each One Teach One, Precious finds emotion. She is in obvious disbelief yet still friendship, support, compassion and Ms. stoic and tells her mother to get tested. She Rain (played by Pauspeaks nothing of her la Patton). Although own status, but her the role is somewhat In an amazing display of strength and knowledge of her fupreachy and melo- perseverance, Precious silently stands ture clearly shows on dramatic, Ms. Rain her face. She is terriup and leaves the room, leaves her becomes more than fied, angry, shocked. mother with a counselor who says Precious’s teacher. She But she maintains nothing and just stares in disbelief. encourages Precious to Mary continues to try to explain, justify, her stoicism until her write in a journal daily mother leaves and she babble but it all falls on deaf ears. and responds with adis back in Ms. Rain’s Precious is long gone, moving on. vice and guidance. The classroom. journal serves as PrePrecious stares at cious’s sounding board but also allows her to “Why me?” written on the top of her page. In develop her reading and writing skills. a spontaneous confession, she reveals that Soon after starting at Each One Teach One, she is HIV-positive. After watching Precious Precious goes into labor and has a healthy endure and move past the physical and sexbaby boy. She stays in the hospital for a few ual abuse that has identified her, if the viewer days and then returns to her mother’s home. has any amount of hope left, it is all dashed Upon her arrival, Mary beats Precious so se- away in this moment. I struggled to fight off verely that she flees and becomes homeless. the tears. Not tears of pity or sympathy, but Ms. Rain spends the entire next day on the tears of hopelessness, despair, defeat. phone looking for a place for Precious. She I had read Push several weeks prior to seefinds a bed at a halfway house, where Pre- ing Precious. I was aware what was about to happen, aware that the audience was still to hear Mary’s horrifying confession and attempt at justifying the abuse. Confession that Precious’s father began abusing her when she was just 3 years old. Confession that she was jealous of and angry with Precious because he seemed to desire Precious more than Mary. That Mary blamed Precious for her ter­ rible life. In an amazing display of strength and per­ severance, Precious silently stands up and leaves the room, leaves her mother with a counselor who says nothing and just stares in disbelief. Mary continues to try to explain, justify, babble but it all falls on deaf ears. Pre­ cious is long gone, moving on. We all know that the trials of Precious’s life are far from over. At the end, she is still in pre­ GED prep classes at Each One Teach One, still living in the halfway house, still a 17-year-old mother of two, still HIV-positive. The message of Precious is not overcoming the past; it is building the future despite the past. In an odd way, it’s refreshing to see a movie in which the main character doesn’t achieve some loosely plausible success. We all know that people can overcome insurmountable hurdles and find housing, success, new lives. But the reality is that it doesn’t happen very often. Not every person on the street is a Chris Gardener (In Pursuit of Happyness) or a Liz Murray (Homeless to Harvard). It’s the seemingly small successes that we must cel­ ebrate – that someone enrolled in a GED program, that someone developed the strength to leave a bad situation, that someone has entered transitional housing. 9 �10 STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 Local News Homeless Coalition Marks 25 Years Annual dinner looks back, then forward By GreGory Flannery editor L iz Carter used to think she knew why some people in Cincinnati are homeless or hungry. As the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, held Dec. 17 at the Cintas Center at Xavier Uni­ versity, she explained what she thought she knew. “I’ll give you a confession,” Carter said. “Ten years ago I was one of those people who thought that, in Cincinnati, if you’re not making it, it’s prob­ ably because you’re not trying hard enough.” Then she went on a visit with a social worker from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the agency she now serves as executive director. Carter and the social work­ er waited as their beneficiary, an elderly woman, traipsed down three flights of stairs, then led them up to her tworoom apartment. One room contained only a mattress, Carter said. In the other room were a couch, a coffee table, a sink and a cabinet – but no refrigerator. The woman needed help to pay for her utilities. Asked if she also needed food, the woman said no, and showed them her stock of supplies: three cans of applesauce. “I came away a different person,” Carter said. “My heart was touched, and my life was changed by her. And I didn’t ever again think that, if a person is struggling, it’s their fault.” The theme of the Homeless Coalition’s annual dinner was “25 Years: Fighting for Today, Building Our Tomorrow.” The theme captured the sense of celebration and consterna­ tion that marks the coalition’s continued existence, accord­ ing to Josh Spring, its execu­ tive director. “Our founders, some of whom are in this room, did not expect we would need to be a homeless coalition 25 years later,” he said. “They though the establishment of such a coalition would actu­ ally ensure the end of home­ lessness and that therefore we would be temporary. … We are still fighting the same battles we have been fight­ ing for 25 years. We just keep struggling.” Spring enumerated the struggles off 2009: • Resisting city council’s effort to use zoning regulations to restrict human-servic­ es agencies in Over-theRhine, the subject of a law­ suit in federal court by the Homeless Coalition against the city of Cincinnati; • Successfully lobbying city council to keep funding for human services in the city’s budget, though still below the 1.5 percent that had for many years been the city’s minimum standard; • Convincing council not to eliminate homelessness as a priority in human-servic­ es funding; • Beating back a city council­ man’s proposal to tax the proceeds of panhandling; • Keeping the city’s cold shel­ ter open after the city con­ sidered closing it. “We knew, if that happened, people will die,” Spring said. “We’re frankly not OK with people freezing to death.” The coalition also worked in 2009 to change attitudes in the future, Spring said. Its speakers bureau made presentations at 119 events, reaching 4,452 people, he said. Streetvibes, published by the Homeless Coalition, sold more than 58,000 copies. “We are for sure sparking dinner conversations and inspiring future revolution­ aries,” Spring said. “You and I are part of a grand move­ ment, absolutely founded to absolutely end homelessness. We are strong, and we are re­ lentless.” The coalition honored some of its most relentless al­ lies. Terry Ranson received the Jimmy Heath Streetvibes Ven­ dor of the Year Award. The Jerry Render Award went to Theresa Portis, Clark Roper, Darrel Portis and Dar­ ius Portis, a once homeless family who now volunteers to help other homeless families. Their determination, mutual support in the face of adver­ sity and commitment to help others embody “the very best of family. Leading by example, the family continues to in­ spire all of us at the Interfaith Hospitality Network,” said Georgine Getty, the agency’s executive director. Bruce Hill of the Cincinnati Health Network received the Julie Martin Provider of the Year Award for his work help­ ing homeless people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. Linda Seiter, executive director of Caracole, which provides housing and sup­ port services to people living with HIV/AIDS, received the Buddy Gray Lifetime Achieve­ ment Award. It was Seiter who best summed up the spirit of the annual dinner. “There is nothing in this world,” she said, “that I would rather be doing with my life than what I’m doing right now.” Fighting for today, building our tomorrow. (Clockwise from top left) Linda Seiter, Buddy Gray Lifetime Achievement Award; Terry Ranson, Jimmy Heath Streetvibes Vendor of the Year; Georgine Getty, accepting the Jimmy Render Award on behalf of the Portis- Roper Family; Liz Carter, keynote speaker; Bruce Hill, Julie Martin Service Provider of the Year Award; Josh Spring, executive director, Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Photos by Jeanene Kaht. �STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 11 Local News Helping Hamid and Understanding Fundraiser for injured taxi driver unites community By Steven Paul lanSKy Contributing Writer rently he is in the hospital on a feeding tube. Steph Carson, a photograany people open pher and friend of Kerdough­ their hearts, wal­ eli, is on the microphone de­ lets, pocketbooks, scribing his condition. The purses and minds at Sitwell’s restaurant is noisy, people Coffeehouse in Clifton on a ordering food and drinks, cold Thursday baristas running night in Decem­ blenders and ber. Hamid Kerdougheli, milk steamers Hamid Ker- is a Ron’s Taxi driver and doing dishdougheli, (who es. The room is who was shot in bears a striking the neck in the late warm, conver­ resemblance to afternoon of Nov. 28. sations are ani­ the famous pho­ mated, some not tographer, Man in English. Many Ray) is a Ron’s Taxi driver who students are preparing for exwas shot in the neck in the ams; teachers celebrate the late afternoon of Nov. 28. Ker- end of a quarter or semester. dougheli, an Algerian-Amer- Carson is wearing a Berber ican is a regular at Sitwell’s. dress given to her in Algeria; This is a place that is its own it is colorful with detailed destination. Algerians, both embroidery. She talks about Berbers and Arabs, visit daily the circumstances surroundfor espresso demitasses, con­ ing it. She poses questions versation, the good food, and about Algeria for prizes. atmosphere. Young women in sweaters On this bitter night, over and scarves lift their heads a hundred friends – young, from books, shout answers old, men, women, all races – after raising their hands. gather to raise money for Ker- Then comes the raffle. Sybilka dougheli’s family’s living and Storie, a former model, manmedical expenses. Kerdough­ ager of Sitwell’s and daugh­ eli had surgery on his larynx ter of Lisa Storie, the shop’s and will need speech therapy owner, has a brown paper bag once he can eat again. Cur- from which she pulls a ticket. M Hamid Kerdougheli. Photo by StephCarson Photography. Around the room red tickets are strewn across the tables. The tables at Sitwell’s are mis­ matched, as are the chairs; there is a pleasant chaotic freedom to the place. As the raffle happens, the servers bring steaming plates of authentic Algerian food from a special menu ar­ ranged for the event. Menad Amrouchi, a friend of Ker­ dougheli, and others have been cooking since Wednes­ day night. The raffle items were generously donated by over 25 businesses in Clifton and Northside. Between the raffles, Alge­ rian music plays. The food is hot, hearty, and flavorful. What did I learn? Algeria is the second-largest country in Africa, second to Sudan. The Sahara desert takes up much of Algeria. I already knew that Algerians are social, gener­ ous, giving, hard working and love the coffeehouse culture as much as I do. Their flag is red, green and white. Alge­ rians love football (soccer.) They won their indepen­ dence from the French in 1962. There is something very right about people coming together out of gratitude and in the spirit of giving. To donate your support, visit sitwellscoffeehouse.com/ hamid or stephcarson.com/hamid. The Bengals’ Unexpected Weapon Cincinnati has to hope it didn’t peak too soon By B. cliFton BurKe Contributing Writer A t the top, life is good but it damn sure ain’t easy. As the Bengals trudge along toward earning a playoff spot, they continue to learn more about themselves as a team and as human beings. After beating the Steel­ ers for the second time of the season, the Bengals felt great – and why not? They owned a 7-2 record, had deci­ sively vanquished each mem­ ber of the AFC North and re­ ally looked comfortable in their new skin as a running team. Since then they have lost three out of their past five games, lost their playoff mo­ mentum and more impor­ tant, lost one of their team­ mates with the death of Chris Henry. At this point enough has been written about Henry’s STREETVIBES Vendor Mary untimely passing. We at Streetvibes are saddened by such an unfortunate event and our condolences and best wishes go out to his re­ maining family, but anything beyond that is an internal af­ fair and, in turn, none of our business. What is our business, how­ ever, are the games, and the two worlds of emotional grief and football merged during Week 15 in San Diego. The result was an inspired effort Only purchase Streetvibes from BADGED vendors. Vendors wear their WHITE badges while they sell the paper. against a Charger team who many feel are part of the NFL elite, but still came up one play short and lost by a field goal in the last few seconds. It was a sad and frustrating week for the Bengals, and each among them is likely changed in some way because of it; but the loss in San Diego, and the one before it in Min­ nesota, has shown the world that Cincinnati can certainly compete in the post-season, but will remain the underdog against the other divisional winners. This time it makes sense: Earlier in the season, the Bengals were rarely favored against any decent team for flimsy analytical reasons; many refused to take Cincin­ nati seriously just because of their past. But after visiting two playoff-like scenarios and failing each time, it ap­ pears our boys simply don’t measure up as well to the real heavy hitters. I’m nervous that they peaked too soon, that they need to repair a few things before moving for­ ward, but there’s no time for that; into the labyrinth they go. Yet we are not without hope. The fact of the matter is that, even in the face in of so much emotional hardship, this team and its city has en­ joyed a season of rare suc­ cess. This is by no means a bad team, and anything can happen in the playoffs. After all, the Bengals did play San Diego well. Take back a 20­ yard loss on a bizarre fumble (or the soft coverage along the sideline by Leon Hall), and they might have won that game. They also demonstrated against the Chargers that they can pass after all: Carson Palmer threw for more than 300 yards in what seemed like forever. Laveranues Coles was demoted from the start­ ing lineup and had his most impressive day since joining the Bengals. J.P. Foschi inex­ plicably became a weapon. Crazy things happen to this team. Some of it has been lots of fun, and some of it has been incredibly sad, but al­ most all of it has been unex­ pected; and that could be the most dangerous weapon on this team: the unexpected. First, they must officially clinch the division and earn their spot, and only then we can all allow our imagina­ tions to go silly with thoughts of the Bengals in February. Enjoy what's coming, Cincin­ nati, whatever that might be. �12 Film Review STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 On the Streets, Not ‘Up in the Air’ Too bad there’s no Oscar for best corporate crap By david heitField Contributing Writer dreams, he explains. Daddy has been working a crappy job, so his kids don’t look up predict Up in the Air to daddy. Now’s a good time will win a bunch of Os- to go back to his old dream of cars: Best picture; best cooking in a restaurant, beadapted screenplay; best ac- cause his kids will love him tor for George Clooney; and for following his dreams, and best supporting actor for apparently restaurants are American lining up to Airlines. hire Social Not beThe plot is simple enough: Security­ cause it's a eligible ap­ Clooney plays an asshole good pic- (which he does so well) who p r e n t i c e ture; it's flies around the country firing cooks. Dad filled with people. His singular goal in looked like a the paper huge weight life is to amass 10 million prototypes had been frequent-flier miles. that Hollylifted off his wood limshoulders. ousine liberals love, the stuff The most offensive parts of that gives lefties a bad name the movie, though, come in – for instance, Crash (2006 the bookends, the parts Mr. Best Picture). Rather, Up In Rich felt to be so genuine: the Air is to its topic du jour, successive cameos of people corporate downsizing and a learning they are getting laid contracting job market, as off – and they are hostile. They Driving Miss Daisy (1989 Best cuss a lot. They call people Picture) was to racism. It feels names. They are completely false and hollow, despite its self-centered and cry and attempt to be The Movie Iron- bitch and moan about how ically Titled Because It’s Re- unfair life is and, in one case ally About Those Little People later in the movie, threaten to Down on the Ground. jump off a bridge. Now, many After Frank Rich wrote a of these are supposed to be column in the New York Times “real” people who were laid a couple weeks ago declar- off and the lines not “scripting this movie to be required ed,” which I guess means it’s viewing for its frank and hon- not supposed to look as maest portrayal of people suffer- nipulative and opportunistic ing in this economy, I couldn't as it is. wait to put on one of my LexSo, yes, the movie pissed isNexis shirts (we got T-shirts me off from the opening instead of, say, bonuses) and scene. Because it’s completehead down to the multiplex. ly false. You see, before my former Sure, one or two might employer cut my job, I had behave that way, but overthe wonderful experience of whelmingly the way people laying off 30 or so of my re- react to such bad news as the ports during the nine years loss of their livelihood is far I worked there, around 25 of more human: Their egos are them coming during one spe- crushed, their future is uncial Christmas season. certain, the pain of rejection The plot is simple enough: is almost unbearable, and yet Clooney plays an asshole they try, as best they can, to (which he does so well) who salvage some shred of human flies around the country fir- dignity from the situation, ing people. His singular goal because that's all they’ve got in life is to amass 10 million left. frequent-flier miles. He also It overwhelmed me when delivers corporate motiva- I had to lay off half my team. tional speeches, using a back- We worked from a script, of pack as a metaphor, the mes- course; and as Clooney says sage being you'll be happier in the movie, you never, ever and more successful in life if say you are sorry or apoloyou don't carry around a lot gize – legal won’t allow it. of baggage. Commitments What blew me away was how are for suckers, you see; and many people told me they that's why Clooney not only were sorry for me. They didn’t enjoys his work, but he takes want to be a bother. If they pride in what he does. had a question, most of them In one sad scene of pathos, would precede it with “if I'm Clooney is firing a man who not asking for too much,” and pulls out pictures of his kids if no answer was immediately and says, “What am I sup- available, they’d apologize posed to tell them?” for asking the question in the Never mind the ex-em- first place. ployee looks like he’s 65 and Of course they are hurt, his kids are barely past the surprised, angry, anxious – teething stage, Clooney asks but in that moment of truth, the man why kids look up to there is an overpowering sports figures. Because sports need to seek simple human figures are following their dignity, the need to preserve I something that they might one of the people she fires in not even understand. I liken a most unbelievable fashion. it to Flannery O'Connor’s un- Unbelievable because, like derstanding of a moment of most people in HR departgrace in her short stories. No ments that she represents, matter how bad the situation, there’s nothing in her characthe desire to rise above it in ter to indicate that she is even almost any way you can plays capable of empathy, let alone into her guiding concept of acting on it. mystery and manners; and, In the end, she did get a for her, how that speaks to the nice letter of recommendapossibility of the divine. tion from Clooney, so she The first person I ever fired could get a much better job, came back to work the next as she was hired on sight afmorning. He had stuff to fin- ter the boss read the letter. Of ish up, you see. I still have the eight people I reported to fond memories of that guy. in nine years, one quit in disThe editor of this rag gust, one was demoted, and you are readthe other ing, whom I’m six were laid proud to call a Yes, the movie pissed off. Maybe friend, when me off from the opening I should’ve told he had to asked Clooscene. Because it’s lay off a staff ney for a letcompletely false. member, inter, too. And stead decided not that anyto lay off himself. Dignity? one even reads those things Grace? I’m not one to say, but any more, let alone hires it sure was cool, and it’s those someone based on one letkind of stories that give one ter. Really, this downsizing hope and faith in the human climate runs deep. Someone condition. should make a movie about This movie will have none it. of that dignity crap, though. There are so many direcThe closest instance also tions this movie could have rings false: The very young, dared to go; but, as the movie naive and annoying corpo- suggests is inevitable, instead rate robot with a minor in it “settled.” There is nothing psychology who doesn’t want about what we euphemistito “settle” in life, ignoring cally called O&O, for “offthe obvious point that she shoring and outsourcing.” sold her soul the minute she Nothing about the macrosigned up for her gig. While economics driving the loss of her character comes off pretty jobs. Nothing about a culture well as one of those emotion- that names its sports stadiums ally empty drones who tend and college bowl games and to populate human-resources research departments after departments, she reacts to an corporations and how much extreme act of selfishness by its incipient corporate values might be fornicating the way we interact with one anoth­ er. Nothing about how one makes decisions about whom to lay off – in our case, we did what was expedient for the legal department, something calculated to limit lawsuits. Keep the best and get rid of the marginal? My ass. By not even giving token lip service to any of these “human” issues, what you have left is a movie about a bunch of assholes rolling that boul­ der up the hill and watching it roll back down again – what in the hell is a poor asshole to do? Well, of course, it’s make a commitment. That’s the obvious lesson for the guy who lectures about the joys of an empty backpack, as well as the “salvation” for those jobless at the back bookend of the movie, who, instead of cussing, now speak of how they learned their family and friends are what’s really im­ portant in life. Commitment. Like Hilton Hotels and American Airlines committed to providing location shots for the movie in exchange for many, many placement ads. You see, the real message of the movie – besides that people who fly a lot are beautiful and have hot sex – is seen several times throughout the movie, usually on a large wall sign posted behind the characters as they mug through the empty dia­ logue: American Airlines values your loyalty. �STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 13 Local News A Feast for Behavioral Health Services Volunteers help agency fete mentally ill clients By andrea Paul-taylor Contributing Writer Greater Cincinnati Behav­ ioral Health Services (GCB) held its 11th annual Thanks­ giving feast for clients Nov. 25, the first at its new location in East Walnut Hills. About 350 clients enjoyed a holiday meal served by vol­ unteers, including Cincin­ nati City Council members Roxanne Qualls, Laketa Cole and Cecil Thomas; Hamil­ ton County Common Pleas Judge Pat DeWine; and U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township). The feast was a traditional Thanksgiving meal with tur­ key, trimmings and pumpkin pie. But the new Welcome Center where the clients were served is somewhat smaller, and there was concern about possible space issues. “We asked clients to come at two different seatings, noon and 1 p.m., in order to keep any delays to a minimum,” says Kelly Smith-Trondle, access team supervisor for Greater Cincinnati Behav­ ioral Health Services. “For the most part, all went smoothly. It worked better than we had even hoped.” The feast is a joint venture between GCB and IKRON, which provides employment services and counseling to mentally ill persons. Each year staff and volun­ teers work together to prepare the meal with food provided by Frisch’s and the Kroger Co. Girl Scout Troop 4444 from Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Westwood has volunteered since the feast was first es­ tablished; many of the adult women who started as young scouts still come back to help out. “It is important that our clients have somewhere meaningful to celebrate this holiday and that they don’t have to be alone,” says Tony Dattilo, CEO of GCB. “Many have been sharing Thanks­ giving with us for years.” Greater Cincinnati Behav­ ioral Health Services is the most comprehensive mentalhealth agency in Hamilton County serving adults with severe mental illness. Its mis­ sion is to assist persons with mental illness to lead produc­ tive and fulfilling lives. City Councilman Cecil Thomas was a volunteer server at a Thanksgiving feast. Photo courtesy of Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. 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 STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 Italics An ‘AHA!’ Moment in Cincinnati Why should I join Affordable Housing Advocates? 1 By Michelle dillinGhaM Contributing Writer A ffordable Housing Advocates (AHA) is a group of housing providers, advocates and consumers dedicated to the goal of ensuring good, safe, accessible, af­ fordable housing for all people in Southwest Ohio. Our focus is on meeting the hous­ ing needs of individuals and families with very low, low and moderate in­ comes. This group formed to share the expertise and information gath­ ered by its members over decades of service to Greater Cincinnati in the area of affordable housing and to ini­ tiate and support plans of action that will further the creation, retention and accessibility of affordable hous­ ing in our community. We are a diverse group An advocacy organization’s of advocates, spanning the grassroots, faithrole is to help make your based development and advocacy efficient and planning communities. effective. A successful As we enter into the advocacy organization recognizes the challenges 2010 Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA) Mem­ of its individual members bership Drive, I ponder and helps facilitate the group’s advocacy so that, the question: What is advocacy, and why should as a whole, it is effectual and reaches the right ears. we support it? When we say we “advocate,” what do we mean? Let’s begin with the etymological meaning as my father instructed me, invoking the words of Charles Olsen: “Go to the root”. The word “advocate” is from the Latin, advocatus, for “one called to aid,” from ad ("to") plus vocare (“to call”), related to vocem (“voice”). So, the root meaning of ad­ vocacy is a response to a call for help, providing a call to action and a voice. What is intriguing about being a member of an advocacy group? For me it is the action. It is the purpose­ ful transformation of injustice, anger and frustration into an argument for change. It is being part of a greater call to action. It is knowing I am part of meaningful change. The most compelling thing about advocacy is (drum roll, please) it works. This was made ardently clear to me as I worked on the “other” side (the listening side) of advocacy work­ ing at City Hall. There is no greater influence on policy makers than a group of well prepared advocates speaking on behalf of large numbers of constituents standing together. But that is the very thing that chal­ lenges us, isn’t it? To take action takes time. There are so many causes to support that it can be overwhelming. I personally have at least four issues I am interested in and am on someone’s list. The volume of e-mails, newslet­ ters and updates from just those four are many. By the time I scan through them all (inner thoughts: “Hmm, that article looks interesting. … I should download and sign that petition. … I should really go to that meeting and help testify.”), I could throw my mail in a pile, close the e-mail messages and turn on a mindless television show. So much to fight for – but where to start? And I have to make dinner, do laundry, run the kids around (you fill in the blank). Can you relate? One role of AHA as an advocacy or­ ganization is to help make your advo­ cacy efficient and effective. A success­ ful advocacy organization recognizes the challenges of its individual mem­ bers and helps facilitate the group’s advocacy so that, as a whole, it is ef­ fectual and reaches the right ears. The AHA Board will retreat in Janu­ ary to decide how to best fulfill its mission in 2010. We will contemplate how to focus our advocacy and prior­ itize our action agenda. Fortunately, the AHA Board is made up of mem­ bers who together possess an impres­ sive array of knowledge of the local housing landscape. Their leadership on affordable housing issues will help set the stage for our efforts for 2010. Effective advocacy is an art – it is more than a group of individuals writ­ ing an e-mail to their elected officials. Organized advocacy typically starts with an action agenda that covers both incremental and fundamental goals. It identifies who has the great­ est impact on policy decisions; it for­ mulates the evidence, makes the case for policy change on multiple levels and holds policy-makers account­ able. The broader the base of our in­ dividual membership, the better we can engage in organized advocacy. I have always felt strongly about advocating for affordable housing. A few of my reasons include: First, through the years working as a case manager in the field, the search for affordable, accessible, ad­ equate housing took up at least 75 percent of my time, even though it was not the primary intervention I was supposed to be offering (i.e., mental health, sub­ stance abuse, etc.). Second, living in adequate hous­ ing is a basic need, fundamental to one’s well-being on all levels – mental, emotional, physical. Third, affordable, accessible, and adequate housing is a social justice issue-there are real, systemic barriers to housing for people who make low to moderate incomes that need to be changed. Advocacy is the act of pleading Advocacy is the act of pleading for, supporting or for, supporting or recommending; recommending; the act of advocating or speaking the act of advo­ or writing in support of something. cating or speak­ ing or writing in support of something. Your membership dues will go to help implement our mission, which is “to initiate and support plans of action that will further the creation, retention and accessibility of afford­ able housing in our community.” The Affordable Your dues will help fund the “plead­ Housing ing, supporting, and recommending” Advocates of affordable-housing policies. (AHA) envision But we are not only interested in the Cincinnati the $25 that comes with an individual area as a place membership. We look forward to your where all people involvement in what you feel most have good, compelled about related to housing. safe, accessible More than 25 percent of Cincinna­ affordable tians live below the federal poverty housing. As line, and many more are barely liv­ the premier ing above it. We are in an economic housing advocate recession of historic significance – at in a region least 10 percent of us are not working; successfully and the state of the economy has im­ meeting the pacted the availability of affordable needs of its housing on multiple levels. Needless people, AHA to say, there are many issues ahead of will serve as a us that will require our advocacy. model for like Please consider joining AHA. Help organizations across the us help you to be an effective hous­ nation. For more ing advocate. Call me if you are inter­ information visit ested in signing up at 513-602-4260, or e-mail me at mdmswlsw@hotmail. www.ahacincy. com. org 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 $ _______ �STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 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 961-4663 First Step Home 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Center Independent Living Options Emmanuel Community Center 1308 Race St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 1800 Logan St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 351-0422 381-6672 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 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 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 3550 Washington Ave, Cinti, Ohio 45229 I want to thank you for your current article about the Lighthouse Youth Out­ reach Team (see “To Get Youth Off the Streets,” issue of Dec. 1-14). I must say, the quality of your articles is just outstanding. I have been read­ ing Streetvibes for years, but over the last year or two I have noticed an unprec­ edented improvement in the quality and professionalism of your writers. So thank you for the terrific article and congratulations on putting out such a qual­ ity product. Bob Mecum President and CEO Lighthouse Youth Services Have something on your mind? Let us know by sending a letter to: 1 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvibes2@yahoo.com 859-491-8303 721-4700 421-7803 579-8547 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 421-2437 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 To the editor: 863-3184 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry 799 Ann St. Newport, KY Health Letter to the Editor 351-7921 631-1114 211 977-5541 People Working Cooperatively The Caring Place United Way Women Helping Women Brighton Center 381-0111 771-4800 751-0600 721-4811 1223 Main St. Cinti, Ohio 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 241-2600 241-2563 621-5514 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 Women’s Crisis Center VA Domiciliary VA Homeless 859-491-3335 859-559-5011 859-572-6226 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, pub­ lishes a collection of poetry each year. Saad Ghosn, who organizes SOS Art and writes the “Artists as Activists” column for Streetvibes, is now col­ lecting 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 previ­ ous 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. �16 Artists as Activists STREETVIBES January 1 - 15, 2010 Compassion is a Natural Resource Mary Ann Lederer promotes peace M ary Ann Lederer’s first use of art for politi­ cal purposes was at age 20, during the civil rights movement, designing posters and picket signs. Influenced by the Rev. Maurice McCrack­ en, whom she had met when volunteering at a neigh­ borhood day camp, she actively participated in the desegregation campaign of the early 1960s. With oth­ ers in the city who were trained in Gandhi’s methods of non-violence – negotiations, picketing, occasionally sit-ins – she helped integrate Cincinnati’s restaurants, stores and theatres. Lederer grew up in North Avondale in a Jewish home surrounded by art and music. Her father was a Repub­ lican, her mother a Democrat; though fond of both, she sided politically with her liberal, more compas­ sionate mother. She did not study art per se. In college, she took only one drawing course and majored in soci­ ology. She worked for several years as a social worker, then returned to the University of Cincinnati (UC) to pursue a master’s degree in community planning. Not long after Lederer graduated, she was shot in the back by an intruder in her home. As a result, she be­ came a paraplegic. “When I woke up, I realized I could not move my legs Mary Ann Lederer. Photo by Bill Howes. any more,” she says. “It felt like half my body was filled with cement; yet somehow I knew I wanted to paint.” Lederer underwent rehabilitation, unable to continue arduous physical activity. An alternative vegetar­ then became active in the ian doctor, however, helped her heal by teaching her how to use food disability movement. She to turn her health around. As her health revived, she became active in set up a handicap pro­ Earthsave, an organization that promotes a plant-based diet for the gram at UC and started health of individuals, a clean environment for the health of the earth as a wheelchair basketball and the compassionate treatment of animals. She has been active in team. The team became the local chapter of Earthsave for many years, and its values have in­ the subject of several of fluenced her painting. By Saad GhoSn her early paintings. “I consider myself a philosopher-painter,” Lederer says. “I paint the Contributing Writer Other paintings ad­ world I’d love to live in, a multi-ethnic world of freedom, equality and dressed various disability healthfulness, where the air is clean, water pure, plants wild or or­ issues. One, for instance, ganically grown, animals free – a sustainable natural world.” showed two world-class wheel-chaired athletes wheeling across Her painting, An Intentional Community, represents people in a America to raise money for wheelchair sports. Others depicted a vividly colored world of rivers, trees and animals; some people are wheel-chaired Santa Claus and a wheel-chaired Cupid for Valentine’s gardening, some are coming together at a vegetable market. A Peace Day. Many represented disabled individuals in varied living activities. Village depicts ethnically diverse individuals living together in har­ It was her way of raising awareness about their condition and iden­ mony with animals and the earth. Bicycle City shows a community tity. with no cars – only bicycles, windmills, solar panels, a clean environ­ As the years passed, Lederer developed health problems and was ment where people are able to communicate more closely with one another. It reflected her hopes for many such future communities. Lederer started the painting, A Vegetable Garden in Every Yard, the day after the last presidential election and completed it on Inaugura­ tion Day. It shows the First Family on the White House lawn, which has been transformed into an idyllic community vegetable garden. It was her vision for a healthier, “back-to-the-earth” America. Posters of the painting are now available with the words, “A vegetable garden in every yard.” She hopes it will encourage more people to grow their own food. Lederer was pleased to learn that Michelle Obama has indeed re­ cently started such a garden. She is convinced that what people eat affects not only their health but also their minds, their hearts and their behaviors, that a plant-based diet is preferable to one based on cruelty to animals, and that gardening and organic farming promote communication, community building and a healthy and peaceful so­ ciety. Lederer also uses her art to express her political views. Though aware of the violence in the world, she says, “We have an untapped natural resource in compassion. We need to nurture it. Our educa­ tional system unfortunately is more head than heart and prepares individuals to be competitive sometimes at the expense of a better world for everyone.” A recent painting about the Iraq War shows individuals of differ­ ent ethnicities wearing different costumes, forming a circle, holding hands. The Wall shows Jews and Arabs working together for peace while writing in their own languages on the wall intended to divide them. “My painting is a plea to the peoples of the world to appreciate each other’s cultures and differences, to come together and communicate. Compassionate communication, for example, a system designed by Marshall Rosenberg, teaches people how to listen to each other and feel each others feelings. It works. We can get along with each other.” Lederer’s dream is now to help start organic gardens all over the city, ensure compassionate treatment of animals, promote a vegan A Vegetable Garden in Every Yard, painting by Mary Ann diet and pay respect to mother earth. Her art will continue to reflect Lederer. Photo by Mary Ann Lederer. her vision of a vibrant, natural, diverse and peaceful world. 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 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 2010 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 1-15, 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: May They Finally Rest in Peace Metropole Tenants Gain Support Pg 2: Street Wise Pg 3: 8 Minutes in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Pg 4: Prickly Issue: Needle Exchange Pg 5: May They Finally Rest in Peace Metropole Tenants Gain Support Continued Pg 6: New Voices of the Voiceless Pg 7: Obama Wrong About Non-Violence Pg 8: Veggie Philly Steak Pg 9: Not A ‘Precious’ Happy Ending Pg 10: Homeless Coalition Marks 25 Years Pg 11: Helping Hamid and Understand The Bengals’ Unexpected Weapon Pg 12: On the Streets, Not ‘Up in the Air’ Pg 13: A Feast for Behavioral Health Services Pg 14: An ‘AHA!’ Moment in Cincinnati Pg 15: Resources Pg 16: Compassion is a Natural Resource 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 1-15, 2010 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 Jeni Jenkins Stephanie Dunlap Saad Ghosn Lynne Ausman Steven Paul Lansky Larry Gross Eli Braun Aimie Willhoite, Anthony Williams Bill Haigh Clarissa Peppers Jennifer Blalock Lynn Baker Jeremy Flannery Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Advocates Aimie Willhoite Annual Dinner Anthony Williams Barack Obama Behavioral Health Services Bengals Bill Haigh Cincinnati Clarissa Peppers David Heitfield Eli Braun GCCH Gregory Flannery Hip-Hop Jeni Jenkins Jennifer Blalock Jeremy Flannery Kelissa Hieber Larry Gross Lew Moores Lynn Baker Lynne Ausman Margo Pierce Mary Ann mental illness Metropole Michael Henson Paul Kopp Precious Saad Ghosn Samantha Groark Stephanie Dunlap Steven Paul Lansky