1 10 23 https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/5dd922dd1b5871a14fed733ccb929171.pdf c109a4eb0599a2a1070a12f628cedf41 PDF Text Text December 15th - December 28th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 52 (No. 371) advocating justice | building community Looking Back At 2017 | 3 This Issue is sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral INSIDE THIS ISSUE Homeless In SF: A Walk in the Park | 2 Photo Essay: Annual Dinner | 9 Street Life Our Reality | 12 Forum Focuses on Local Responses to Trump's Immigration Policies | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The Worst Time of Year T his is the worst time of year. I know plenty of folks consider this the best time of year. A time of reflection, perhaps giving, family, celebration, etc. But for our folks without homes it is cold, potentially snowy and more difficult to get things done because of so much distraction caused by the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, we are thankful for the folks who donate and attend our annual dinner. We are also thankful for the root message of these upcoming holidays (which often gets overlooked). But the cold and holiday closures make this time of year especially difficult. There currently are not enough funds made available to open the Winter Shelter in time for the dropping temperatures. We are working and advocating for the City of Cincinnati to put in an additional $60,000 which would get the Winter Shelter open and operational by the fifteenth of this month. Getting public dollars to adequately fund something as simple as a Winter Shelter should not be difficult, but getting all the pieces to fit together to make this happen is difficult. Please stay tuned as we may need to solicit your vocal support. On December 21st, the longest night of the year we will gather in Washington Park to honor those who have died in our area over the past year due to homelessness. Last year there were 72 people we knew about. Certainly, the number was JOSH SPRING Executive Director actually higher, but these are the folks we knew about. Over the upcoming days we will be collecting names from our Member Organizations. If you know of someone, please let us know. You can also join us at 5:30pm in Washington Park on December 21st as we take part in National Homeless Memorial Day. As we end this year and head into 2018 we continue the fight we have been in since our inception; the fight to end and prevent homelessness. We will remain focused on several particular efforts that are a part of our larger strategy: the creation and funding of a local affordable housing trust fund to generate local revenue to build and sustain affordable housing, the organizing of Tenants in representing thousands of units of affordable housing which is threatened with closure or loss due to gentrification, displacement, slumlords, etc., our work to end the D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 criminalization of homelessness in local laws, our community outreach meant to educate people about the causes of homelessness and empower people to stand with us as we work for systematic solutions and our support and unity of our many Member Organizations working daily with people currently experiencing homelessness. If you are not already working with us, please do. Please call us, email us or stop in so that we can discuss how you can get involved in this struggle to end the systematic problem of homelessness which harms individuals and families and shortens lifespans. You are valuable, and your partnership would be valuable as well.believe that most companies are trying to provide people with quality services because it is the right thing to do? Certainly not. Do you believe that in order to get a profit companies are working to provide people with increasing quality? Primarily companies are trying to cut their own costs through paying poverty wages whether directly or through other companies they contract, purchasing parts cheaply and providing an end product that people think is good, but really doesn’t have the quality it pretends to have. It is about the façade to get profit. This applies to small and large products we purchase. This also 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans (Continued on page 5) Maintenance: Pete Roper Homeless in SF: A Walk in the Park G olden Gate Park knifes its rectangular finger for more than three miles from the Pacific Ocean into the center of beautiful San Francisco. You know: that city where Tony Bennett left his heart a long time ago. He's certainly not the only one to have done so. The park is half a mile wide, and is home to spectacular museums, ball parks, Japanese and Chinese gardens and shrines. A herd of Buffalo roam through one fenced-off area. The lakes and landscaping there are spectacular. It JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer might remind one a bit of Spring Grove Cemetery... without the dead people, and brimming with life. It is also “home' to many Bay Area people experiencing homelessness. San Francisco is mostly a city of soft edges. The red swooping bridge, steep hills, “little cable cars,” ferries scudding constantly around the Bay. The notorious Alcatraz island prison, now a major tourist attraction. By and large the city is clean and calm, famously welcoming to LGBTs for many decades. The weather never goes below freezing. The police force seems laid-back and “obscure” for the most part. The primary homeless district downtown is named “The Tenderloin.” How sweet is that? In short San Francisco has a huge appeal. And, although the skyrocketing rent structure makes it very unwelcoming to the poor (the African American community has become tiny and dispersed). Nonetheless, because of its weather, its history, and its awesome beauty, San Fran continues to attract a sizable homeless community. By all appearances, people ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: experiencing homelessness there look and live quite differently from their fellow homeless brothers and sisters in cities like Cincinnati. Very few of its homeless population generally were born in that uppity city. Like the Haight-Ashbury hippies of the '60s, many of them come there—as I was told— because, “it’s a great place to be homeless.” You see, San Francisco's homeless are by and large, young and white. Downtown, some own sleeping rights in favorite doorways, or storefronts, once the stores (Continued on page 5) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Spring, Jim Luken, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods, Saad Ghosn, Steve Sunderland, Ricardo Taylor, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, Jim Luken, Saad Ghosn, Laura Domet, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 37 1 3 LOCAL Looking Back at 2017 | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN E ach year, the Homeless Coalition works tirelessly to eradicate homelessness. We do this through various means, each department working separately, but also in concert with each other. When I say department, I really just mean our one employee in that department and then our member organizations and volunteers who assist us in our goals. We are fortunate to have so much support in the community, and we could not do it without the whole region’s efforts. For our advocacy department, Josh Spring, our Executive Director, and Daulton King, a Public Ally, countless hours were spent organizing tenants, working with community leaders at City Hall, and crafting documents to be used in legal cases, city motions, and other venues. Our advocacy has resulted in hundreds of families being able to stay in their homes this year. They have also continued the work to de- Staff Writer has crafted membership packets with great items and information. For me, in education, I work with schools,communitygroups,churches, and others to help educate the public about hunger, homelessness, poverty, displacement, and gentrification – among other topics. I do this by providing enriching educational programming to students and adults throughout the city, region, and country. In the course of a year, we bring our educational programming to about 5000 people. It is no small feat, when you consider how many days there are in the year! Our Speaker’s Bureau is certainly our flagship program. This program was started after people who were experiencing homelessness were being physically assaulted and brutalized by young people in our community. The Homeless Coalition realized that it wasn’t good enough to reach adults, but we need to shift the thinking of young people in the Education Director Dr. Mark and Development Director Mona Jenkins at the Burning the Mortgage Event Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman criminalize homelessness through the survey they have been collecting for well over a year. A huge change will come to Cincinnati because of the work Josh has been doing with the Affordable Housing Advocates on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In March 2018, we should start to see some significant legislative progress on the Trust Fund, which will fund the creation and maintenance of affordable housing in Cincinnati. Our Development Director Mona Jenkins, has been recruiting new members, helping keep members in the loop about what’s happening in the city, and finding new and creative ways to help us to become selfsufficient. Mona has increased our membership by more than 10% this year, and we started doing the Mona and Mark Show on Facebook to keep people updated on issues we see in the community. We also started a weekly email update about our member organizations, and Mona process of eradicating homelessness. This shift in thinking doesn’t just represent the humanization of people experiencing homelessness, but also the understanding that solution lies in affordable housing and livable wages. We do speaking engagements year-round and whenever we are needed. The cost for the program is shared with the speaker, and is a great way to support people experiencing homelessness or those whose housing is threatened. Another one of our educational offerings is a Social Justice Walking Tour of Over-the-Rhine where we educate participants on the history and contemporary issues in the neighborhood. I focus on the Overthe-Rhine People’s Movement, which are the people and organizations that have been fighting for dignity in the neighborhood for the past 50 years. Each neighborhood block contains countless stories of individuals and organizations working together to bring a better life to the people living here, a story about the city neglecting those who need the most help, and years ago. Shelter Seekers put you in the shoes of someone working in a shelter, deciding who can stay the night, given limited room. Our Streetvibes Shadow activity also gives participants an opportunity to learn about Cincinnati’s anti-solicitation laws from a Streetvibes Distributor, then go into the streets and try to Distributor Lee with Xavier University CUE participants Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman neighbors banding together to find a solution. It’s a unique experience, and I highly recommend it to everyone who might want to understand what is exactly happening in Over-theRhine. Our CUE (Cincinnati Urban Experience) trips are ways in which local and national universities bring service-learning experiences to their students. We partner with local churches, organizations, and schools to create an exceptional program among Alternative Breaks in the country. Our program helps participants learn the ins and outs of community involvement, social justice, non-profits, and gentrification. CUE trips last 5-10 days, and are very intense. I am often drained, but this year we had great groups of students from all over the country, and we are looking forward to expanding the program beyond Spring and Fall Breaks with Keene College’s (New Hampshire) visit this month. Our education department also offers different activities like Shelter Seekers, which we developed here at the Homeless Coalition many get people to donate for the paper. This is an immersive experience that gives participants the feeling of panhandling, and with that, all the reactions from people walking by. Some students have left that experience in tears because of the horrible ways they were treated. It is an eye-opening experience for sure. Finally, our entrepreneurial program, Streetvibes, brings you this paper you are reading every two weeks. This is no easy task as several people work hard to get this paper to you. Justin Jeffre, Streetvibes Editor, picks which stories get published and encourages people to write and do photography on specific topics. Key Beck stays calm as the print deadline approaches to make sure the layout is exceptional. The writers are instrumental in crafting articles and poems from perspectives different than what you’d find in other newspapers. Finally, the Distributors, managed by Daulton King, do the leg work of making this paper available to you. When we look back at 2017, we will certainly have mixed feelings. (Continued on page 6) Josh being interviewed for a national documentary THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 �LOCAL FORUM FOCUSES ON THE LOCAL RESPONSES TO TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION POLICIES No. 37 1 | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 W hat are the local responses to the immigration polices put in place by the Trump Administration in 2017. At the December 1st Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral, a panel of speakers reviewed community efforts to date, and engaged attendees in a discussion of what is working and what still needs to be done. The panel included Brennan Grayson, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, Allison ReynoldsBerry, Executive Director of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, Samantha Searls of IJPC, and Magda Orlander of the CIWC. Brennan Grayson led off the forum by providing an overview of recent local responses on behalf of the area's immigrant population. Much of the work prior to this year involved advocacy for an updated JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2 applies to housing. Think about it. A company comes into a neighborhood or onto a street that over the years people who didn’t live there said wasn’t desirable. The company purchases a property that needs some improvement, but generally functions because people have lived there or it is close to what is currently considered a “desirable” area. The company purchases said property for a relatively low cost and then hangs BILL WOODS Contributing Writer and fair immigration reform law. Meanwhile, organizations such as the Workers Center focused on assisting immigrant workers who were cheated in terms of their wages. Progress was also made when the Catholic Arch Diocese and MARCC were able to establish an ID that immigrants could use, and the Cincinnati Police would accept. When the more drastic deportation measures of the current Administration were announced, noted Brennan, local immigrants and their advocate organizations determined that further steps were needed to oppose the tearing apart of families, schools, churches, neighborhoods, and work places. IJPC and the Workers Center took a leadership role in calling people and groups together to plan new responses. Allison Reynolds-Berry described the process that ended up creating the Immigrant Dignity Coalition of Cincinnati. She emphasized the openness of the process, which included lots of discussion and the participation of many diverse groups and individuals. Out of these meetings emerged the Dignity Coalition with a current membership of twenty-seven organizations. Committed to fundamental human rights and dignity, The Immigrant Dignity Coalition of Cincinnati "stands united in opposition to unjust deportation and to anti-immigrant harassment of all kinds." It works with neighborhoods, schools, businesses, unions, religious institutions, and civic groups to educate the public and to forge a community that opposes "fear, racism and confusion emanating from our nation's capital." Better communication between groups has notices that everyone living there must leave. This can be scary for the folks living there, so some folks leave soon after the notice, costing the company only the price of the paper. Some Residents stay longer and the new owner files eviction and a couple more Residents leave before the hearing to avoid an eviction on their record. This again costs the owner virtually nothing. A few Residents stay through the eviction hearing and the owner pays an attorney a relatively small amount to push the eviction through the landlordfriendly court system. The company then either does minor repairs and puts in new modern looking finishes and appliances or guts everything and puts up cheap but nice-looking walls and finishes and then charges a rent that is three to five times higher than the previous rents or charges hundreds of thousands of dollars for the units as condos. People move in to what they see as a pretty building with modern finishes and nice appliances. They are told this used to be an unsafe and undesirable location, but we are bringing new life to this area and you are a part of something special by moving here. You are revitalizing. JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 2) have gone dark. Six years ago, on a visit I interviewed a number of these downtowners for a Streetvibes article. This time, because I was very busy taking care of a very sick friend, I observed the homeless scene mostly from a distance, walking or on a bike I had rehabilitated to use. Sometimes it felt as if I were outside the glass walls of a large aquarium of homeless sea creatures. After sixteen years living in OTR, life on the San Francisco streets seemed foreign, and in some ways exotic. I know other realities, of course, but nonetheless I could sense the appeal of the lifestyle, the way the lives of train-hopping hobos appealed to working people in the '30s and '40s. The house that my friend shares with an owner/roommate is a mile and a half from the ocean and a half block from the park. I spent most of whatever free time I could manage in either of these two locales. One afternoon, I climbed to the top of one of the 50' high sand dunes that line the five miles of beaches along the western edge of the city, all 5 San Francisco Bike Map Credit: part of the city's park system (thus open to everyone). When I got to the top, I found several mattresses nestled together providing tonight's residents an awesome view to the nighttime. These were pretty amazing sleeping arrangements at edge of the crashing waves of the Pacific. A large percentage of the city's homeless use Golden Gate Park as their sleeping quarters. As you move about the park you can often spy sleeping gear secreted away inside plastic bags in the heavy, abundant THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED been emphasized, because of the need to react quickly when news of a local deportation occurs. Samantha Searls and Magda Orlander then discussed some of the day to day work of the Coalition. They emphasized the need for quick response and effective action. After describing one failure to stop a local deportation, they followed with the success story of blocking the deportation of a young person who still had DACHA-status. They described frustration with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department and the County Justice Center. Both seem to quickly communicate with ICE officials whenever an immigrant is in their hands. At the moment, the Coalition is actively promoting the continuation of DACHA-status and the passage of the Dream Act. See that is a product that cost the company relatively little, provided a quick turnover with relatively cheap improvements, a fake marketing story and a quick sale at a significant profit. It was cheap and highly profitable to the company and extremely costly to the displaced household. That is freemarket. This, however, is not the end of the story. We will work with People to, yes, fight back, but to make systematic changes such that profit at the cost of Peoples’ housing is no longer allowed. undergrowth. In the evenings you can see the homeless as they gather. Most spend their days moving about the seven-square mile playground of a city, the “City by the Bay.” Again, I'm not saying their lives are cushy, but winter in San Francisco is mostly damp and foggy. No one ever dies of exposure or loses toes and fingers to frostbite. There are homeless in the downtown business district of course, but they are not as visible as we are used to. Not many “fly” their signs. They panhandle more casually. “Sir, can you help me get some food?” Many find “fancy” food to eat, simply by digging half-eaten leftovers that tourists have pitched into trash cans. One guy, who survives by recycling, told me, “Shit, Man, it's usually better food than I could afford.” In the tightly-packed neighborhoods, you find various “strips” of businesses crowded with customers on the afternoons and evenings. There, homeless folks, mostly “kids,” gather in decent weather and try to talk you out of a buck or two. Often you simply see (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL "#METOO", "#USTOO": What's at Stake Is Liberating ALL, Women, Men & Society, by Eliminating the Pervasive Male-Dominated Culture D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 S SAAD GHOSN exual Harassment is the key word these days, and justly so. Our society allows men in position of power to prey on vulnerable women, children and occasionally other men, taking advantage of their "in control" prerogative to impose their unwanted sexual advances and actions on dependent, confused, and somewhat lost individuals. With most abusers, this usually starts with a paternalistic approach which, with time, implies being helpful, concerned and caring. It progressively captivates the mind of an otherwise emotionally or financially dependent individual, and thus facilitates the way for the abuser's intent. The victim may unwillingly fall in the trap or resist, but in either Contributing Writer case will embark on a road of pain, disillusionment, confusion, including guilt and shame. It is refreshing to see that this problem is now being seriously addressed and discussed in many states of our society, most recently entertainment, politics and sports. And that our media, the courageous women through the #metoo campaign, and the courageous men who came forward, keep raising awareness about it, strongly propelling the many voices of the victims. Sexual harassment should stop PERIOD and should not be tolerated. Our social and legal systems should DR. MARK MUSSMAN leave no room for it, and should provide strict rules, regulations, and control checks to eradicate it and penalize the offender. Imposing, however, only rules, regulations and penalty to address it, will not eliminate its real cause which is the prevalent ideology of our male-dominated society and world, where men continue to be the elite, in leadership and control positions, dictating the tone. In our society, males, from the moment they are born, are raised and impregnated with the idea of their dominant and supremacist role. In order to liberate for good, the abused, one needs most importantly to liberate the abuser, Politically, it has been pretty bleak, both nationally and locally, and I believe a lot of people are feeling frustrated about the direction we are headed. But, on the positive side, we have had a giant impact on the community through our advocacy, development, and education, and entrepreneurial programs. The Homeless Coalition is both a resource and change-maker in the community and we appreciate all the support we (Continued from page 5) and take away the conditions that allowed him to become such. One thus needs to eliminate the ideology for the prevailing dominating/ subservient gender relationship; and create from a very young age the premises for a relationship of equality where, everyone, irrespective of gender, age, background, socioeconomic status, contributes equally and as importantly, in harmony and respect, to the world. To achieve this in our current society one needs first to liberate the mentality of men from these early acquired notions, and distantiate them from the privileges and controls that they were born into, and that they feel entitled to their (Continued on page 7) receive through donations, program requests, and partnerships. We hope that we have made all our constituents – people experiencing homelessness, people whose housing is threatened, our member organizations and their clients – very proud of the work we do. We are certainly proud of the work and results they attain. --------------------------------------- Ms. Iolanda, front desk staff, moved on to a new job this year Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Josh speaking at the National Day of Action for Affordable Housing Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Education Director, Dr. Mark and Distributor Willa Jones with the West End AmeriCorps Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Speaker and Distributor Cleo with Roger Bacon Students Josh, Aquashia, and Allie at a Member Appreciate Event Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 1 LOCAL A NEW BEGINNING? | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 J ust think it was 1 year ago that I started writing and getting my articles published. I have had a great time doing my writings. I thought I would write about the past year, but I don’t want to make this a recap of my up and down 2017. This is about my 2018. A New Beginning? What’s going to be “New” is my attitude mostly. I for so long have used my emotions to drive my behaviors and actions. So this year I will stop for that one SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 5) entire lives. One, therefore, needs to change these conditions at the root, i.e. the ideology that gave birth to them. But how to? How to get rid of this predominant male-dominated design of our world? We would need to address and remedy all aspects of our society where such a notion is deeply entrenched, and they are many. It will surely not be easy, but it is something essential to consider, recognize and start confronting in order to achieve the equal and harmonious world we should aspire to. In our society, and for the majority of families, this will start with the concept of patriarchal matrimony. Due to it, and from the beginning, the man is the one considered in charge, the leader, the head and protector of the household, providing for the family and responsible for its conduct; the woman playing a 2nd role, a helper to her husband whom she follows, taking care of the children and of the domestic chores. This model which originated early in history when men, thanks to their physical attributes and strength, were playing the dominant providing and protective role, is now being reconsidered in many modern societies. It is, however, still the predominant one across the world, and still effectively applies to the majority of the western societies, including ours. Of course, its persistence is facilitated and compounded by the actual on-theground reality, where women have less access to higher and control positions across the majority of jobs; have less access to higher education; suffer significant wage disparity when compared to men for equal positions; have less to say when it comes to many legal matters; and thus are kept inferior and in secondary roles. Unconsciously (or consciously), and due to the exacerbated de facto valorization of men and the indirect devalorization of women, many families and parents would rejoice more at the birth of a boy, and in some societies female embryos would be preferentially aborted, and sadly some newborn girls even killed. Boys BOBBY MORRIS Contributing Writer moment and analyze my attitude before I act. It’s called “maturity” in some circles, or rational thinking in the Academic world. I just want to make this upcoming year better than the last. A New Beginning? Having been employed for a while now, a new beginning is me working at the start of the year. For so many years I was unemployable due to my actions of would be raised differently from their sisters, given more independence and more freedom from a young age, encouraged more to pursue higher education, allowed more liberty in their social, sexual and extra conjugal life. In addition to matrimony, and surely of no less importance, is the role religions play in maintaining this inequality. In fact, most religions in particular the two largest ones in the world and in the United States, Christianity and Islam - are still in their deep selves’ male-dominated and contribute to, if not promote, such an ideology. In his text on marriage, Ephesians 6:21-33, St Paul states specifically: “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands” (2224). Yes, St Paul continues by asking husbands to love and respect their wives and be one with them, but still implies all along that the man is the controlling head. This notion of Christian patriarchy affirms, in addition and for many, that God Himself is masculine, not feminine; and that He intended distinct gender roles for men and women as part of His created order. Also in Christianity, when one analyzes the text and the ideological insinuation behind the ubiquitous prayer of "Hail Mary" recited by more than one billion individuals, one finds that the part humans added to the prayer**, i.e. "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," assigns to Mary a secondary role, an interceding and not a direct saving one, contrary to the direct and specific power given to the Father in the seminal prayer "Our Father": "Thy will be done... Give us this day... Forgive us... Lead us not... Deliver us..." And in Catholicism, only men are permitted to hold ruling office in the church. Women are not allowed to become priests. Bishops, cardinals and popes, who dictate the path of the church, are all men. And nuns, despite devoting their entire lives to Christ, still have to rely on a man for most of their spiritual needs. In "Islam" also, women do not the past. I have a lot of gratitude for my job. Yet I feel there is more I can do for myself and the people around me. Being of service is the thing I pray for every day before I leave my home to go to work. “God help me be of Service Today”. That’s all I say, and then I go to work. This simple prayer has made me more of a man, a responsible hardworking, caring man. A New Beginning? Letting go of the past and moving on in my life is a have access to Imam-hood. They are kept separated from and behind men during religious practices. They have less a say and less freedom than men, and weigh less legally. They function mainly inside the home, as domestic providers. They are not allowed, contrary to men, polygamy. And in many Muslim countries, women have their rights significantly limited. This being said, the observations above may not be intrinsic to the essence of the religions themselves. They are, nevertheless representative of them and of the subtle (and often not so subtle) male-dominated ideology these religions implant in their followers, as presented, taught and determined by their man-controlled infrastructure and hierarchy. Matrimony and Religion in their current construct and understanding are only but two important areas which allow the status of men as an elite, dominating and controlling one to be perpetuated in our society. They need to be clearly addressed and their ideology made more egalitarian and not control-dominated. Education also, falling prey to the cultural stereotypes that affect the sexes, plays an important role in maintaining this gender disparity. Teachers, themselves victim of the gender bias they have already acquired, treat girls and boys differently. And there are some fields of studies and work, such as science, math, engineering, business, technology... that women, from an early age, are indirectly discouraged to follow and in which they are underrepresented. And this not to mention the significant leadership and wage gap that women are exposed to. This male-dominated culture, coupled with consumerism, also objectifies the female body, often limiting women to sex objects for the pleasure of men. This is reinforced at all levels of society and by all cultural means, such as entertainment, fashion, advertisement, beauty pageants, etc. rendering the woman, in addition to being a victim, an accomplice in the gender biased culture, thus perpetuating the discriminatory stereotype. It is clear that sexual harassment will continue to prevail unless we cut the roots to the patriarchal system THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 7 new beginning. What I am reluctant to mention is that I am talking about my social life or lack thereof. I have to move on from trying to find that special someone. I have spent far too much time and energy trying to find that girl. By doing this I lost what it was I was seeking, ME! I tried to put all my energy into making myself that “Guy” who every girl wants and not being me. So a New Beginning is being me. I have to make that a priority above all else. A New Beginning? Maybe the word “NEW” is not correct. Should it be “A Positive Beginning”? New (Continued on page 11) in which power is primarily held by adult men. In such a system men hold the privileges and play the major roles in the social, legal, political, religious and economic leadership of the culture. This position allows them easily to both, institutionally and personally, subordinate, exploit and abuse women. Both men and women need to be helped and liberated from these limiting stereotypical societal dictations of which they are both victims and that make them abusers and abused. Our society needs to be ideologically equal, one in which everyone grows with the basic values of equal rights, equal opportunities, equal contributions. It needs to be egalitarian and respectful, and its basic approaches to family, work, education, health, politics, religion, not based on control and dominance but rather on sharing and inclusive participation. Eliminating male dominance will get rid of the male controlling and subordinating attitude that accompanies it. It will achieve a lot but, alone, will not suffice. Control and subservience can reestablish themselves in different ways in society, such as, for instance, in personal relationships, work environment, physical and financial dependence, etc. In such situations, there will often be someone powerful and in control who might take advantage of his/her position to subjugate and exploit the vulnerable other. This could again lead to sexual harassment, but also to all other kinds of abuse. For all harassments and abuses to disappear from our society, we need, therefore, to work hard at not only eliminating the prevalent male-dominated ideology, but also, and as importantly, at establishing everywhere a culture promoting equal relationships, away from dominant power and control. **The prayer Hail Mary incorporates two passages from Luke's Gospel: "Hail, the Lord is with thee," and "Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb," and one from John 1:14: "full of grace." The newer part listed in the text above was added by the church in the 16th century, around the time of the Council of Trent. --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS For Karthik Raghavan, Love Is the Way for Self-Realization, and Serving Others with Love Is Serving God B D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 orn in a Hindu family in the city of Chennai, South India, Karthik Raghavan grew up religious and from a very young age, participated in Hindu rituals, celebrating religious festivals and going regularly, at least once a week, to the temple, to chant, pray and meditate. "I was also vegetarian," he says. "It was the way to be and almost second nature. I never questioned it and just followed by example." Raghavan was also from the beginning, and throughout his life, guided by the moral duties of the Sanatana Dharma (or Eternal Duty), also called Hinduism, a code of ethics incumbent upon all Hindus, regardless of class, caste, or sect, and which, when closely followed, would allow one to reach enlightenment and liberation (moksha). In school and through a moral sciences class, Raghavan was taught virtues and was exposed to other religions, learning their creeds and their prayers. For college, he left his birth city and went North, to attend an engineering school near New Delhi. There he befriended many Sikh students, accompanied them often to their temple, and found commonality with their faith. Even though aware of social injustices all along, he had not been actively engaged until then. This was, however, bound to change. "While in college, our Indian prime minister was assassinated by her Sikh body guards, and full-scale SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer riots ensued targeting the Sikhs," he says. "I had to protect my friends and hide them from the mob; this could have been me." Raghavan also ran for the student government; and protested cheating on campus by a hunger strike and by working at changing the college rules. In 1987, at the age of 21, he enrolled at the University of Missouri, in Rolla, to pursue a Master's degree, then a PhD degree, in chemical engineering. This was his 1st exposure to the US, where he has been living since, save for a 4 years hiatus, back to India, to take over his father's firm. His 6 years in Rolla were mostly devoted to studying, but also punctuated by social services to the community, mainly during the holidays, gathering clothes and food for the homeless and the underserved; also providing help and guidance to newcomer students on campus. Late 1990's Raghavan moved to the Cincinnati/Dayton area for professional reasons and got married around the same time. His wife and her parents were followers in India of Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian guru and philanthropist who passed for being the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, himself an Indian spiritual master of the early 20th century, regarded by his devotees as the true guru, a saint and an incarnation of God. Introduced to the spiritual teachings of Sathya Sai Baba, Raghavan was What is the HINDUISM Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions; its sacred writings date as far back as 1400 to 1500 B.C. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods. Hindus have a wide variety of core beliefs and exist in many different sects. Although the third largest religion in the world, with over 1 billion followers, Hinduism exists primarily in India and Nepal. The main texts of Hinduism include the Vedas which contain hymns, incantations, philosophies, rituals, poems, and stories from which Hindus base their beliefs. Even though Hinduism is considered polytheistic, it has one “god” that is supreme—Brahman, believed to inhabit every portion of reality and existence throughout the entire universe. Brahman is both impersonal and unknowable and exists in three separate forms: Brahma—Creator; Vishnu— Preserver; and Shiva—Destroyer. There are many schools of Hinduism and "Hindus" are very diverse. To be Hindu one has to recognize the Vedas as sacred. The Vedas are “theo-mythology” books deeply rooted in India's history and culture and a Hindu has to embrace to some extent the Indian culture. Because Brahman is everything, Hinduism asserts that everyone is divine. The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahman, referred to as "moksha". Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated. quickly taken by their wisdom, their focus on love and on self-realization, and saw them as complementing his Hindu faith; he quickly became one of his fervent followers. "Sathya Sai Baba wants each of us to recognize the divinity inherent in us," says Raghavan, "to emphasize and experience the One in all we do or speak, and this principally through Love. He said: 'Love All; Serve All. There is only one caste, the caste of Karthik Raghavan humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one language, the language of the heart.'" In fact, in his teachings, Sathya Sai Baba always stressed the unimportance of a differing religion, sect, status or color, the main goal being to help each individual be the best he could be, in harmony with God. "Following Sathya Sai Baba actually helps me be a better Hindu," says Raghavan. "He gives me rules of conduct to live well my life; he guides me; he gives me the tool." In Mason, north of Cincinnati, where he and his family currently live, Raghavan joined the Sathya Sai Baba Center (SSBC) of CincinnatiDayton located there and recently became its president. All like Sathya Sai Baba who through his life stressed devotion through prayers; education through his teachings, writings and the many schools he founded; and service through the many free hospitals he started and the programs of free water distribution he established; the SSBC has also created 3 wings along the same lines. Raghavan in his position of president oversees them and helps coordinating them, and also as a member participates actively in each of them. At SSBC Devotion is achieved every Sunday by unison group singing and chanting in many languages and of prayers of many religions (bhajans), also by individual prayer and meditation. Education which focuses on values is achieved by different means. Classes are offered every Sunday of the school year to kids of different grades. They emphasize Credit: Saad Ghosn the universal human values of Truth (Sathya); Righteousness (Dharma); Peace (Shanthi); Love (Prema) and Nonviolence (Ahimsa), essential for leading moral lives. They are taught by parents who would have undergone themselves specific training for that matter. Study Circles also occur every Sunday during which spiritual writings and topics are discussed by a group of adults who will also examine their effective application to their daily life. "We are now discussing the topic of mindfulness," says Raghavan, "also finding ways on how to practice it in our lives. We will evaluate ourselves and our efforts afterwards." Speakers and lecturers are also frequently invited to come to SSBC to instruct and enlighten the community on various topics pertaining to spirituality and religion. The Services to the community that Raghavan facilitates and in which he and his family participate are numerous. They include: providing food, cooking and serving dinner and lunch several times a month at 3 shelters in both Cincinnati and Dayton (the David & Rebecca Barron (Continued on page 12) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 1 PHOTO ESSAY Homeless Coalition Annual Dinner December 13, 2017 The Syndacate, Newport, Kentucky | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 9 Mona Jenkins, Director of Development welcomes guests to annual dinner. Bill Woods shows off his Distributor of the year Jacket. Bill Woods speaks about the legacy of buddy gray after accepting buddy gray Lifetime Achievement Award. Daulton King presents James Brown with Distributor of the Year Award Kimetta Carter, and Alms Apartments Residents Association, shares their community story and presents Legal Aid Society with Julie Martin Service Provider of the Year Award THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �LOCAL Why is Cancer Mortality So High in Cincinnati? Part Three: Physicians are Ill Prepared No. 37 1 | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 1. Introduction: The first two parts of these essays made two major points: First, cancer mortality is most serious in the neighborhoods that have minorities and, secondly, that hospitals have stood by doing nothing to change this epidemic even though funds are pouring into hospitals from federal, state, local and private sources. In this essay we explore the role of physicians in treating cancer patients that are poor, minorities, and un- or underinsured. It is my assumption that cancer mortality and life expectancy are linked to physician incompetence to work with patients in compassionate ways. I am not suggesting that all physicians fit into this category; rather, that a critical mass of physicians contribute to maintaining the high death rates and lower life expectancies. 2. Facing the Minority Patient: Physicians have little experience with poor people who are either healthy or sick. Sadly, this lack of experience is too often translated into the loss of life. Here is the reality of the chasm: "Three times as many African Americans were diagnosed with diabetes in 1993 as in 1963. This rate is nearly twice that of white Americans and is sorely underestimated: The real black diabetes rate is probably double that of whites. As with most chronic diseases, African Americans suffer more complication, including limb loss, blindness, kind eyes disease, and terminal heart disease. Cancer, the nation's second greatest killer, is diagnosed later in blacks and carries off proportionately more African Americans than whites. African Americans suffer the nation's highest rate of cancer and cancer deaths."(Washington, p. 3.) These statistics also exist in Cincinnati, the minority cancer capital of Ohio. (CDC) Where is the response of the Cincinnati medical profession to these dramatic losses in the minority community? Where is the hospital outreach to neighborhoods where the deaths are greatest? The deafness of the medical community to the individual and family's plight means that the whole quality of BOBBY MORRIS (Continued from page 7) makes me think what I plan to do this upcoming year is something new. NO! It’s a continuation of the past year but with more positive results (hopefully) and positive growth. I don’t know, I just know that it will be better and having that positive feeling going into the New Year is worth the effort it’s going to take to do what it is I want to do. A Positive Beginning? So as I end 11 STEVE SUNDERLAND Contributing Writer life of minorities is under constant threat from untreated or medical attention that is too late. What this means is that there is a growing number of unnecessary deaths: "In one generation, between 1940 and 1999, more than four million African Americans died prematurely relative to whites."(Roberts, p. 81.) Those who have survived are suffering from the reality that the health care community has chosen to avoid this public health crisis. 3. The Underlying Cause of Physician Incompetence: Bias, intended or unintended, toward African Americans. Many reasons may contribute to the health gap for physicians when it comes to minorities. The most generous interpretation is provided by a distinguished, former chair of orthopedics at Harvard Medical School: He notes: "Orthopedics, cardiology, oncology, gynecology, psychiatry...almost every specialty has its own grim history of disparate care. Unequal treatment is, in its way, the last frontier of racist prejudice, all the more fascinating because so much of it is a result of biases that function below the level of consciousness, that affect even doctors who have no intention of being anything other than compassionate, egalitarian caregivers." (White, p. 3.) Yet, coming face to face with minorities needing health care means facing the realities of the obstacles to productive, clear, and compassionate discussion. In our work in the Cancer Justice Network, we have been watching how a physician can reverse the expectations of clients when discussing chronic disease. Most of the low-income people we meet with on a regular basis have rarely had a long conversation with a physician. Our physician sits at a dinner table in a church, or community center, and listens and listens to the questions about health and the fears about health that a person carries with them. Our physician is a frequent visitor to these churches, to their dinners, and to health fairs. The low income or homeless person, over time, develops a trust, a feeling that the doctor is taking their fears, histories, and signals of disease seriously. Usually a navigator accompanies the physician and, if necessary, the navigator will accompany the person, at a later date to a health center or to a hospital. In one evening, of about two hours, the doctor and the navigator can meet and discuss with a dozen or more people with the result that many questions are answered, people can relax and know that they can be listened to, and that, if needed, more medical attention can be almost immediately reached. In another setting, first year medical students have a chance to interact with this same population at a weekly clinic. Prior to meeting people, the student expresses their anxiety about what will happen when they interact and try to take a person's blood pressure or blood/ sugar reading. The expectations of conflict, of fearing the questions, and reality that people will expect respectful and compassionate care, all build up in our discussions. Yet, the interactions are usually very pleasant as people who have come to the clinic seem to be looking forward to having a period of real time with a health care staff member. In the review that follows a morning of interactions, it is not surprising to hear how dramatically the student's attitudes have changed. Instead of "those people" we are now hearing about "Joe," or "Mary" and what their reaction was to having their blood pressure taken. The conversation reveals that the unconscious fears and biases about poor people can be examined and replaced by a caring and realistic perspective. 4. Changing Segregated Medical, Nursing, and Pharmacy Schools and Their Course of Study: Little will be expected to change if there is no change in the education of the healthcare provider. The lack of diversity in these schools reinforces the unconscious bias that only a few are capable of being health care providers. As one historian of medicine has put it: "...illness is highly segregated in this society, as are those who treat it." (Rothman, this 1st article for the New Year, I will say thank you to everyone who has been there for me. Especially those that believe in me. I needed all of the support you guys have given me to do what I do. Thank you so much and to those who read this and find themselves relating to it or not, thank you. This world we live in is for us all and it takes all of us to make it a better place. A New Beginning? YES! It is New and Positive. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED p. 5.) There is now a greater distance between healthcare providers and patients, especially those with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The knowledge of the sector of the community in greatest need of both health care and supplemental services is a kind of combined knowledge that is unknown to the students. Human relations, better and compassionate communication, awareness of medical practices that serve as obstacles (the procedures to gain access to a physician, a hospital, a screening, financial aid), skill in assisting with other life threatening problems (drugs, housing, jobs, transportation), and an recognition growing out of a study of racism in the health systems (admissions, ties to slavery, black medical schools), all would contribute to a different theory and practice of health care. Who can teach these areas of knowledge? What kind of continuing education is necessary? How will healthcare individuals and institutions be held accountable for changing their behaviors? Not facing these questions only postpones true justice in health care. A hurricane has descended on a very large population. Much has been long lost; yet, some people have been survivors, salvaging what they can of their families and communities. Health care and so much more is needed to rebuild the foundations of communities. A new partnership based on reconstruction of the soul of health care is needed just as the communities need a redevelopment of their neighborhoods. The wreckage is clear. What remains is whether or not healthcare will step up. To be continued. References: D. Roberts (2011). Fatal interventions: How science, policy,and big business recreate race in the 21st century. The New Press. D. Rothman (1991). Stranger at the bedside. Basicbooks. H. Washington (2008). Medical apartheid. Anchor. A. White (2011). Seeing patients: Unconscious bias in healthcare. Harvard Press. ------------------------------------------- �12 LOCAL Street Life Our Reality ‘L D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 RICARDO TAYLOR ife can often reflect, like images in a mirror, but never reflect like scenes of a mirage.’ For those of us who are invested in the life of the streets there are never moments of mirage; (times when we thought/believed) those instances where we saw or imagined relief from our self-imposed plight in life. It is always the same; that reflective appearance, like our reflect ion in a mirror. Our reality, existing, momentarily in hopes and dreams of a presupposition of what life is supposed to be only having to return to the reality of our true existence! JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 5) them sitting on the sidewalks. A half dozen years ago, the city passed a law against people sitting on the SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) Center for Men, formerly Drop Inn Center; the Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women; the St Vincent de Paul Gateway Shelter for Women & Families); participating in medical camps and health centers in the area, providing medical manpower, and helping in any task needed; singing, playing music and reading stories to Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer How easy is it to see that relief from the immediate sufferings which we often find ourselves with promises of tomorrow? “Well I know that Friday is payday, so I can spend what I have and then take care of my bills on Friday!” Only to find that when Friday comes my bills have doubled! So, often we find that our intent is not so much a reflective ion of our ability or our being, but better stated a mirage of our desires. Our experiences tell us that the reality we perceive is unreal, yet we continue to commit ourselves to acts which we know are non-beneficial towards our welfare or well-being. A mirage! Our image suffers the reflective ion of ourselves, and we hardly see ourselves in reflective ion and instead see ourselves in an arena of who we’d want or try to be! The self becomes lost in a sort of fantasy, losing the way we view the world, and of course our true selfimage. We often start to lose hope, that most fundamental grasp of sanity! We become that mirage of self, and we know from experience, that when hope dies; we prey instead of pray and our lives spin out of control! That oh, so, miserable feeling of self-image becomes the mirage sidewalks. Difficult to enforce, as well as be-smudging the image of SF as diverse and welcoming. Obviously, if the law still exists, no one heeds or enforces it. Please forgive this rather glamorous glimpse of homelessness in San Francisco. If you want a seamier depiction, look up my previous article. I'm recalling the feeling that the amazing Otis Redding captured in his #1 song, “The Doc of the Bay” (1967). Could Otis himself have been homeless at the time he wrote this iconic tune? Whatever. Clearly, the character, sitting there on the doc by the Bay was simply “chillin'” in one of the world's most beautiful cities. You could do worse. the elderly residents of Mason Health Center. Raghavan and members of the Center also lend their hand to Christmas in April, a program similar to the one Habitat for Humanity organizes. They help fixing houses, painting, cleaning, doing yard and landscape work. To strengthen interfaith exchange, collaboration, and to promote unity in diversity, SSBC also celebrates the holidays of the various religions (Christmas, Ramadan, Hannukah,...) by special gatherings and events. Raghavan would like to have a Walk for Values started in Cincinnati. He would see it as a culmination of many other widespread activities throughout the year, focused on moral values, peace and justice. Spirituality is an important part of Raghavan's daily routine. He always aspires to be mindful of his thoughts, words and deeds so that they are in sync with each other. His goal is to self-realize himself and serve his community. For him religion implies that: eternal duty to himself, to his family and to society. "By serving others, I am serving God," he says. "Love is responsible for everything. It is the only way to self-realize oneself and the God who is in each of us." “Breakdown Stereotypes” Ricardo Taylor of our longings in such that we find ourselves in the mirage of whom we’d like to be; allowing our reality to become the stage of that thin line between reality and the wishes we have for our well-being. ‘That no man’s world where only hopes and dreams exist; Our Reality. --------------------------------------- “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. We would like to send a huge thank you to all of the supporters that made the annual dinner possible. But, we would especially like to thank Christ Church Cathedral for their gold level sponsorhip and St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church for their bronze level sponsorship. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 1 | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 LIVING BY GOODNESS 13 STREET VOICE Each day God gives us life THE REAL FACTS PILE UP There seems to be some confusion When Trump declares no collusion. How merciful our creator He gives us a wonderful start To live life with breath First Manaforte and now it's Flynn Were exposed to have a Russian-in. Mueller's dogged fact collection Leads us to a Kremlin connection. In our lungs and a beating heart BILL WOODS Living by goodness and by grace Contributing Writer HOOLIEO Thank you God for another day I ain’t Hoolieo I heard somebody say Living by goodness makes one feel good I ain’t out here conning and tricking people And thankful for Gods good grace for a raise in pay I’m trying to give others respect as I want for myself KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer I’m trying to keep my lively hood open to the hand I’ve been dealt I aint Hoolieo I heaard another person say I ain’t making up fairy tales trying to get sympathy for money today I’m trying to be honest to people I meet along the street I’m trying to receive God’s blessing with each heart beat I ain’t Hoolieo I finally shouted very clear out loud I rebuke thee Hoolie and vanish thee from my mind up to the clouds So if things are not going your way and you feel a Hoolieo attack coming on A urge to con, trick or lie to people for pay, just kick Hoolieo to the curb and curse the day he was born!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 140 Across Down 1. Complementary ticket 1. Moue 5. Unit of weight for precious 2. Motor vehicle stones 3. Ignore 10. Health resort 4. Abrasion 13. Snow leopard 5. Religious song 15. Mindful 6. Veneration 16. Distant but within sight 7. Operated 17. Reversal of direction 8. Suitable for cultivation 18. Relating to the kidneys 9. Cogent 19. Horse-drawn vehicle 10. Sweet, sticky liquid 20. Nicotiana tabacum 11. Sang-froid 22. Top worn by women 12. A strong emotion 24. A tame parrot 14. Extra or repeated 25. Item of footwear performance 26. Particular environment 21. A fastener or walk of life 23. Eye 29. Portable shelter 25. Take without the 30. Beer owner's consent 31. Bird of prey 26. Heroic tale 34. Band that holds a saddle 27. Useful or valuable quality in place 28. Assist 38. Seabird 32. Juicy fruit 40. Delicacy 33. Allow 42. Remedy 35. Corrode 43. Savory jelly 36. Large woody plant 45. Book of maps 37. Perceive via the 47. Division of an ocean auditory sense 48. Part of a boot or shoe 39. Internal organ 50. Annoy persistently 41. Large, mainly nocturnal 52. Clique ungulate 55. Plant tissue 44. Leaves used in 56. A kind of heavy jacket soups and stews 57. Skilled worker 46. Small sofa 61. Uncooked 49. Gilbert and Sullivan 62. Wheeled vehicle opera, The ___ 65. Call forth 51. Tremble 66. Compete 52. Engrave 67. Worship 53. Live broadcast sign 68. Suggestive of the 54. Tall structure supernatural 55. A list of jurors 69. Wander off course 58. Painful 70. Warble 59. Similar 71. Rive 60. Requirement D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 270 - MEDIUM 63. Deity 64. Metal-bearing mineral PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 369 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 139 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 269- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 1 RESOURCES | D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 D e c 15 - D e c 2 8 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 1 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 15-December 28, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Homeless in SF Pg 3: Looking Back at 2017 Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Forum Focuses on the Local Responses to Trump’s Immigration Policies Pg 6: “#MeToo”,”#UsToo” Pg 7: A New Beginning? Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Why is Cancer Mortality so High in Cincinnati? Pg 12: Street Life Our Reality Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource December 15-December 28, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Jim Luken Dr. Mark Mussman Bill Woods Saad Ghosn Steve Sunderland Ricardo Taylor Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Laura Domet Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Bill Woods Cancer Cincinnati Donald Trump Dr. Mark Mussman GCHC immigration Jim Luken Josh Spring Kim Green Laura Domet Me Too Photography Religion Ricardo Taylor Saad Ghosn San Francisco Steve Sunderland Street Life Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/8a8d168223fed127400010d82c7acfbd.pdf a55472e7956094a944bec8b00c836c38 PDF Text Text December 1st - December 14th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 51 (No. 370) advocating justice | building community As Options Dwindle For Children: Coalition Members Create Opportunity | 5 This Issue is sponsored by (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Remembering Bobbie Sterne | 2 Earthquake Risk Keeps Heat on Vulnerable Nuclear Reactors | 11 Religious Peacemakers: Jennifer Morris | 8 Five Easy Places To Ride the Bus in Cincinnati | 9 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: Free-Market Means Profit At Any Cost JOSH SPRING P eople are being forced from their homes and affordable housing is being lost at an increasing rate in Cincinnati. We are being sought after by people being told they have to leave their homes due to the conversion of their homes to expensive housing at such a rate that it can be hard to even keep up with the list. We are learning of threats to households’ affordable housing and the quantity of affordable housing overall at a rapid pace. Already we are involved in organizing with: Tenants at seven properties with 750 homes owned by the out of town slumlord Puretz family, Tenants at the 100 apartment Parkway Tower, six households in townhomes in Walnut Hills, the Jurisdiction Resident Advisory Board (JRAB) in organizing with Tenants at properties totaling more than 600 homes and growing. These numbers will likely increase by hundreds over the next several months. The market is doing what the market does; making profit at any cost. Generally, the market and its developers don’t care if that profit comes at the cost of forcing people from their homes, increasing the already increasing numbers of people without homes, breaking up communities, making it more difficult for children to learn because of the regular uncertainty of housing, decreasing the health and life-span of B Executive Director people because of homelessness, etc. Companies can and are buying buildings and telling people they must leave because they are converting it to condos. Companies are increasing rents to the point that current Tenants cannot afford them. Companies are removing neighborhood-serving businesses and placing touristy, expensive restaurants, bars and breweries in their stead. Companies are renovating homes into expensive housing, thus increasing the market value of the property and getting an abatement on that value increase from the city for ten to fifteen years, while their neighbors’ property taxes increase to the point that they can no longer afford their homes. Our county has the tenth largest number of evictions annually in the entire country. And of course, the number of people in shelter, seeking shelter and living outside is increasing. There are plenty of people who say they think capitalism is the best economic system and the free-market is a part of freedom. Capitalism and the free-market work to keep us in bondage to a profit. In the freemarket people are not people, people are a means to a profit; whether that be the people purchasing the product, the people making the product receiving a low wage or the people displaced in order to make the product and thus the profit. People say that competition in the free-market benefits the “consumer”. Take note of words like “consumer” instead of people. Competition in general can be good, except in the capitalist free-market the competition is about making the company profit not about better service to people. We are taught that if two companies make and sell the same product and one of the companies sells an inferior version of that product, “consumers” will choose to purchase the superior product and the company cutting corners will improve the quality of its product or go out of business. Even in this flawed explanation, providing quality for people is not the motivation, getting people to pay the company and as a result render a profit is the motive. But the primary reality is even worse. Do you really (Continued on page 5) REMEMBERING BOBBIE STERNE obbie Sterne died the day before Thanksgiving. The first woman to be elected Mayor by Cincinnati's voters, her long Council career was distinguished by her leadership in support of progressive and reform policies. She must now be included in that small group of Charterite good government icons like Murrray Seasongood, Charles P. Taft, and Theodore M. Berry. I first met Bobbie Sterne in the summer of 1963. Fresh out of college, I had through a bit of luck landed a job with the Charter Committee writing press releases for several of its minor candidates. She was doing volunteer work in the Charter office, and I remember enjoying a number of conversations with her. Already very knowledgable about city issues, she was focused on electing Dorothy Dolbey and Theodore Berry to join BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Bobbie Sterne Credit: Google Images Charles Taft, the only Charterite then on Council. Eight years later, she won a Council seat, and except for a few years off, she served on this body until 1998. Sterne soon became a D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE recognized leader on Council, and in 1976, her Charter and Democratic Council colleagues elected her Mayor. At that time, the Mayor chaired City Council, and the members selected their chairperson. I caught up with Bobbie Sterne's career when I returned to Cincinnati in 1977 after teaching at Wilmington College. Once again, the Charter Committee put me to work developing issues and cultivating press coverage for Councilman Tom Brush, Charlie Taft's replacement who was seeking to win the seat on his own. Bobbie Sterne's City Hall office was next door to Brush's, and the Councilwoman and her staff served as invaluable mentors to our operation. Sterne was already known for initiating policies to establish health care clinics and services for low income residents, (Continued on page 12) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Jason Haap, Steve Sunderland, Saad Ghosn, Harvey Wasserman, Andy Shenk, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, The Jubilee Campaign, Saad Ghosn, Metro.com, Harvey Wasserman --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 37 0 A LOCAL As Options Dwindle for Children: Coalition Members Create Opportunity | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 3 DR. MARK MUSSMAN few years back, I was told that the Emmanuel Community Center closed because “there weren’t enough kids in the neighborhood anymore” to sustain the programming. Almost 20 years ago, I volunteered there and helped to infuse what I was learning through the Peace Education program at the University of Cincinnati into the activities. I was also assisting in an afterschool program at Vine Street Elementary where we focused on art that addressed community and individual trauma. It was both refreshing and difficult to work with Antronette Black FLOTR Program Director Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman children – refreshing to take in their energy and difficult, soul crushing to see their pain. Today, there are only a handful of programs that focus on children in Over-the-Rhine. Peaslee’s Agents of Change, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing’s Children’s Creative Corner, Our Daily Bread’s afterschool program, Imani Center’s programs, and Future Leaders of Over-theRhine are all programs hosted by Homeless Coalition Member Organizations. We are lucky to have such programs in our community, but often the work they do is overlooked and minimized because of sexism, racism, and constraints related to poverty. Recently, I was fortunate to sit down and have a conversation with Antronette Black, the program director of Future Leaders of Overthe-Rhine to learn more about their program. Future Leaders of Over-theRhine is currently hosted at First Lutheran Church, on Washington Park. As First Lutheran goes through a huge renovation project, the days are numbered for Future Leaders Staff Writer at their current location. The need for accessibility of the old church will cause the small building where Future Leaders has been for the past few years to be retrofitted for accessibility options, like an elevator and ramp. Future Leaders is seeking a new home, please contact Antronette ASAP if you have any leads. The Homeless Coalition began working with Future Leaders a couple years back after one of the participants witnessed someone destroying an encampment under a bridge in Walnut Hills. The Future Leader spoke about the incident and desired to learn more about homelessness, so we got involved by doing much of our programming (Speaker, Tour, Streetvibes Shadow) and then some. We spent a wintery Saturday in a Lock-In where we focused on activities to put things in perspective – whether it be economics, social services, or simply empathy. The students became the teachers at some point, and began to share their stories and their knowledge. You should never underestimate the power of young people to make a difference. It was good to sit down with Antronette and learn more about her and the programming they are currently planning for the end of this year and next. Antronette has an affable smile and sense of confidence that is needed when working with youth. From what I’ve observed through her time with Future Leaders, she is a strong advocate for the youth participants and she sincerely desires the best for them. In 2016, Antronette graduated from Xavier University with a BA in Sociology and a double minor in Psychology and Political Science. She’s worked with children at the U.S. Bank Boys and Girls Club in Avondale, served as a Site Teacher to an after-school program in Mt. Healthy, and, in addition to her work in Over-theRhine, she is also currently a Site Director for an after-school program in Sycamore for 5th and 6th graders Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (Future Leaders meets Tues, Thurs, and some Saturdays). Her passion for our youth is contagious as she talks about how they have helped her see Cincinnati as her home (she is originally from Cleveland. We are lucky to have her in Cincinnati.) What makes Future Leaders somewhat different from other programs, is that it encourages students to learn more about financial literacy by providing them with a stipend to attend the programming. Some of their stipend is put in savings and will be available to them as book money when they graduate the program and start an educational program after high school. Antronette believes in bringing people to the group from diverse backgrounds, including professional backgrounds, because “our students come from many diverse backgrounds and living Financial literacy is not the only area that Future Leaders focuses on. Antronette explains that she looks “to build our young leaders through our rich curriculum which includes: leadership in Ryan Messer, FLOTR founder and CPS School Board elect, stands with Future Leaders Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman situations – to be such a young age, these young leaders have experienced a lot in their life.” She believes this is what fuels them to want to take advantage of the program. “It provides an outlet of positivity, a safe haven, and a place where they can just be themselves. That’s the beauty in Future Leaders we are a program who believes in molding the leaders of tomorrow, but we meet them where they’re at, and allow them to express themselves and feel comfortable doing so.” their personal and professional development, financial insight, college/career readiness, health and wellness, and community engagement, including environmental and community health.” Just over the past few months, they have been engaged in community cleanups, recycling programs, health programs, entrepreneurship, college readiness, and community activism. They have had many speakers and taken field (Continued on page 9) FLOTR attends mural dedication THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 �No. 37 0 LOCAL Transformation | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 5 s a pastor, I spend time learning ancient Greek. Which, can be fun. Greek and Hebrew words…as with lots of ancient languages, have multiple meanings. The Greek word for transformation is “metanoia”, it’s a great word which means a shift in thinking, a paradigm shift, a change of an inward reality. You find it throughout scripture in the Christian Bible. It seems as if the writers are trying to point us towards an evolutionary shift in our being. A movement towards growth, empathy, maturity. It’s also a word that is translated in many different languages and is something that is shared with most religions and philosophies. We live in a world that often says it wants transformation, but it settles for “transaction”. In other words, I’ll do this if you do that. I must give something to receive something in return. It reduces us to thinking that we can somehow achieve something if we can just accumulate more or get to the proverbial “top”. We become consumers or commodities ourselves and run the risk of losing our humanity. Yet, there is a movement towards a different way of being. We still must live in a transactional world, and not all transactions are bad, but what if we could move towards a conference exploring how change happens within our movements and institutions. The analogy that one of the facilitators used was of the need for “adaptive change leadership”. Often, we feel like when we have challenges put before us in the church, or in any organization or institution, that we can fix our issues that need fixing by own personal lives. If we just “work harder” or “smarter” (terms I’ve personally used!), we can “right the ship”. However, that’s not what our organizations, or we, need today. Working harder and smarter does not always produce movement or change. We do not simply have a broken foot, we must ask if we have transformational way of thinking? In order to establish a new way of thinking, we must be willing to take risks, ask hard questions of ourselves and others, and then work together towards deeper relationships and authentic community that can lead us towards healing and growth. A few years ago, I attended a simply making technical changes. For instance, if we break our leg, we can put it in a cast, take care of it, stay off it, and rehab it. If we do steps A through B, then our foot will probably come back stronger than before. That’s also the mentality in organizations when faced with a changing culture or challenging issues, as well as our lost our foot completely. We need to adapt and have “adaptive change leadership” and learn what it means to “re-function” in a new way of being. When I think of adaptive leadership that is transformational, I think of Robert and Erin Lockridge in Norwood. They were featured on PBS a while back for their work in a neighborhood in Norwood. They saw the need for healthy food and access to it. So, they started a restaurant that’s only open on Fridays, they make gourmet pizzas and pies from ingredients that they grow within the neighborhood. They show amazing hospitality and foster a genuine community atmosphere. All are welcome. They also don’t have a set price on any of their amazing food. It’s pay what you can or think it’s worth. They are sustaining themselves while also working towards transformational relationships and have adapted within their community in a new way. The transaction for good food, hospitality, and community? It’s what you can bring to the table. As you do that, you may find yourself in an atmosphere that can lead to deeper awareness of others and possible transformation within you and others. I like being around them. I also like being around organizations like the Parish Collective, Oasis, Economics of Compassion, and so many others that are doing and being the work of building relationships that are transformational, and highlighting others that are doing the same and connecting them. Places where trust is given and tested. People that believe in one another and work towards the betterment of communities. When we look around us, we know that the neighborhoods, the city, country, and world are in the midst of some major changes. Oftentimes those changes can be divisive and destructive. But, we can work towards transformation. It is our task to have our eyes and ears opened to a deeper reality at work within us and within others, and allow the shift to happen within us as we do the work that leads to freedom. If we are willing to take risks, to ask questions, to get involved in things and with people and organizations that are good, we can begin the task of working together towards a better way of being and experiencing the abundance that life can offer. Rev. Rich Jones, Economics of Compassion Board Member, Oasis Cincinnati, The Parish Collective, “Free Range” Pastor, PCUSA products we purchase. This also applies to housing. Think about it. A company comes into a neighborhood or onto a street that over the years people who didn’t live there said wasn’t desirable. The company purchases a property that needs some improvement, but generally functions because people have lived there or it is close to what is currently considered a “desirable” area. The company purchases said property for a relatively low cost and then hangs notices that everyone living there must leave. This can be scary for the folks living there, so some folks leave soon after the notice, costing the company only the price of the paper. Some Residents stay longer and the new owner files eviction and a couple more Residents leave before the hearing to avoid an eviction on their record. This again costs the owner virtually nothing. A few Residents stay through the eviction hearing and the owner pays an attorney a relatively small amount to push the eviction through the landlordfriendly court system. The company then either does minor repairs and puts in new modern looking finishes and appliances or guts everything and puts up cheap but nice-looking walls and finishes and then charges a rent that is three to five times higher than the previous rents or charges hundreds of thousands of dollars for the units as condos. People move in to what they see as a pretty building with modern finishes and nice appliances. They are told this used to be an unsafe and undesirable location, but we are bringing new life to this area and you are a part of something special by moving here. You are revitalizing. See that is a product that cost the company relatively little, provided a quick turnover with relatively cheap improvements, a fake marketing story and a quick sale at a significant profit. It was cheap and highly profitable to the company and extremely costly to the displaced household. That is freemarket. This, however, is not the end of the story. We will work with People to, yes, fight back, but to make systematic changes such that profit at the cost of Peoples’ housing is no longer allowed. A JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2 believe that most companies are trying to provide people with quality services because it is the right thing to do? Certainly not. Do you believe that in order to get a profit companies are working to provide people with increasing quality? Primarily companies are trying to cut their own costs through paying poverty wages whether directly or through other companies they contract, purchasing parts cheaply and providing an end product that people think is good, but really doesn’t have the quality it pretends to have. It is about the façade to get profit. This applies to small and large REV. RICH JONES Contributing Writer Rev. Rich Jones THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL Homeless Coalition Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony Wednesday, December 13th Doors Open: 5:30 pm Newport Syndicate 18 East 5th Street Newport, KY Tickets available at: Cincihomeless.org D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 Each year, the Homeless Coalition celebrates the accomplishments of its members, the community, and the supporters at ourAnnual Dinner and Award Ceremony. This has long been an opportunity for organizations to come together and to share in the success of another year working alongside those experiencing homelessness. Come celebrate with hundreds of individuals working towards this common goal. Help us recognize individuals who will be receiving awards for their hard work that evening, raise money for operating funds to help sustain our mission, and dance and celebrate another year of hard work! Join us on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 for a night of dinner, awards, dancing, and a silent auction. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 0 LOCAL Challenging our own views? 7 | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 JASON HAAP I think we all know our output is related to our input. If we feed ourselves nothing but ice cream and Twinkies (did you know there is Twinkie flavored ice cream?!), we should not be surprised to find ourselves overweight with cavities. If we eat nothing but beans and cabbage, we'll create a seemingly endless supply of methane. Imagine three people - one reads Shakespeare all day, one reads contemporary scientific non-fiction, and one watches nothing but trashy reality television on basic cable. The latter is likely to have a more limited vocabulary and a penchant for starting arguments over nothing. I think all of these examples are obvious and palatable. About 10 years ago, when I met my friend Andrew Warner, he was a college student running for Cincinnati City Council, endorsed by the Green Party. After graduating college with a journalism degree, he was a high school English teacher, a street magician traveling across country, Contributing Writer an employee at an Apple store, at a cell phone store, and currently he owns his own dog training business in Indianapolis. More than anyone I know, Andrew reinvents himself every few years. About a year or so ago, I learned he had become a Catholic and a Republican. For the last year, we've talked about politics and current events extensively with one another. We found in each other, I think, a kindred spirit interested in political dialogue that had more to it than me calling him a Nazi. A couple weeks ago, though, Andrew grew weary of our culture's contemporary political climate. So, he took some "radical" moves: he traded in his smart phone for a flip phone, to prevent himself from overusing social media, and he decided to stop consuming news from any conservative media outlets. He did, however, continue to go to church. We spoke about his experience recently. He shared how he can feel his attitude towards certain topics shifting as a result of his changed media diet. For example, the previous Andrew might go to church, and hear, for less than an hour weekly, about how Christ-like it is to care for people like refugees. But when he got home and re-entered his conservative echo-chamber, tons of time listening to conservative arguments made it easier to "square the circle" of these competing ideologies. Without consuming media, however, he finds himself influenced only by his church. Now he thinks it incredibly important to care for the downtrodden, and he wonders why he was ever against refugees in the first place. That's when we had an idea: what if we purposefully dove into a media environment the opposite of what we believe for one month's time? How would it impact our view of the world? What if he spent all day on the Huffington Post and Daily Kos, avoiding the echo chamber of social media, and what if I spent a month doing the same only swapping Breitbart and Fox News for HuffPo and the Kos? This is where it gets tricky. We probably believe ourselves to be above this kind of influence. After all, our beliefs are sincerely held (otherwise we could not hold them). But at the top of this article, most of us probably had no problem equating Twinkies to obesity and bad teeth, or an over-reliance on low-quality television with a weakened intellect. Why shouldn't this be true for ourselves, too? As I type this, I am about to try the experiment - and I welcome others to join me! For one month, let's only read things like Breitbart and Fox News. Let's listen to Gavin McInnes. If we're feeling really adventurous, we could check out InfoWars! Will changing our media diet impact our mental health? How will that work? Will I become more empathetic? Will my views on any issues change? How will it impact me? I'm going to find out. If I'm able to pull this off, I'll update readers next month. In the meanwhile, I wonder if any will consider joining me in this experiment! Why is Cancer Mortality So High In Cincinnati? Part Two: The Hospitals are Bystanders 1. Introduction: In Part One of this series I outlined the current dire situation facing minorities with the potential for cancer. In sum, Cincinnati is the cancer capital of Ohio for minority mortality (1). I suggested that preventing these deaths could happen if there were hospital outreach programs that educated communities about the warning signs of cancer and if there were a widespread program of helpers, "Navigators," that could visit churches, community centers, and schools to both educate and to offer to accompany people to exams for cancer. Such a program has been demonstrated to be the largest cause of a reduction in mortality for cancer victims (2). Cincinnati has no hospital based program; the only program is the independent Cancer Justice Network (3). 2. What could the Cincinnati hospitals do to reduce cancer mortality among minorities, the aged, and people with disabilities? The key program that could reduce "useless deaths," deaths that could have been prevented (4), is an educational outreach program in the neighborhoods of Cincinnati that have the highest death rates. Both the Cincinnati Health Department and the Hamilton County Health Departments have published life expectancy averages for every section of the city and county (5). Their findings agree: certain city neighborhoods, usually those closest STEVE SUNDERLAND Contributing Writer to a hospital, have the lowest life expectancy BY 20 YEARS for the residents (6). Christ Hospital in Mt. Auburn, University Hospital and Children's Hospital in Avondale, and Good Sam in Clifton Heights have some of the lowest averages of life expectancy (7). These trends are not new but reveal a pattern of standing by while the neighborhood population continues to suffer and needlessly die. These hospitals refuse to acknowledge that their backs are turned against the neighborhoods their hospitals occupy. Hospitals that have cancer programs are aware of the work of Harold Freeman, MD, former president of the American Cancer Society and chief of surgery of Harlem Hospital in New York City. In 1985, Freeman started a patient navigator program explicitly aimed at reducing cancer deaths for minorities. He was so successful in bringing people to early screening and timely treatments that his program became a part of the national accrediting of every cancer program or hospital (8). Now, according to the American College of Surgeons, since 2016, every hospital that has a cancer program has to have a patient navigation program if it is to achieve full accreditation. This decision was made because research on many navigation programs has revealed similar findings to what Freeman found: early screenings lead to early treatments and this results in catching cancer earlier and being lots more successful in stopping cancer's spreading (9). The latest research on navigation continues to underscore the benefits of navigation for both patients and hospital programs: patients can more rapidly move to successful treatments and hospitals can realize massive financial rewards from more effective treatments (10). Moreover, innovative partnerships with African American churches and hospitals have had powerful results in Memphis and other cities. The use of navigators to connect congregations and hospitals results in a kind of cooperation that dramatically reduces mortality and increases patient and hospital relationships (11). 3. What could University Hospital's Barrett Center and Children's Hospital do to make a difference? Both University Hospital and Children's Hospital are recipients of $15 million dollars in the recently citizen approved Indigent Care Levy. Two key questions need to be asked: 1. How has the monies in the past made a difference to caring for low income people? 2. How will the new monies be used to assist low income people? Answers to these questions are hard to come by. The Hamilton County Commissioners asked a consulting firm, Health Management Associates, to review these questions and to make recommendations. The lengthy report combed records of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED both hospitals and was hard pressed to find concrete answers. The most surprising finding that was true of both hospitals was that neither hospital needed the Indigent Care Levy! Both hospitals, thanks to extensive fund raising, and the Affordable Care Act, have been banking millions of dollars while being unclear just how the monies were spent to reduce the suffering of low income people (12). Childrens Hospital, the report stated, has a reserve of 2 billion dollars and University Hospital has also greatly profited, although not at the same record level as Children's Hospital (13). Moreover, each hospital is required to provide a " community benefit" as part of its receiving federal funds. The report had difficulty in finding just how this money was allocated (14). The facts are that "(b)etween 2013 to 2015, Ohio experienced a 40% decrease in the number of uninsured residents. Over the same period Hamilton County's uninsured population was 47% lower... University of Cincinnati Medical Center experienced a 52% decrease in uncompensated care cost from 2013 to 2016, which is greater than the decrease in uninsured persons in the region. Children's Hospital Medical Center experienced a 40% decrease.... (15). Where did the money saved by these decreases in payment by the Levy go? There is no list of hospital based programs that (Continued on page 11) �RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS A Passionate Advocate of Women & Children's Rights, Jennifer Morris' Episcopalian Faith Informs her Life & her Actions 8 J D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 ennifer Morris' father always told her: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that you cannot do something because you're a girl." She grew up in a genderneutral family where both parents were equal and interchangeably tackled the needed domestic chores; she developed thus, and since childhood, a strong and committed sense for women and children's rights. When in 4th grade, she researched her elementary school library for books featuring women and was surprised to find only very few. Nevertheless, she read again and again the ones she discovered about Louisa May Alcott, the well-known American novelist and poet, author of Little Women and Little Men, also a feminist and an abolitionist; and about Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer and author, the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Morris savored their success and took pride in their achievement. Born and raised in Springfield, OH in a typical midwestern family, growing up, she and her family attended the local Baptist church. "It was more for the community it created and the social activities it offered than for its specific denominational teachings," she says. Later on, engaged to an Episcopal man, she researched the Episcopalian church and, attracted to its openness, its nonjudgmental prefaces, and its inclusiveness, converted to it. She has been since one of its committed and active members. "I currently attend the Episcopalian Ascencion and Holy Trinity church in Wyoming, OH and SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer am very involved in it," states Morris. "I serve on its Christian formation and ministry outreach commissions, work with its youth organization, and has functioned, until recently, as one of its Eucharistic ministers." Morris' awakening to community service and to social justice started at home. Her father, now 83, volunteered all his life in the community, serving on the Boy Scout board and the Senior Citizen forum; he still tutors children in the nearby elementary school. Her mother, an oncology nurse, smuggled, during the devastating AIDS epidemics, same sex partners of hospitalized patients to see their beloved ones, access to whom, otherwise, would have been denied. She was also politically active, always working the polls, getting very involved in the recent presidential election. Morris herself, following her parents' steps, always volunteered. In middle school, she donated her time to help younger kids; and in college, she was part of Amnesty International and participated in many of its human rights campaigns. She attended Miami University graduating with a Bachelor's degree in International Studies, and a Master and PhD degrees in History. Her specialty is modern Europe, modern India and Japan but most importantly gender and comparative women's history, and human rights and citizenship issues. At the Mount Saint Joseph University, a faith-based institution What is the Episcopal Church The word “Episcopal” refers to governance by bishops, who are to continue the work of the first apostles in the Church, guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the Church. The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion with 70 million members in 164 countries.   Episcopalians believe in the Holy Scriptures as the revealed word of God; in the Nicene Creed as the basic statement of belief about God; in the two sacraments given by Christ to the Church, namely the Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. The Episcopal Church follows the “via media” or middle way in its theology and discussions, because it believes that, whether or not we agree on a particular topic, we all are beloved by God and can have thoughtful and respectful discussions; and that everyone is welcome. Historically, bishops oversee the Church in particular geographic areas, known as dioceses. In the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury occupies a special position by virtue of history and tradition. The Episcopal Church celebrates diversity of people and worship styles, striving to live by the example of Jesus Christ, welcoming the stranger and the outcast, helping neighbors and offering love and forgiveness.  founded by the Catholic Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, where she is currently Professor of History, Morris teaches, among others, a semester-long senior seminar on women and children global human rights. She divides the course into 2 parts, addressing in the 1st one issues women and children face in general, such as education, health care, sexual safety, right to work, right to earn a wage... asking her Jennifer Morris students to research one specific topic that moves them and to write a detailed paper about it. And in the 2nd part she gets the students to put into action what they've learned and participate in a service project of their choice. Over the years her students have contributed to many projects including, collecting hygiene products (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo...) for Bethany House, a shelter that serves Cincinnati homeless and disadvantaged women and children; raising money to build a water well in Southern Sudan; researching the most meaningful candidate for a $3000 grant and awarding it to Wordplay Cincy, a non profit organization which mission is to help Cincinnati's youth fulfill their potential, by making connections through reading, writing and storytelling; raising money to allow a recreation center that had lost its federal funding for its summer program to continue providing the service to its neighborhood; setting up a blog for a nonprofit organization short on resourrces and time, thus providing it with a media presence and exposure. "Through my course I intend to open my students' eyes, educate them on important issues and provide them with opportunities," says Morris. "They learn and grow, and getting involved in something local triggers their interest to continue volunteering in their community," she adds. When asked what triggers her interest and passion for women and children's rights, Morris is quick to answer that it is not just because she is a woman. "Telling the story of women's Credit: Saad Ghosn lives is important by itself," she says. "There are injustices and inequalities that need to be addressed, and the specific narrative has, therefore, to be shared." Morris is currently writing a book about Priscilla Parker, a devout woman from New Richmond, OH who, with her Presbyterian minister husband James, started in 1839, in Clermont County, The Parker Academy. It was the 1st co-ed and racially integrated school for children in Ohio - and possibly in the nation and emerged from the Parkers' belief that education for all (regardless of gender, class, religion or race) was a calling from God. The Parkers were also vocal in combatting slavery and unequality and their views antagonized many of their compatriots', putting their lives often at risk. The Parker Academy operated until 1889, and its site is now being excavated, part of an ongoing archaeological project, initiated by Northern Kentucky University, with the hope to make it a historical place. "We need to keep alive the voices of these women who served as examples and enriched our (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 0 S 9 LOCAL Five Easy Places to Ride the Bus in Cincinnati | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 I get it. The bus doesn't always get the job done. But if you live close to downtown and don't use the bus at least occasionally, you may want to take a serious look at your transportation choices. You can go places on the bus in Cincy. Here are a few of my favorites. 1. Peebles' Corner in Walnut Hills Love Fireside and Video Archive, but don't wanna drive or pay for an Uber? The 4, 11, and 31 provide direct access to the corner once known as Cincinnati's second downtown. These days, bus drivers aren't getting paid in cigars to yell out Peebles' Corner, but $1.75 ice cream cones at Green Man Twist are a pretty sweet reward. 2. Ludlow Avenue in Clifton Like I said, my wife and I love riding the bus to Ludlow. The 17, 19, and 51 provide easy connections to downtown, Northside, and plenty of neighborhoods in between. Ludlow Avenue is packed with ANDY SHENK ince moving to Cincinnati, I've picked up on a couple of things: 1) People love to go out. 2) Lots of people complain about parking. I am totally on board with #1, but living without a car, I've never had to worry about #2. I can't imagine hunting for a spot in OTR or Clifton or paying to park in a garage. Riding the bus (or biking) everywhere, I totally forget what a headache cars can be when you're trying to have fun. One of my favorite Cincy dates is taking the 17 or 19 to see a movie at the Esquire after work. Nikki and I love catching up during the ride from downtown or Mt Auburn and when we arrive, it's literally 20 feet from the bus to the theater. DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) trips to various locations throughout the city. Antronette strives to give the participants the best experience possible. Each winter, Future Leader of Over-the-Rhine puts on a Holiday Home Tour in the neighborhood. This is their big fundraiser, so please consider joining them on December Contributing Writer Passengers board a Metro Bus (Continued on page 12) Credit: Metro.com 1st and 2nd. Tickets are available through their website or on Facebook (Future Leaders Over-the-Rhine). As we began to wrap our talk, she got excited about the future of Future Leaders: “The future is looking bright for our Future Leaders as our year winds down. We are all very excited for what is to come in the New Year. One of our goals next year is to find a new space for the youth to call their own by April 2018. Lastly, we are always looking to increase our numbers – we can never have too many youth! We meet every Tuesday and Thursday currently at 1212 Race Street, next to First Lutheran Church, from 4-7pm. All you have to do is walk through the door, try us out, and if you like it come back. We pride ourselves as a family here so no youth will ever be turned away!” --------------------------------------- FLOTR and Agents of Change at Peaslee work cooperatively Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Future Leaders with former program director T. Renae Banks on a field trip Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Participants learning about blood pressure screening Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Ms. Antronette with Youth Advocate Deanna Wilson and Future Leaders THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman �10 LOCAL D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 0 LOCAL Earthquake Risk Keeps Heat on Vulnerable Nuclear Reactors 11 | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 HARVEY WASSERMAN A proposal by a California administrative law judge has given safe energy advocates new hope that two Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors will be shut before an earthquake on the San Andreas fault turns them to rubble, potentially threatening millions of people. The huge reactors—California’s last—sit on a bluff above the Pacific, west of San Luis Obispo, among a dozen earthquake faults. They operate just 45 miles from the San Andreas. That’s half the distance from the fault that destroyed four reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011. Diablo’s wind-blown emissions could irradiate the Los Angeles megalopolis in less than six hours if an earthquake destroyed the plant. The death toll could be in the millions, the property damage in the trillions of dollars. The owner of the plant, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), would not be legally liable. Last year, a deal to shut down Diablo’s two reactors in 2024 and 2025 was struck by the state, PG&E, surrounding communities and some environmental groups. Diablo’s federal licenses expire in those years, and PG&E agreed not to seek renewals. The power, it said, could be replaced with wind turbines and solar panels. But the $1.7 billion in rate hikes stipulated in the deal still must be SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) history," says Morris. "Billy Jean King, for instance, the famous tennis champion and avid advocate for gender equality, triggered in the 70s a wide discussion about women's rights. I still remember it growing up, also the excitement around The Battle of the Sexes tennis match that she won against Bobby Riggs." In addition to her students, Morris serves as a role model to young girls. For the past two decades she has been a girl scout leader, encouraging assertiveness and independence in STEVE SUNDERLAND (Continued from page 7) target chronic and deadly diseases. Nor any mention of how the hospitals redirected the funds. Indeed, the Contributing Writer approved by California’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC). A proposed decision by administrative law Judge Peter Allen would limit them to less than $200 million. The PUC must now factor Allen’s decision into how much it allows PG&E to charge. If it honors Allen’s opinion, the company must then decide whether it will continue to operate the reactors, which increasingly look like money losers. The company’s standing is not exactly sterling. Massive fires that swept through Northern California in October killed at least 43 people, turning some 5,700 structures and whole forests, rural communities and parts of Santa Rosa into smoldering ash (the Trump administration has just omitted from its latest budget any federal aid to the region). The San Jose Mercury News has speculated that PG&E may have been responsible for the conflagration by failing to maintain power lines that were blown over in a windstorm. Local fire departments were already complaining that trees and underbrush were being sparked by poles and wires PG&E had failed to (Continued on page 12) Arial View of Diablo Canyon Credit: Harvey Wasserman her team members. She would like, however, to become more engaged. Encouraged by her friends, she recently applied for a position on the Hamilton County Commission for Women and Girls. If selected, it would give her more influence and the possibility to work with a large diverse group of individuals to make a meaningful and impacting difference for the common good. All of Morris' actions are deep down informed by her faith. "I try to live by example, doing every day the best I can do," she says. "The Episcopalian church stresses personal responsibility and social justice, and that's also how i have been raised at home, always taught to be responsible for myself and for my actions." But Morris' faith does not distanciate her from others. As a good historian she has studied most religions and has found them to be similar with many commonalities. "The Episcopalian church encourages our questioning and wants us to understand what other people of faith believe," she says. "And at the end, all religions preach the same: Love one another and treat others the way you want to be treated." A pressing interest of Morris now is to figure out how to build a community; how to make people connect, hold a reasonable conversation and listen to each other; how to eliminate the fear that is often caused by difference. It joins the philosophy of her Episcopalian faith which is to be open and accept diversity. "We are all part of God's kingdom," she says, "all of us, the good and the bad. This can be scary to some; but it can also be liberating, thanks to the strength and bravery one gets from an inclusive community." Report suggests "...the County may bear best served by considering a further reduction in the hospital percentage of Levy revenue (16). The absence of programs by either hospital to address the crisis situation of cancer mortality, as well as the hoarding of monies that could be better spent on the cancer priority, brands the hospitals as bystanders in the plague of unnecessary cancer deaths. The pattern of ignoring the crisis, failing to reach out to communities in need, and to declare a major priority for healthcare further weakens this City's population, especially those in greatest need of every aspect of healthcare. The status quo can and must change. “Breakdown Stereotypes” --------------------------------------- “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 LOCAL BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2 and she, Brush, and David Mann led the progressive wing of Council. By 1979, a new process for selecting the Mayor was in place. The top vote getter of the Council candidates became the Mayor. Under this system, Sterne became the first woman to become Mayor by a popular vote. population of Cincinnati comprised a sizable but usually overlooked minority, she asked for a report from the Administration to provide ways to better identify the needs and perspectives of this community. AIR was hired by the City Manager to draft this report. Sterne should be recognized for another important City policy. Aware that a number of effective, non-profit groups had emerged to assist poor D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 policy that 1.5 percent of the City's general budget would be allocated to help finance human services. supported this successful effort. Then when an initiative to bring back proportional representation took Bobbie Sterne with Jerry Springer Credit: Google Images and homeless Cincinnatians, She believed it was important for City Government to financially assist these essential services. She played a leadership role in getting Council to pass an ordinance establishing the In effect from 1981 to 1994, this percentage was then cut drastically, and an ongoing grassroots campaign has continued to lobby for a return to the 1.5 percentage. Even after her retirement from Council in 1998, Sterne remained active in city affairs. When I helped organize the Fair Elections Coalition to advocate for a campaign reform City Charter Amendment in 2000 and 2001, she enthusiastically the form of a Charter Amendment proposal in 2008, she served as the campaign's honorary treasurer. Vice Mayor David Mann served on Council with Bobbie Sterne for nine terms. He perhaps summed up her public career best. "The City has lost one of its great public servants." No less than 7 bus routes (17, 19, 24, 31, 51, 78 and Metro*Plus) provide direct access to campus. If you are a student at UC and don't rely on the bus to get back and forth from downtown and OTR, you are doing something wrong. If you want to explore a little, the 31 goes to Walnut Hills and East Walnut Hills, the 17 and 19 link to Northside, and the Metro*Plus has speedy service to Kenwood Mall during the week. 4. Downtown Cincinnati I love Lyft and Uber in a pinch, but seriously people, there are other options during a big surge. Whether you're at 21c or Goodfellas, chances are a bus is whipping by for $1.75 as you step into that $20 cab. Many buses run as late as 1 am. It takes about 10 seconds to look up an address on Google Maps and ask for transit directions. Who knows, you might save enough money to go out tomorrow night, too. 5. CVG You kinda need to live near downtown or in Covington for this to make sense, but if that's the case, TANK's Airporter bus is awesome. I typically use it on my way TO the airport. The bus stops on 4th St between Vine and Walnut with direct, non-stop service to CVG. You can't beat the price at $2. The return trip is a little slower with several stops in Covington, so I sometimes use Lyft on my way back into town. If you've got extra time, though, $4 roundtrip is pretty incredible. arrests. Linda Seeley of San Luis Obispo’s Mothers for Peace says the company faces impossible hurdles in dealing with its thousands of tons of radioactive waste. In addition, she notes, “Many very expensive components in the two reactors must be replaced far before the proposed 2024-5 shutdown dates. Our concern is that PG&E may try to sneak through without paying to maintain the reactors even at basic safety levels.” Michael Peck, a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission in-house inspector at Diablo, has warned that the reactors cannot survive a major earthquake and should close immediately. He has since been transferred to Chattanooga, Tenn. “Diablo may no longer be profitable,” Seeley has said on my “California Solartopia” show on radio station KPFK. “The cost of wind and solar has dropped so fast it may not pay PG&E to run those plants anymore, even without doing the basic maintenance.” Because much of Diablo’s aging workforce is retiring or looking elsewhere for job security, PG&E wants subsidies to retain skilled staff to run the place. Judge Allen specifically rejected much of the rate hike designed to meet that crisis. California’s State Lands Commission is being sued by the World Business Academy, a Santa Barbara think tank, over key leases granted in the 1970s. The commission granted PG&E a waiver on conducting legally required environmental impact statements (gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom was among those who voted in favor). Should the business academy win its suit, or should the PUC honor Allen’s decision, and PG&E alter its timetable, those leases might be revisited. Without them, Diablo would almost certainly be forced to shut. Challenges have also been raised over approval by the California Coastal Commission of Diablo’s cooling system. Seeley and other activists have asked the public to pressure the PUC, state agencies and politicians like Newsom to shut Diablo sooner rather than later. “Until they can specify the exact date and time the San Andreas and those other faults will go off,” Seeley said in a recent phone interview, “nobody should feel safe.” Bobbie Sterne Credit: Google Images A few years later, Applied Information Resources, the nonprofit corporation I launched in 1980, found itself working on a project initiated by Bobbie Sterne. Concerned that the Appalachian ANDY SHENK (Continued from page 9 historic establishments and one of Cincinnati's prettiest streetscapes. I can't quite put my finger on it, but when I hop off the 19 at the corner of Ludlow and Telford, I can feel the city's heartbeat pulsating from the sidewalk. 3. University of Cincinnati The area surrounding the UC campus is loaded with bus service to downtown and almost every neighborhood conceivable. HARVEY WASSERMAN (Continued from page 11) maintain, though maintenance is required by law. PG&E now faces a firestorm of lawsuits that could soar well into the billions. Criminal prosecution is also possible. In 2010, a fire killed eight people and torched an upscale San Bruno neighborhood. The cause was badly maintained gas lines—for which PG&E had been cited repeatedly. Fines exceeded $1.4 billion, but criminal prosecution remains unresolved. Other costly lapses have plagued PG&E through the years. Some involve Diablo itself, which opened in the mid-1980s amid America’s biggest “No Nukes” civil disobedience campaign, involving thousands of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- �No. 37 0 13 STREET VOICE | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 XMAS Xmas is here It’s that time of year There’s lots of family And sharing Lots of love, lots of caring TRUMP'S ONE EXCEPTION Nasty tweets here, Nasty tweets there. Trump's nasty tweets Are sent everywhere. He attacks everybody Including the highfalutin, But never his new buddy The wily Vladimir Putin. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer THE UNDERSTANDING It’s the start of the New Year Understanding today about life and its meaning have come a very long way with me. Xmas is every day I had to come into the understanding that there was nothing outside myself that could make my life Especially when you have hope better! I had to understand that I have a choice. To know that I was no longer incarcerated by my own With cheer paving the way being and no longer restricted by my own soul! I could either come into the realization that to live is For a Happy New Year KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer right now because death is inediable!! We as adults can never forget that growing up as children everything was external. As children we were nothing more than human sponges!! Therefore, whatever the adults in our childhood fed us, we trustily ate. I believe that’s what they fed us became our internal instincts. Through my growing, school, jail, being homeless, I eventually came to the understanding of the meaning of choice. I had to understand that there is none other like me, only I could make the changes necessary to allow my uniqueness to shine. For I am unique! One of a kind! Understanding my uniqueness, understanding I have choices in this world only justified my decision to live and not die! These realizations seem to wake up my self esteem and many positive aspects for me. I Suddenly remembered that I did go to church, I remembered some of the best teachings of the bible whether it was about Moses or Mohammand. My understanding of life today is G.O.D. meaning Good Orderly Direction!! I understand today that to live now is my only necessity, for why kill myself or commit suicide when death for all is a sure thing. It’s gonna happen! To live is a job and I take it on with great pride. Keep in mind that you are the most important one and to know your size, your height, your weight, hair color and so forth is what makes you. So, my meaning is my understanding that: I Am Unique I Am Blessed I Am Living Until Death Do Me Part WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 138 Across 1. Development stage before metamorphosis 6. Steep rugged rock or cliff 10. Travel through water 14. Egg-shaped 15. Dwelling 16. Instinctive motive 17. New 18. One of a pair used to control a horse 19. Used in brewing and distilling 20. Female animal 21. Frozen 23. Carried out an action 25. Digit 26. Humiliate 28. Writer 30. Faction 33. Very intense 34. Hawaiian garland 35. Wan 36. Used as an astringent 38. Lukewarm 42. Employ 43. Lawful 45. Fuss 46. Send or direct for treatment 49. Waistband 50. Sleigh 51. State of decay 53. Definite article 54. In addition 55. Litter of pigs 58. Ahead of time 60. Anger 61. Indefinite but relatively small number 63. Indicating maiden name 64. Space between two things 67. Wear away by rubbing 69. Salacious 71. Curtain 73. Story 74. To obscure or conceal 75. A simulated semblance 76. Song of praise 77. A slight competitive advantage 78. Go in Down 1. Solitary 2. Declare solomnly 3. Wander 4. Compete 5. Extemporize 6. Pupa of a moth or butterfly in a cocoon 7. Fish eggs 8. In the middle of 9. Affable 10. Total 11. Ire 12. Ice hut 13. Measuring instrument 22. Camarilla 24. Song for two 26. Consumed 27. Develop by training and teaching 29. Bind 30. Incite or stimulate 31. Facilitate 32. Musical notation 37. Fumble 39. Sudden numbing dread 40. Parts of the Roman calendar 41. Extinct bird 44. At that place 47. Make a mistake 48. Protective covering 50. Express in words 52. Square root of a gross 55. Fractional equivalent of 20% 56. An impressive display 57. Domain 59. Shelf 62. Unwanted garden plant 64. A horse's manner of moving 65. Part of a church 66. Look searchingly 68. Japanese currency 70. Hairpiece 72. Operate PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 138 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 268 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 268- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 37 0 RESOURCES | D e c 1- D e c 14 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 D e c 1 - D e c 14 , 2 0 17 | N o . 37 0 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � 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 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 1-December 14, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Remembering Bobbie Sterne Pg 3: An Option Dwindle for Children Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Transformation Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Challenging Our Own views? Why is Cancer Mortality so High in Cincinnati? Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Five Easy Places to Ride the Bus in Cincinnati Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Earthquake Risk Keeps Heat on Vulnerable Nuclear Reactors Pg 12: Bill Woods Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource December 1-December 14, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Jason Haap Steve Sunderland Saad Ghosn Harvey Wasserman Andy Shenk Kim Green Willa Denise Jones The Jubilee Campaign Metro.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Andy Shenk Bill Woods Bus Cancer Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Earthquake Harvey Wasserman Jason Haap Josh Spring Kim Green Metro.com Nuclear Power Religion Saad Ghosn Steve Sunderland The Jubilee Campaign Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/543e93b132e5ea8e624f3156260d5431.pdf f28843d12dbe8d27e2629b05e8dd5d5a PDF Text Text November 17th - November 30th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 50 (No. 369) advocating justice | building community Shantytown: From Awareness to Advocacy | 5 This Issue is sponsored by (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Religious Peacemakers: Living Her Baha'i Faith, Deborah Vance | 8 What is Good Bus Service? | 9 Forum Looks at Tax Reform and Income Inequality | 2 Tax Reform? Or Compound Inequality! | 7 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: An article worthy of your attention F or this issue, I decided that instead of writing an editorial, we would reprint the following article. I spoke directly with Mr. Jamie K. Oxendine who is the author of this article and he has given us permission to reprint it. We have shortened his article somewhat. You can find the full version at http://www.powwows. com/a-more-accurate-view-ofthanksgiving/. Mr. Oxendine fulfils multiple roles, including being the director of the Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation. Please visit their website at http://www. blackswampintertribalfoundation. org/ to learn more and join in efforts for systems change. Their mission includes the following: “The Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation is a Native American Educational and Service Organization that believes in Native American SelfDetermination. BSIF was formed with the commitment to Native America and helping people (Native and Non-Native).” A More Accurate Historical Thanksgiving: What Are You Celebrating? By Jamie K. Oxendine, Lumbee/Creek Director, Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation PRELUDE Thanksgiving…oh that wonderful holiday in which we should give N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 JOSH SPRING Executive Director Thanksgiving account. HISTORICAL THANKSGIVING Long before any Europeans came to the New World, Native Americans had many feasts and celebrations of thanks.  Although the Pilgrims were searching for some religious freedom from the British Crown, they were really nothing more than English Colonists.  They came for many other reasons also but regardless of what those reasons may have been, they were still loyal subjects to the British thanks.  Something we should do Crown. In 1620 an English ship called the every day.  Where did this national Mayflower set sail for the Americas. holiday come from?  Well it is not The ship was charted by a religious what you think and definitely not sect known as the Puritans. They what you were taught in school.  Many scholars give credit to the Americans, were headed for what was called the but many cultures and countries had Virginias. Unfortunately the Puritans “national days of giving thanks” long ran out of beer and needed to make before the United States established land as quickly as possible. Beer was used more often than water on the such a day. With that being the case, why high seas since water on a ship could do we think of the Pilgrims and not be kept drinking safe. Thus they Plymouth, Massachusetts for the landed in December of 1620 on the national holiday of Thanksgiving?  shores of what is now Massachusetts.  Like most of our history it comes They did not establish a settlement from miss-history and the fact that right away as often thought and most people think of the Pilgrims as taught in schools.  They were not able these “incredibly righteous people” to settle at the original landing. These so called Pilgrims were that invited the “savage Indians” to not the first Europeans to the shores their first Thanksgiving so that the of the New England coast. In 1605 a “savages” would not starve.  This is incorrect history and information.  (Continued on page 12) Here is a more accurate historical FORUM LOOKS AT TAX REFORM AND INCOME INEQUALITY W ith the Republican controlled Congress attempting to push tax reform legislation into law before its Christmas recess, the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral devoted it's November 9th session to a review of the major elements now under review in both the House and Senate. Nancy Bertaux, Professor and Director Economics, Sustainability and Society, Xavier University, examined the tax reform proposals and related them to the growing income inequality in this country. Her analysis concluded that this legislation would merely further the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us. Professor Bertaux began by providing some historical BILL WOODS Contributing Writer perspective. In the 1950s, a period characterized by economic growth, the graduated income tax was much higher for upper income Americans. The income gap between the wealthy and average people was also much smaller than today. Economists began to notice a widening gap in the 1970s, and the Reagan tax cuts in the early 1980s really seemed to accentuate it. By the 1990s, scholars agreed it was an accepted long-term trend. When looking at the features of the Republican drafted legislation in the House and the Senate, the large corporate tax cut and the elimination of the inheritance tax loom as major wins for those with economic power and wealth. Corporations would receive a fifteen percent cut. Since current federal taxation only kicks in with inheritances exceeding $2-million, only the very wealthy would benefit from this elimination. Proponents of this reform proclaim that a large corporate tax cut is critical to their plan. It will create millions of new jobs with living wages, and thus greatly benefit struggling workers. Professor Bertaux challenged this assumption saying that most economists fail to see a correlation between cutting taxes for companies and job growth. In our consumer society, average families and individuals buying things are greater drivers for creating jobs. President Trump and GOPlegislators herald the tax reform (Continued on page 7) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Jamie K. Oxendine, Bill Woods, Bentley Davis, Jason Haap, Dr. Mark Mussman, Steve Sunderland, Ed Burdell, Saad Ghosn, Cam Hardy, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, The Jubilee Campaign, Alice Schneider, Saad Ghosn, Cam Hardy, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 9 OPINION On Consent and Rape | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 BENTLEY DAVIS I am a rape survivor. Starting when I was quite young, I was the victim of sexual assault in a variety of forms and by several perpetrators over the years. None of the perpetrators went to jail. Once, the last incident, I went to the ER and the police; but still nothing happened (not enough evidence to prosecute). I am writing this from that personal perspective. Rape is wrong and inexcusable. Sexual harassment is wrong and inexcusable. For decades, I have tried to raise awareness about this very serious problem in our society. Rapists seem to have two different, though sometimes intertwined motives. For some (most?), it is an act of violence. It is an attempt to establish, maintain, or express power. It stems from not seeing the victim (usually a woman) as fully human, but rather a tool. For others, they are so socially awkward and are so afraid being turned down; that they take what they want once consent can’t be given. They wait until the victim is unable to consent. She’s passed out or asleep or just too drunk to fight. What is common of all rapists, indeed, what is definitional; is they either do not seek consent or they continue even if consent is denied. When the #MeToo tag took off after the Weinstein accusations, many people shared powerful stories of survival and of being assaulted or harassed at work. But some told stories Contributing Writer of people they knew (not employers or people in a position of power over), simply propositioning them. For example, one male acquaintance of mine told a story of another man he admired coming to his place and instead of seeking conversation, asking for sex. The proposition was declined and no assault took place (at least according to the story my acquaintance told). He was appalled that the man he admired would think of him as a potential sex partner. Since then, there have been news stories of people facing unwanted propositions as if that was the same as facing unwanted sex acts. An unwanted proposition is not rape. If someone says “hey, you wanna do xyz”? And you can say no without risking your physical or financial well-being; then it is seeking consent. If one’s job is in jeopardy if one declines, then that isn’t really consent. (For a non-sexual example, most people cannot politely decline the invitation to the office party, even if it is described as an optional get-together.) If one says “no, I don’t wanna do xyz”, and it is done anyway; that is rape or assault. But most unwanted propositions end with a “no thank you” and the person making the proposition goes away. The risk of a proposition is that the person being asked might feel uncomfortable and no longer want to be in the same space as the person making the proposal. This is why workplace relations can be tricky at best. Sure, there might not be repercussions. But the person who you thought of as a colleague/friend/ acquaintance clearly sees you as a potential sex partner. You don’t see them in the same way. And that is awkward. It can be awkward enough that the previous relationship is damaged. But I do not want to live in a world where people — especially young men  —  are even more frightened of seeking consent than they already are. Making examples of famous people who once propositioned others can have this dangerous unintended consequence. In the cases where power is unfairly wielded or where there is non-consensual sexual contact we should most certainly believe the victim, not blame the victim, and call out the behavior. But I am afraid that in some recent cases, the accusers are saying “he asked me x, I said no, we didn’t do x, but it creeped me out.” Being creeped out isn’t rape. It isn’t assault. And it isn’t even harassment. It is not being into the proposition. As an example, I was once propositioned by someone who wanted to sniff my shoes. That person asked. I declined. No repercussions. But I was thinking, “Eww, shoe fetish, yuck.” I have seen that person again and became aware of my shoes. But I wasn’t the victim of harassment or assault by that person. I was Why I didn’t vote I did not vote in this past election, and I feel pretty good about it. However, if I were to believe the rhetoric I've heard from certain voters, I have neglected my "civic duty," and as a result of this negligence I have "no right" to complain about anything for the next several years. Put another way, over 70% of Cincinnati's voters have neglected their civic duty and have no right to be critical of anything related to politics for the next several years. Or, put yet another way, less than 30% of Cincinnati's voters think they are superior to everyone else, and have proclaimed their opinions as the only ones that matter for the next several years. What kind of narrow-minded, self-aggrandizing, and arrogant hogwash is this? Some of you probably wonder why I chose not to vote. Perhaps you want to analyze my reasons, determining if I actually have an acceptable "excuse" - or, maybe you want to deconstruct my reasoning to "prove" I am in error. Whatever the case, I'm not going JASON HAAP Contributing Writer to tell you why I didn't vote, just like you are not going to hear, analyze, and rebuke the reasons behind each of the 70% of Cincinnati voters who took the same actions I took. Instead, on behalf of my nonvoting brothers and sisters (who have not granted me the right to be their spokesman in any capacity), I have some important reminders about how to engage people with whom you disagree. Before throwing around phrases like "civic duty," let's make sure we all understand what that even means. Our collective civic duties represent those responsibilities we all must fulfill - such as serving on a jury, paying taxes, obeying the laws, and so forth. It is not my civic duty to attend protests or to practice a religion. That's the difference between duties and rights. Voting, like free speech and freedom of religion, is a right - and rights are not requirements. Civic duties, such as answering the call to serve on a jury or to pay taxes, actually are requirements. Voting does not belong in this category. So, for the sake of accuracy, please stop misusing the phrase. Instead of failing to meet my civic duties, what I have really done is made a choice unpopular among a certain self-important swath of voters. As for the next part of their beef: do non-voters have a right to complain about politics? Of course we do! That's how free speech works! I can complain about whatever I like, and that speech is not predicated on conforming to the preferred behavior of recent voters. I can already imagine certain counter-arguments. Perhaps some of these self-appointed arbiters of acceptability will say I have the "right" to complain, but that I shouldn't since I did not participate in selecting our political representatives. Why are they so concerned about what we decide to discuss in the public realm? Are these accusations just a tact? Are they trying to convince us to vote next time? Is it because they think we have made a bad choice, and they hope to change our future behavior? (I presume that's the intent behind their stance, THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 3 propositioned with a proposition I wasn’t into. Again, to be clear, I am not talking about situations where consent cannot be freely given due to age, incapacitating intoxication, or power imbalance. In order for there to be any consensual sex acts of any type; someone has to make the ask. That ask really ought to be clear. It needs to be “Do you want to have sex with me?” and not “Do you want to come in for a nightcap?” Because with the latter, it is perfectly reasonable for the interlocutor to take one at their word and that a nightcap is a drink and not a night of cavorting. People are going to have sex. Let us encourage people to ask, to be able to decline, and for that consent to be real without fear that a decade or more later one will be called out for asking something that the recipient thought gross or creepy if that recipient was able to decline without repercussions. I want people to feel more comfortable seeking consent, not less so. I don’t want to create a culture where those who seek consent face the same level of approbation as those who don’t bother with that important step. We need to put an end to rape culture. And that means empowering people to ask instead of taking as well as empowering people to say no. PS: This is not an invitation for propositions. I am happy with my romantic situation and am not looking for anything else. --------------------------------------- as the alternative is that these people are nothing but jerks.) Here's some advice for how to interact with non-voters in a way that might actually be productive. Have you ever seen people so upset they cannot calm down or catch their breath? If you ever meet such a person, yelling "CALM DOWN" will not likely help anyone to calm down. Similarly, yelling at us for not voting is probably not going to make us vote. If anything (as this article demonstrates), you will just make us angry and defensive. Some people, as a result of this angry defensiveness, might actually doubledown, increasing their resolve not to vote. That's the opposite of what you want, so perhaps you should consider a new tact. Learn how to practice empathy instead of anger. Rather than judging non-voters and then demeaning them and characterizing them as morally irresponsible, seek instead to understand their decisions. And remember, seeking to understand is not the same as attempting to refute through argument. Being the highly motivated and civically engaged people you purport to be, I imagine you might learn some interesting insights about what (Continued on page 11) �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 �No. 36 9 E LOCAL Shantytown: From Awareness to Advocacy | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 ach year, dozens of local schools take part in Shantytown activities. Shantytown is an opportunity for students to raise awareness about build community around issues of poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Schools are free to structure their activities however they see fit, but in general, there are some constants at each school. Most schools do a sleep-over at the school where students build “shanties” out of cardboard boxes and sleep in them over night. Usually, the night is cold and the experience is eye-opening for students who have lived in a warm home all of their lives. While this tends to be the most defining aspect of Shantytown, it is often the role of the Homeless Coalition that is most meaningful. DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer When we arrive, students may be eating a meal, a simulation of a soup kitchen. Our speakers bring with them unique experiences to share with the students while they eat. Imparting the highs and lows of life, the speaker exposes themselves with the struggles they have faced as well as the joy they have seen through finding a supportive community. Students listen intently as they learn about barriers to success, both interpersonal and institutional. I take note of student reactions, and they are often moved by the sincerity of our speakers who don’t hold anything back. I am always impressed by how mature students are who are now exposed to very real issues that are messy and complicated. They listen intently with an open heart. A good example was at Hamilton Badin High School this year. Willa Jones spoke to the group, who were engaged and asked thoughtful questions. They surrounded Willa with a ring of love after she spoke, and showed Willa interest in buying her book of poetry. The students were interested in getting a copy of the new Day By Day Calendar – a project in which Willa took part. Beyond that, they also asked questions and made comments afterwards that showed they understood the importance of affordable housing and creating a livable wage. The compassion of the students that night left us feeling exhilarated and ready for our next speaking engagement. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 After we left, they heard from another speaker who lives in Hamilton. This gave them an even more in-depth view, and one a little more local. They spent the night in their boxes and tore them up in the morning to create signs for the Cardboard Brigade. The Cardboard Brigade is a way to continue the awareness throughout the entire school by holding up statistics and statements to the students as they arrive on the bus or are dropped off before school. One of the statements that had a big impact on me reads, “I noticed that our eyes never meet.” This is certainly a response to the suggestions that we give on how to respond to panhandling. It gives me hope when students are taking the lessons they received from us and reworking it in a critical manner. These students may have the solution to ending homelessness, and until then, they are certainly making a difference in our community. (Continued on page 9) �6 LOCAL WHY IS CANCER MORTALITY SO HIGH IN CINCINNATI? PART ONE 1. N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 STEVE SUNDERLAND Introduction: I have been working for the past two years with the harrowing knowledge that Cincinnati is the cancer capital of Ohio for African Americans. Why? More minorities die of cancer in Cincinnati than in any other city in this state. Why? The more I visit with people with low incomes, and minorities that cannot obtain health insurance, or elders that are confused about how to get health care, the clearer it is that poor people have no place in the Cincinnati healthcare system. Why? I have not found one hospital that has a community education outreach program that explains the warning signs of cancer to citizens. Nor have I found a hospital that welcomes people for screening in the neighborhoods where life expectancy is lowest. Why? What I have seen, over and over again, is the that each hospital's Cancer Institute’s say: "This is not our job." The healthcare system in general is saying: "People of low income need to "take responsibility" for their own health needs. If they don't, or don't know how to, well, that is just too bad." I want to ask the following question: Is the high cancer death rate in Cincinnati, especially in the low-income population, the result of policies of indifference by our hospitals, healthcare providers, medical associations, and insurance companies? 2. Why we need cancer justice: Cancer does not discriminate. Rich, Contributing Writer poor, homeless, middle-class, elders, children, all get cancer. Sometimes cancer is lethal right away. Other times, a cancer can be treated by physicians who are surgeons, radiation specialists, and/or with specific kinds of chemo-therapy. It is known that early identification of cancer and timely treatment can stop most cancer. Or, turn cancer from a death sentence into a chronic disease like diabetes, with ongoing treatments that permit a normal life. Successful cancer treatment usually depends on a kind of education about health: people need to know warning signs and, once seen, what to do to have these signals checked out by medical specialists. Part of the education is to know how to gain entry into a cancer treatment program or how to gain access to people who know about cancer and can treat it. And, part of the education is to know what to do when doctors jump to conclusions, rush decisions, panic people, or leave areas of ambiguity. People need to know that there can be a step called, "second opinions." These are visits to physicians to review the first doctor's conclusions and to see if there is agreement and whether or not there are alternatives. Then, with more information, people may need help in making a decision about which path to choose. Sometimes the education involves talking with a specialist who can weigh the factors, both good and bad. Sometimes we need to go and have some basic questions answered for a second time by the doctor or nurse or specialist. In all cases of cancer, whether just beginning or advanced, health education is a form of justice. No one should be denied cancer justice due to having a low income, or because they are homeless, or because physicians have not treated people with respect due to their skin color, economic status, or prior conditions. Cancer justice is a realization that cancer is not the fault of the person, usually. Rather, cancer is an injustice when society, i.e., healthcare officials and institutions, politicians, foundations, and religious organizations turn their backs on people who are confused about how to find out about their critical health needs. Cancer justice involves a willingness by health care professionals to provide the basic literacy in cancer. People are worried about cancer and feel they do not have a basic vocabulary about what a disease like cancer can do to their bodies. Healthcare can step in, provide a clear explanation, offer alternatives, and provide reassurance that cancer can be faced and, in many cases, overcome. 3. The Cancer Justice Network Provides One Step in Cancer Education: For the past two years, a free city-wide program, the Cancer Justice Network, has provided cancer education to over 5000 people. Most of the people have been members of low income communities in Cincinnati. Through participation at dinners in churches, or, health fairs in schools and community centers, or in social service agencies, the education about cancer has been offered by people called, "Navigators." This is a new healthcare role. Navigators are helpers, guides, allies, and facilitators of discussions between low income people and health care officials and institutions. Navigators accompany people through the maze of finding a friendly physician who can answer questions and, when agreed upon, begin to have a test for cancer. Navigators defend their people precisely at the point when some people may be terrified that they will not understand the physician or the physician's information. Navigators provide support, compassion, and a total commitment to helping the person follow through with their questions, their tests, and their treatments. Navigators insure respect for the person no matter their level of anxiety and no matter how many times information needs to be repeated and understood. Navigators work with trust between the person seeking information and themselves. With trust, with respect, and with compassion, the possibility of finding out about cancer and what to do with a cancer diagnosis reaches a form of justice that can be lifesaving. In sum, Navigators work with the whole person as they face cancer: whether it be transportation needs, help with insurance or hospital forms, personal support as the fear builds, or help with discussing options, the Navigator stands with the person. (To be continued.) --------------------------------------- Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony Each year, the Homeless Coalition celebrates the accomplishments of its members, the community, and the supporters at our Annual Dinner and Award Ceremony. This has long been an opportunity for organizations to come together and to share in the success of another year working alongside those experiencing homelessness. Come celebrate with hundreds of individuals working towards this common goal. Help us recognize individuals who will be receiving awards for their hard work that evening, raise money for operating funds to help sustain our mission, and dance and celebrate another year of hard work! Wednesday, December 13th Doors Open: 5:30 pm Newport Syndicate 18 East 5th Street Newport, KY Tickets available at: Cincihomeless.org THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 T 7 LOCAL TAX REFORM? or COMPOUND INEQUALITY! | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 he President and his Republican congressional confederates are promoting their tax code revisions as providing relief for all. They are especially proud of the few dollars that the shrinking middle class will receive. At a time when economic researchers are showing the growing disparity between the very wealthy and the shrinking middle class, one might think that tax reform would present an opportunity to redress these problems. In fact it appears that a deliberate effort is being made to this will exacerbate it. How one views the choices in governance turns on differing philosophies of government and its purposes. • The republicans apparently see it as their responsibility to protect the wealthy and give them even more. • A compassionate economic philosophy calls for building communities of joint responsibility for one another, an open system which encourages growth and innovation without the uneven playing field which privilege and special interests insist upon, and caring for those who need assistance to grow. The politicians speak in grand sweeping terms about growing the economy and putting more money in taxpayers’ pockets. However, when BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) proposal as a plan to benefit the middle-class, but Professor Bertaux doesn't find much evidence of major and permanent relief for average Americans. The tax percentages for middle income folks may be lowered a bit, but often helpful deductions such as state and local taxes are currently slated to be eliminated. One calculation using information from the House proposal shows people with incomes of $100,000 or less actually paying more taxes. Bertaux also pointed to one proposed change that will further the burden of young adults with huge college loan debts. They will no longer be able to deduct the interest from the payments on their loans. The tax proposal to date will increase the deficit by $1.5-trillion. This loss of revenue will increase the ED BURDELL Contributing Writer translated in the current proposed tax reform these goal results in very personal, individual impacts. Tax reform which supposedly reduces the taxes businesses and individuals is only one side of the equation. Paying for the lost revenue is the other. For example one deduction which will be eliminated is interest paid on Student Loan Debt. This is the largest non-real estate debt category and debtors are already burdened by special conditions which can make it difficult to refinance and impossible to discharge through bankruptcy. If education is the path to economic success and borrowing is the only way for many to afford it, this increases inequality by further penalizing those who try to become self-sufficient. The President’s assertion that the imagined resultant growth will grow the economy to such an extent that lower taxes on an increased GNP will fill the government coffers is a fairy tale. It didn’t work with the Regan cut. For a current example of the disaster this strategy yields, look at Kansas which has destroyed its public education system and reduced or abandoned may basic government responsibilities. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the proposed tax cuts will increase the National debt by almost 2 TRILLION DOLLARS pressure to cut programs and services, and the Trump Administration budget for 2018 would decimate the safety net for the poor and those in need. This budget includes cuts in Medicare, Food Stamps, affordable housing programs, and income assistance to poor families with children. Needless to say, such cuts as an indirect result of the tax legislation would be devastating to low-income families and individuals. Professor Bertaux spent part of the Forum discussion period talking with attendees about religious teachings and how they fit or don't fit in the process of creating a fair tax reform plan. The general conclusion was that our society and especially our corporate and political leaders have gotten too far away from the concept that those with means should naturally pay a larger share in helping to insure the common good. in the decade following passage. However even this debt increase which should be anathema to traditional Republicans will not suffice. The proposal calls for a $1.5 trillion increase which means that major cuts in our social safety net will be required. For it is not a matter of profiting one set of people more than others, it is a case of disadvantaging tens of millions of Americans to reap benevolences on a relative few. When giving more to the wealthy and businesses and the wealthy who invest in those businesses is achieved by adding 1.5 trillion dollars to the debt and cutting Medicaid, housing programs, child care assistance, health insurance for children, health insurance assistance for working folks, the environment – this is not compassionate economics, this is runaway greed and rejection of one of America’s core concepts, ‘that all are created equal.’ FOLLOW THE MONEY How will individuals and their enterprises fare? We know that the very lowest category of taxpayers is certain to be impacted. That is those whose taxable income is between $1-19,000. Currently the rate is 10%. Reform would increase it to 12%! We know that those making $50,000 will see few benefits, and some 30% are estimated to see increases! We Ed Burdell Credit: Jubilee Campaign can each look at the new system and calculate how it affects us. If we weren’t certain who benefits, think about this. Upon passage, 50% of the benefits from Republican tax reform will accrue to the 1%ers at the top of our economic totem pole. By 2027 the top 1% will receive 80% of the benefits! How much will the President and his family and the Trump empire gain from the tax changes? If we can trust his own words, the repeal of the alternate minimum tax will save him millions. Is the real total tens of million –even more? Who will ask, how can we get that answer? Just a side thought, wouldn’t everybody like to make up the rules so the game enriches us? Funny, that is not illegal when our President and Congressmen do it. It would be instructive to have a spread sheet showing in real dollars what congressmen and cabinet heads will gain. We could give them ranges so they could easily estimate the largess they will receive. Less than $1,000, 1-10,000, 10,001-25,000, 25,001-100,000, What is your answer Brad Wenstrup, Steve Chabot, Sherod Brown, Rob Portman ? CALL AND ASK THEM! Bill Woods with Brian Taylor and other attendees THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Alice Schneider �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Living Her Baha'i Faith, Deborah Vance Wants to Contribute to Unity and to a Strong Community N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 SAAD GHOSN Deborah Vance, a Baha'i, grew up in a secular, not overtly religious, but spiritual family. She was raised with high moral and ethical values by very scrupulous, sincere and trusting parents. As a child in the 60's she attended Sunday school at the Congregational church in Wilmette, IL, where she and her family lived. She was very inspired by the then progressive pastor, Buckner Coe, who was trying to integrate the predominantly white church, inviting Blacks to join in; and who was openly critical of the Vietnam war going on at the time. "Reverend Coe taught us Sunday school and took us all 7th graders to visit places of worship of the various religions in the area, for instance, the Mormon temple, the Catholic church, the Jewish synagogue...," says Vance. "He had heard of Martin Luther King Jr., went to Selma, AL and marched with him for civil rights." Vance's social study teacher in 7th grade was also instrumental at introducing her to social justice. He gave her as assignments to research and write essays on current social issues. This is how she learned about Cuba and Fidel Castro, also about the prevalent poverty in the world. He got her also involved at tutoring in social sciences children from underprivileged backgrounds, in inner-city Chicago. In 1968 during her last year of high school, Vance went with a youth group from her church, part Contributing Writer of a cross-cultural/interracial service project, to Puerto Rico, to help other African American youth of her age fix a community center. While there Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. "I remember all of us gathering and discussing the news, what it represented and meant for our country and for the African American communities," says Vance. "I felt the pain of my newly made African American friends; it affected me deeply." Even though in a predominately white high school, the civil rights movement was discussed there daily by students and teachers. With some of her tutoring friends and sympathetic parents and teachers, Vance started a group they called POWR: People to Overcome White Racism. They demonstrated, picketed and marched; produced public programs; invited speakers; fundraised; targeting primarily white suburbs, in order to raise awareness of institutional racism in the metropolitan area. At the same time Vance began her open opposition to the Vietnam war, triggered in part by police violence against protesters during the Chicago Democratic Convention. Having graduated from high school and ready to pick a college, she opted for Boston University, Boston known then for the prevailing activism What is BAHA'ISM The Baha'i faith was founded in 1852, in Iran, by Baha'u'llah, a persecuted follower of the Báb. Bahá'ís believe that there is only one God, transcendent and unknowable, the source of all creation. He has sent great prophets to humanity, through which the Holy Spirit has revealed the "Word of God." They are: Adam; Abraham; Moses; Krishna; Zoroaster; Buddha; Jesus Christ; Mohammed; The Bab; Baha'u'llah. A new prophet is not expected for many centuries into our future. The Bahá'ís believe in the unity of the great religions of the world which they view as sprung from the same spiritual source. They believe that every person has an immortal soul which is not subject to decomposition; and that at death, the soul is freed to travel through the spirit world, "a timeless and placeless extension of our own universe..." Bahá'ís support gender and race equality; world government; freedom of expression and assembly; world peace; religious tolerance, and religious cooperation, and they actively promote these concepts. Baha'u'llah said: "The best beloved of all things in my sight is justice" Unlike many other religions, Bahá'ís view scientific inquiry as essential to expand human knowledge and to deepen faith. They feel that science needs to be guided by spiritual principles so that its applications are beneficial to all humanity.  Bahá'ís have no clergy, sacraments or rituals. There are currently more than 8 million Bahá'í followers throughout the world. within its universities. Over there she was quite active in demonstrating against the Vietnam war, marching, striking, participating in resistance group discussions and activities. "It all went well," she says, "until I started hearing discourses from fellow protesters and leaders encouraging violence and killing... I also found some of the protest leaders to be just looking for self-glory and charisma, and not really interested in a change..." Disillusioned, Vance decided to Deborah Vance move away, leave the United States and settle in Italy. It was 1970 and she had by then cut her ties with her Congregational church which, due to its increasing opposition to the progressive views and positions of its pastor Buckner Coe, had prompted his resignation; also, had embraced the Baha'i faith, having discovered it thanks to the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, who were both Baha'i, and having realized that she adhered to all its tenants. In Italy, Vance tried to pursue her education, met her 1st husband and had children. Her stay was interrupted by a few returns to the States, a short one in California where she lived self-sufficiently, growing food, chickens and goats, with no electricity or running water. "I was extremely poor then," she states. "I can understand well poverty now, having been without and having experienced distrust and prejudice from people who think that something is wrong with you if you're poor." After 6 years of marriage, Vance divorced and returned to Wilmette. She resumed her studies and got a BA degree in Communication (Radio- TV & Film) from Northwestern University, an MA degree in Mass Communication from Towson University, and a PhD degree in Intercultural Communication from Howard University. In the meantime, she had moved to Baltimore, MD, worked in educational TV, did freelance journalistic writing and taught. "I wanted to work in instructional TV to teach children," Vance says. "I wanted to instill the idea that the US system is a commercial system which wants our money; that we are bombarded with fake news and that Credit: Saad Ghosn our children need to learn how to talk back to the media." To that effect, in the 80's, Vance got involved with the "Great Atlantic Radio Conspiracy", a group who researched in depth news topics in order to shed light on their truth, away from misinformation. The findings would then be scripted, radio recorded, and distributed to radio stations across the country. Vance contributed to 2 such episodes, one on air pollution caused by the use of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosol cans, the other on the true story of Guatemala. At McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, where she also was an Associate Professor, Vance taught media courses at the cultural level. "A person needs to know what it is about him/herself that's cultural vs. what is essentially him or her," she says. "To me, this is the basis for justice, seeing what role we play in continuing the system that oppresses certain people vs. being able to treat everyone as individuals while respecting their differences." (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 LOCAL What is Good Bus Service? | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 W hat is ‘good’ bus service? There are several measures which gauge the effectiveness and quality of bus service. In short, a bus route is ranked based on how much access the line provides its riders, how much mobility it gives the communities it runs through, and how useful the service is to its potential riders. These terms are broad, but in terms of bus service they are defined as: •Access: A measure of how easy it is to reach places, services, and opportunities by bus. It is also based on how many and what kinds of places a rider can get to in a reasonable amount of time. High accessibility routes tend to have more stops so that more people and CAM HARDY Contributing Writer places are closer to a bus stop. These lines will also shorten walk times, as the distance between bus stops is shorter (about 300 – 600 feet apart) than a limited stop or express line. Consequently, these lines are slower than those with fewer stops as the bus picks up and drops off passengers more frequently. - Cincinnati's 78 bus illustrates access. With service from downtown to Springdale, the 78 has more than 100 stops over a 12-mile route, serving uptown and the historic Vine St corridor. Many other bus lines provide similar access. Indeed, nearly all of Cincinnati's core corridors are blanketed with bus stops, from Glenwood and Harrison on the West Side to Montgomery and Madison on the East Side. The bus goes almost everywhere within Cincinnati city limits and covers wide swaths of Hamilton County. particularly along the key corridors mentioned above. All things considered, Metro is probably best at providing access. •Mobility: A measure of how efficiently bus service moves people from place to place. This measure prioritizes faster travel times and the capacity of service in meeting the demand. High mobility routes tend to go to more places and at faster speeds. These lines shorten travel times, as riders can go farther distances in less time. If it takes an unreasonable amount of time to get from point A to point B, then the line gives its riders less flexibility as they have to spend an inordinate amount of time traveling which lessens the amount of time they can do other things. This means less mobility for DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 riders. - Cincinnati has very few bus lines with high mobility, but the Metro*Plus is a good example, especially for service between downtown and uptown. You can save up to 10 minutes traveling from Government Square to UC on the Metro*Plus compared to the 19, 78 and other buses that serve uptown. That's a big time savings for a twoand-a-half mile trip. The Metro*Plus achieves faster speeds thanks to fewer stops. There are only 5 stops between downtown and UC, compared to 19 stops on the 78, which follows a similar route. Mobility on buses is a major problem in Cincinnati. With a few exceptions, taking the bus is never faster than driving. Typically, it's much slower, especially during rush hour. Expanding Metro*Plus service throughout the city, introducing bus-only lanes (common practice in many cities around the world) (Continued on page 11) �10 LOCAL N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 LOCAL | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 JASON HAAP (Continued from page 3) SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) As a professor and a researcher, Vance always advocated for the oppressed, raising awareness of diversity. She constantly asked her students to consider ethics and morals in their judgments and analyses. In Baltimore, Vance met her current husband of 16 years. Both recently retired, they decided to relocate a year ago in Cincinnati. "We felt the vibes," Vance says. "Cincinnati is a culturally rich CAM HARDY (Continued from page 9) and reducing the amount of time it takes to board (tap cards, all-door boarding) are some of the steps that can be taken to improve mobility. Note: Commuter express buses often provide high mobility. But they barely connect to the rest of the system, often skipping entire neighborhoods and running only during rush hour. As a result, they should be seen as a complement to, rather than an integral part of a bus network. •Useful: A measure of how well bus service allows for flexibility in planning commutes and trips for the most people. A highly useful bus line will provide frequent, consistent 11 causes people to become disengaged from politics. Then, once you attain this understanding, perhaps you can work to make the system more amenable for these non-voters. That way, you could increase voter turnout in a compassionate and productive way - a way not predicated on your proclaiming your superiority over the majority of the population. city with a major league baseball team and a well-established Baha'i community." Since in Cincinnati, Vance has joined the League of Women Voters, and has lectured to them on public speaking and on understanding media. During the recent presidential election, she served as a poll watcher in Corryville. She has also been very involved in gardening and volunteers at the Civic Garden Center. She is particularly interested in community gardens and would like to start one at the Baha'i center in Westwood. "Community gardens enable people to attain freedom and control over the food available to them," she says. "They are also a great way to connect and build communities." Vance has a small garden of her own. She also volunteers at the Rothenberg school, downtown Cincinnati, where a rooftop garden has been created for students and their parents. In Cincinnati, Vance's other activities are now mostly centered around the Baha'is. She participates in study groups of the Baha'is writings and helps in youth programs trying to teach virtues. Her main purpose is to strengthen the community, and spread the messages of unity, peace, love and justice of Baha'u'llah, the founder of Baha'ism. "Central to teachings of Baha’i Faith is that on this planet, there’s one unfolding religion, one universal faith," she says. "Baha’i Faith is only the most recent revelation. At its core, this means there’s no “Them”, there’s just “Us.”" This unity is what Vance would like to continue to live for. service that connects people to where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time. These buses shorten waiting times, as service comes frequently throughout the day and at consistent intervals, in turn giving riders a wider variety of times that they can arrive at their destinations. - The 17 and 19, which serve Hamilton Ave and Colerain Ave, respectively, help illustrate this concept. At peak service (morning and evening rush hour), the 19 comes about every 25 minutes, dropping to around 50 minutes the rest of the day. Weekend service is even less frequent. The 17, by comparison, runs every 10-15 minutes throughout the day. Frequency drops early in the morning and late in the evening, but never below the 19. It's also a reliable option on the weekend. What does this look like in real life? Let's assume you just miss the bus. On the 17, that typically means a wait of 10-12 minutes for the next bus. For riders on the 19, however, it could be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour before another bus arrives. Despite the availability of realtime bus tracking and set schedules, generally speaking, life is too irregular to plan around a bus that comes every 30-60 minutes. A couple extra minutes in the doctor's office, a slow checkout line at Kroger, or staying late to send one more email at work can mean an extra 40 minutes at the bus stop. Sure, some days, that's not a big deal. But when the weather's bad or you're in a rush, missing the bus can be catastrophic. Given the choice, very few people will take that risk, which is why high frequency and thereby more useful buses are so important when it comes to retaining and attracting new bus riders. One or two bad experiences with missing a bus can drive the choice rider away for good. In the end, the more that people can depend on bus service to live their lives, the more they will view the bus as a viable, reliable transportation option. Better bus service allows people to sit back and enjoy the ride; avoid traffic, parking, and the cost of driving; and get where they need to go on time. --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Bus rider exits broken down bus Accessibility ramp breaks on bus Credit: Cam Hardy Credit: Cam Hardy “Breakdown Stereotypes” “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2 British expedition led by Captain George Weymouth had landed on this particular coastline. When they left in 1614 they took 24 Natives as slaves and left smallpox, syphilis, and gonorrhea in their wake. One of the Natives taken back to Europe was named Tisquantum (called Squanto by the white man). The 102 Puritans landed and built their colony called The Plymouth Plantation on the ruins of the Native village of Pawtuxet.  Pawtuxet had been destroyed by the Weymouth expedition. The Puritans survived by stealing the food stores of neighboring Native Summer Villages as well as eating corn that was still growing wild from abandoned cornfields near the ruined village. Strangely enough, Tisquantum, who had survived his trips to Europe, happened to come upon these Puritans while hunting with another Native named Samoset.  They observed the newcomers and finally one day Tisquantum send Samoset over to greet the Puritans with the word “Welcome.” Tisquantum soon joined and the Puritans were surprised to find two “savages” that spoke their language. The Puritans were terrible at survival, but with the help of Tisquantum they were able to harvest some late corn and learned to catch some game. Tisquantum also helped the colonists negotiate a treaty with the Wampanoag People near by who were led by Massasoit. Still many of the Puritans quickly succumbed to pneumonia and consumption. It was a hard winter and some 46 of the original 102 Mayflower people died. The next year, 1621, with the help of the Wampanoag People, the Puritans learned how to live and make a bountiful harvest. In celebration of their good fall harvest, the colony’s governor, William Bradford, declared a three-day feast after the harvest. The Natives that attended this feast were not even invited. The Puritans had only invited Massasoit the Wampanoag leader. It was Massasoit that brought the other 90 or more of his Native brothers and sisters that saved the colony to the chagrin of the rather rude and indignant Puritans. The Natives also provided most of the food. There were no prayers of thanksgiving of any kind and the Natives were not invited back ever again for any other such events. The following years the Puritans became pre-occupied with themselves and their superiority over the Native People. This along with spiritual pride, jealousy, envy, greed, bad relationships (adultery was rampant – remember the Scarlet Letter) and other sins, caused the Puritans to lack. Now at this moment most scholars write that the drought of 1623 was the cause for much of this. While the drought was hard, it was not an excuse for the many unrighteous things the Puritans were LOCAL doing. Now the peace settlement between this first colony of Puritans and the Wampanoag People meant that the Puritans were to have 15 years to establish a firm colony. By 1629 there were no more than 300 Puritans in present day New England in small and isolated communities. This survival prompted a wave of Puritans that soon established growing settlements north of Plymouth in Boston and Salem. Over the next 10 years the wave of Puritans greatly increased. Soon the Puritans begin to discuss “…the legal ownership of the land.” At this time Governor John Winthrop declared the “Indians had not subdued the land” and therefore all uncultivated land should be public domain according to English Common Law.  In other words this meant that the land belonged to the King of England. Thus the colonists decided that they did not need to consult with the Natives and that the land was theirs for the taking. As far as they were concerned they only had to inform the representative of the crown and that was the local governor. To Biblically defend the force taking of the land from the Native People, the Puritans embraced Psalms 2:8 “Ask of me and I shall give thee the heather for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” This forced taking of the land included murder. A company of Puritans led by Miles Standish actively sought out the head of a local chief. They eventually accomplished this gruesome trophy when they beheaded the Native Leader Wituwamat. The head was displayed on a wooded post in the Town Square of Plymouth. On May 26, 1637 a force of Puritans attacked about 700 Pequot People near the mouth of the Mystic River at Groton, Connecticut.  The Pequots had gathered for their Annual Green Corn Dance.  During the gathering they were surrounded and attacked by the English and the Dutch.  The Natives were ordered from the Gathering Building and as they came forth they were shot down and cut up.  The rest were burned alive in the building.  The English Captain John Mason and Commander John Underhill attacked the camp with the words “…fire, sword, blunderbuss, and tomahawk….” They also added that “…to see them {Indians} frying in the fire, and the streams of their blood quenching the same and the stench was horrible, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice to the great delight to the Pilgrims and they gave praise thereof to God.” The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared: “A day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women and children.” A second Pequot Village was attacked, massacred and destroyed on June 5, 1637 near present day Stonington and a third Pequot Village was attacked, N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 massacred and destroyed on July 28, 1637 near present day Fairfield. The Puritan fathers believed they were the Chosen People of God and that this justified anything that they did. They were in a sense Calvinists that believed most of humanity was predestined to damnation. During this period of their history the Puritans along with other European sects declared days of thanksgiving to celebrate mass murder more than to celebrate harvest.  In fact for the next 100 years every “Thanksgiving Day” ordained by any leader (Governor, etc.) was to honor the gruesome “victories” of 1637 and thanking God that the “battles” had been won. Learning from the Puritans, in 1641 the Dutch began to offer scalp money for Natives. The Dutch Governor Willem Kieft of Manhattan paid money for the scalps of each Native brought to him. In 1643 Governor Kieft ordered the massacre of the Wappinger People. In this massacre, 80 Native People were killed and their severed heads were kicked around the streets of the village of Manhattan. One Native was castrated, skinned, and then forced to eat his own flesh while many colonist watched and laughed. Later, Kieft got Commander Underhill to carry out a massacre near present day Stamford, Connecticut. A village was set on fire and around 500 Natives were put to the sword. Soon the settlers launched an all out genocide of the Native People. The government of Massachusetts made an order offering 29 shillings bounty for every Native scalp and 40 shillings for every Native prisoner that could be sold into slavery. Colonial men were allowed to enslave and rape any Native woman and enslave any Native child under what was thought to be the age of 14. Any Native People that had converted to Christianity were accused of shooting into the trees during battles with the hostiles and were therefore enslaved or killed. Other peaceful Natives of Dartmouth and Dover were invited to a negotiating meeting in which they were taken captive and sold into slavery. Colonial Law gave permission to “…kill savage Indians on sight at will.” By 1675 Massachusetts and surrounding colonies were in an all out war with the Wampanoag People. The Wampanoag leader Metacomet (called King Phillip by the white man) grew angrier as he watched the steady destruction of his culture and his people. He was forced to strike out with raids on several isolated towns for food. Captain Benjamin Church tracked down and killed Metacomet. His body was drawn and quartered and the parts as Captain Church said were “…left for the wolves.” Metacomet’s hands were cut off and sent to Boston for display and his head was sent to Plymouth where it was set upon a poke on the newly declared Thanksgiving Day of 1675. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Metacomet’s son was to be killed because the Puritans proclaimed that “…the offspring of the Devil must pay for the sins of their father.” Instead he was sold to a slave ship bound for the Caribbean. On June 20, 1676 the Puritans governing council held a meeting to determine of a way to in their own words; “…express thanks for the victories in War with the Heathen Natives….” And from that moment they proclaimed June 29 as a Day of Thanksgiving.  The celebration over the “heathen Indians” became a major event and was celebrated semiannually among the New Englanders and the early colonies for many, many years to come. [To read the proclamation declaring this Day of Thanksgiving visit the website listed at the start of this article.] By 1704 the massive Holocaust and Genocide of the Native People caused Governor Thomas Dudley to declare a “General Thanksgiving for God’s infinite goodness to extend his favors… In defeating and disappointing… the expeditions of the Enemy Indians against us. And the good Success given us against them, by delivering so many of them into our hands….” THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Now the holiday that most Americans celebrate has nothing to do with the Puritans or the Native Americans.  The holiday most are acquainted with came about during the American Revolution in 1777.  As President, Washington Proclaimed a Day of Thanksgiving to be observed by all on November 26, 1789.   The date has changed a few times with the most recent change done by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.  At the request of many businesses, Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving Holiday to the 3rd Thursday of November to make for a longer Christmas shopping season.  This change created a huge public out roar and finally in 1941 Congress made the 4th Thursday of November a legal holiday and our National Day of Thanks. CONCLUSION Should you decide to celebrate this holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, please remember the Native Americans.  Weather you be a teacher or a parent or both be very careful not to “sugar coat” what the Pilgrims did and how they treated the Native Americans, not even to the youngest age.  Please avoid stereotypic Thanksgiving pictures, stories, and programs that depict inaccurate images that are unfair and degrading.  By all means do not have children or adults make “Indian headbands, Indian vests”, do ceremonial war dances or such inappropriate things.  Also do not put on “Pilgrim and Indian” pageants or plays (unless they are historically accurate and tell the story from the true perspectives of Native Americans as well as the European immigrants). --------------------------------------- �No. 36 9 13 STREET VOICE | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 ONE YEAR AGO MY FATHER’S HOUSE In my father’s house there are many mansions Can you believe one year has gone by? Many mansions, with many rooms to rest and pray in In good times, in bad times, day, night, sleep or wake times Last November's election still makes us cry. All the time I spend in my father’s house cause his house is mine When I was homeless, a drunkard, We pray that The Donald is the last nominee a drug addict and all alone I found much comfort and peace just praising in song When I was hungry, hair nappy, dirty and smelling really bad To get his training for office from Reality TV. I held onto my sanity, when my belief in prayer was all I had As in any house with rules, Almost 70-percent of us are sick and tired, my father has commandments of ten Even though I would make mistakes, I’d always repent of my sins And if we could we'd say: "You're Fired!" And ask for forgiveness with the understanding to make a change A change for the best so there would be no more fear or pain BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Taking what each day brings in prayer and always believe Having faith to know that my father’s will is best for me While searching for God’s love, wisdom and understanding I come into the realization of just what my heart was demanding I began to go to church to learn more about my father’s house I found peace and my soul was saved I could finally announce I learned that there is a place in my father’s house for everyone The young, the old, the lost and the sick at heart and mind I learned the mistakes I’d made were all of one kind I understand today that we must learn from the mistakes we’ve made And know only by the grace of God can our souls be saved So, won’t you come visit in the house of my father Learn the bible and know that with my father there is no other Take your time and search your soul to truly find yourself And understand that in our father’s house is where we’ll be forever safe with plenty of help WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 138 Across 1. Manage 5. Unit of power 9. Draw out 14. Presage 15. Currency unit 16. Animal toxin 17. Catafalque 18. Small nail 19. Endow 20. Minstrel 23. Make a mistake 24. Ineffective 25. Showily imitative 26. Combined 29. European mountain system 31. Not any 32. One, some, every or all 34. Musteline mammal 37. Misfire 38. Deity 39. Flow out 40. Poem 41. Edible bulb 43. Frequently 45. Connecting point where several lines meet 46. Nightspot 48. Relating to a tail 50. Happy 52. Irony 55. Rodent 56. Contemplation of things past 59. Speak up 61. Fortune 62. Part of a tooth 64. Square root of forty-nine 65. Succulent 66. In addition 67. Mixture of rain and snow 68. Center of authority 69. Endure 3. Look searchingly Down 1. Adult male swan 2. Leave out 58. Flip of a coin 4. On the way 5. Netlike 6. Pertaining to hearing or the ear 7. Used as part payment for a new one 8. Disorderly outbursts 9. At any time 10. Lair 11. Comprehended 12. Judicature 13. Mineral, used as an abrasive 21. Employ 22. Country, initially 25. Mentally quick and resourceful 26. Untie 27. Word used to refer to a person, place or thing 28. Pointing out or SODOKU PUZZLE NO 268 - MEDIUM revealing clearly 30. Tennis return in a high arc 32. Fuss 33. So far 35. Starchy tuberous root 36. Bobbin 38. Large African antelope 42. Past times 44. Collet 45. Represents a number 47. Fatal cattle disease, initially 48. Sarcophagus 49. Egyptian cobra 50. Twelve dozen 51. Part of a jacket 53. Book of maps 54. Beverage, usually drunk hot 56. Let for money 57. Carbonated drink 60. Indicating maiden name 63. Small indefinite quantity PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 137 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 267- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 9 RESOURCES | N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 N o v 17 - N o v 30 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 9 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 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 November 17-November 30, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Forum Looks at Tax Reform and Income Inequality Pg 3: On Consent and Rape Why I Didn’t Vote Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Shantytown Pg 6: Why is Cancer Mortality so High in Cincinnati? Pg 7: Tax Reform? Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: What Is Good Bus Service? Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Cam Hardy Continued Pg 12: Josh Spring Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 17-November 30, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Jamie K. Oxendine Bill Woods Bentley Davis Jason Haap Dr. Mark Mussman Steve Sunderland Ed Burdell Saad Ghosn Cam Hardy Willa Denise Jones The Jubilee Campaign Alice Schneider Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Bentley Davis Bill Woods Bus Service Cam Hardy Cancer Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Ed Burdell Inequality Jamie K. Oxendine Jason Haap Josh Spring Metro Religion Saad Ghosn Shantytown Steve Sunderland Tax Reform The Jubilee Campaign Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/655819f3b6716492037babc2cca13a27.pdf 8fec14004ebe3a3097e7cfc13f918df4 PDF Text Text November 3rd - November 16th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 49 (No. 368) advocating justice | building community Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 | 9 This Issue is sponsored by The Jubilee Campaign INSIDE THIS ISSUE Chuck Collins will speak at Christ Church Cathedral at 7:00 PM on Monday, November 13. This event is FREE. Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II Passed Away | 2 Dennis Banks, Warrior for Peace|3 Armistace Day 2017, Remembering to Remember| 7 The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit From Chuck Collins| 11 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II Passed away O N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 JOSH SPRING n October 9 Reverend when the city tried to effectively Executive Director Rousseau O’Neal II passed stop the creation or expansion of away. Pastor Rousseau open doors to other strong voices and social services through the zoning spent 32 years behind the organizations. code.  As corporations, elected Through the years, Reverend pulpit, 17 of which were at Rockdale officials and some media outlets Baptist Church in Avondale. Reverend O'Neal did not only work from behind the pulpit though.  Reverend Rousseau was a permanent leader in the fight for social justice and human rights in greater Cincinnati.  Being a pastor means to be an empowering shepherd of people toward an ultimate destination.  Pastor Rousseau lived this role.  He was inextricably engaged in the acts of empowering strength among people in the march to justice.  Pastor O'Neal was dedicated, bold, charismatic and strategic. When I started with the Homeless Coalition he was one of the first people I had to meet, because of his committed partnership in our mission to eradicate homelessness.  For years Reverend O'Neal was the President of the Faith & Community Alliance, a leader in the Baptist Ministers Conference and Avondale Concerned Clergy.  Whenever I would call Reverend Rousseau to tell him about a fight we were engaged in, he would always ask, "what do you need me to do?".  He would Pastor Rousseau O'Neal II work with us to plan strategy, he Credit: Josh Spring would bring supporters together and he would lend us contact with his Rousseau stood beside us in many criminalized people who lived in the trusted allies.  Reverend O'Neal had difficult struggles.  He spoke in Metropole Apartments and openly through years of work, established a support of restoring the City's supported 3CDC's effort to remove strong and brave reputation and was Human Services Fund.  He joined us every Metropole Resident from always ready to allow us to utilize his in meetings with city council people.  (Continued on page 3) reputation and support in order to He vocally supported our lawsuit REFLECTIONS ON POLITICS - FALL 2017 I nstead of contributing a regular article this issue, I offer some random reflections on politics in late October 2017. One year ago, we were about to experience an election that is still having huge repercussions today. The election of Donald Trump as President has brought conflict and instability at almost every level of our social, economic, and political life. As I prepare to vote in the local elections, I feel my focus on candidates running for City Council and the School Board creates a healthy diversion from the horrors of the White House. Speaking of horrors, Halloween takes place this Tuesday. As a way of having some fun while many of us work on Congressional redistricting reform in Ohio, we organized a BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Halloween event entitled "the horrors of gerrymandering." This lunch at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church will actually provide an update on how the campaign is going as well as a meeting to prepare attendees to collect petition signatures at the polls on November 7th. My friend Catherine Turcer, the staff person for Common Cause/Ohio, will travel from Columbus, to brief us, and she promises to bring her witch's hat. A bit of humor goes a long way in these political times. Instead of getting deeply depressed by the daily news from Washington, it is better to conjure up laughable scenarios to lighten things up. For that reason, "the horrors of gerrymandering event" was planned. Although it will be a long and tough campaign to get a citizen initiated Ohio Constitutional Amendment passed in 2018, reformers need to have some fun during their critical work to renew democracy. Therefore, we invited folks "to view the scary and weirdly shaped Congressional Districts, and hear about the ghosts of campaigns past." The other gargantuan factor debasing electoral politics today is "big money," and the Supreme Court has made it almost impossible to effectively address it. In fact, huge campaign spending confronts us at the local level this fall. Some candidates appear to have an endless supply of money to run TV ads and (Continued on page 11) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Justin Jeffre, Steve Sunderland, Robert Park, Martha Stephens, Jim Luken, Saad Ghosn, Dr. Mark Mussman, Monica McGloin, Trenton Davis, Joele Newman, Jada Jones, Seynabou Niang, Jason Haap, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Josh Spring, Wikipedia, twincities. com, google images, Jim Luken, Saad Ghosn, Dr. Mark Mussman, book.google.com, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 8 LOCAL AIM Co-Founder and Anishinaabe leader dies | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 N ative American activist Dennis Banks passed away at the age of 80. The AIM leader was best known for leading sieges at Wounded Knee, South Dakota and Alcatraz Island in California. They also took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington D.C. in an effort to raise awareness about the plight of Native Americans. Banks had moved to Northern Kentucky in the 1990s and was featured at length in an Enquirer article written by Mark Curnutte. JUSTIN JEFFRE Editor Banks told Curnutte, "Before Wounded Knee, we said there had to be a massive education movement to teach white America of the legal responsibilities Congress has to Native people." Adding, "The government owes Native people a great deal in exchange for the natural resources that were taken from our land. Since Wounded Knee, we have developed forum after forum in which to educate.” The legendary leader earned income by giving lectures and he also played in some movie roles, most notably Last of the Mohicans. According to the Enquirer report he had been hired as a technical consultant by producer Michael Mann and was later given a speaking role in the movie. Banks told Democracy Now in 2012 how he was taken from his family in the 1940s and forced to go to a boarding school with thousands of other native American children. Dennis Banks: “I was taken to a boarding school when I was four years Dennis Banks, Warrior for Peace I had the privilege of working with Dennis Banks for peace through his "Sacred Runs," his drum workshops, and his organizing of efforts to respect Native American burial grounds in Ohio and Kentucky. Dennis was a great teacher. He knew that many of us knew little of the realities facing Native Americans, especially knowledge about the violation of treaties, burial grounds, and the use of mascots. Dennis also led "sweats," an experience of meditating with him within a tent and around a fire that represented the " grandparents:" the respect for the land, the water, the many peoples, and the idea of peace. Dennis saw all of his activities as a learning process. No one could really be an "expert" on sacredness for anyone else. We were invited to shape our own definition as we travelled, as we meditated, and as we created action that could celebrate the lives of Native Americans. Whether we were trying to make our own drums, or running a few miles, or celebrating our progress, Dennis gently reminded us that we had accomplished a lot and there was more to do. And so, we ran another few miles, or drove as a support car, or prepared for a sacred ceremony of caring. Every event, Dennis seemed to say, was a sacred ceremony. Seeing the world from this perspective was a powerful method of bringing diverse people together for unbelievable projects, like running across country. One amazing experience that stays in my memory happened at a JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 5) their homes in the name of a lauded entertainment district, Reverend O'Neal stood with Residents and our fight to save these homes.  When Western & Southern sued Cincinnati Union Bethel and defamed the Women who lived in the Anna Louise Inn so as to steal their homes, Reverend O'Neal marched with us and addressed the crowds.  When we 3 STEVE SUNDERLAND Contributing Writer dinner ceremony in New Mexico. We had run all day and we were based at a high school for dinner and a ceremony of joining us all together. A drum started sounding a dance and on the floor danced many of us, including Dennis. He was wearing a beautiful shawl and it moved in swirls as he danced. Suddenly, his daughter appeared, unannounced, and joined him in dancing. Dennis reached out to her with his shawl, and placed it on her shoulders. They danced so old, and taken away from my mother and my father, my grandparents, who I stayed with most of the time, and just abruptly taken away and then put into the boarding school, 300 miles away from our home. And, you know, the beatings began immediately, the—almost the de-Indianizing program. It was a terrible experience that the American government was experimenting with. And that was trying to destroy the culture and the person, destroy the Indian-ness in him and save the human being, save the—kill an Indian, save the man.” beautifully, and it was only after the dance that we learned that Dennis and his daughter had not spoken in years. We all learned that forgiveness and gratitude danced together. Dennis was an "easy" person to work for peace if you were open to learning how deeply your heart was involved. He didn't suffer intellectual discussions if they didn't move toward action. He was a gifted citizen, a gentle teacher, and a friend of all those who take peace seriously. I will miss his drumbeat. Ho Dennis Banks during a radio interview Credit: Twincities.com Dennis Banks Dennis Banks Credit: Wikipedia Credit: Google Images protested the hypocrisy of Western & Southern's Nativity Scene in Eden Park, Reverend O'Neal was there, ready to explain the hypocrisy.  When neighbors in his church's community fought to stop the development of affordable housing, Reverend Rousseau spoke boldly in support of our people in need of housing. I could keep going with this list, but the point is that Reverend Rousseau O'Neal was a person of action.  He backed up what he preached.  He held people accountable.  He was willing to risk condemnation and relationships in the name of truth and justice.  As we took actions which were controversial and often unpopular among so-called leaders, we could always count on Pastor Rousseau O'Neal to stand with us. I keep using the phrase "stand with us" because anytime Reverend THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O'Neal was present at a gathering and the media wanted to do an interview, Pastor Rousseau would always gather one or two people, walk up to me with these people, put his arm across my shoulders and whisper in my ear that we are not in this alone and that he and others would be standing there in active, visual support. We are thankful for and to Reverend Rousseau O'Neal and we stand with his family. �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 �OPINION No Such Thing as Free Speech… Never Has Been… Never Should Be No. 36 8 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 W hat is appropriate regulation of public speech (as opposed to private speech among individuals). Public speech means talking to large groups of listeners, ranging from crowds around a soap box to millions reached through mass and social media. No society has ever permitted anybody to say anything, in any the public venue of their choice. The control of speech takes many forms, usually structural permits and authorities (invitations, contracts, nominations, etc.) defining and allowing compliant speech but sometimes reactive controls after speech has occurred (libel suits, job terminations, withdrawals of permission, awards, promotions, blacklistforever,andworse(arresting/ murdering journalists, labor organizers, political opponents)). Speech has consequences and so the fundamental question is who decides what is acceptable public free speech? Many aspects of permissible public speech are informally accepted and enforced: just about everyone agrees you don’t falsely yell “fire” in a crowded theatre (a Supreme Court ruling). You don’t wantonly violate the privacy of other people, especially children for example (somewhat different rules for celebs) and you don’t divulge confidential information of significant importance to someone else without a good reason. These are the easy ones. What about if someone has something to say that someone else doesn’t like. They want to publish a book, write an article, write an Op-Ed, cover a story, report an investigation, research a problem, give a speech, be a TV host, run a twitter blaster. Would they have free speech? Could they have? Traditionally, mass media mongers make decisions based on lots of things (advertisers, ideology, markets, boards of directors, liability, copyrights) – there’s nothing resembling free speech here; decisions are scrupulously programmed and ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer algorithmed. Some shows get run, others are dropped, others never get proposed. Some stories are written, others not. Writers aren’t stupid, they learn the ropes. Networks, publishers, studios couldn’t function with free speech. Sometimes an unwelcome proposal in the better societies can find a taker, a publisher or producer willing to take a chance; never in some other societies. It’s a judgment call, not a right. Depends on how vulnerable a status quo is to pesky dissent. In many countries publishing (speaking) on the fringe is permitted – within limits – but largely dictated by financial concerns. In societies which have a relatively “free” press, this means the regulation of speech has been delegated to the private sector, private property, that there is an absence of state interference in private institutional discretion on permitting and promoting speech. If someone showed up at Proctor & Gamble and said I’d like to make a presentation to your workforce on how out-sourcing and global trade has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of Cincinnati workers, they’d get laughed at all the way to the curb. While an outsider seeking genuinely free access for a dissident or contrarian rant in the private forprofit sector is a joke, what about inside the ivory towers –college campuses – incubators of society’s thinkers, leaders, techies, opinions and thought bullies: is there free speech there? Institutions of “higher learning” are somewhat unique: they have a large internal community of people who are NOT employees and who might believe the institution should not control everything they hear or see. There is some recognition of the value of critical thought and innovation not constrained by direct corporate interests. Useful wisdom can survive and flourish when private authority is relaxed. Even so, there was and usually still is seriously restricted communication access, especially for progressive challenges, especially at private institutions. The means of control include faculty advisors, registered student organizations and rules, permissions for use of facilities, etc. But lately right wing trolls have appeared on campuses and are being accommodated by college administrations on grounds of, you guessed it, “free speech.” Substantial institutional resources including exorbitant security costs are committed to provide communication infrastructure in support of climate change deniers, purveyors of racial purity/supremacy or other trumpian myths. Some stranger showed up at the University of Cincinnati (not exactly a freespeech mecca in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s) and demanded full access to promote an alt-right agenda to the university and surrounding communities, and the guy gets bathed in an aura of free speech purity and fawning cooperation. Other cowardly universities have declined this guy, not on principles concerning access to the communication infrastructure of public institutions but on public safety grounds. Rowdy objectors protesting these gifts of access are denounced as enemies of free speech. Sometimes an institution’s agenda is pretty transparent (boards of trustees like some ideas, not others). Implicit encouragement of racial conflict, even race war may be acceptable but not how to organize a general strike, with tutorials on sabotage. Complexities and challenges in waging the war on terror is an OK topic but not how global capitalism creates conditions and desperation from which “terrorism” is totally predictable. Similar considerations apply to other public media access like local cable networks, public radio and TV, community newsletters, websites. What should be off limits? Advocating genocide, pedophilia, War and Peace and a Poetic Response F RIENDS, let me say that I miss Jim Luken in these pages all the time, and I’m sure other readers do, too. Jim knows all the horrors of war, had once been a war correspondent in Europe. He writes passionately about the violence this country has created around the world, and we learned, for instance, a lot of fine anti-war songs from him that can be heard on YouTube. Today we all know we are living in a dangerous world, but Jim might have put it this way: we ourselves MARTHA STEPHENS Contributing Writer may be the danger most to be feared. Have we met the enemy . . . and it is us? Our country has forged the greatest war machine the world has ever seen. Can we who are living within this most militaristic of countries, work somehow for peace? IN RECENT YEARS the U. S. has established military bases around the world and is selling arms around the world. (See James Risen’s recent book Pay Any Price about the huge profits corporations are making on our bases and wars.) We have launched major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, states which had not done us any harm! The Iraq Body Count, run by a website in Great Britain, is a daily count of civilian deaths in Iraq. The tribal conflict we created there has cost tremendous death and suffering over and over again, and now in the once peaceful city of Mosul. As this is being written, more documented deaths in Mosul and Baghdad are being added every day. Total since the U. S. invasion of 2003: 179,415 civilians killed! THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 racial superiority, disseminating provably false news, assassination of corrupt leaders? Maybe we need some rules for access to traditional public media (not to mention to social media where Facebook and Google et al. are deep in a panic to patch their code in order to protect their advertizing cash cows). Here are some rules that colleges and universities could use: 1. a proposal for access to institutional communication infrastructure (a large meeting room, auditorium, stadium, TV hook-up, web connection..) needs a local sponsor within the institution (explaining the relevance and interest to the community) 2. the proposal addresses a significant issue or perceived need (e.g., intellectual, national, or entertainment) 3. if relatively non controversial (no apparent objections): fine, go for it (minimal security cost) 4. if controversial (strong positive and negative endorsements and inflamed opinions): put topic in a panel format with an open process for solicitation and selection of presenters with diverse perspectives (minimal security cost) 5. if profoundly objectionable to a significant segment even in panel format: proponents are required to organize their own protection and security; security waivers are required for speakers and promoters with explicit denial of assured protection; local police intervene at expense of local authorities. 6. there could be a fixed specific annual fund allocated for support of invited speakers. Maybe an elected committee from the community affected would make decisions. Perhaps require at least 80% opposed to veto a contentious request. The committee could simply decide against having one speaker whose presence would consume the entire annual fund in favor a 10 less onerous speakers with more to offer and civil followers. What if civil discourse and consensus has already been lost? Maybe, too bad, they let the creep do it. Response: rotten tomatoes, chants, blockades, civil unrest, following fine traditions. In Yemen, where we partner with the Saudis, people are starving, food ships aren’t allowed to get through to those still alive in the rubble of the Saudi bombs. These vicious bombs are dropped incessantly from planes made by us, and which we help to direct and to refuel! It is said that we’re causing the worst cholera outbreak ever known. The major media have kept the tragic war in Yemen virtually a secret. Many of us believe that if people in the U. S. knew what was happening there, they would not support it! Very few of us would want to be part of that massacre. MY HOME in Paddock (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL MARTHA STEPHENS (Continued from page 5) Hills, by the way, is safe. No one has come to tell me that I must be out of my house by nine of the clock, with invaders on the way to bomb and destroy my neighborhood. POETS have written through the ages about the pity and horror of war, and I’m placing below a few of their verses. We may wonder what such poets would have us do now in the Mideast, in North Korea. Would they ask us to talk with our enemies, try to agree with them that we not kill each other? Should we lift the sanctions on North Korea and be willing to freeze our military actions in that area if North Korea agrees to freeze theirs? Or do we want to drive that peninsula into war? PLEASE take a look at these tiny poems on war. War Dawn came slowly Almost not at all. The sun crept over the hill YOU CAN SUPPORT THE N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 Cautiously Fearful of being hit By mortar fire. By Dan Roth Planet Earth “A planet doesn’t explode by itself,” said drily The Martian astronomer, Gazing off into the air. That they were able to do it is proof That highly intelligent beings Must have been living there. The Day the World Ended The day the world ended Joe saw the flash out the window. He raised his hand to speak But was not called on For he was sitting with The social justice committee of his church And the minutes were being read. Of course Joe and the whole committee Were turned into stone that day. The minutes, too, were petrified -- By John Hall Wheelock (Continued on page 7) • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �7 LOCAL Armistice Day 2017, Remembering to Remember No. 36 8 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 “A ll the gods are dead, except the gods of war.” Eldridge Cleaver This is either the fifth or the sixth year that I have written a “reflection” on Armistice Day (Nov. 11) for this newspaper. The first time, as I recall, I was “assigned” (asked by the editor Justin Jeffre) to write an essay for Streetvibes about this important, yet often ignored, day in history. I think he had asked me to do the piece because he recalled that I had worked (briefly) as a freelance journalist in “hot” war-torn places a half dozen times. He knew how much I hate war, and the whole government/military/corporate/ banking jackals that feed on the bodies of the dead. I welcomed the opportunity to write about a historic “moment when the world (finally) got sane (for a moment). Now I live far away from the Cincinnati scene in a small coastal town, Peace Dale, Rhode Island. I cherish the name of my new home town, just as I like the fact that Cincinnati was named after a Roman hero who (following the war du jour) exchanged his sword for a plowshare. Anyway, sitting here near the eternal sea, I made the decision to write yet another Remembrance Day story about the signing of the armistice treaty that ended World War I. I find it an honor to continue my Nov. 11 tradition. And I am grateful to Streetvibes for publishing these thoughts: The event and its commemoration WWI, which was later described as “the war to end all wars,” happened in Europe between 1914 and 1918. My own parents were very young children then. My dad's parents had been turn-of-the-century immigrants from Germany. When the war broke out between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rest of Europe, dad's family was warned to stop speaking German in public. On my mom's side, her uncle from Saylor Park was a so-called “doughboy” in the socalled “great war.” He died of injuries shortly after the armistice was signed in 1918. Now, almost 100 years later, only MARTHA STEPHENS (Continued from page 6) Unapproved. By Martha Stephens May I ask: do you know, my friends, that the great American poet Walt Whitman worked in a Washington D. C. hospital during the U.S. War Between the States? He could be seen holding the hands of the wounded on both sides, redressing their wounds, writing letters home for them. His experience there JIM LUKEN Contributing Writer a few people in Europe have lived long enough to recall personal memories of WW I. Nonetheless, millions of Europeans choose to remember the ratification of the armistice, even the moment of that ratification, every year. Many of them will stop for two minutes at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th month, in order to think about, or remember, the exact moment when the leaders of the warring parties chose to end the hell that was the First World War. 10 million people around the world will wear red paper poppies to commemorate that day. Although 11 AM comes six hours later here in the US eastern time zone, I will join them in reflection for those two minutes, as is my habit each year. If I run into someone selling poppies, I will wear one. I'm sure some of you conscientious Streetvibes readers will consider joining in this solemn moment. The reality of war No doubt only a few of you have been soldiers in war zones or have experienced the horrors of war happening firsthand, in your midst. But all of you hold an accurate inner sense of war being the most dreadful experience imaginable. You know that it is worse than a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake. You know that the unimaginable brutality of a war can, and usually does, rage on for years. The most recent major war that I “covered” (for various Franciscan peace and justice publications) took place in Croatia, then Bosnia (1991 to 1996). Those experiences for me (the father of four teenage kids in Cincinnati at the time) were frightening beyond belief. If you were to visit either of those two now-quiet Balkan countries (situated just north and east of Greece), and talk to men and women on the street there, you would have difficulty finding a single person who hadn't lost a relative, or a friend, or a neighbor in that extended meaningless war. The same would be true of Syria, or Yemen, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, all places where war is raging to varying degrees at this moment. War, as they say, is hell, a hell in which men, turned him against that war -- and all wars. This poem is the famous anti-war poem Whitman penned during that time. Reconciliation WORD over all, beautiful as the sky, Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost, That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly softly wash again, and ever again, this women and children—civilians just like you—are trapped and dying for no valid reason. These wars could be stopped overnight by the leaders of the warring parties. They could be stopped if the ordinary soldiers and officers would cease committing “legal” homicide, put down their weapons, and refuse to engage in a fight that can't help but end badly for both sides. How Americans deal with war The majority of Americans have never experienced the horrors of war create the abomination of war. And “He” ain't gonna fix it. Thus, sitting or kneeling around praying for peace just might be a form of sacrilege. If the churches and their members really wanted to do something about preventing or ending a particular war, their priests, ministers, rabbis and imams could demand that their congregations, especially their young men and women of fighting age, refuse—on moral or religious grounds—to participate. The evolution to naming Nov. 11 “Veterans Day” Please forgive having gone off on that little rant. I need to return the focus of this essay to “remembering” Remembrance Day. In 1945, following another World War, the name was changed from Armistice Jim Luken in his new hometown Credit: Jim Luken in this, our homeland. Nonetheless, most of us choose to lend patriotic support in the endless series of wars that our military wages in countries far away. There have been at least two dozen of “our” wars, since WW II. Most Americans rally behind “our troops” no matter what. We shake our heads and shrug our shoulders, believing that each of “our” wars are inevitable, like the occurrence as the next solar eclipse. They go to their churches on Sunday and pray for peace. Let me say something here that readers may find sobering, even heretical. Prayer has never stopped a single war. Not one. Ever. If there is a God, then praying for peace probably insults this God. “He” didn't Day so as to include all those killed in both wars. In 1954, the US unilaterally chose to rename Remembrance Day (November 11), instead calling it “Veterans Day.” Many believe that in so honoring the warriors, living and dead, who fought in “our” (often illegal) wars, we forget the message of peace that Remembrance Day is intended to celebrate, and so we blur the absolute bottom line: too many millions of human beings have died, and continue to die, needlessly, in too many wars. Acknowledging those who served the military on this solemn day is inappropriate to say the least. It would be so easy to choose soil'd world; For my enemy is dead, a man divine as myself is dead, I look where he lies stone-faced and still in the coffin—I draw near, Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the pale face in the coffin. By Walt Whitman LET’S WRITE to our officials, my friends, whichever ones we think might listen to us, with a message decrying our continued actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Korea. Perhaps calls to Senator Sherrod Brown are in order. Do we truly need to destroy whole villages in Syria with our bombs? What kind of people are we? [Martha Stephens is a writer of novels and non-fiction. Her book best known in Cincinnati is The Treatment: the story of those who died in the Cincinnati radiation tests. She blogs on peace and justice at marthastephens.wordpress.com, and can be reached by email at streetvibes@cincihomeless.org.] THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 11) �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Co-Creator to Better this World: Father Benjamin Urmston’s Faith Is Inseparable from Justice N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 “W hat I am is God's gift to me. What I become is my gift to God,” says Father Benjamin Urmston, S.J., adding: “This implies that I also participate in creation as a ‘cocreator’, helping this world become a better one now, preparing the heavenly one to come.” This dynamic and engaged view of his faith led Urmston to actively work for peace and justice from the beginning, wherever he was and whatever he did. It was his main focus while teaching, coaching baseball, working in campus ministry, instituting peace and justice programs and studies, hosting a community radio show, traveling around the world… “My faith is directly linked to justice as I cannot love God and ignore my sisters and brothers or the one earth on which I live,” he states. “Peace to me is the presence of justice, based on a proper relationship between ourselves, God, animals, the earth.” Born in North College Hill, Ohio, Urmston grew up on a farm in close contact with animals. His father, a kind, compassionate and hard-working farmer, developed in him, early on, love and concern for the earth and all its inhabitants, also a strong interest in food and its production advocating for widespread ownership of farms and for a democratic economy. His mother, a devout Catholic, and the Precious Blood sisters at St. Margaret Mary Grade School where he attended, determined his faith and religion. After graduating from high school, he joined the army, participating in World War II, serving on General Patton’s Third Army in Europe, then in the Philippines. In 1946 and at the age of 21, he entered the seminary to become a Jesuit priest; he has been a member of the Society of Jesus ever since. His experience in the army provided Urmston a strong sense of community and allowed him at the SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer same time to see the world, opening his eyes to many human issues such as violence, death and poverty. He describes it as a rich spiritual retreat, one with time for reflection and prayer. It led him, however, to rethink the use of destructive wars to solve world problems; it also indirectly cemented his fate as a religious servant. “I thought becoming a priest was the best way to make this a better world,” he says. “I instinctively wanted to rid our planet of wars and poverty…” His priesthood studies earned Urmston several degrees, each bringing a different dimension to the understanding of his religious involvement towards peace and justice. Studying philosophy exposed him to the concept of natural human rights as promulgated by God's act of creation. It stressed the importance of human rights for a positive peace, every human enabled to become an independent and equal actor closer to God, to others, to the physical world. Theology equated peace with an improved relationship with God, to Urmston the most important goal of his life. Religious education, emphasizing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, made him realize the need to be a co-creator with God; also, that peace studies and social analysis, integrating the wisdom of various disciplines, were an important way towards that objective and towards fighting an unjust and war-driven world. His academic education also led him to teach English and theology, initially at University of Detroit Jesuit High School, then at St. Xavier High School and later Xavier University, both in Cincinnati. In all three places Urmston coupled his teaching with the institution of a Christian Life Community involving students and faculty, combining faith and justice. At Xavier University, part of Urmston’s responsibility was campus ministry. While he felt it important A Catholic text Urmston likes to quote “The expectation of a new earth must not weaken but rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one. For here grows the body of a new human family, a body which even now is able to give some kind of foreshadowing of the new age… After we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured.”  From Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), No. 39, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (1965), Second Vatican Council. to promote a student’s religious life, he soon realized there was an added need for more involvement in peace and justice issues. He became active in neighborhood community councils, particularly in Evanston and North Avondale, served on the social action committees of the archdiocese, participated in the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Wanting the students to be also directly involved, he proposed to the administration a new department, Programs in Peace and Justice, part of Student Life Father Ben Urmston and Leadership. It was approved and Urmston became its director. The Program offers co-curricular activities and sponsors off-campus service learning and field experiences that facilitate exposure to the poor, to those who serve the hungry and the homeless. He also initiated “rural plunges” that take students to family farms to learn directly about their daily life and the problems they face. “These field experiences provide orientation and trigger reflection,” says Urmston. “A first-hand witnessing of material poverty or injustice can shake someone’s state of apathy.” Also at Xavier, Urmston initiated a committee that started a Peace Studies Minor, an academic curriculum focusing on peace using an interdisciplinary approach and a social analysis methodology. He himself taught a course Faith and Justice. “My purpose was to introduce students to human rights, international law, active nonviolence, economic democracy, the social teachings of the church.” For twenty-eight years Urmston hosted a weekly radio show, Faith and Justice Forum, on WVXU. It served as an outreach service to the community, and featured local and national figures whose work had been instrumental for peace and justice. They included Cesar Chavez, Baldemar Velasquez, Monsignor George Higgins, Gar Alperovitz. For few years he also wrote a column on Faith and Justice, The Catholic Moment, for the Cincinnati Archdiocesan paper The Catholic Telegraph.  Now retired from his administrative and teaching role at Credit: Saad Ghosn Xavier University, Urmston, ninetytwo years old, remains as active as ever. He is Coordinator of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of Citizens for Global Solutions, a national group that proposes nonviolent and democratic means to solve the world’s problems. It joins his longtime interest and membership in the movement for a better world that promotes more equitable dealing with international issues such as the environment, world trade, terrorism, civil and ethnic strife, the war system. Urmston for instance has actively lobbied in favor of treaties to reduce nuclear weapons; and is very involved in raising awareness to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli problem and the injustices caused by the occupation. “We need to listen to each other,” he says, “and let go of fear and distrust. We need to respect the equality and dignity of all human beings. Might does not make right.” Urmston summarized his entire philosophy, his Vision of Hope, in a 15-minute DVD that he placed on his website (www.xavier.edu/frben). It discusses what he perceives as the 5 (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 9 LOCAL Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN O Staff Writer ctober is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month. It is not really an occasion to celebrate, but we work hard to increase awareness through our Speaker’s Bureau and Shantytown. The Homeless Coalition was welcomed at many area schools over the month and spoke to nearly a thousand students. We have a new speaker who is a veteran, which has opened new doors for our Speaker’s Bureau. We also welcomed a strong group of students from Xavier University to Over-the-Rhine for an immersive, educational, alternative fall break. We visited many member organizations and learned from experts who are working hard to eradicate homelessness by creating affordable housing, fighting for worker and tenant rights, and ensuring the availability of needed items. We hope you had a chance to reflect on the issues surrounding homelessness this month, and remember, we are always available to speak to your group. --------------------------------------- Speaker Melissa M. with students from Iowa after sharing her story Willa Jones shows off her book after speaking to a group in Northern Kentucky Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Streetvibes Distributor James Brown livens it up with Xavier and Mary Burke-Rivers Streetvibes Distributor Lee McCoy showed the Xavier University students the ropes Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Speaker Dionna Flowers after sharing with Ursuline Academy students Streetvibes Distributor and Speaker Cleo Wombles always cracks us up with his jokes Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman �10 LOCAL N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 T LOCAL The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit from Chuck Collins | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 MONICA MCGLOIN TRENTON DAVIS he systems of our forefathers, put in place in the name of development and wealth accumulation, have become dated and laggard. Though well intentioned, they lack empathy and have divided our society. The result: we’ve created a world of economic exiles. This economic isolation is a threat to our society. The decal on my rear bumper acclaims, “WE ARE THE 99%”. This rallying cry for unity made popular by the Occupy Movement in 2011 awakened most of the nation to the reality of the gross financial inequity in our country. Educated and employed people, students and economic exiles aligned in a common effort to change a system which fostered poverty, greed and class warfare. Though short lived, the movement was startling to all, many of the common good or the rising tide lifting all was no longer valued. Instead our institutions (education, health, political, social, religious) taught that those who worked hard would prosper and those who did not prosper were lazy. This shift led to the Poverty Industrial Complex. Today we have an infrastructure that is dependent on having “poor” people (economic exiles). It has created a not-for-profit service system, modeled on corporations, that provides significant employment - a business model that relies on lowwage workers to assure its profits - and political and religious systems that are dependent on corporate contributions and some extremely wealthy people. Are we lost? Or can we find our of whom have not gone back to life as usual. A good twenty years before this movement, Chuck Collins was doing workshops on The Growing Divide. Using Street Theater, human graphs and other popular education modes, Chuck and his colleagues provided data that showed our economy had been and continued to move in a direction of a few amassing wealth while many were finding their paychecks shrinking. The concept way home…? Chuck Collins is now a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy studies and co-founder of Wealth for the Common Good. In his most recent book, Born on Third Base, Chuck offers us a vision for a future where all can participate fully. Chuck was born on third base and acknowledges the benefits he had as child and a young man. He had the courage and wisdom to reflect on his BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) send out almost daily mailings to Cincinnati residents. When we succeeded in convincing Cincinnati voters to pass a campaign reform Charter Amendment in 2001, we thought we had effectively dealt with the "big money" problem locally. Not only did the Amendment contain contribution limits, but it included the option for candidates to receive public financing. Unfortunately, Carl Lindner and other opponents of minimizing the impact of private donations knocked out the public financing section of the Amendment SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 2) pillars of a new world building: human rights, a global ethic, non- Contributing Writer experience in light of the experiences of others. He has the ability to be comfortable with economic exiles as well as the power brokers and from 11 this position he calls us to come home. To revision a society where the common good is central, where no one is excluded, where we can protect (Continued on page 12) Author Chuck Collins Credit: book.google.com in another Amendment vote in 2002. Now contribution limits have been watered down.. Although an individual is limited to giving $1,100 to a candidate for Mayor or Council, the City is currently authorizing limited liability corporations the status of individuals that can also contribute $1,100. Under this interpretation, a person can make a contribution, and his or her limited liability corporation can then make a second donation. Some contributors have set up multiple LLCs. This practice faces a legal challenge, but the case will not be heard until after the November election. I have argued informally with several Cranley supporters that even if they applaud his record as Mayor, they still should not support his use of money to dominate the mayoral campaign. The relentless spending of money to drown out the message of a less well funded candidate is to say the least very unhealthy for democracy. One very positive element in this fall's campaign is that there are a number of grass-roots candidates running for City Council who often speak for their neighborhoods. It is refreshing to see these able people on the stump articulating issues that are often overlooked by establishment candidates. The subject of affordable housing leads us back to the horrors of Washington, D.C.. Programs that comprise the safety net have suffered major cuts over the years, and the budget plans of the Trump Administration and Congress would further devastate such funding. This reality makes it even more important for us to vote for empathetic local candidates who support innovations such as an affordable housing trust fund. violence, democratic world order, and economic democracy. “I have a strong and deep passion for peace and justice,” he says. “My relationship with God has moved me outward toward my neighbors and the earth. I have a responsibility to contribute as a co-creator to improve this world. There is continuity between this life and the world to come and the better this life is the better the world to come will be.”  “Breakdown Stereotypes” --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 P LOCAL Girls’ Writing Circle Description N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 JOELE NEWMAN easlee Neighborhood Center has a continued relationship with Rothenburg Preparatory Academy, conducting Girls’ Writing Circles in Contributing Writer the after-school program. Our circles offer these students the opportunity to express themselves and be heard and validated by their peers through the process of helping these girls find and develop their voices, reading poetry and writing creatively; we then share our work and verbally affirm each other’s writing. The process is grounded in respect and an appreciation for each girl’s unique gift. ----------------------------------- BLESSED My lovely mother My name to me means blessed I wish that my mother can have Because my mom said that if I was born in June I am blessed. I like to be blessed because I am worth a lot of Anything she wants And quickly instead of working for it Because she done so many things that You can look her at the eyes and say things Thank you very much. To be the Jada. She always wanted me to be a leader, And always participate Jada came from Hebrew. And always go to school, Blessed is worth a lot of things. I like to be Stay out of trouble, blessed Showing leadership, That was how I was born. JADA JONES SEYNABOU NIANG Girls' Writing Group Participant A For a brighter future Girls' Writing Group Participant The Children are Watching t times in my life, I have prided myself on being someone who won't back down. In the past, this meant that if someone came at me crazily, I had no problem meeting them with an equal intensity of craziness. If you wanted to get in my face, I was perfectly capable of getting in your face right back. The other day, I was at the grocery store, looking at some varieties of beer. I feel 99.9% certain that I was standing perfectly still when I felt someone bump into my back. I was not upset, but I did turn to see who had jostled me. It was a girl, maybe around 14-15 years old, who was with her mother. But this girl was mean-mugging me with an anger and intensity that felt totally disproportionate to how someone JIM LUKEN (Continued from page 7) another day to respect our veterans. The great American writer, Kurt MONICA MCGLOIN (Continued from page 11) Earth and have sufficient resources. Chuck is a visionary, but he does not JASON HAAP Contributing Writer So, I am embarrassed to say, I matched this mother's hatred with a vitriol of my own. When she spit rage at me, I spit rage back, faster and hotter, determined not to "lose" whatever weird battle I found myself fighting. As we became a bit of a public spectacle, and as I continued to match the mother's angry speech with angry retorts, another part of my brain awakened, and I started to metacognate on the nature of the situation in which I found myself. The adrenaline-fueled lizard brain coursed the fight instinct through my body, but the more sophisticated analytical portion of my frontal lobe started to provide commentary while in the midst of this argument. I have never experienced something like that before, analyzing myself in real time during an adrenaline-inspired fightresponse. To my horror, I realized I was guilty of a great injustice in the development of this young daughter! should act after bumping into someone. I looked away, but a few seconds later, I had that feeling on the back of my neck like someone kept staring, so I turned around again. The furious face still glared back with intense hatred. "Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked. This was probably a mistake. But, from my perspective, the intensity and the disrespectfulness of her body language was so profound, I just had to ask. I tried to be careful that I didn't say it with a particular tone. As the daughter responded, the mother turned on me at the same time. Mama bear had been awakened, and she was not interested in what I had to say, but instead in defending her child. As the rage boiled into the mother's eyes at the notion I would dare speak to her daughter, the child responded, "Because you bumped into me!" She said this with great attitude, anger, and flare. The mother now had all the ammunition she needed: I had, according to her, dared not only to speak to her child, but to bump into her! Just who did I think I was? I found myself on the receiving end of a string of insults and profanity totally inappropriate for an aisle in a grocery store. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, and the associated rage that comes with an adrenaline surge. My lower brain told me this was a fight or flight situation, and for whatever reason my reptile instincts said this was a time to fight. Vonnegut, fought in the Second World War. He spent many months as a POW in Germany. He called WW II the last war that may have been worth the fight. In 1973, Vonnegut put it this way. “Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans Day is not. So, I will throw Veterans Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don't want to throw away any sacred things.” just paint imaginary pictures. He offers concrete suggestions for ways to rebuild community based on real stories of what people are currently doing. If you recognize the inequity in our nation and you want to live in a more just and equitable world, then you need to begin the process by coming to hear Chuck Collins speak at Christ Church Cathedral at 7:00 PM on Monday, November 13, 2017. This event is free and all are welcome. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- �No. 36 8 13 STREET VOICE | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 CRYING RAIN Looking out the window The rain is falling hard, and fast CONGRESS TAKES UP TAX REFORM Income inequality is the norm In terms of current tax reform. Congress will surely take a pass There are intervals of thunder In aiding a shrinking middle-class. Slashing ever so often Forget about all the working-poor. And then it suddenly stops Until the next thunder slash appears Corporate cuts cause jobs to soar. If you seek the real explanations, Look at big campaign donations. It lets you know that God is, near BILL WOODS Contributing Writer So take heed GONE Listen to his might Because thunder and rain, Will, be coming KIM GREEN GONE ARE THE DAYS THAT WE ONCE KNEW GONE ARE THE DAYS NEVER TO RETURN SO NOW WHAT’S NEW? GONE IS LIKE TOMMORROW THAT NEVER COMES IT’S Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer ALWAYS TODAY GONE IS THE EMPLOYMENT RATE AND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME, FOR A CHANGE I PRAY! GONE ARE THE DAYS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND SINGER LUTHER VANDROSS TODAY SOME PEOPLE SCREAM OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD AS THE WORLD YELLS BARACK OBAMA IS THE BOSS TODAY WE AS HUMAN PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED OR CONFUSED AS TO WHO IS RULING TODAY WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS GOD’S WORLD. SO WHY DO THE PEOPLE KEEP FOOLING I SAY STOP KILLING OURSELVES WHEN IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT WE LIVE IN ORDER TO DIE SO WHY NOT TAKE EACH DAY AS A BLESSING ABOVE GROUND AND JUST SAY HELLO AND WHEN WE’RE GONE JUST SAY GOODBYE WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 137 Across 4. Teach 1. Stateroom 5. Mesh 6. Impluse 6. Knock over 10. Cot 7. A strong line 14. Unaccompanied 8. Keep watch over 15. Decant 16. Allay 17. Perch 18. Box lightly 19. Cause annoyance 20. Portable shelter 21. Visionary 22. Large passenger ship 23. Ecstatic 25. Rostrum 27. Inhabit 30. Vignette 34. Travesty 35. Wide open 38. Misery 39. Worry excessively 40. Excavate 41. Prima donna 42. The night before 43. Shelf 45. Cloth cap with no brim 46. Mend 48. Wellbeing 49. Evidence of previous injury 51. Small hard fruit 52. Aromatic substance 55. Molecule 57. Edible fat 61. Step 62. Report or maintain 63. Fairy 64. Metallic element 65. Wheelwork mechanism 66. Edible bulb 67. Look after 68. Merely 9. Make a mistake 10. Color of ripe cherries 11. Precipitation 12. Small island 13. Ale 21. Secret agent 22. Resembling or similar to 24. Simian 26. Small snake 27. Bid 28. Sculpt 29. Go stealthily 31. Pirouette 32. Crave for something belonging to someone else 33. Uncultivated land with scrubby vegetation 35. Append SODOKU PUZZLE NO 267 - MEDIUM 36. Two-wheeled horsedrawn carriage 37. Historic period 41. Time at which something must be completed 43. Parasitic insects 44. Epoch 45. Hymenopterous insect 47. Travel up 48. Stitched cloth border 50. Corvine bird 51. Regretful 52. Skewer for holding meat over a fire 53. Whittle 54. Visual representation 69. Easily irritated or annoyed 56. Small duck Down 59. Public violence 58. Central point of rotation 1. Heavy open wagon 60. Abnegate 2. Succulent plant 62. In the past 3. Good fortune 63. Cooking vessel PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 136 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 266- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 8 RESOURCES | N o v 3- N o v 16, 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 386-7899 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 N o v 3 - N o v 16, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 8 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � 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 2017 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 November 3-November 16, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: Fighter, Pastor Rousseau O’Neal II Passed Away Reflections on Politics Pg 3: AIM Co-Founder and Anishinaabe Leader Dies Dennis Banks, warrior for Peace Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: No Such Thing as Free Speech…Never Has Been…Never Should Be War and Peace and a Poetic Response Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Armistice Day 2017, Remembering to Remember Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month 2017 Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: The Poverty Industrial Complex and a Visit from Chuck Collins Pg 12: Girl’s Writing Circle Description The children are Watching Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 3-November 16, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Justin Jeffre Steve Sunderland Robert Park Martha Stephens Jim Luken Saad Ghosn Dr. Mark Mussman Monica McGloin Trenton Davis Joele Newman Jada Jones Seynabou Niang Jason Haap Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Wikipedia Twincities.com Google images Jim Luken Book.google.com Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF AIM Armistice Day Bill Woods Chuck Collins Dennis Banks Dr. Mark Mussman Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Jada Jones Jason Haap Jim Luken Joele Newman Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Martha Stephens Monica McGloin Peace Robert Park Rousseau O’Neal II Saad Ghosn Seynabou Niang Speech Steve Sunderland Trenton Davis War Wikipedia. Twincities.com. Google images. Jim Luken. Book.google.com. Religion Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/bfa8d4524bfe2c638ce1ad1d020c2001.pdf 253ae86dde84adbdf159b5b60e9a149e PDF Text Text October 20th - November 2nd 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 48 (No. 367) advocating justice | building community Photo Essay: Blink | 8 This Issue is sponsored By (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Out of Sight, Out of Mind? | 3 Education and Determination: Solution To Homelessness| 5 Religious Peacemakers: Jaipal Singh | 7 The Consumer Economy and its Crushing Assumptions | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: Federal Judge Grants Injuction Against Hud O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 JOSH SPRING Federal Judge Granted the Alms Residents' Association an Injunction Against HUD which stops HUD from working to close the 200unit building while the Residents' lawsuit is heard. T his is a big deal. For years HUD allowed the Alms Hill Apartments to fall in disrepair. Bad landlords took all they could get out of the property, with zero concern for the hundreds of people who live there. For years, especially the last nearly three years, Residents of the Alms have been working to significantly improve their homes. The Homeless Coalition, Legal Aid and the Alms Residents' Association have pursued legal remedy to bring the Alms into quality, sustainable housing to stop the threat of eventually loosing these 200 homes all together. As the Residents of the Alms were finally seeing significant improvement, HUD decided to enter the process of closing the building. The Residents' Association sued HUD. The first step in this case was to seek an injunction from the court. On Friday, October 6 Residents continued to show their united, steadfast position that they will not leave their homes by appearing in federal court as Legal Aid wonderfully argued their case. On Thursday, October 12, the Executive Director federal court granted the injunction to the Residents. This means that the court has decided that the Residents' case is of such strength and the probable harm to Residents if HUD continues to work to close the building is great enough that HUD must stop all work to close the building while the case is being heard. Furthermore, while HUD had the building under closure orders, vacant units could not be rented, resulting in approximately 70 vacant units. Because of this injunction, these units can now be rented. We are not near the end of this struggle. The work to save the 200 homes in the Alms and the 550 other homes in this full portfolio continues with urgency, but this is a big deal, most notably for Alms Residents who are working so hard to save their cherished homes. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------- WHILE OHIO REFORMERS COLLECT SIGNATURES THE SUPREME COURT PONDERS WHAT TO DO ABOUT EXTREME GERRYMANDERING IN WISCONSIN R eformers in Ohio are busy collecting signatures to put a state constitutional amendment proposal on the ballot to end the practice of gerrymandering Congressional districts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court on October 3rd heard oral arguments in a case challenging the extreme gerrymandered districts in Wisconsin. A long overlooked practice that both political parties have used to their advantage over the years, gerrymandering has received greater attention since 2010 because 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer computers have greatly aided politicians in drawing district maps that insure safe majorities for their parties. The Republican Party has been particularly successful in using this technique. The Party made a selfconscious effort to win majorities in state legislatures across the country at the time of the last Census. Their success gave them control of the redistricting process in a large number of states, and the results were the creation of a slew of safe state and Congressional districts for the GOP. Wisconsin and Ohio are examples of this partisan handiwork. Ohio reformers have used the ballot initiative to end this practice. In Wisconsin, opponents of gerrymandering have challenged the practice in Court. After the 2012 election in Wisconsin gave Republicans sixty of ninety-nine seats in the Legislature with only 48.6 percent of the vote, activists began preparing their case that the district maps drawn in 2011 deprived too (Continued on page 6) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Jason Haap, Peter Block, Abbey Smith, Saad Ghosn, Bobby Morris, Dick Croy, Jordann Sadler, Willa Denise jones ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Dr. Mark Mussman, Economics of Compassion Initiative, Cincinnati Country Day, Saad Ghosn, Dylan Speeg, Laura Domet --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 7 A 3 LOCAL Out of Sight, Out of Mind? | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 s I sit here listening to Melissa Mosby, one of the Coalition’s speakers, talk about how people live in their “puffy pink clouds” I am forced to think about how recent actions in Cincinnati are having an effect on people’s lives. Melissa says that people don’t want to believe that people are experiencing homelessness because it will mess up their version of reality. If they know there’s a problem, then maybe they will be forced to do something about it, is essentially what Melissa is getting at. Recent events in Cincinnati make it impossible to not agree with what she is saying. A couple of weeks ago, our city started destroying the benches that line 3rd Street downtown. On any given night throughout the year, many individuals use the area as a refuge: it’s well-lit, close to the Shelterhouse, near bathrooms at Smale Park, close to event spaces that are amenable to panhandling, and there is safety in numbers. In the past, the Homeless Coalition worked for years to get the city to take crimes against people experiencing homelessness more seriously – after years of advocacy, we became the 3rd city in the country to add hate crime legislation to protect people experiencing homelessness. Evidently, these protections aren’t enough. The City Manager claimed that the benches provided an area for people to do all sorts of lewd and dangerous things, but really the call DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer to remove the benches came from Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated (DCI), and other business interests. It did not come from the police or homeless advocates. As we are seeing with the wholesale destruction of the low-income housing in Over-theRhine, corporate interests don’t include people in poverty, and those experiencing homelessness are seen as vermin who must be removed from sight. Removing us from sight does nothing but create an unsafe situation. Is it a coincidence that the very week when the benches began to be removed, a woman who was experiencing homelessness was beaten to death in an alleyway a few blocks from 3rd Street? Is it possible that this was an attack by someone who simply didn’t want to be burdened by someone else’s circumstance? It’s definitely possible. When we remove people experiencing homelessness from the public view we are putting them in harm’s way. I encounter people all the time who stereotype people experiencing homelessness as “dangerous,” “criminal,” “evil,” or “uneducated.” These stereotypes are far from the truth, as people living in poverty or homelessness are actually more likely to be victims of crime, rather than perpetrators. We can readily see this in the youth demographic. Could you guess how many hours will go by before a youth who is experiencing homelessness will be propositioned for sex? Children as young as 9 years old (and younger, actually), are participating in survival sex because they want to have a place to stay tonight. It’s within a matter of hours that they will be asked, or forced, into sex with adults. And of course, since Melissa Mosby Spoke to Xavier University Students Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman drugs are a part of street culture, they will be exposed to, and often forced, into doing drugs. All because they are in the shadows, hiding from their abusers (often this includes their family), they are exploited and abused by people in the streets. This We need more empathy for those we disagree with D o you have Hulu, the online streaming television service? If not, maybe wait a couple weeks and get the free one-week trial so you can see Sarah Silverman's new "latenight" television show, "I Love You, America!" It is a singularly unique show, with its fair share of the crude humor you might expect if you know Silverman's stand-up comedy - but, more importantly, it has an approach to political discourse that our culture desperately needs right now. Shock-factor alert: in her opening monologue, Silverman shows a fully nude man and woman sitting in the audience. We see a close up on the man's flaccid penis. But as she points out, this image feels so jarring because we don't typically see non-sexualized, clinical bodies on television. This idea serves as foreshadowing into the rest of her show, where she takes us into political discussions we are not used to seeing on television, either. For her first segment, she travels to Louisiana to have dinner with a family of Trump voters. The family had never met a Jewish person JASON HAAP Contributing Writer before. But more significantly, for the liberals in Silverman's viewing audience, they likely have never seen a humanized version of Trump voters before. Contemporarily, Trump voters are not even depicted as real people - but instead as cartoonish and buffoonish symbols of hatred hatred of gays, Muslims, any nonwhite people, Jews, and on and on and on. Did Silverman choose a highly educated and articulate family of Louisiana Trump voters? No. This is a comedy show by a liberal comedian, after all. But did she dismiss them insultingly? No. As much as a comedian can achieve depth in a short segment on a latenight show, what we get to see is a very human exploration between a group of people who, on the surface, have nothing in common. Why did this family vote for Trump? They wanted change, and he was the "change" candidate. In an interesting twist, we learn that most of this family supports gay marriage. is not a drill, this is happening today. Today in Cincinnati. The same can be said for adults who are experiencing homelessness that are swept into the shadows. The Cincinnati Police are currently conducting sweeps of underpasses, citing safety and state law. Every time a camp is destroyed and people’s belongings seized, we are putting those individuals at greater risk. They are not getting into the shelters because they are already full. Most people are turned away from the shelters in Cincinnati, not because (There goes that stereotype of all Trump voters being anti-gay bigots.) But why, some of my liberal friends might ask, would people who care about gay rights vote for an anti-gay rights party? That is a great question. Instead of assuming the worst, I think more of us should take Silverman's approach: we should ask them! We should talk to them and seek to understand them. This is the kind of empathy that I've been very interested in recently, though it's missing these days on the left, I fear. The last segment of the show featured an interview with Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of Fred Phelps, founder of the deplorable Westboro Baptist Church (the people who picket soldiers' funerals with signs that say things like "God Hates Fags.") Phelps-Roper left the church five years ago, and has been completely shunned by her family and former community since. We learn from Phelps-Roper some insights on what it's like to be an extremist. As crazy as it sounds, that group, according to her, acts the way they do from a position of THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED the shelters close their doors, but because they are already over capacity. Sweeping them away like trash doesn’t land them in a better situation, it may just land them in a body bag. --------------------------------------love. During the interview, PhelpsRoper made a powerful point, after discussing how a Twitter user engaged her in deep, one-on-one discussions over a long period of time (a user who ended up becoming her husband!): We can’t expect to, like, isolate these people and hope that those ideas will just fade into oblivion. We have to actually engage those ideas and find ways of, one, understanding the mind-sets of the people that we’re dealing with and then effectively constructing arguments and evidence and presenting those things. New episodes of Silverman's show will be released every Thursday. So, like I said, consider (if you don't already have Hulu) waiting a few weeks and then checking out a few episodes. More importantly, let them serve as a model for how to practice empathy. We all need to do better to listen to people who disagree with us, and to understand them. We will not make change by shouting people down. instead, like Phelps-Roper's example shows, we change minds when first we seek to understand them. This is a lesson we are never too old to learn. [To contact Jason Haap email him at jasonhaap@gmail.com] --------------------------------------- �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 �No. 36 7 5 LOCAL The Consumer Economy and its Crushing Assumptions | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 W e can complain about the 1% who have all the money, complain about the sins of the rich and the suffering of the poor. There is truth in this, but it is an old and tired conversation that does not take us anywhere. It ends up trying to fix the current system by changing taxes, arguing about government, changing wage policies. These are trying to reform the effects of the current economic system without questioning the nature of the system itself. If you participate in a predatory and privatized economy – based where profit is the main point and low cost is the means to get there – you reach what we have. The option is to question the assumptions we act on which we think are in the nature of things but are, in fact, un-natural. The new assumptionalternative economy- is called by many names: Compassionate Economy, Well PETER BLOCK Contributing Writer Being Economy, Informal Economy, Cooperative Economy. These seek to tilt the economic system towards the common good and end the exiling effects of the current market system. To do this we need to question the basis of the dominant free market consumer economy. The consumer economy is based on certain assumptions: 1. Whatever you have is not enough. If what you have is not enough, then you are not enough. If you have less, then obviously something is wrong with you. This is a scarcity worldview. Scarcity is the engine that drives our economy. Only what is scarce has value. This idea of scarcity is constantly marketed. It is what keeps us constantly wanting. Rich people and poor people both constantly want more. 2. Whatever you need can be purchased. Everything can be outsourced. Want to raise a child, care for the elderly, be safe, and be healthy? Be happy? You can hire people and systems to do this. Schools will raise our children, police will keep us safe, medical services will keep us healthy, golden years residence wills care for the elderly. The service economy is a catchword for this. In this belief, we no longer need our communal capacity to produce much of what truly matters. Being poor in this context means that you do not have the means to outsource and buy these services. It also means that people on the margin pay more for everything. 3. Labor is a commodity. A person can be purchased at the lowest cost and is expendable, replaceable (Continued on page 12) Peter Block, Economics of Compassion Initiative Credit: Economics of Compassion Initiative S Education and Determination: The Solution to Homelessness o many of us live in our own little world. For some of us, that means waking up at seven in the morning, going to work, coming home at five, getting something to eat, and going to bed. For others, that means getting up, driving through a beautiful upperclass neighborhood to work, sitting down at a desk with the label PhD or DDS. But for millions of Americans, it means waking up on a bench in the city, asking for money, waiting in endless lines just for a shower, and not knowing where a meal is going to come from. We all live in our bubbles, and most of us don’t know what’s outside of them. But by bursting these bubbles, we can break down barriers. People that are homeless can buy a house. Saudi women can drive. Immigrants are welcomed. Slaves are set free. I knew homelessness was a problem in Cincinnati. I’ve walked downtown and seen people in need. But until Cleo came to my school and shared with us his life story, I couldn’t comprehend what it was like to not have a home, a comfortable bed, heat and air conditioning, and food whenever I needed it. Cleo, a man who overcame drug addiction, ABBY SMITH Contributing Writer would wait for hours upon hours to take a shower. He didn’t have some of the basic necessities all people should have access to. Public spaces becoming private, such as parks or various areas of the city, have negatively impacted Cleo and others who have relied on them for somewhere to sleep. As he explained to us, people aren’t homeless because they’re bad people. Many get into drugs and other bad situations because they’ve been pushed out of these previously public spaces. As the world continues to advance, people without a home have been left behind. The average homeless person is nine — yes, nine — which I had no idea about before Cleo informed us. I didn’t know about any of this before Cleo came and talked to us, which illustrates how clueless so many of us are. Education can be the spark that makes a difference. Spreading the word can make a huge difference. It can make a big impact on people; I can verify. By bursting these bubbles we all entrap ourselves in, focused on only our lives day after day, we can break down the barriers between us and make a positive difference. Knowledge is valuable. Because of worldly knowledge, Saudi women can drive now! The world is progressing and more people are gaining rights! If these things can be accomplished (which they have), through education and determination, we can get rid of homelessness too. Cleo Speaks at Cincinnati Country Day Credit: Cincinnati Country Day THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) many citizens from casting a meaningful vote. Last year, a Federal District Court agreed with that argument, and it ruled Wisconsin's recent redistricting had gone too far in establishing a safe, long term majority for the Republican Party. Writing for the majority in that case, Judge Kenneth F. Ripple wrote: "The map was designed to make it more difficult for Democrats, compared to Republicans, to translate their votes into seats." The District Court's decision was then appealed to the U.S Supreme Court. The October 3rd oral arguments provided the impression that another five to four decision would eventually emerge from nation's highest Court. For instance, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg showed her predilection to view extreme gerrymandering as an infringement on a person's right to vote. She remarked: "If you can stack a legislature this way, what incentive is there for a voter to exercise his vote.?" On the other side, Chief Justice Roberts expressed his YOU CAN SUPPORT THE O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 fears that the Court's interference in the redistricting process might make matters worse. Justice Anthony Kennedy appears to be the swing vote in terms of deciding this case, and both sides seemed to direct their legal arguments to him. Although he has voiced concern about the negative impacts of gerrymandering in the past, Kennedy has never seen an effective way for the courts to measure when states have gone too far in insuring a majority of seats for one party. To that end, the legal team challenging Wisconsin's current district maps offered the Court scientific criteria for measuring redistricting's impact on election results. The ruling by the Court may not be announced until next spring or summer. In the meantime, reformers in Ohio continue with their campaign to change the redistricting process with a ballot initiative. The next big push to gather signatures in order to qualify their proposal for a vote will be on Election Day on November 7th. --------------------------------------- • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �No. 36 7 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Jaipal Singh Lives to Be a Guru and to Spread Sikhism's Peace & Spirituality | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 W 7 SAAD GHOSN hile a freshman at the University of Washington School of Architecture, in Saint Louis, MO, Jaipal Singh asked one of his favorite teachers what it took to be a good architect. His teacher responded that the world was in need of good people and not of good architects. This startled Singh at first, but the more he thought of it the more it became clear that his teacher was telling him not to focus on labels as such but rather to strive to be the best he can be as a human being and that all the rest will follow. This message has always accompanied Singh ever since. Actually, it was not foreign to him and very much in tune with the education he had received all along from his Indian Sikh parents. Since childhood, Singh's parents had instilled in him and in his older brother the basic Sikh values of reaching perfection in harmony with the spirit of a unique, everlasting, ubiquitous, loving and just God; to aim at becoming in some ways a "guru", similar in spirit to the 10 gurus who have founded and shaped Sikhism. "Every Sikh is a guru, a leader," says Singh. "God is everywhere and in every one of us. His name is truth, "satnam," and we each need to realize this truth within ourselves." Growing up, Singh was like an everyday American boy, active in sports and on the US karate world team, member of almost every club at school, playing music, excelling academically. Even though religious, he was rather secular in his approach Contributing Writer and did not pray every day. He grew his hair long, however, in accordance with the Sikh teachings, and at home, spoke penjabi with his mother, so to keep alive the connection to his ethnic origin. It is in high school that he started questioning who and what he was and became more involved in religion. "At age 15 spirituality found me," he says. "I went to a Sikh summer camp for one week and it changed my life. I found my home." At the camp, Singh decided, like strict Sikhs, to become vegetarian, and to devote, from then on, his life to the guru. He started learning the Sikh scriptures; also reading and writing Gurmukhi - a script tightly associated with the Sikh religion, created and standardized in the 16th century CE by the second Sikh Guru Angad, in order to make the reading of punjabi at the reach of every individual and not only the priestly class -; also reading and singing the hymns of the congregation. He also started wearing a turban, instead of only a hair bun, a sign for him of entering manhood, and at the same time of his identity. From age 15 to 21 Singh made strides in his spiritual growth, adhering strictly to the principles of Sikhism, letting himself be imbibed by its history. It became clear to him that, throughout centuries, Sikhs had not only defended themselves from persecution, but also other religions and humanity as a whole, and that the story of Sikhism had to be seen through the lens of justice for What Is SIKHISM Sikhism is the ninth largest religion in the world with a population of close to 30 million worldwide. There are an estimated 250,000 Sikhs in the USA. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, founded in the Punjab region in India, in the 15th century, by Guru Nanak Dev. It broke from Hinduism due, in part, to its rejection of the caste system. The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, unity of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for social justice for the  benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life. The Sikh place of worship is the gurdwara which means "doorway to God." Traditionally there is no official clergy within the Sikh tradition. Over time however, priests have become more commonplace. Now, many gurdwaras employ priests to conduct services, while others are run entirely by members of the local congregation.  Most Sikhs wear one or more of the Five Ks articles of faith as ordered by the 10th Guru Gobind Singh: •Kesh, or unshorn long hair, protected by a turban. •Kangha, small wooden comb to comb the hair twice a day. •Kara, iron bangle worn on the hand used most. •Kachera, specific undergarment for men and women. •Kirpan, short dagger. everyone. By then, Singh having finished high school, had joined the school of architecture. "My goal in studying architecture was to make the world a better place, to improve people's lives," he says. "I also saw social justice in building a space that could be inspirational, in particular a spiritual space of worship where people would connect to the divine and serve others." In fact, Singh contributed significantly to the building of the Sikh house of Jaipal Singh worship in West Chester, now home to close to 1000 families of the local Sikh community. At age 21, Singh was asked to join again the summer camp that had radically changed him, but this time as a teacher to the youngsters. "My role as an educator grew and became very important, forming youth and teaching them about Sikhism and its spiritual and social values," says Singh. "Half of it is Sikhism one on one, and the other half human activism; divinity and humanity hand in hand...," he adds. This was also 2001 the year of the terrorist attacks on the USA carried on by individuals who, because of their physical and wearing attributes (dark skinned, long beard, donning a turban), could be easily mistaken for Sikhs. "But they are not us," states Singh. "We're not related and we're different." Since that moment, Singh went on a mission to educate and enlighten others about Sikhism, its history, and its legacy fighting for freedom, for peace and justice, and for the underdog. Singh by then had also become himself an activist. In 2000, while at Washington University studying architecture, he was caught unwillingly in a demonstration protesting the presidential election's debate taking place between only major party candidates Bush and Gore, excluding Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Witnessing, however, police brutality beating one of the protesters, he strongly objected to it, was arrested and temporarily jailed. This reminded him of the many Sikhs who, in history, opposed oppression, and determined in him Credit: Saad Ghosn social activism, not to be scared, and to always stand up for who he was and for the right things. Years later, believing in the social values propelled by presidential candidate Obama, then more recently by Hillary Clinton, Singh volunteered at their respective campaigns, canvassing neighborhoods, encouraging people to vote. [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates.] In 2003, at the age of 23, and part of his personal spiritual evolution, Singh underwent the Khalsa baptism ceremony committing to total dedication to Sikhism, to shedding his ego and personality, and to fully living up to the high spiritual expectations of the guru. "My aim has been to live my life with righteousness under the direct authority of the only and everpresent God," says Singh. "Divinity is humility and love, in which one finds compassion and service, no strife, only peace." "It also requires equality and social justice," he adds. "I want to live like a guru, and contribute, in whatever I do, to peace and to a better world." Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �PHOTO ESSAY 8 Blink Cincinnati, Ohio October 2017 DYLAN SPEEG Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 �No. 36 7 | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 PHOTO ESSAY THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 �10 LOCAL O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 7 11 LOCAL THE DOG BOY’S ESCAPE | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 DICK CROY … in which the Dog Boy Is Sprung from Day Camp hen Otz died, it was as if he’d merely turned up missing from the open-air toy chest that was the woods and fields and overgrown yard around the house where my brother the Dog Boy and I lived. Someone had taken him out and forgotten to put him back as far as Douggie and I were concerned. We knew Otz wasn’t coming back, but death was even more of a mystery to us then than it is now. My brother really missed the irascible little runt, much to my surprise, until it finally occurred to me that whatever his constant teasing had meant to poor Otz, to Douggie it had been no different from hanging around me when I didn’t want him there. In lieu of the kind of attention he would have preferred, he’d learned to turn being annoying into his own amusement; he really hadn’t meant to make Otz’s life miserable. But now he hardly knew what to do with himself. Unfortunately for Douggie, I’d begun to hang out with a roughneck kid about twice my size and age who lived across the pasture field from our house. Junior Cheaseley was always getting me to play football with him in the side yard, and I went around with a perpetual headache from our one-sided games of tackle. Gone were the rainy days in the summer when Mom would fashion loincloths for us so we could streak around the yard playing Tarzan. And the day-long cowboy sagas, starring me as Roy Rogers and the Dog Boy as Gene Autry, with Mom often as not playing the saloon-keeper when we’d come in for lunch or a drink of water. (She said that once or twice she became the madam of Ma’s Bordello for her own amusement, aware that we would be clueless.) “Howdy, pardners, what’ll ya have?” she’d say. “I’ve got some mighty cold cherry Kool Aid on tap, and I can rustle up a couple of egg-an’olive sandwiches pronto that oughta satisfy a cowboy-sized hunger.” We’d play right along with her unless our game had already ended, in which case (Mom has told us) we’d give her this condescending look as if she were a rank amateur reading for a part that was way over her head or for a casting call that had come and gone. Gone, too, were Douggie’s and my daily safaris on all the game trails between our house and the woods. With weeds and tall grass W Contributing Writer up to our heads and higher, the familiar territory never lost its allure. Adventure was always beckoning, leading us to the next turn or through the stand of underbrush that we knew as well as we knew the way to the bathroom at night with the lights off. What we could never know for sure was what might lie just ahead. Once it had been a copperhead coiled on the path to sun itself. I saw it just in time to jump back, and then Mom lobbed a rock at it. I’ve never seen anything disappear as fast as that snake did. There were a lot of snakes on our property and in the woods behind our house. Occasionally we’d discover a long thick blacksnake climbing the stucco siding; less often, Dad would bring one still very much alive up from the cellar where he’d been shoveling coal into the furnace. He’d hold the writhing snake pinched between thumb and forefinger just behind the head, unwilling to kill it because blacksnakes kept the rat population under control. The rats had been drawn to that dank subterranean setting of a recurrent nightmare of mine by black walnuts Dad had unwisely accepted from a farmer who’d sold him logs. His mistake was storing them in the cellar. Although I don’t remember it, Mom said the smell of roast rat, cooked in the furnace flue, would stay with her forever. Douggie and I never ventured down to the basement unless Dad was there, but we foolishly insisted on playing horse on our hands and knees in high grass around an old stone spring house in the back yard. Our parents had tried keeping the dogs there at night when we moved in, but they howled so piteously the idea was abandoned. Later when workmen demolished the spring house, they found it infested with copperheads and blacksnakes alike, normally mortal enemies. So, no more horseplay in the high grass, and with Otz gone, my younger brother had no one to play with other than his loyal band of dogs in the back yard when Junior Cheaseley and I were together. Concerned, perhaps, that the Dog Boy was adapting only too well to the four-legged company he was keeping, Mom decided to take action. Poor Douggie was sentenced to Day Camp. I thought it was so unfair. What had the Dog Boy done to deserve such punishment? Incarceration every summer afternoon when he should be “Breakdown Stereotypes” outdoors in the fresh air, swinging under the apple tree, feeding the hard-little green apples to Frank, the neighbors’ big workhorse, who almost always got a bellyache from them. Or making a splash in his underpants (Mom and Dad called them “training pants”) in one of the galvanized washtubs filled with water that were our wading pools in those days. Anything but being cooped up indoors with a bunch of little kids his age. When I told Junior he said, “What’s to stop us from rescuing him?” I just looked at him, remembering the winding 15-minute drive it had taken us to deliver the prisoner the first day. “I know where it is,” he said. “If we cut up through the woods, it’s not that far. What’s wrong, you afraid you can’t make it?” “No!” I said indignantly. “Only, what about the Mean Dog?” “Oh, he lives in the other direction, you big fraidy cat,” he said. “I’m not either afraid. Let’s go – you lead the way.” So off we started, much higher up the steep hill and deeper into the woods behind our house than I’d ever ventured, until the green leafy branches and a cool echoing silence closed over our heads. Soon there was no longer any path, just the thickly leaf-strewn slope punctuated with rock outcroppings and small trees struggling, as I was, for a foothold on the hillside. Junior’s long legs and arms served him well. He would take a big gallop and lunge forward to grab hold of the nearest sapling, then repeat the procedure over and over, churning his legs in the thick mulch of leaves and loose rock beneath us, pulling himself up the steep slope tree by tree. Though I watched and tried to imitate him, he got farther and farther ahead of me until I finally yelled, “Wait up!” It had suddenly occurred to me that I could get lost if I lost sight of him. But he waited and was true to his word, because when we finally reached the top of the slope and I looked back behind us at the seemingly endless, nearly vertical vista of trees we had climbed through to reach this high place – from which shimmering glimpses of the river were visible far below – Junior suddenly yelled, “See, there it is!” Sure enough: I turned to see ahead of us a long low building of cedar siding which I recognized from my visit earlier. This was where the Dog Boy was being held prisoner. We scurried bent over, as I’d seen soldiers do in war movies, toward the Day Camp. It was somehow sinisterlooking despite the absence of the cyclone fence topped with barbed wire that I’d been picturing in my mind for days. Somewhere inside the Dog Boy was being held against his will. As we got closer we could hear little kids’ excited voices. Then Junior motioned for me to get down. They were all outside, in some kind of playground – and there was Douggie! This was going to be easier than I had imagined. It took us a minute to get his attention, but when he saw us hunkered down behind some pine trees that ringed the Day Camp’s perimeter, the Dog Boy grinned goofily and waved. Junior cursed, gesturing angrily for him to get his butt over here, now. Douggie ran over, his chubby little legs appearing somehow pitiful to me when I thought of him locked up all day – well, most of the day: all afternoon anyway – in this creepy place. “Come on!” said Junior, “we’re gonna bust you outa here!” The Dog Boy just stood there for a moment with a puzzled expression on his face, looking from Junior to me, then back to Junior. “Get your ass in gear, Douggie!” barked Junior. “We’re blowin’ this joint!” I ran forward and grabbed his hand, and away we went, back into the forest and down that steep hillside. The Dog Boy didn’t say a word, he didn’t have a chance to; we were too busy trying to keep from breaking our necks. Once again Junior got farther and farther ahead of us. I couldn’t go any faster because I was holding my brother’s sweaty little hand. “Wait up, Junior!” I shouted. “Wait for us!” But there was no sign of him now. A vast stillness had taken hold of the forest. The only reply was the echo of my voice and the Dog Boy’s plaintive whimper beside me. “What’re you cryin’ for?” I said gruffly, to hide my own fear. “We can find our way home.” Although there was no path to guide us, obviously we needed to keep going downhill. Maybe I’d spot a landmark of some kind. Once that had occurred to me and we were on our way again, I began to feel almost as confident as I was trying to appear. We angled our way down the steep slope, grabbing small trees to slow our descent in the (Continued on page 12) “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 I Friends? meet her on the streets At the time, I was a geek I remember her smile Her ease of walk Someday Bob you two shall talk It began as HI’s Then more and more became those eyes I stuttered to speak My voice always got weak She laughed, she cried, She fell asleep by my side Should I touch her Do I dare? No I can’t that’s not fair We lost contact due to addiction She got sober PETER BLOCK (Continued from page 5) and a holding action for automation. Capital chases cheap labor. It commodifies us. It dehumanizes us and separates us from the human soul that provides the labor. Community and the common good pay the price for this often in the form of debt that will never be repaid. In an economy that only rewards market value, if you live on the margin, or are elderly, or a child or youth, or unschooled, then you are declared useless. And for what labor you do provide, you owe your soul to the company store. 4. There are a widespread number of legal ways for making excessive money off the poor. It is the Poverty Industrial Complex. Some examples: Payday loan check cashing services are open 24/7. They charge interest rates of 30-100% a year, many needing to take out another loan just to repay the last. Convenience stores, liquor stores, Dollar Stores, and others charge 20% premium in low income neighborhoods. Cigarettes 50 cents each. Day labor at low rates DICK CROY (Continued from page 11) same way Junior and I had used them to pull ourselves up half an hour earlier. Then we came to a deep rocky gully that I knew Junior and I hadn’t crossed, and my fear of being lost returned. “How are we going to get across?” asked the Dog Boy. Getting across isn’t the point, I wanted to yell at him. Where the hell are we? Then I had a Junior Woodchuck kind of brainstorm. (For you latecomers, the Junior Woodchucks were the scouting-like organization Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck’s nephews, belonged to. Before TV almost any kid could have told you that.) This was probably the same gully, just farther up the hill, that I had fallen into a few months earlier – egged on by Junior. If it was, there was a grapevine hanging in the middle of it a little farther down the slope, which the two of us used to swing on. ‘Til I cracked my skull, that is, and went crying all the way home, LOCAL BOBBY MORRIS Contributing Writer I stayed addicted 5 years later she’s still going strong Me myself just 90 days’ long We work together once a week Always I try just to peak Does she know I always wonder? Perhaps I should tell her But I know I will Blunder ????? is her name Sweet as can be Maybe I’ll do it just wait you’ll see ????? your Great, ????? your Awesome Someday I will tell you But for now, I am LONESOME O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information email: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org with deductions for transportation, uniforms- taxes that will never be declared. Landlords that rent their properties abandon them and enjoy tax incentives. 5. Debtor Prisons. We saw in Ferguson that penalties on tickets and infractions became a major source of income for the municipality. Crime does pay. That civil nonpayment became criminal charges and in so doing reinstated debtor prisons. All of these are part of the current system. Jubilee Call We are creating an Economics of Compassion Initiative to create an alternative to this free market consumer economy. It is a project of consciousness and commitment. It is based on the idea of Jubilee, which is to forgive the debts of the poor. But it is not so simple as forgiving debt. There is no financial solution to the breakdown in community caused by the consumer assumptions listed above. Those assumptions create a culture of isolation, class divide and fear. The loss of care for the commons. The solution is a communal enterprise, for many an expression of our faith and religion that commands our attention and generosity. In the context of the consumer assumption of nothing is enough and income and purchasing power is the key to well-being, the economic disparity and the burden on the poor cannot be solved by writing checks or creating new policy and legislation. Nor can financial literacy and economic education break the spell. They all help and are worth doing, but what is required is an act of imagination. To re-imagine our local, neighborhood economies and the capacities and financial sobriety of those who reside there. Of creating a neighborly social order instead of market defined social order. To replace consumption with neighborly covenant. It may naturally begin with acts of forgiveness. We can each begin in our own personal lives. Who owes us money and how might we authentically lift that burden? We also need communal structures to release people from debt burdens and de- facto imprisonment. We need Slow Money and Rolling Jubilee. We need a community conversation about reparations. This can occur within a local and national movement. We need to recognize this effort is occurring in every city and rural town in America. This is an alternative economic system. It shows up under many names: Localism, Food Shed, Social Entrepreneurship, Cooperatives and Mondragon. It is publicized by the Our Harvest Coop in Cincinnati. This alternative economic system calls us to build resident controlled, neighborhood businesses. It demands that we, especially those who are economically isolated, be obsessive about where we spend our dollars. We must keep the dollars circulating locally. We need to support groups like Mortar who are building local minority businesses. We need to explode the myths of fast foods and big box stores being cheaper; the myth of cell phones or social media really connecting us; and the myth that more schooling is what will reduce the economic divide we began with. More on these later. with Junior pleading with me to shut up, lest his father hear me and make the grapevine off limits, which he did. “Serves you right,” I told Junior, still angry that he’d talked me into jumping from the side of what seemed to me like the Grand Canyon for the grapevine that he had no trouble at all reaching. He’d bolstered my confidence by swinging the vine – which was hard and as thick as my wrist – toward me from the other side of the gully and having me jump a little farther for it each time, until finally it was just hanging there over the abyss. Which, after much urging from Junior, I had leaped into. That was the first time I “saw stars,” as the saying goes. Now my place of pain might lead the Dog Boy and me home. I explained to Douggie why we had to make the treacherous descent into what was now the Grand Canyon to him, though I don’t think he really understood my reasoning. A few minutes later we were picking our way through jagged rocks like those I had learned my lesson on. There was just a trickle of water, but its happy bubbling sound kept us company as it flowed along with us downstream. In no time at all, it seemed, we were beneath the grapevine I hadn’t seen since my fall, and the hike home from there was a cinch. When we came out of the woods, who should we see but Junior’s father working in the field. My pride at leading my brother and me to safety was punctured when the Dog Boy called out to Mr. Cheaseley, “We were lost!” “We weren’t lost,” I said angrily, feeling humiliated in the eyes of Junior’s father, who had heard me bawling like a baby just a few months earlier. Douggie just gave me a look which, half a century before the evolution of the word as it’s used now, said clearly, “Whatever.” I certainly received no hero’s welcome at home. Mom was furious at me for the furor that had ensued when the Dog Boy turned up Missing at Day Camp. She’d been worried sick, she said. Just wait till your father gets home. “But, but we only did it for Douggie,” I stammered, feeling misunderstood and unjustly accused. “Tell her,” I said to him, “tell her how you hate the place.” Even I could see how confused the Dog Boy was, looking from my mother to me, then back to her again. I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I realized he was struggling to hold onto a semblance of sibling loyalty. If he was trying to defend me, that could only mean that I’d been wrong after all. “...It is kind of sissy,” he said, repeating what I’d said to him after hearing the description from Junior. But that was as far as he was willing to go. To my chagrin, he quickly added, “But I can go again tomorrow can’t I?” That night in bed I would nurse a feeling of betrayal (which didn’t last more than a day or two), but right then all I could think of was the utter certainty of being sent out the next day to the apple tree to cut a switch for my corporal enlightenment. To be administered of course by my father “Roshi” Nathan, the Zen master of punishment. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 7 | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 13 STREET VOICE TRUMP TRUMPETS HIS IQ Are you puzzled about what's going on? Did Rex really call Prez Trump a moron? Then Donald responded right on cue, That his brain surpasses old Rex's IQ. Such words make us wonder the fate Of Trump's current Secretary of State. LIVING BY GODDNESS Each day God gives us life How merciful our creator He gives us a wonderful start To live life with breath In our lungs and a beating heart Living by goodness and by grace Thank you God for another day Living by goodness makes one feel good And thankful for Gods good grace BILL WOODS Contributing Writer KIM GREEN Signs are held in front of faces In the rain, in the snow, in the heat The signs are held by tired hands Who wait for food or a warm handshake Signs are held when doors are closed, and families Walk away, or bills becomes hammers Making sure each nail is pounded on the coffin. JORDANN SADLER Contributing Writer Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer BELIEVE IT Believe it when you see someone bundled up sleeping in the street Believe it when you see someone looking in the garbage for food to eat Believe it cause all of these things are real and none are made up Believe that there are many men, women and children who are down on their luck Believe that with the economy all twisted and headed straight to hell Believe that there are many who just give up, commit suicide or take leave for a jail cell Believe that to the homeless, jail with three hot meals, cell buddies for friends and a cot Believe to some may mean nothing but to the homeless means one hell of a lot Believe with faith all things are possible for all including you and me Believe in God, have faith, and pray then change will come all you have to do is believe WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 136 Across Down 1. Large and scholarly book 1. Military lights out signal 5. Personnel 2. Merely 10. Halt 3. Dock at a wharf 14. At a later time 4. Power to withstand 15. Mistake 16. Starchy tuberous root 17. Trudge 18. Comparitive of bad 19. Panache 20. Sweet sticky liquid 22. A portion of medicine 23. Depend 24. Regret 26. Broaden 28. Changeable 32. Brine-cured smoked salmon 33. Block of writing paper 36. Similar 37. Chart 39. Misapply 41. Capture 43. Distilled from fermented molasses 45. Theme 46. Not awake 48. Also 50. Recreational facility 51. Very small 52. Any high mountain 54. Movie advertisement 56. Sedate 58. Used to control a horse 59. Reverberation 62. Small fastener 64. Jewish spiritual leader 68. Dreary 69. Part of a church 71. Golf club 72. Bloodshed 73. Relative magnitude of two quantities 74. Row or line of people 75. Pitcher hardship or stress 5. Darn 6. Trampled 7. Pointer 8. Remains from a past age 9. Liberty 10. Austere 11. Story 12. Examination by word of mouth 13. Small horse 21. Tavern 25. Hard tough wood 27. Way out 28. Long-tailed parrot 29. Edict 30. Heading 31. Sense organ SODOKU PUZZLE NO 266 - MEDIUM 33. Student 34. Stage whisper 35. Interior furnishings and design 38. Place 40. Game for one 42. Warmth 44. A clever remark 47. Advertising sign 49. Sphere 53. Column 55. Atmosphere 56. Not intoxicated 57. Repeat an action or statement 59. Surface boundary 60. Utter shrill sounds 61. Long-eared mammal 63. Symptom of hurt 65. A small nail 76. Stingless male bee 66. Alliance 77. Mini whirlpool 67. Dark cloudy appearance 70. Fish eggs PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 135 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 265- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 7 RESOURCES | O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 352-6364 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 859-491-8303 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 2 0 - N o v 2 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 7 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BETTIE BAILEY SINCE 10/2017 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED � 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 2017 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 October 20-November 2, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Pg 3: Out of Sight, Out of Mind? We Need More Empathy for Those We Disagree With Pg 4: 4th Annual Oakley Masquerade Pg 5: The Consumer Economy and Its Crushing Assumptions Education and Determination Pg 6: Bill Woods Continued Pg 7: Jaipal Singh Lives to Be a Guru and to Spread Sikhism’s Peace & Spirituality Pg 8: Photo Essay Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: The Dog Boy’s Escape Pg 12: Friends? Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 20-November 2, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Jason Haap Peter Block Abbey Smith Saad Ghosn Bobby Morris Dick Croy Jordann Sadler Willa Denise jones Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Economics of Compassion Initiative Cincinnati Country Day Dylan Speeg Laura Domet Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Abbey Smith Bill Woods Blink Bobby Morris Cincinnati Cincinnati Country Day Dick Croy Dog Boy Dr. Mark Mussman Dylan Speeg Economics of Compassion Initiative education Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition HUD Jason Haap Jordann Sadler Josh Spring Laura Domet Ohio Peter Block Photography Reforms Saad Ghosn Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/e02f4e00dc7f9ddb4170d43133e21fb1.pdf a00d93a4ec8cf8ba939d6d78cca80f63 PDF Text Text October 6th - October 19th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 47 (No. 366) advocating justice | Building community Don't Privatize Our Library | 9 This Issue is sponsored By (Former) Judge Mark Painter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Why Metro is Critical to Issue 2 | 7 the Disabled Community | 3 Religious Peacemakers: From US vs THEM to Only US TOGETHER | 8 Institutional Racism Still Lives | 5 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: The City Manager Is Trying to Stop Sexually Obscene, Vulgar and Indecent Activities A couple weeks ago the city Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) began jackhammering and removing concrete benches along Third Street. These benches run for several blocks on the south side of Third Street. For years different people without homes have utilized the space these benches create to sleep and rest. When we learned this was happening, we immediately knew the purpose of removing these benches was an attempt to stop people from sleeping and resting behind them. On September 21 Harry Black, the City Manager, released and FYI Memo confirming what we already knew. In his memo Mr. Black states that DOTE had “…received a number of complaints…” about the benches and that “in response, a meeting was convened of nearby property owners and stakeholders, DCI [Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated], CPD [Cincinnati Police Department] and others who raised concerns…”. He goes on to say, “Specific concerns were raised related to the ability of individuals to sit or lay behind the benches, creating a visual barrier JOSH SPRING Executive Director for patrol officers.” He says “…the stakeholders asked that the benches and trees be removed.” This is the first part of the City Manager’s argument supporting the decision for the City to pay its employees to remove these benches. His argument here is very simple: an unspecified number of complaints were received from unspecified people or organizations (we don’t know which, not that it matters), the City had a meeting with an unspecified group of “property owners and stakeholders”, DCI and CPD; this group had specific concerns about people sitting or laying behind the benches and asked that the benches be removed, and the City started removing them. It’s that simple. Now if you were to ask the unnamed “property owners and stakeholders” they may say it was not simple, because they have been complaining about people resting on Third Street for years. The truth is representatives from some companies in the business district have been complaining for years. We have met with such groups on multiple occasions in the past. At no point have they pursued any solutions to homelessness, most notably, housing. These companies have not invested in affordable housing, they have not publicly advocated for housing or anti-displacement polices. Instead, they have complained about people utilizing public space to seek mediocre respite. They have spent time complaining about and defaming people doing something which is in no way wrong or illegal. Webster’s defines “stakeholder” as, “one who is involved in or affected by a course of action”. In this story who would be most affected by the course of action discussed by this group? Obviously, the different people resting on Third Street would be most affected. But do you think the City Manager’s office put any effort into inviting people seeking sleep on Third Street to be a part of the discussion? Of course not. It is very safe to assume that the Manager’s office never had even a glimmer of a thought of doing so, because the (Continued on page 12) MAYORAL CANDIDATES MAKE SOLO APPEARANCES AT THE COMMUNITY ISSUES FORUM T his fall features a campaign for mayor in Cincinnati. On September 21st and September 28th, Mayor John Cranley and Council member Yvette Simpson made solo appearances at the Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral. As the top two finishers of last May's primary, they now contend for the city's highest elected office. In the informal setting of the Cathedral 's Forum Room, Cranley and Simpson spent a good deal of time responding to questions from the audience. They both emphasized their commitment to reducing Cincinnati's high poverty rate, and talked about their initiatives for doing just that. Although both are Democrats, they revealed the differences that have emerged at City Hall in the last four years. Mayor Cranley spoke at the Forum on September 21st. "The City," he declared, "is moving in the BILL WOODS Contributing Writer right direction." He cited job growth downtown and in the neighborhoods, and new projects such as the expansion of Children's Hospital as evidence. Forbes Magazine, he noted, has for the past two years named Cincinnati as the best U.S. city for someone with a college degree. The Mayor credits his leadership in helping to bring about Cincinnati's recent progress. Solving the Pension crisis, balancing the budget, and hiring more fire fighters, and police officers during his term as Mayor gave people and institutions new confidence in City Government. His highest priority, however, has been reducing poverty, especially children in poverty. Although he realizes that much work still needs to be done in reducing the City's high poverty rate, Mayor Cranley is proud of the initiatives he has championed during the last four years. He supported an (Continued on page 6) Yvette Simpson and Rob Richardson at Community Issues Forum Credit: Alice Schneider THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Jeremy Moses, Troy Jackson, DR. Mark Mussman, Jason Haap, Michael Earl Patton, Saad Ghosn, Emma Wilson, Dick Croy, Bobby Morris, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, ----------------------------------------------Photography/ Artwork: Alice Schneider, Better Bus Coalition, Biblestudytools.com, Dr. Mark Mussman, Saad Ghosn, Bryce Phillips, Stephanie Phillips, Google images, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Why Metro is critical to the Disabled Community No. 36 6 | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 A 3 JEREMY MOSES s anyone who saw the press conference that the Better Bus Coalition held a few months back will know, I'm a 32-year-old man with spina bifida who uses the bus for all travel except in medical emergencies. Metro has been critical to my independence as an adult, especially since I moved from my parents' home in Florence, KY to an apartment in Springdale in February of 2016. In fact, the key thing I knew I had to have when I moved was easy access to the bus to be able to go anywhere within the city, the county, and the region. Imagine with me a community without Metro service at any time of the day other than weekday peak hours. That's the reality facing Sedamsville, Riverside, Fairfax, Mariemont, and Milford along the US 50 corridor, assuming the current proposed restructuring goes into effect in December as planned. These communities will lose not only offpeak fixed route service, but they will also be doubly hit because this will severely compromise Access ADA paratransit service (which is provided to those within 3/4 of a mile of a Metro stop who cannot use the regular service during Metro's non-express operating hours). I don't know how many people currently using Access in this area are impacted, and it may not be significant. I submit, however, that even one is too many. Now... Imagine that happening across a wider section of the current system. The results would be, as I stated in June, disastrous, and here are three reasons why. Access to key services: We are about to see how people in the communities I've listed above will lose access to the rest of the county during the midday and evening. Contributing Writer For example, many people with disabilities require complex levels of care including access to specialists in areas such as urology, neurology, and orthopedics. What happens if someone who isn't eligible for Access has a 1 pm appointment? These service cuts will make getting from the affected communities to the city's main hospitals and doctors' offices into a FIVE-HOUR journey. You heard me right... There will be people who have to leave home at 7-8 am to make a 1 pm appointment! The return trip becomes a similar four-plus-hour trip when it used to take two. This will severely impact not only the patients (who now must plan, for example, to take an entire day off work for a single appointment) but also doctors, causing a domino effect that reduces the quality of healthcare everyone receives. This doesn't even consider access to jobs as well as things like grocery shopping and leisure opportunities that are also lost as a direct result of cuts to service. Loss of housing options: Those within 3/4 of a mile of a current stop will find themselves faced with a "lesser of several evils" choice: either continue to reside where they do now and be forced to rely on any family or friends willing to help; move to a location inside the reduced footprint of Access; or find themselves in group housing. Accessible housing options do exist, but many are either too pricey or even further from the Metro footprint. I got lucky in 2016 -- I moved to a location with access to two routes where I could independently get around. Numerous relocations would mean fewer housing options available to those who want to move to Cincinnati, and that in turn means that there's lost opportunity for economic growth -- which affects everyone. See where I'm going with this? Loss of independence: I mentioned the group housing option above. To a lot of people with disabilities, this is often seen transportation would leave no other option than to move to assisted living. That can be demeaning. To conclude, the community at large needs and deserves investment in a stable, well-funded transit system. It does not need or deserve the system getting slashed to the point of being almost worthless. This is true of those with disabilities as well. A sales tax measure to fund Jeremy Moses riding on Metro Credit: Better Bus Coalition as the last resort. Group housing is seen as a step backward, a loss of one's right to be independent and an admission that you can't support yourself. Essentially, it's being kicked somewhere that no one likes to be kicked, a low blow to one's self esteem. That, in turn, can also lead to negative effects on mental health -- another area where we as a society are still lacking. Without Metro and Access service, while one may be able to functionally support oneself and be financially stable, the loss of Metro bus service will go a long way towards making that a reality. But we cannot afford to continue to kick this can down the road. If Hamilton County voters do not approve the ballot measure in 2018, the pain felt by the US 50 corridor will soon be felt by many, many more in Hamilton County. We have to act, we have to act today, and I implore you to support Metro. --------------------------------------- “Other Fields” TROY JACKSON O Contributing Writer ver the past few years, I’ve been struck by the Biblical story of Ruth. The book begins with Naomi and her husband fleeing Bethlehem due to famine and lack of resources. They depart a place of scarcity and head to the Eastern side of the Dead Sea to Moab, where they find provision and where Naomi’s sons marry two Moabite women. Tragically, over the next several years, Naomi’s husband and two sons die, leaving her and her daughtersin-law economically and physically vulnerable. The social safety net for women in those days came from one’s sons and the men in their lives. All were gone. When Naomi hears that the famine has passed, she decides to return to Bethlehem and leave here daughters-in-law behind to re-marry. But Ruth demurs, insisting that she return with Ruth: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” When Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem, they have to find a source of provision, and are blessed to return during the barley harvest. In the book of Leviticus, God had made provision for vulnerable immigrants, orphans and widows through a practice called gleaning. Those harvesting crops were not to go through the field a second time, and not pick the crops all the way to the edge. The crops left behind were available to those in need, and they could pick these leftover crops for themselves and their families to have necessary food. So Ruth went out to glean, and ends up in Boaz’s field. Over the course of the next few chapters, and through a series of interventions, Boaz protects, provides, rescues, and redeems Ruth, and by extension, saves Naomi. Boaz and Ruth get married, and an immigrant woman from Moab becomes the greatgrandmother of King David. Let me be clear: in America, we do well when we embody the spirit THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED of Boaz. We respond to pain and suffering and hurt and vulnerability by helping one person at a time. Perhaps you have heard the (Continued on page 7) Ruth and Boaz Credit: biblestudytools.com �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 �No. 36 6 LOCAL Institutional Racism Still Lives | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN A fter the Great Depression, our government enacted several programs that were designed to increase the wealth and prosperity of the American people. One of the most successful, and financially stable, programs that was created was the Federal Home Administration’s (FHA) home ownership program. All Staff Writer as we look around Over-the-Rhine and other inner-city neighborhoods, and we question “Why are all these buildings vacant?” we have a better answer than “white flight.” The disinvestment of the inner cities was built upon a system that saw African Americans as vermin and by denying loans to people of color, no matter their ability to pay back the loans. So once again, the wealth of some Americans is dependent on the denial of wealth to other Americans. The system of redlining wasn’t just a map with some colors and a rating system – it also included commentary about specific neighborhoods. The maps, If You're Not Outraged You're Not Paying Attention - Heather Heyer quote at Rally Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman the economists knew that if we gave an incentive for people to reinvest in their homes, or create their own single-family homes, they could pass that wealth on to their offspring. Owning real estate would create a middle class – which did in fact happen. The white middleclass that exists today is largely, if not fully, due to the FHA program which gave out over 120 billion dollars to people to create single family homes in the suburbs. When we were taught about “white flight” we were taught that it was more of a separatist movement, rather than an economic advantage. But, proximity to them would reduce the value of property. The term redlining comes from the maps that were drawn in major cities that enabled real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and community leaders to deny home ownership loans to people of color, based upon the collective value seen in their neighborhood. You have to remember that no one had any wealth after the Great Depression, so when we think about citizen’s ability to pay off any loans, we must recognize that poverty was so widespread that program needed to be propped up in such a way to ensure success – and this was done Empathy JASON HAAP H Contributing Writer ave you heard of Daryl Davis? He achieved some fame for being a black guy who befriended over 200 members of the KKK, ultimately getting them to reject their racist ways. What about Theo E. J. Wilson? He gave a TEDx Talk this year. He's a black guy who created an online persona to join white supremacist discussion boards - and, much to his surprise, discovered empathy for the people he met there. These men did the opposite of what seems "normal" - they reached out to those who hated them, and sought to understand. They did not just call their opponents "racist Nazis," starting a dramatic though probably pointless argument like I see happening all around me these days. Do we need to practice more empathy? As a liberal, I get it: an initial reaction may be to insist that those made by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), included things like: “Infiltration of: Negroes”; "Respectable people but homes are too near negro area"; "It is 100% poor class Negroes practically all on relief. A high wall, however, prevents their spread"; "Negro district on edge of section, but splendid cooperation of all residents in this section will always prevent spread." Wholesale denial of these wealthaccumulating loans to people of color resulted in more than 98% of the loans going exclusively to those who were considered “white” at the time. This federal policy, combined people are the ones needing to practice empathy, as their lack of it is likely how they came to be racist, sexist, anti-Semites in the first place. But you can't yell away someone's racism. And I don't really think you can ignore it, either. Pretending something doesn't exist is no strategy for making it disappear. Recently, I've been thinking long and hard about the "Backfire Effect." Contrary to how many of us think our minds should work, research shows that when confronted with material contrary to our beliefs, we actually dig in and believe our original thoughts even more. For the most part, you can't argue a racist into being nonracist any more than a racist can THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 5 with restrictive covenants and Home Ownership Associations (HOA) laws, provided no support or availability of quality housing to people of color – even if they could afford it. Restrictive covenants were legally binding terms put on the sale of a building – used to prevent the sale of property to people of color. Inside of the deed, whole communities restricted who could buy the property based upon skin color. HOA’s had the ability to restrict the sale of the property to white people, and if someone sold their home to a person of color, they would face severe economic punishments (including the absolute loss of the property and fines, imposed by the local court system). HOA’s would buy properties if they thought a black family was interested, just to prevent the sale as well. This created the white middle class at the expense of people of color. While this disgusting system was officially ended with the Fair Housing Act of 1968, redlining still continues in many ways. In fact, just this year, two local banks (Guardian Savings Bank, and Union Savings Bank) settled a lawsuit out of court which accused them of redlining. These banks only have branches in white majority neighborhoods and charged people different rates depending on their skin color. Both of these banks are locally managed and owned by the same entity. These types of behavior happen more regularly than you might believe – a few years back 5/3 Bank was in the hot seat for giving people different auto loan rates depending on your skin color. And it happens time and again in other sectors besides housing and loans: education, healthcare, transportation, etc. There is no wonder that Cincinnati ranks 74 out of 77 big cities in America for black upward mobility – it simply doesn’t exist here. This is due to economic factors that crippled the ability of people of color to create and maintain wealth – solely for the benefit of white citizens. Cincinnati Map: https://library. osu.edu/projects/redlining-mapsohio/maps/Cincinnati_map.JPG --------------------------------------argue with you and turn you into one! When talking about the Backfire Effect, many people think it a great explanation for why people on the other side of the political aisle don't "get it." There's just one problem: the Backfire Effect is not a partisan thing. Liberals suffer from it as much as Conservatives, or anyone in the middle. Here is an empathy experiment I've been trying recently: when presented with perspectives I think are "wrong," I remind myself this could be the Backfire Effect kicking in. Is everyone who disagrees with me automatically an evil person who (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) increase in human services funding to job training programs assisting single mothers to qualify for decent jobs. The Mayor also promoted the Child Poverty Collaborative. Housed at the United Way, the Collaborative just announced a plan to lift 5,000 families out of poverty in the next five years. Recent data, he said, already shows significant progress in this effort. Council member Yvette Simpson then spoke at the Forum on September 28th. Citing the recent Urban League study, "The State of Black Cincinnati 2015: Two Cities," she announced that her efforts as Mayor would be devoted to making Cincinnati one city. "A great city," she declared, "should not be defined by how well the most successful are thriving." Her definition of a great city is one that is providing a better life to "the least of these." Needless to say, Simpson is very concerned about Cincinnati's high poverty rate and its ranking as the fifth most segregated city in the U.S. "We must create equity," she stressed, "and a city that works for everyone!" She emphasized the need to create an environment within the City Administration that listens to neighborhood residents and not just to wealthy developers. YOU CAN SUPPORT THE O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 When asked about the shortage of affordable housing, Simpson said she supports the initiative to establish a local housing trust fund. She confided that she is working with members of Cincinnatians For Affordable Housing on legislation to create such an entity. Her concerns are that the fund has an adequate revenue source and an accountable public administration that is dedicated to chipping away at the affordable housing deficit. Council member Simpson advocates grassroots rather than top down efforts to address poverty. She named several neighborhood projects where the residents are very involved in putting together the services that will help them address some of the day to day problems that keep them in poverty. She supports the Child Poverty Collaborative, but she also worries that it is too top down in its structure. As Mayor, she would work to further promote this grassroots approach. In the question period, a Forum attendee brought up the need to make 3CDC more accountable to the public. Simpson acknowledged the difficulty in making this essentially private entity more transparent. She agreed that when 3CDC is working on a public project such as Washington Park, the City needs to better insure that it listens to and woks with neighborhood residents. • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �No. 36 6 LOCAL | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 W ill Ohio Issue 2 be the beginning of more affordable drug prices, or will it backfire and cause prices to go up? If the voters approve this measure in November, the State of Ohio will be required to pay no more for prescription medicines than what the Veteran Administration pays. There is a lot to unpack in this simple sentence. Both the “for” and “against” sides are eager to help voters understand their respective positions. Recently the Blue Ash Northeast Democratic Club hosted a discussion on Issue 2 with two Democrat activists on opposite sides. David Little (“for”) and Leo Pierson D’Cruz (“against”) are good friends with each other, progressive activists, and came to totally different conclusions about Issue 2. David Little has also contributed articles to Streetvibes. I went to see what I could learn. One clarification: Issue 2 is about enacting a new law. Its formal name is the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. It is not an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. If passed the Ohio Departments of Aging, of Health, of Insurance, of Jobs and Family Services, and of Medicaid would pay the lower drug prices it mandates. That is MediCAID, not MediCARE. Medicare is administered by the federal government and there is a federal law which prohibits negotiating lower drug prices for this program. The opponents of Issue 2 are correct when they state that the TROY JACKSON (Continued from page 3) story of the Star Thrower, inspired by Loren Eiseley: An old man walking on the beach at dawn sees a young boy picking up starfish that had washed ashore the night before and hurling them into the ocean. The old man asks why, when there are so many and he could not possibly make a difference against such odds. The boy reached down and found another starfish, hurling it into the sea and said, “It made a difference to that one.” The story is a great reminder that acts of compassion and mercy are vital as each person matters to God. No act is too small for God and God’s people. And it seems to me that there is a fallacy in the way the story of the Star Thrower is used. The fable implies the despair and hardship facing human beings happens by accident, and can be addressed with a few short seconds of activity. It places the rescuer in the place of a savior, opening up troubling paternalism that reinforces positions of superiority and dependence. Put simply, people created in God’s image are not starfish, and they don’t wash up on the shore by accident. Ruth can be read from another angle, with particular focus on Ruth 7 Issue 2 MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer law would not force drug companies to lower their prices for most Ohioans. On the other hand, David Little said the expectation is that this would just be the start of negotiating for lower drug prices across the board once voters realize that such a thing is possible. While Medicare is prohibited from negotiating for lower drug prices, the Veteran’s Administration is not. The average discount they receive is 24%, and this would become the new baseline for drugs which the State of Ohio buys if Issue 2 passes. This measure would not prohibit Ohio from negotiating even lower drug prices. On the other hand, Leo D’Cruz pointed out that the full text of the law is only 3 pages, which he said was far too short to truly implement it. (The ballot language is only a summary of the law, not the law itself. One can look up the actual text on-line or, when you go to vote, ask an election worker for a copy. In general, only tax levies have their full text on the ballot. There should be the full text available for review of any issue on the ballot that has been summarized.) Both David Little and Leo D’Cruz agreed that over-priced drugs are a huge problem. Those who have to pay full price know this first hand (for a while I was one of those). David Little favors a state-by-state incremental approach. Leo D’Cruz strongly favors drug price reform at the federal level. 2, and what it says about Bethlehem. This is not the romanticized Bethlehem of Christmas Carols. Let us consider what Bethlehem was like for other women forced to glean in other fields. Think about the implications of just a few verses from Ruth 2: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you.” –Ruth 2:8-9a When [Ruth] got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her.” – Ruth 2:15 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughterin-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field.” –Ruth 2:22 Sometimes the translation of the text into English blunts the sordid truth. Ruth was told to avoid these other fields because they represented a clear and present danger to her wellbeing. These vulnerable women in Bethlehem were constantly in danger of physical and sexual assault. Every day, as they sought to find enough food to stay alive, they had to guard against unwanted advances. David Little, while not opposed to a federal solution, says it is not going to happen. Leo D’Cruz says that Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has already introduced legislation. David Little responded that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who made a national health care system a centerpiece of his campaign, has endorsed Ohio Issue 2. And so the forum went, not angrily, but definitely with strong and chambers of commerce. But some organizations do support Issue 2, along with individuals such as former director of Veteran Affairs Max Cleland and, as mentioned above, Senator Bernie Sanders. The language about paying the petitioners’ “reasonable attorney fees” to defend the law did come up for discussion. I know there is an ad against Issue 2 which says they would be reimbursed for “unlimited” attorney fees, but the actual language says “reasonable.” David Little said Yes on Issue 2 Maling Credit: Michael Earl Patton emotions. Both sides have many people and organizations that have gone on record as supporting one side or the other. Judging from the lists of endorsers in the literature I picked up at the forum, I would say that the “No” side had more backing from medical and veteran organizations, that the pharmaceutical industry has filed 70,000 lawsuits and that this kind of language is common on ballot issues. The initiative was supposed to be on last year’s ballot but it was delayed by lawsuits, which the backers eventually won. The language also So while we my celebrate Boaz for the mercy he provides for Ruth, there is no indication that he used his power and position to protect other women even in his own fields. He tells his workers not to “bother” Ruth, implying that he would look the other way were they to “bother” another woman gleaning in his fields. And he certainly does not challenge the cultural norm by working to make sure every woman who gleans in Bethlehem is safe from rape in the fields. While on the one had we can celebrate Boaz for his willingness to redeem and protect Ruth, we also must acknowledge that the people of Bethlehem failed to act to protect vulnerable women in their community, and this was a failure of justice. The renowned German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom the Germans killed for his participation in a plot to kill Hitler, once said, ““We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” When we give clothing and canned goods to the local mission, when we tutor a child who is struggling to learn to read, and when we offer job training to a person getting out of prison, we are doing good work. We are doing our part to bandage the wounds of society’s victims. But sooner or later, we need to find out why so many people are being ground to a pulp. Micah 6:8 is very clear: “What does the Lord require of you, but to Do Justice, and to Love Mercy, and to Walk Humbly with Our God.” Sooner or later, we must move from conversation about justice, and actually begin to do justice. No matter what we do, may we look beyond ourselves and remember the other women, the other fields, and those whose hearts are crying out for Justice in this broken world. God hears their cries. May we also hear their cries. If you are interested in getting more involved in the work of justice, we invite you to join AMOS, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, and other community partners on Sunday, October 15th for a candidates forum. We will engage with candidates for Cincinnati’s Mayoral and City Council races at New Prospect Baptist Church, 1580 Summit Road, Cincinnati, 45237 from 6-8 PM. We will focus on racial equity and justice, with particular focus on the State of Black Cincinnati report from the Urban League in 2015. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED (Continued on page 9) --------------------------------------- �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS From US vs THEM to Only US TOGETHER: Lieutenant Joe Richardson Gets Rid of Labels and Lives with Mindfulness & Compassion O O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 n the attendance board at the police station to which is assigned Lieutenant Joe Richardson, his colleagues often write next to his name and instead of "In" or "Out", "At Temple", and this is even when he is on duty. In fact, Richardson, a Buddhist, lives his religious beliefs at all moments of the day and wherever he is. They have become an integral part of him and of who he is; they dictate his thoughts, actions and reactions; and have transformed him and his daily life into the real temple of his faith. "Searching for a religious identity, I became attracted to Buddhism because of its emphasis on compassion," says Richardson, "also for its Boddhisattva ideal to always work for the benefit and enlightenment of all human beings." Not keen, however, on the idea of "reincarnation", he was reassured by a statement from the Dalai Lama that one does not have to espouse all Buddhist beliefs in order to become a Buddhist. Born in Belleville, a small village of Northern Ohio, Richardson was not raised religious but, nevertheless, with strong moral values. His parents expected him to always be respectful and well behaved. Growing up he was not exposed to diversity, but rather to a very homogenous white community with little to no encounters with minorities such as Blacks, Latinos, or gays. Like his father he was very conservative, with extreme rightwing views, and deeply believed SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer that anyone or any group who had a problem was entirely responsible for solving it. In 1985 and at the age of 18 he joined Miami University to study political science and was an active member of its college of Republicans. Three years later, he dropped out of school, got married and joined the police department. "Becoming a cop appealed very much to me," he says. "I was big and imposing, and always protected my weak friends from the bullies. I felt I had the ability to help others." Richardson came to police hood with altruistic ideas and no prejudices. He succumbed, however, quickly to its culture of separation, the work tending to impose a perspective of "Us" versus "Them", the good guys against the bad ones, police versus civilians... "Cops learn to see themselves as guardians, like sheepdogs, and view criminals as wolves," Richardson states. "That also reinforces the usversus-them mentality." This mentality accompanied Richardson all the way until 1999 when he was promoted supervisor and was assigned to work with "Citizens on Patrol" in East Price Hill. His initial skeptical approach to the group changed quickly when he encountered instead wonderful individuals who were friendly, competent, responsible, policesupporting and who wanted to help What Is BUDDHISM Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama (563– 483 BC), the Buddah, a rich prince who led a life of an ascetic mendicant, in Nepal, teaches people how to end their suffering by cutting out greed, hatred and ignorance. For Buddhism, doing bad things brings bad consequences, and good things, good ones; and good and bad do not cancel out. This cause-and-effect chain is reflected in the endless cycles of life, death and rebirth (reincarnation) in which Buddhism believes. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is to reach the state of enlightenment (Nirvana) and liberate oneself from endless reincarnation and suffering. Buddhists do not believe that Buddha is a god, but rather a human being who has woken up and sees the true way the world works; and that this knowledge represents the final extinction of desire. Buddhists take refuge in the three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma (the way to live life as taught by the Buddha), and the Sangha (the congregation of monks and other Buddhists). They are encouraged to follow five  precepts, or rules: not to hurt a living person or animal; not to take something that is not given; not to engage in sexual misconduct; not to lie or say hurtful things; not to take intoxicants (like alcohol or drugs) which cause heedlessness. Some see Buddhism as a religion, others as a philosophy, and others as a way of finding reality. take care of their own problems and improve their neighborhood. "They all became my friends and they showed me that there were things outside the police department which were as good as within, in order to address neighborhood issues," he says. Richardson's new perspective was also quickly reinforced by the Lieutenant Joe Richardson April 2001 racial riots in Cincinnati which followed the killing of unarmed African American Timothy Thomas by a white policeman. These uprisings prompted a self-reflection within the police organization as a whole and an examination of police actions at all levels. "It was a wake-up call," says Richardson. "I was almost simultaneously inside the department looking out and outside looking in. It made me realize that policing was something we had traditionally done "TO" the community instead of "WITH" the community and that it needed to change. And I wanted to be a part of that change." Serving as a liaison to community councils and neighborhood groups, Richardson would attend their meetings, talk to them regarding security and police issues, and listen to their complaints. He would always strive to be open, receptive and honest, and bring back the awareness he acquired from his interactions to his superiors and other police officers. "It ceased to be only about zero tolerance and jailing the offender, the approach prevalent before," he says. "Trying to understand the issue, seeing it from different viewpoints, and collaborating to finding a solution, became instead the focus." This new vision coincided in Richardson with his discovery of Buddhism which also stresses in its teachings that there is no Us vs Them, that in fact there is no Them but just all of Us, and that, as a result, it becomes difficult to hate someone who is part of you. Richardson progressively learned more and more Credit: Saad Ghosn about Buddhism. He frequented and attended classes at the local Buddhist temples, first the Therevadan monastery in Forest Park, then the Tibetan one in Colerain where he discovered a very strong sense of "sangha", community. In 2011 he took his refuge vows as a declared Buddhist. "To me Buddhism is how to live life," he says. "I don’t do it for the promise of heaven or eternal life. I do it to make me a better me now and in the future." In fact, every morning Richardson meditates and prays with the explicit purpose to be reminded to be a good Buddhist throughout his day. In 2014, wanting to learn more about religions, he decided to pursue his education and joined the University of Cincinnati focusing on religious studies. He graduated last month with a Bachelor's degree and hopes to pursue a Master's degree in the near future. At the police department, Richardson is now responsible for enlarging the Police Academy into a regional enterprise. It is where (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 A 9 LOCAL Don’t privatize our Library | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 EMMA WILSON library is a beautiful space. It is here where the knowledge of communities’ lives. This is a place that anyone can access free of charge, a haven of safety for those who may have nowhere else to go, a wealth of information available to anyone and everyone who passes through these doors. According to a recent internal survey, circulation in this library system is up by 13 percent since 2016. So why we must ask, is one of the busiest library systems in this country planning to sell off half its main branch to the real estate development corporation 3CDC. Let me tell you a little bit about 3CDC and how wide their devastating reach has extended. Yesterday I was down here on the plaza canvassing for this rally. It took all of ten minutes before I met an individual who lived in the Metropole public housing building. Only a few years ago, 3CDC bought the building and forced every single resident from their home Contributing Writer Cycles of poverty, homelessness, and addiction that working people experience are masked by the veneer of a shiny gentrified city. Working people are living under the shadow of corporate dominance that continues to extend its reach ever further unless a mass movement of working people is built to stop the privatization of our public spaces. I spoke to a lovely woman also sitting in the plaza. In our conversation, she expressed her fear of the future. If the North Building is sold she said. What is to stop them from setting their sights on the South building? What is going to stop them when they set their sights on other library branches? Other public services? Let me be clear Private interests will never defend our public spaces when they stand to make a profit. The sole purpose of the corporations represented on the library board is to accumulate Library board meeting with County Commissioners Credit: Bryce Phillips so it could be renovated into yet another fancy hotel establishment. Another establishment that serves as a playground for the rich instead providing housing for the working poor. MICHAEL EARL PATTON (Continued from page 7) helps protect the petitioners, that is, those individuals who are named as being behind the initiative, if they are sued by the pharmaceutical industry in connection with this issue. An editorial in the Columbus Dispatch passed out by the “No” side discusses if Issue 2 might cause drug prices to go up for veterans. They concluded it might if drug makers profit at our expense. It's on us: the public – the workers, patrons and community members to defend our public spaces from private takeovers. Just last Friday, Charlie Cambell was handcuffed, detained and cited by a library staff security guard for refuse to provide a better price for the VA so that they can charge everyone the normal, high price. In the end, I decided that I would vote “Yes” on Issue 2, the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. I wish that I could see the effects of the law more clearly, but that may not be possible since if it passes it will be the first in the country. I wish there were a federal law mandating affordable drug prices, but I can’t hold my breath any longer. As David Little pointed out, if this law “Breakdown Stereotypes” holding a sign that said “3CDC: Hands off Our Library”. This was a violation of free speech, point blank. In response to our plans for this rally, the library administration announced on Monday that they would drop the charge against Charlie and suspend the staff security guard that carried out his detention. That because working people deserve the right to the city. We deserve the right to shape our cities in our interests because we produce all of the wealth in this society and it is stolen from us by the corporations and the 1%. We’re fighting for a broad movement that can become strong enough to bring the fortune 500 companies under democratic control and end their exploitation of the masses of working people. Save our Library Campaign Supporters Credit: Stephanie Phillips is not the kind of justice that we are fighting for. We demand that the staff security guard who carried out Charlie’s detention and citation be immediately reinstated without suspension or reprimand of any kind. The right to free speech has been attacked inside and outside of the workplace on this issue, and we do not blame someone who is simply doing their job for carrying out the will of the corporate-controlled library board. We will not be silenced and we stand with all the library workers who have been forced into quiet opposition to the library board's plans to sell this cherished public resource. We demand that the North building not be sold or privatized. We want a democratically run public space. We’re here today Socialist Alternative calls for an end to budget cuts to education and social services. We need full funding for all community needs. A major increase in taxes on the rich and big business, not working people. Throughout the country, we’re fighting for a $15 minimum wage, an end to police brutality, and for free healthcare for all. We need a library board that represents the interests of library patrons and employees and our communities - not the Fortune 500 companies. Cuts to public space, cuts to health care, cuts to education, represent the inability of the capitalist system to provide for the most basic human needs in the wealthiest country in the history of human society. It’s up to us to gather a massive force of people who can break this cycle of exploitation and throw off the attacks on our public spaces and resources. was really going to cause drug prices to go up, why is the pharmaceutical industry pouring so many dollars into defeating it? What grates me even more is that I know many drugs and devices were developed using taxpayer dollars. The development of the $600 EpiPen autoinjector device, for example, was funded by the military to provide a means for troops to give themselves a lightning-quick antidote in case of a chemical attack. The federal government should mandate that the company making it charge consumers a price that covers costs plus only a small profit. As mentioned above, Issue 2 would be a law, not a constitutional amendment. If it needs to be tweaked or adjusted, that is a realistic expectation. We need to give it a try. [Editor’s note: The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition has not taken a position on Issue 2 at this time.] “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 December 21 - 31, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 LOCAL OTZ & THE DOG BOY 11 | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 but this was mainly to check out the bald spots caused by his mange and it infuriated him. Everyone always got a laugh out of that. My brother Douggie and I always had a lot of fun with him too. Otz's daily routine was so set you could have kept time by it. Every morning just after nine o'clock, when the last faint remnants of fog were vanishing from the Muskingum River in front of our house, you could expect to see his gnarled old head peer suspiciously around the corner of the hedge bordering our cinder driveway. He always looked up, then down, then back up the drive towards our house. Then, slowly, he'd make his long cautious walk up to the back yard. Glancing from side to side as he approached, poor old Otz tried to muster as much dignity as he could. Douggie and I might be hidden beside the garage, or on the flat garage roof or in the hedge. Then when Otz was just a step or two away, we didn't jump out at him; that would have been too crude, too obvious. We'd discovered that it was far more effective to poke our heads out very casually, without uttering a sound, letting the expressions on our faces alone say, "Why hello, Otz." And Otz would immediately growl, turn around and go trotting stiffly back to the wooden stairs down to his house, muttering indignantly the whole time. "Grrrummmmbleummumble-rum-rumble grrumrumumble," was his traveling music all the way back to the little cabin perched on a hillside behind our hedge. By this time Douggie and I would both be gasping for breath beneath our fiendish laughter. "Poor Otz!" we would howl. "Aww...here, Otz! Here, Otzie!" Unfailingly, he would cast a wrathful look back over his shoulder and growl even louder -- "GRRUMMM-RUMBLE-RUMRUM!" -- before disappearing around the corner of the hedge. His owners took a dim view of such behavior and persuaded Dad to help put a stop to it; he told us the next report he got of our teasing Otz would mean an automatic whipping. Well, it couldn't have been more than a couple of days later that we got caught peeking around the hedge at Otz, setting off a low rumble that had the whole rickety porch of that cabin vibrating. When I saw the screen door swing open, all I could think of was Dad's strong right arm. "Ah hah -- caught him, didn't you, Mr. Stevens?" I managed to get out without losing a beat. "I caught both of you!" he contradicted me. A few minutes later Dad had us out breaking our own individual switches off of the apple tree. That's one of the last whippings I ever got, and I've often wondered whether it was Dad's stinging blows (which I can still feel) or guilt at having attempted to blame the whole thing on Douggie that has kept the memory fresh all these years. Whether it was the whipping or the fact that I started school soon afterwards and suddenly found it beneath my dignity to fool with a scrawny old dog, I did finally leave teasing Otz to my brother. It seems that Otz became something of a hermit after that; perhaps he'd finally learned he just wasn't welcome up under the apple tree. Maybe one of the younger and stronger dogs, or Br'er Coon's sharp teeth, took a piece out of his scaly hide. In any case his reclusiveness compelled Douggie to develop our old game into a fine science. During the day, when Otz's owners were both at work, Douggie would take half an hour or more to sneak stealthily down the hill and around the cabin behind the high back porch where Otz now spent most of each day on a doormat, looking balefully out over his little world. There were several big nail kegs overturned beneath the porch, and Douggie would climb carefully onto the one farthest from the door, then creep noiselessly from keg to keg until he was right under Otz's nose. Picture Otz lying there curled up on the mat or stretched out in the sun gazing into space, eyes glazed and heavy-lidded as he nurses some private grudge or thinks back over the long years to happier, more carefree days...when suddenly, a big moon face rises slowly over the horizon of the plank porch floor. Not a sound: just a big snicker-shaped grin curving from one dirty ear above a fat little chin to the other. It happened several times a week but Otz, perhaps a little senile by now, was always taken by surprise. "GRR-RUM-Rum-Rummmble!" And there'd go Douggie in case the woman who lived there was home unexpectedly and might catch him -- Otz still trembling with rage, the stiff grey hairs raised on the back of his neck like a horse's cropped mane. Then one day a surprising thing happened. A strange car pulled up in the driveway and stopped at the head of the stairs down to Otz's cabin. Two teenage boys, a girl about twice my age and their parents got out of the car. One of the boys whistled and shouted, "Here, Boots! Here, Boots!" My brother and I looked at each other, then sauntered down to see what all the commotion was about. We were about halfway down the drive when up those steps streaked crippled old Otz. You'd have thought he was a puppy, the way he jumped and skipped and danced around, all the time crying with joy. The girl and boys each picked him up and hugged him. I think their mother even had tears in her eyes. Otz was so happy to see them. Our own mother learned later that when these people, who had obviously been Otz's family at one time, had moved to the city they'd had to give him away because it was too dangerous for him there. When they left him behind once again, Otz couldn't understand why he still wasn't allowed to go with them. He stood in the driveway at the top of the stairs for a long time after they drove away. My brother says it was only a few days later that old Otz died. the chief of Middletown police, who, for instance, added social awareness and emotional intelligence to his officers' training. At work and with his colleagues, Richardson tries to live by example, with honesty, and according to his Buddhist faith. "When needed, I do not hesitate to be the hand who stops somebody to only go so far and no further, or to say, “that’s wrong”, “that’s mean”, or “that’s bigoted”. I’ve had to learn that a lot more good comes from consistently being the person willing to say, “this is not welcome here”," he states. Richardson would like to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement and establish a liaison with its local leaders. He thinks that communication and respect are keys for dealing with any community. "At the start, I was a white male protestant policeman part of the majority. When I started getting rid of labels, I saw the diversity and embraced it. Others stopped being my enemy; they became part of me, me and me vs me and them." Richardson aims at living his life truthfully, honestly, with mindfulness and compassion. He aims also at being a Boddhisattva, at helping bring everyone else along to a better place. DICK CROY ...In Which Otz Lives a Very Short Happy Life E verybody -- Br'er Coon and all the real dogs -- hated Otz. Br'er Coon was the almost tame raccoon who lived with us for a year or so when my brother the Dog Boy and I were growing up in the Appalachian hill country of Southeastern Ohio. He thought he was a dog (Br'er Coon I mean, although this was equally true of my brother at the time), a sort of superdog actually, and even though they all knew he wasn't, none of the real ones would have considered contesting the issue with him. The dogs themselves were all sex slaves in the male harem of Libbet, our female collie, who held court under a big apple tree in our back yard. Old and disagreeable, with bad breath and a chronic case of mange, Otz hung around most of the time on the back porch (nobody'd ever heard of decks in those days) of a cabin down the road from our house. He was an irascible little runt, a faux fox terrier with a chip on his shoulder, who limped slightly for sympathy. Every day when he headed home in a huff, grumbling and growling down our long driveway, his limp was worse than when he had wandered up the drive an hour or so earlier. He didn't limp on the way up because he wasn't entirely abject, just mean and ornery. He hoped the painful hobble back to his house would make all those who had once more banished him from the back yard feel guilty again. It was an old story we had all gotten really tired of. Actually, most of the dogs just ignored Otz. He was beneath contempt: a foul little creature who couldn't catch a rabbit if they were in the same cage together -- who couldn't even open his mouth without grumbling about something. Oh, once in a while one of them would sidle over and give Otz a perfunctory sniff when he came into the yard, SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) civilians are trained to become police officers, and where policemen get their continuous professional training as required by the State. Richardson would like to expand the program, and, in addition to social justice, bring more diversity training to it, also introduce mindfulness and equanimity as topics of discussion. He likes to quote Rodney Mutterspaw, Contributing Writer "Thank You" to Retired Judge Painter for his ongoing generosity. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 T LOCAL Movement To Improvement his is something I thought I wouldn’t be writing about for at least 3-4 months from now. But things have changed. I don’t know if it’s God’s plan or the people who run the place I am staying at. It’s funny, I came here with a plan to get my recovery, get gainfully employed, build a nest egg and move into an apartment. I gave myself a year to accomplish these things. I have succeeded in all those areas, except the nest egg. It’s not quite where I would like it to be for me to move on but, Life happens. I have to say I’m sad in a way JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) Manager clearly does not see our people as “stakeholders”. So, for years company representatives and DCI have complained about people sleeping on Third Street. Over these years the City has responded by having CPD officers harass people sleeping on Third street and has corroborated the unfounded fears of people who are housed against people who are not housed. The city has also, in a variety of ways supported the displacement of people from housing and the closure of affordable housing while investing virtually no City dollars into affordable housing until a year or so ago when Vice Mayor Mann’s motion to put a relatively (yet important) small amount of one-time funds into affordable housing was approved. The City also spent a decade cutting the already relatively meager funds allocated to Human Services. In this context and in the context of increasing homelessness in our City, people the City Manager considers “stakeholders” complained and asked that the benches be removed and the city started removing them. In his memo Mr. Black states that “This area has also been identified as an issue in our Panhandling Stakeholders meetings.” He explains that this group includes JASON HAAP (Continued from page 5) fails to understand reality? As much as I'd like to think so, I recognize how crazily egomaniacal that sounds! So, instead of trying to convince my "opponents" they are wrong, I am trying to train myself to understand their perspectives first. Not in an off-handed way, but in a deep and meaningful way. This has caused me some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance, and I think that means I'm successfully combating the Backfire Effect in an attempt to establish empathy. Let me leave you with these excerpts from Wilson's TEDx Talk: A lot of these guys were just O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 BOBBY MORRIS Contributing Writer but also fearful and Joyous at the same time. All these emotions are hitting me at the same time. It’s sad to be leaving a place that gave me the time and environment to get some Recovery. It’s fearful because I’m starting a “New Adventure” (thanks Babe), and Joyous because It’s letting me know that the future is bright for me. Haven’t decided or even found a place, but I am eager to do just that. 9 months ago I was on the verge of suicide. And today I’m living life and happy (most of the time) living it. Once I became willing to do somethings and change somethings doors began to open. Along with doors, my heart opened to what I could be. Having this dream and this hope allows me to attack each day with vigor and laugh at myself and my faults. You see before I used to see my faults as negative attributes of myself. Now I see them as something I need and can change. Change is the Key word for me today. I have changed me, my outlook, my surroundings, my friends. All in the name of Peace within myself. How can this be? This can be because “…representatives from DCI, 3CDC, REDI, Strategies to End Homelessness, CPD, [the Manager’s] office and other city departments…” Strategies to End Homelessness (STEH) administers the local Continuum of Care for the Homeless process and system funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Kevin Finn who is the President of STEH wrote, “My feeling is that it is very disingenuous of the City Manager’s office to even mention the meeting in his memo, given that this action was never discussed in the meeting, much less approved.” Why do we need a meeting meant to curb panhandling, an action which is legal? In front of the City Council Neighborhoods Committee, Manager Black stated that the goal is to, “…increase the buffer between panhandlers and people who work downtown and are coming downtown to enjoy it; to create more space between the two…” It is worth saying here that we attended the first meeting of this group. In this meeting we re-iterated that panhandling is not illegal because people have the basic right to speak, that there is nothing morally wrong with panhandling and those organizations represented need to invest time, money and political advocacy into the creation and preservation of affordable housing. We also stated that the proposed donation meters were a terrible idea, which statistically produce virtually no positive results and simply reduce human contact, which is a bad thing. After that meeting we fell off the email invite list. In his memo he goes on to say that “It has been determined people are using this space behind the benches to engage in lewd and lascivious activities”. Lewd is defined as sexually unchaste or licentious, obscene and vulgar. Lascivious means lustful, wanton action arousing sexual desire, indicating sexual interest or behavior especially that is considered indecent or obscene. Despite the fact that earlier in his memo the City Manager states that it is a problem that the benches create a “visual barrier for patrol officers”, here he says it has been determined that people are engaged in these “lewd and lascivious activities”. Talk about defamation, you are clearly prejudiced against people without homes, people with homes complain about the presence of people without homes, you remove the protective barrier people seeking sleep have, you get caught and you say folks were engaged in sexually obscene, vulgar activities which reflect or produce sexual desire. I was trying to stop obscene, indecent and vulgar activities in public. Give me a break. If that were not enough he goes on to claim that the plan was to replace the benches with “…benches I have put my Life in the Hands of my God. See I no longer run things my way. Don’t get me wrong I do make mistakes but my God has a way of correcting them so that I can see them and learn something. It’s not easy every day, but just for me to be willing to do this is a step in the right direction. Movement to Improvement is the title (thanks Angelo), but it should and can be titled Moving Forward or Growing Up! Either way it’s a positive thing no matter what words I use. Life is a constant thing that comes with the passing of time. In God’s Time, not Mine has become my mantra. As I end this piece I can only think of the how much I have in store for me in the coming weeks. allowing more transparency and thus more accommodating to ensure a safe environment”. So, in addition to acting lewd and lascivious, the City Manager believes people sleeping on Third street cause the area to be unsafe. What is actually unsafe is having a city with a shortage of thousands of units of affordable housing, continuing housing displacement, underfunded Human Services, etc. to the point that an increasing number of people don’t have a home and sleep outside where the risk of a hate crimes attack is very real. On top of that the City is working to stop people from sleeping in a location out of a list where every option is bad, but chosen for the safety in numbers, the well-traveled and watched street and the lit sidewalks, as well as at least the minimal sense of security provided by the benches. This is what isn’t safe. I mean think about the big picture here. The city has provided no legal protections to stop displacement, has funded gentrification, gives tax abatements worth millions to companies creating exclusive living spaces, invests extremely little in affordable housing, harasses people who sleep outside and/or panhandle, has cut Human Services, defames people’s character, etc. and then says, oh you are sleeping behind a public bench on a public sidewalk, well were going to take it away so you are even more exposed. regular Joe's. A lot of outdoorsmen. Hunters. Computer nerds. Some of them family guys with videos of their families. ... And I'm going to tell you what else led to the momentum of the alt-right: the left-wing's demonization of everything white and male. If you are a pale-skinned penis-haver, you are in league with Satan! Would you believe that some people find that offensive? ... However, one thing kept screaming at me through the subtext of those arguments ... why should I be hated for who I cannot help but be? As a black man in America, that resonated with me. --------------------------------------- Daryl Davis with a Klansman Credit: Google Images THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 13 STREET VOICE | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 SON THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF INSULTS Son talk to me Mommy needs to know What you feel And what you see Son talk to me Mommy loves you With all her heart Seems like we have been drifting apart It’s a feeling, I feel in my heart Prez, Prez, President Trump, Via Tweets or on the stump, Who did you insult today? "I attacked Senator McCain, Then Susan Collins of Maine, Plus the NFL and the NBA." I will never let anything keep us apart In the heart is where we need to start Like the good old days BILL WOODS Contributing Writer When learning and hoping were part of our start YESTERDAY And we would talk Let’s start over son Because you are my heart KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Yesterday is long gone and so very far behind Yesterday is something only in our minds does it shine Yesterday is when the elders had troubles far away Yesterday I except is the past so I live only for today Someone said tomorrow is not promised and yesterday has past Someone said right now is what’s going on so tell me how long can it last I believe that a mixture of the past and the present in the world of today Is all we need to endure for the future belongs to only God I say So why not live one day at a time and each moment experience the treasure I believe our lives would be much easier, happier and full of God’s love and pleasure! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 135 Across 1. Acquire 4. Part of the hand 8. Constrictors 12. A narrow way or road 13. Comply 14. Lawful 16. Foreboding 17. A thin strip 18. Far beyond the norm 19. Total 20. Indicating maiden name 21. Possesses 23. Group of things of the same kind 24. Fashion 26. Definite article 28. Nocturnal bird 30. The night before 32. Fish traps 36. Decapod 39. Skin condition 41. Desperate 42. Lout 43. Aromatic herb 45. Operate 46. Male red deer 48. Convention 49. Small hard fruit 50. Sea swallow 51. Understand 52. Self 54. Employ 56. Inundated 60. Deciduous tree 63. Ballet step 65. Pelvis 67. Health resort 68. Percipient 70. Stretched tight 72. Prescribed selection of foods 73. Suggestive of the supernatural 74. Wheel shaft 75. Not in active use 76. Hemispherical roof 77. A quantity of paper 78. Mousse Down 1. Complete extent or range 2. Foe 3. Square root of one hundred 4. Impersonate 5. Having a strong healthy body 6. Pasture 7. Traditional story accepted as history 8. Redden 9. Lubricant 10. Subdivisions of a play 11. Father 12. Results from costs exceeding revenue 15. Make lacework by knotting or looping 20. Novel 22. Consumed 25. Tennis stroke 27. Conclusion 29. Workplace in short, for scientific research 30. Follow as a result 31. Garment that covers the head and face 33. Republic of Ireland 34. Proper alignment 35. Transmit 36. Monetary value 37. Charge per unit 38. A great distance 40. Feel concern or interest 44. On the sheltered side 47. Large African antelope 49. Female hog 51. Large body of water 53. Space between two things 55. Fling 57. Stage whisper 58. Trance 59. Detest 60. Playing card 61. Sleigh 62. Champion 64. Celestial body 65. Polynesian dance 66. Detail 69. Objective 71. Cutting tool SODOKU PUZZLE NO 265 - MEDIUM 72. Archeological site PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 134 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 264- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 6 RESOURCES | O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 Central Access Point 15 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 St. George Food Pantry 751-8771 2554 Dennis St. 45219 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Medical Van 352-6364 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 McMicken Dental Clinic 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point NAMI of Hamilton County PATH Outreach 131 E. 12th Street 45202 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 Salvation Army 762-5660 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 Shelter: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 1125 Bank Street 45214 411 Gest St. 45203 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 2121 Vine Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Parkway Center 661-4620 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Starting Over 961-2256 Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Family Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 Housing: 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Food/Clothing First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 for 26 issues 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@ cincihomeless.org $100 558-8888 351-3500 977-4489 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 352-6363 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 O c t 6 - O c t 19, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 6 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 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 October 6-October 19, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Mayoral Candidates Make Solo Appearances at the Community Issues Forum Pg 3: Why Metro is Critical to the Disabled Community “Other Fields” Pg 4: 4th Annual Oakley Masquerade Pg 5: Institutional Racism Still Lives Empathy Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Issue 2 Pg 8: From US vs THEM to Only US Together Pg 9: Don’t Privatize Our Library Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: OTZ & The Dog Boy Pg 12: Movement to Improvement Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 6-October 19, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Jeremy Moses Troy Jackson DR. Mark Mussman Jason Haap Michael Earl Patton Saad Ghosn Emma Wilson Dick Croy Bobby Morris Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Alice Schneider Better Bus Coalition Biblestudytools.com Bryce Phillips Stephanie Phillips Google images Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Better Bus Coalition Biblestudytools.com Bill Woods Bobby Morris Bryce Phillips Dick Croy Dog Boy Dr. Mark Mussman Emma Wilson Google Images Issue 2 Jason Haap Jeremy Moses Josh Spring Kim Green Library Mayoral Metro Michael Earl Patton Ohio Racism Saad Ghosn Stephanie Phillips Troy Jackson Voting Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/81d36752fafe2a3f400e81293cdfc432.pdf 65f378d5a6ae96695dfedefb1a8d611e PDF Text Text September 22nd - October 5th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 46 (No. 365) advocating justice | Building community Don Sherman - Teaching Others to Lead with Humility, Compassion, Tenacity | 3 This issue sponsored by The Economics of Compassion Initiative INSIDE THIS ISSUE Change | 9 Duke Pipeline Delayed | 7 Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center Peace Builder Award | 3 Religious Peacemakers: Listening to the Spirit | 8 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: What Goes Up Must Come Down (Unless You’re in Outer Space) I nsanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Or as Albert Einstein put it, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. Despite these logical perspectives, to which most people would probably agree, as a society we tend to repeat the same ill-producing behaviors over and over again. Think about it just in the past sixty years. We went to war with the Viet Mihn, occupied their land for at least thirteen years and after millions of individuals died, we left. Many people at the time organized against this war. Afterward an increasing JOSH SPRING Executive Director number of people have identified that what we did was wrong. But guess what, we have been openly at war in the middle east for sixteen years, the longest commonly known war in this country’s history. In the 1980’s we cut taxes to the super-wealthy and in turn cut spending on basic needs such as food, child-care and housing. The result was an exponential increase in homelessness. We have never really stopped this pattern, but now are on track to build greater wealth for the already super-wealthy on the backs of people without access to basic human needs. In this city, we look back at how interstate 75 cut through S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 the West End, displacing individuals and families, splitting up community, killing neighborhood-serving businesses and all predominately on the backs of Black People. Yet today the displacement of predominately Black People and the routing of neighborhoods predominately inhabited by People with low incomes is called progress, development, a renaissance, etc. So, are we just so ignorant that we haven’t taken to heart these basic cause and affect patterns or are we too careless to systematically change or are we satisfied with the ill-results or do we just think we cannot be any (Continued on page 6) A Local Affordable Housing Trust Fund - Its Time is Now T he case was made to establish a local affordable housing trust fund at the Community Issues Forum kick off on September 14th. Speakers Katy Heins and Josh Spring portrayed a project that is long overdue in Greater Cincinnati. The reality of this areas affordable housing crisis, means "the time is now" for the creation of such an entity. Katy Heins, who serves as a Midwestern organizer for the Center for Community Change, discussed how her outfit has worked with cities across the country to set up affordable housing trust funds. Currently 770 local trust funds exist in cities such as Denver, Colorado, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Vancouver, Washington, and they work with different organizational models and funding sources. Possessing well defined purposes and functions are key elements said Heins, and she also stressed the importance of citizen oversight and public control. Sufficient and steady funding, she noted, is another must. Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition, then described the trust fund proposal drafted by Cincinnati Advocates For Affordable Housing. He declared that A-HA's year-long effort to create a trust fund was driven by startling recent statistics showing the Cincinnati area currently short of affordable housing by at least BILL WOODS Contributing Writer 40,000 units. Assisted by Heins and the Center For Community Change, A-HA's planning committee incorporated in its proposal the key elements that make other local housing trust funds successful. First of all, the purpose of the fund is to provide revenue for both new or rehabbed units of affordable housing for low-income families and 61-percent of the area's median income. At least 50-percent of trust fund revenue must assist residents earning between zero and 30-percent of the area median income. One key element to success is the administration and operation of the fund. The A-HA proposal envisions a governmental body such as the City's Department of Economic and Community Development managing 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Alice Skirtz, Brennan Grayson, Magda Orlander, Manuel Perez, Dr. Mark Mussman, Micahael Earl Patton, Saad Ghosn, Rev. Rich Jones, Steve Sunderland, Tuezday Henson, Shannon Murray, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------- Josh Spring explains the benefits of Affordable Housing Trust Fund Credit: Alice Schneider individuals. Although both rental and home-ownership projects could receive funding, the people qualifying for occupancy of trust fund supported housing must not exceed earning its day to day operations. A ninemember Oversight Board, comprised of diverse citizens, will be responsible for working with the Department in (Continued on page 7) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Photography/ Artwork: Peaslee Neighborhoood Center, Alice Schneider, Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Duke Energy, Saad Ghosn, Rev. Rich Jones, Bill Woods --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �LOCAL Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center Peace Builder Award No. 36 5 | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 W hen the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center announced that the Bob Maxwell Peace Builder Award will recognize Bonnie Neumeier at “Pursuing Peace in Cincinnati: Nonviolent Cincinnati Launch” event on September 20, that hearty cheer originating in heaven but sufficiently robust to be heard here on earth was no doubt organized and led by an ad hoc committee of angels co-chaired by Carrie Johnson, Everlene Leary, Nannie Hinkston, Vivian Kinebrew, and Sr. Mary Graf with unabashed joy, hugs, and celebratory high fives! Now departed, those sisters who walked with Bonnie and a host of other sisters and brothers still here in Overthe-Rhine working for peace and justice in the community also affirm the Award! Bonnie came to Overthe-Rhine as a college student and remained to join with many others to combat poverty, discrimination, homelessness, oppression, and the more recent scourges of gentrification and economic development that have ravaged the community and displaced hundreds of residents. She is recognized as a leader in many of the endeavors of the People’s Movement, her work driven by activism and advocacy for the disenfranchised and the larger community, now with the well-deserved recognition with the Peace Builder Award. While Bonnie is widely recognized as an activist and community D ALICE SKIRTZ Contributing Writer Bonnie Neumeier Credit: Peaslee Neighborhood Center organizer, those who work with her know that Bonnie is rarely but a step away from writing - not only her own powerful, heartwarming prose and poetry, but also helping others write and reflect on their personal struggles and joys. She organizes and facilitates writing for groups as diverse as women who experience homelessness, neighborhood children and youth, and adults who have stories to tell from lived experience. Bonnie’s own writing was first known to the Over-the-Rhine community when she wrote for and edited the community’s Voices Community Newspaper. Later when the community confronted the City of Cincinnati Planning Department on the adoption of the OTR Comprehensive Plan (1985) advocating for preservation of 5,520 units of affordable housing in Over-the-Rhine, Bonnie was the author of the community’s plan eventually adopted by the City. She did the tedious work of analyzing and critiquing the exclusionary plan as proposed by developers and business interests to prepare an inclusive plan to retain housing for all residents no matter how economically poor. 3 At the adoption of the 5,520 Plan a prominent scholar, whose position on the Plan was not adopted, called out Bonnie and our fellow activists as “separatists victorious.” At Council’s adoption of the 5,520 Plan community members packed the hallways chanting “5,520! 5,520!” In addition to facilitating writing groups with beloved community associates including Peaslee Neighborhood Center, Rothenberg School, and the Women’s DropInn Center, Bonnie guides students in the Miami University Engagement Center in Over-the-Rhine Residency Program during their semester living in the community. And yes, she facilitates weekly writing groups using the euphemism of “journaling” enabling undergraduates to write and share their stories, stretch their minds and hearts to new experiences living in the community and servicelearning in community agencies of the People’s Movement - opening their hearts to residents, their heads to the frustrations of gentrification and to the realities of exclusions brought by economic development, modeling advocacy for social justice and peacemaking. Heartiest congratulations to Bonnie Neumeier for the IJCP Bob Maxwell Peace Builder Award and to Don Sherman for the IJCP Margaret Fuller Peace Award both presented September 20, 2017. http://ijpccincinnati.org/pp/ for details. Don Sherman - Teaching Others to Lead with Humility, Compassion, Tenacity on Sherman is known in Cincinnati as the founding director of the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center. His unassuming presence, humility and selflessness often disguise the powerful advocate and fiercely loyal friend he has been to so many. This year, the Intercommunity Justice and BRENNAN GRAYSON MAGDA ORLANDER MANUEL PÉREZ Contributing Writers Peace Center is honoring him with the Margaret Fuller Peace Award at their Pursuing Peace in Cincinnati event. This occasion has many of us reflecting on all they’ve learned from Don as an example for others to 2010 trabajadores unidos meeting Credit: Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center follow. “I have learned a lot from Don. From his humble manner to his fiery commitment to the struggle for justice, his example was a beacon that trained me. The first time I met Don he told me a story about his personal reasons for being so dedicated to the movement, his ability to trust someone he just met with such deeply personal information struck me as the most exemplary way to trust humanity.” - Jose Oliva, CoDirector of the Food Chain Workers Alliance “About Don - being a leader is putting in the work, not talking about putting in the work. It's not glamorous. It's just years of being there for people, being an ally, being a friend, being an advocate. And knowing where to get help when you've reached your limits of knowledge or capacity. I admire Don so much, and am grateful to him for THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED his humble, steady, compassionate work.” - Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director of America's Voice and America's Voice Education Fund “I have known Don Sherman as a good friend for 30 years. Throughout that time what stands out for me is his integrity and commitment to doing what is right, frequently at a personal cost. Moreover, he is one of the kindest people I have ever known. His fills his life with compassion for others, especially when they are at their lowest and in most need. This kind of selflessness in service to the most vulnerable people in our society is a model for all of us.”-Tim Kraus, Past President of Cincinnati Federation of Teachers “I met Don Sherman some years back about 15 or so I was working as a business agent for the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. It has always been my belief that organized labor has always been the tide that raises the conditions and (Continued on page 12) �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 �LOCAL Double Trouble: Double Standards No. 36 5 Y 5 | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN ou probably already know how to recognize double standards when you see them, especially pertaining to things like someone’s sex or gender or even race. When a woman is paid less than her male counterpart, that is a double standard. Hopefully, when you recognize a double standard you act or speak out to prevent this oppressive behavior from continuing. When it comes to homelessness, the double standards don’t ever stop. We have a different standard for someone who is housed versus someone who is living without a home. We see this all the time in Over-the-Rhine. 3CDC, Cincinnati Center Development Corporation, which has poured hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars into inequitable development (market rate housing and offices), will gladly herald their efforts to close the corner stores that sold beer and liquor in the neighborhood. They will, of course, Staff Writer cite the number of 911 calls to corner stores, then say that by closing them, they have helped remove alcohol from the hands of people who are living in poverty. For them, they see it as a moral choice, and they believe they chose the “right” side. The double standard isn’t complete by removing the corner liquor stores: this is only half of the standard. The other half is what replaced the liquor stores – high end boutique bars, with more on the way. Loud, beer-laden peddle wagons traversing the streets add to the atmosphere of “we can drink in public, but you can’t!” Recently, the neighborhood split into two entertainment districts to accommodate more bars, but from what I heard, one of the last bars from before the surge of gentrification is closing soon, leaving very few vestiges of Over-the-Rhine left. Hopefully, you can recognize the double standard by now. When it comes to housing, 3CDC is the champion of double standards. When they kicked out the residents on through Over-the-Rhine Housing Network and ReStoc, they worked with countless people to update and maintain many units of affordable housing – within the last decade, we have lost more than 70% of the lowest income housing units. Woman Walks her Dog Without a Leash Past Privatized Sidewalk Seating Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman 3CDC rehabbed this building on 13th and Walnut St., after the neighboring Columbia Building residents were displaced from their homes. Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman 3CDC, who has leased out Imagination Alley, seeks to privatize Imagination Alley for private outdoor seating Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Another example (of many) single bedroom, high cost housing Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman the 1400 block of Race St., they said they were doing the residents a favor because the housing wasn’t in good condition. Did they ask the residents what they wanted fixed? No, they just moved them aside for high-end condos and apartments (and their old office, by the way.) The double standard here might not be obvious, but let’s look a little deeper and make some historical comparisons. buddy gray, who helped found many social service organizations in Over-the-Rhine was attacked on many occasions by developers who criticized him for “stockpiling” buildings in the neighborhood. They accused him of keeping the neighborhood poor, and holding development hostage. They lampooned his character and many believe eventually assassinated him for this work. buddy and his collaborators intended for every building to be rehabbed for the people in the neighborhood by allowing the residents to maintain their home here, in Over-the-Rhine. They intended to create and sustain affordable housing. That was the purpose of acquiring the land. And THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Today, 3CDC holds hundreds of properties in their portfolio. They are literally doing the same thing that developers accused buddy and others of doing back in the 80’s and 90’s. You can’t find, nor will they tell, what buildings are owned by 3CDC, because their buildings are registered under LLC’s, so as to not let people know who owns them. They have sat on buildings for over a decade without redeveloping them – after they forced, whether directly or indirectly, the residents out onto the streets. Their plan for Over-the-Rhine does not include any independently-created affordable housing. Today, they have 1 or 2 bedroom condominiums for over $250,000. 3CDC also leased Washington Park from the City of Cincinnati for 95 years for $1. They revamped the park by removing people who are experiencing homelessness with 24/7 private security. They have created a park full of hostile design elements like benches you can’t lay down on and walls that you can’t sit on. They made rules that prohibit laying in the park, giving out food or (Continued on page 12) �6 LOCAL JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) better? The answer to this question depends on who the “we” is. But in the case of the “we” which is the Homeless Coalition and other such organizations, our job is to empower people to see that the larger “we” can and must stop taking the same actions which cause the same problems. And then “we” must empower ourselves to combine strength and activate/force healthy and just societal behaviors and actions. We must not allow our communities to be run at the behest of the money-grubbing corporations and businesses. We must not allow the pursuit of more and more cash to establish policy and decision-making. The argument that “we must move YOU CAN SUPPORT THE S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 forward with this decision or the company will lose their opportunity to get the financing they need to develop the expensive housing” is not a reason to decide to support such a development. We must not allow ourselves to believe the lie that a new expensive business or residence by default means the surrounding neighborhood will benefit. The idea that a business opening in a neighborhood automatically is positive for the people in the neighborhood, is terribly illogical and short-sighted to say the least. We have to do all we can to not support the same old bad things and we must do all we can to organize ourselves to decide and cause justice. --------------------------------------- • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! When you shop online at Amazon, sign up for Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com and select “Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless” as your non-profit. A portion of your smile.amazon.com purchase will be donated to us each time you shop at no additional cost to you! Participate in a 30 Day Challenge or book a speaker or activity. Learn more about homelessness, our speakers, and how to become a better advocate for people experiencing homelessness! Download a printable PDF on our website: cincihomeless.org/30-day-challenge Write a letter of support for the Coalition, affordable housing, or livable wages to City Council: CityCouncil@Cincinnati-OH.gov Donate NOW! GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �No. 36 5 7 LOCAL Duke’s Pipeline Delayed | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 D MICHAEL EARL PATTON uke Energy filed a motion to suspend the procedural schedule in its application to extend a high-pressure natural gas distribution pipeline through several communities in the northern Cincinnati area. They did this just two days before the deadline by when testimony in the Central Corridor Pipeline Extension project was supposed to be submitted to the Ohio Power Siting Board. On August 24, the day after their motion, their request was granted. For now there is no new date. The reason Duke gave for requesting the suspension was that it became aware of “additional details and information concerning site-specific matters.” The one specific concern that it mentioned was property on which environmental remediation is taking place. N.O.P.E, Neighbors Opposing Pipeline Extension, is the grass-roots organization fighting this project. According to their press release, the project to which Duke is referring is the Pristine, Inc. superfund site in Reading. One of the two proposed routes comes within 150 feet of this site. Apparently the concern is the inadvertent release of toxic chemicals that had leaked into the site and has contaminated the ground water in the area. The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, says that a liquid waste disposal facility operated on site from 1974 to 1981 and before that, the facility was used to make sulfuric acid. For a while a hazardous waste incinerator operated. Due to numerous permit violations, Ohio EPA closed the facility in 1981. Beyond storing thousands of drums of hazardous waste at the site, the operations contaminated soil and groundwater. The Pristine company site (an ironic name for a superfund operation if there ever was one) is still being cleaned up. Part of the cleanup involves pumping out the groundwater and treating it to remove volatile organic compounds, BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) terms of establishing goals, policies, and standards, and this body will be charged with insuring that the fund remains faithful to its purpose and goals. Because of the importance of the Oversight Board, a percentage of its members will be both affordable housing clients and non-profit housing developers. Adequate funding is absolutely Contributing Writer or VOCs. Currently the pumps are removing and treating 150 gallons per minutes. With the groundwater contaminated, the effect of digging a large, long, deep trench near the site on the nearby residents and pipeline construction workers is obviously something that needs to be addressed. There may be other concerns, too, that are not as obvious to this writer. Hamilton County and several local governments such as Cincinnati, Evendale, Reading, and Blue Ash had and traffic during construction. Others are very specific. Blue Ash, for example, asked about impacts to future roadway improvements to Glendale-Milford Road and Pfeiffer Road. It is impossible to predict where this is going. Concentrate on the other route? Propose a new route? Because Duke did not just propose a new date right away it appears that they might not know themselves. Certainly overlooking a superfund site is a major failing and calls into question Duke’s due diligence in Pipeline Marker Credit: Michael Earl Patton Duke Route Map Credit: Duke Energy given lists of issues that concerned them to the Ohio Power Siting Board. These governments intended to crossexamine witnesses in support of the pipeline during the hearing which had been set for September 11 but is now postponed. Some of the issues are ones that opponents had been asking about from the beginning, such as impacts to property values essential, and Spring noted that the proposal calls for an annual income of $30-million. Multiple sources of funding from a variety of public and private sources are envisioned, and the proposal lists many of them. Allocations from the City's General Fund, a percentage of the earning's tax, a percentage of the hotel tax, proceeds from the sale of public land, a possible entertainment tax, and payments into the fund by receivers of tax abatements comprise some of them. Spring assured Forum “Breakdown Stereotypes” proposing the pipeline routes. And if this preparatory work was shoddy, what about their promised due diligence in monitoring the pipeline safety into the far future? In addition, my concern about whether there will be sufficient natural gas supplies for major new pipelines remains. Drilling for new gas supplies is below the rate needed to maintain attendees that trust fund proponents were well aware of the necessity of adequate and steady funding if the proposed entity is to make a difference. Spring talked about current negotiations with Cincinnati City Council members and the Mayor. He believes that a majority on Council supports a trust fund, and he noted that Vice Mayor David Mann is working on a possible ordinance. He acknowledged, however, that much still needs to be thrashed out before production while exports of gas is increasing. Not surprisingly, supplies of gas being saved in storage caverns for winter use is not growing at its usual rate. There is only so much natural gas available. The emphasis needs to be placed on conservation, not on increased distribution of gas that will not be there when we need it most. an acceptable plan is agreed upon. Upcoming Forums focus on Cincinnati's mayoral race. Mayor Cranley speaks on Thursday September 21st followed by Council member Yvette Simpson on the 28th. [AIR, Inc. enables people, organizations and governments to make well-informed decisions regarding policies, human services, and organizational change in response to changing needs and resources.] “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Listening to the Spirit, Deborah Jordan & Bill Cahalan Work toward a Sustainable Peaceful Earth & Holistic Mental Health D S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 eborah Jordan and Bill Cahalan are partners in life and in faith; they complement each other and their actions for a peaceful, natural and just world. Raised Christians, Jordan with no particular denomination, Bill in rigid Catholicism, both, as adults, drifted and joined The Religious Society of Friends, aka Quakers. "What I love about Quakerism is its combination of mystical and activist traditions," says Jordan. "Bringing them together is very powerful, the spiritual informing the activism and vice versa." "The beliefs of the Quakers met my interest in mystical traditions such as Buddhism, Daoism, Native Americanism," says Cahalan. "They invited a shift from the image of God as a loving but punitive distant patriarch presented to me by Catholicism, toward that of a divine Spirit living equally in nature, humans and all creation." He adds: "I always had, since a child, a very strong spiritual connection with the natural world." The peace, social justice and equality teachings of the Quakers resonated also very strongly with both of them, already exposed to these values through their upbringing. Growing up, Jordan always spoke up for the underdogs; and Cahalan was inspired by the ethical and moral values of Catholicism, mainly charity, love and compassion. It is in college, however, that their activist involvement clearly materialized. Jordan, then at Ohio University, protested actively the Vietnam War going on at that time, and was jailed as a result; and Cahalan, at Xavier University, demonstrated with other students against the scheduled talk on campus of George Wallace, segregationist Governor of Alabama, and succeeded at getting his invitation cancelled. SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer Jordan's journey took her since on many paths. She dropped out of college and became the coordinator for the Nuclear Freeze local chapter in Cincinnati; participated in antinuclear protests at the Nevada Test Site and was arrested; wanting to counter violence, got a master's degree in education and took a job at the Center for Peace Education (CPE) providing peace education, conflict resolution and mediation services to Cincinnati public and private schools; provided mediation to the juvenile courts; and, interested in healing, had become an R.N. and practiced as such for many years. Cahalan graduated with a master's and PhD degrees in psychology and worked as a clinical psychologist. After being inspired by the anti-Vietnam war movement, the Counterculture Revolution, Black Power and Women's movements, he became actively involved in ecological activism in the 80's, protesting the damage that our economy and current culture were causing the natural world. In 2011, he went to Washington DC to participate in the march and direct actions against the Keystone XL Pipeline which would increase reliance on fossil fuels and negatively affect climate change. He also protested the Dakota Access Pipeline, a threat to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation's clean water and ancient burial grounds. On December 8, 2014 rallying a protest movement launched by EQAT (Earth Quaker Action Team), he and Jordan joined 27 other groups in 8 different states for a sit-in at PNC bank branches demanding an end to the Bank's financing of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. As a result of this, culminating five years of action, PNC Bank announced March 2015 its divestment from such Who Are the QUAKERS The Religious Society of Friends, aka Quakers, is an Alternative Christianity which emphasizes the personal experience of God in one's life. Quakers understand the necessity of first listening to God before working in the world. They affirm the equality of all people before God regardless of race, station in life, or sex; this belief informs their social concerns. Quakers find recourse to violence intolerable. Quaker thought is both mystical (waiting upon God) and prophetic (speaking truth to power). Friends believe that God's revelation is still continuing, that God is not absent or unknowable but that we can find God ourselves and that the search for a closer relationship with God is the Way. They maintain that the teaching of Jesus is a practical method for the guidance of the world today and that religion is concerned with the whole of life. - from “Facts about Friends” by Ted Hoare projects. Both Jordan and Cahalan became very involved in the local food movement. They are part of a neighborhood community supported agricultural group, or CSA, in their neighborhood of East Price Hill where they contribute to organic gardening, building a healthy soil, protecting the environment, and sharing food and camaraderie with other participants. They are also members of 'Imago', a Deborah Jordan and Bill Cahalan grassroots environmental education organization located in Price Hill as well and which aims to promote living in concert with the natural world, reconnecting people and planet, building a human community that sees the Earth as sacred. "One of the slogans of 'Quaker Earthcare Witness', a national network of Friends who seek to address the ecological and social crises of the world from a spiritual perspective, is 'Peace on earth, Peace with earth'," says Cahalan. "If we do not protect the earth we will continue destroying the matrix of life, and, as a result, will continue eroding peace among people." Ten years ago, Jordan started the publication of CORV (Central Ohio River Valley) Local Food Guide, a grassroots yearly magazine with the mission to connect community members with local growers and fresh, healthy local food. "We aim to promote self-sufficiency, sustainability and the wise use of resources in the building of our local food system," she states. "We want also to educate our readers on the importance of eating local." Another area that strongly connects Jordan and Cahalan in both their interests and activism is the field of mental health. As a clinical psychologist Cahalan chose from the start to help individuals suffering from serious breakdowns in their personality and life. He sees, however, mental problems as disordered ways of relating with others and with self, and not as brain diseases, and deviates in this respect from mainstream mental health which relies heavily on hospitalization and medication, often against the Credit: Saad Ghosn patient's own will, for alleviation of the most disordered states, such as those labelled psychotic. "Forced hospitalization, medication and community probate are violations of human rights," he says. "Worse, they have often proven ineffective, keeping the individual dependent on medication for life. More humane psychosocial alternatives are needed." In fact, alternatives, such as 'Open Dialogue', for instance, have been used successfully and for decades in Finland. They provide psychotherapy and social network support to the individual at home or in open households, and have resulted in more than 80% recovery on 5 year follow ups. "Unfortunately, the mental health field, strongly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, resists a more relational, empowering and human approach that does not focus on disorders as illnesses and is not medicationcentered." Two years ago, Cahalan helped Jordan and Valerie Chronis Bickett founded the ‘Greater Cincinnati (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 5 9 JUBILEE CAMPAIGN | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 Change REV. RICH JONES W Contributing Writer hen my son was 10, he was having a hard time understanding why things change. My son likes the idea of change, loves new challenges, but he also wants stability and to know that there are things and people he can count on. All of us, no matter how old we are, can relate. Change happens. It causes disruption, which can be extremely uncomfortable, and good. It leads to questions, sometimes answers, and growth oftentimes when we embrace change and remember that we are not alone. We have each other, and when we pause for a moment in the midst of change, we begin to sense something of the divine that connects us to something deeply personal beyond ourselves. Our country has experienced a lot of change, a divisive election, hate crimes on the rise, open racism and sexism, heated political rhetoric, the lament of “Black Lives Matter”, and the violence that begets violence, we can either react in anger, retreat, or we face it and work towards deeper understanding and awareness. It’s important to note that the changes in culture cause us to reflect personally and in our communities, but also in our institutions, businesses, professions, etc. Yes, change can bring anxiety, fear, and even a deep sense of unrest. In those times, we can have a desire to try and control things, to try to go back to the “way things were”. Deep down, we know we can’t, that life continues to move forward whether anxious, exciting, energizing, and good for the world. The Economics of Compassion Initiative (ECI) that I am involved with is a risk taking, exciting, and energizing movement of good people. Our desire is to see neighborhoods change and grow into all that they were intended to be: places of community, of friendship, of cooperation, and of equal access to an economy that can sometimes be a barrier to reaching our God-given potential. At ECI (https://www. econofcompassion.org), we believe that transformational growth is the best kind of change. We can see transactional growth in the form of new developments that can be prohibitive for many. But, transformational growth starts and ends with authentic relationship. One of our Economics of Compassion board members, Rev. Daniel Hughes, is a great example of a transformational change agent. He is involved intimately in his Price Hill neighborhood, building friendships, listening to folks, asking questions, and doing “experiments” that can lead to a further sense of deep community. He’s willing to take risks; he may fail or succeed; but the energy he brings into a conversation or project always leads to something good. I have also seen the neighborhood that I live in, Finneytown, experience deep cultural change. Over the past 17 years that we’ve lived here, we have seen our community become more of a “melting pot” creating a dynamic Campers learn to work together and empower themselves Credit: Rev. Rich Jones we like it or not. We see and experience change happening throughout our neighborhoods in Cincinnati. If there wasn’t change, then there would be status quo, which leads eventually to decline and death. An argument can be made that any change is good change, but I would say one should anticipate change and insert one’s self into the conversation around any change for it to be beneficial for all persons affected by that change. Trying to anticipate change and being a change agent can be a risky, blend of persons who have lived here for generations, with persons moving in from the city core and refugees from all over the world. They are drawn to cheap housing and a good school district, as well as a group of neighbors that have self-organized around the school, churches, nonprofits, and other groups to figure out ways to build community. Some efforts have gone well, others have not. One organization that I have been involved with is Oasis, which started in London (http://oasisuk. org). We have had a desire to build a community hub for people in our neighborhood to come together for opportunities of relationship. We have used the principles of Asset Based Community Development to create opportunities such as our summer camp for Finneytown students to have academic and social enrichment, as well as some amazing adventures and opportunities to engage parents, guardians, and others in community. I have found that same spirit in everyone that I’ve had the privilege can develop. That trust leads us into deeper places within ourselves and our relationships with others. I know that we have issues to confront in Cincinnati, but there are stories of immense goodness in every neighborhood of our great city! If we can listen to those stories, learn and grow from them, we can confront almost anything that we face, especially as we do that together in community with others. In my faith tradition as a Jesus follower, we draw upon the richness of a shared history with Judaism. I "At ECI, we believe transformational groth is the best kind of change," Rev. Rich Jones Credit: Rev. Rich Jones to work with at ECI and Oasis. These are folks who are simply committed to practicing goodness. I’ve also seen that same spirit in so many other organizations across this city. It is truly an exciting time of change- of transformation. In times of change, the practice of being rooted in a place where relationships can flourish is important. I believe that neighborhood living, being in community with others, can help us move through change and come out stronger. There is something deeper at work in our neighborhoods. If we follow the practice of Daniel and so many others by listening to our neighbors, staying curious and patient, asking questions, and looking for opportunities to build bridges, not walls, we can begin to see authentic community arise where we can find cooperation and real progress on some of the issues that surround us. A friend of mine, Cormac Russell, reminded me recently that it’s far more important to stay connected rather than correct. Relationships “trump” everything. That doesn't mean that we don’t make a stand at times for what is right, but it does mean that we must remember the humanity of every person. If we can practice authentic empathy and friendship, then trust THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED especially enjoy some of the multiple meanings of words in Hebrew. The Hebrew word “hesed” is found throughout Scripture describing God. It means unfailing love, compassion, and intense loyalty to community. Campers work with mentors Credit: Rev. Rich Jones May we trust God’s “hesed” and live in community/relationship with each other as we grow and live into changing times. [Rev. Rich Jones is a Board Member of the Economics of Compassion Initiative Oasis Cincinnati Pastor at Immanuel Presbyterian Church] �10 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 �No. 36 5 LOCAL | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) Holistic Mental Health Network'. It came out of Bickett and Jordan's personal experience with mental disorders in friends, family members and juveniles Jordan met through her mediation work. "It felt like a calling, a leading," Jordan says. "There was a need to bring awareness to people suffering from mental health distress, that holistic, bio-psycho-social approaches to treatment, with no stigma and expected full recovery, were available to them." The 'Network', a grassroots effort, provides education, support, advocacy and outreach, all focused on propelling to the forefront the whole person, whole community, and alternative approaches to mental health care. It achieves this through open meetings, expert speakers, and public events. Jordan and Cahalan find strength and inspiration for their work and activism in the Quakers' testimonies and practices of peace, justice, equality, integrity, earth care and community. "In Quakerism, there is no pastor," says Jordan. "We're all considered ministers and get to do all the work. When meeting ends, service begins; our service to the world, that is..." As to how they view their service to the world in the years to come, Cahalan sees it in helping build a local resilient community and a sustainable, grounded life, connecting to local neighbors and STANDING UP FOR LOVE 1 3-year-old Tuezday Henson, a first year student at Oak Hills High School, stood with a group of fellow students in protest of the Westboro Baptist Church's visit. She was there to support her friends and other citizens that believe that "hate does not overpower love." Henson and a small group of students from a gay/straight alliance group, their faculty member, were joined by a larger protest group, many carrying signs that communicated their beliefs about freedom of thought and action. Protesting for social justice has frightening implications: it is a short time from the brutality of Charlottesville and the biased statements of the president. Very recently, DACA immigrants were placed in jeopardy by the president's executive order. Despite these very serious threats to social justice, these students stood bravely opposite the STEVE SUNDERLAND TUEZDAY HENSON SHANNON MURRAY Contributing Writers representatives of the Westboro Baptist Church as church members chanted and waved their posters with clear messages of hate. Standing with them, I saw many cars and trucks driving by us as we stood on the curb in front of the school, many people making obscene gestures, or caring signs with ugly posters. These drive by bullies missed the essence of what the counter protest was all about. Here is how one of the students described her reactions to the event: "My personal experiences with hate have been rare (including this counter-protest), but many of my friends have dealt with this kind of oppression and injustice ever since they came out. I personally know that telling someone you are gay or bisexual can go one of three ways- a long lecture about why it’s wrong and why you “can’t” be who you are, or maybe the person you’re telling doesn’t really agree but accepts you, and maybe they’re proud of you. But saying something like that is a very stressful thing to do. So even though after something like that, it’s hard to walk out of somewhere and be beaten down emotionally because of it. “The counter-protest against Westboro Baptists has been what some could call a blessing because it brought out feelings of love and togetherness inside our community. But in other ways, it could be viewed as hostile amongst the people. The way the people reacted overall seemed very well organized and there was a sense of fellowship within the crowd. Each person counter-protested for their community, their people, or maybe even a personal feeling of dislike for the Westboro Baptists.” THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 11 friends, living in harmony with the earth; also in more political activism, taking a stand on issues of social justice importance, getting out to the streets, marching, protesting, sittingin, getting arrested... For Jordan, building resilience within herself and others is of paramount importance. She will continue her current involvements. Faithful, however, to the Quakers' process, she will keep a space inside for silence and deep listening; will keep doing what she knows and is able to do; and leave the end result to the Spirit. “People in the crowd of counterprotesters seemed to feel confident in their position on this particular topic. I felt like the younger members of the community handled this hatred in a very superior and principled way. No fights broke out, and safety was one of the top priorities of a lot of people, which I think brought the people together for a greater purpose- to unify. And I think the younger people got the feeling that they could finally be in a safe place because they are protected and supported. Security can be hard to come by when there are people who do hate you for your practices and beliefs, but when something like this happens, people can’t sit by and watch others continue to be hostile to people they know or love. Essentially, the community handled this situation very well, and I am proud to be in such a supportive, concerned, and encouraging citizenry." We can wonder just what young (Continued on page 12) �12 LOCAL GRAYSON, ORLANDER & PÉREZ (Continued from page 3) wages for all working folks. Don, I saw right away believed that as well. Don was always willing to help me with any workers issues that I came across. We worked together on some major wage theft issues and had some wins all thanks to Don’s experience and his hard work. Don truly cares about workers’ rights and is highly respected throughout the Cincinnati Building Trades Unions. Don is most deserving of recognition for his fighting for workers’ rights.” - Fred Hubbard, Retired Business “Don is a master listener, practicing the act and art of listening intently, compassionately and empathetically; he has won the love, trust and confidence of many. His method is always to emphasize and amplify the voices in the community; he truly exemplifies what it means to be an ally and an advocate.” Magda Orlander, Organizer for Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center “It's a blessing being able to share a few words of how honorable Don Sherman was to us by showing his compassion and letting us know his heart. He really did his best. He helped us all, leading us to the right S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 2008 Membership Meeting, Vine Street Credit: Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center Workers Center Member Meeting July 2011, Immingration Reform Rally, D.C., (Cincinnati Caucus Photo) Credit: Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center Credit: Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center Agent and Past President of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers DR. MARK MUSSMAN (Continued from page 5) clothing, or eating out of the garbage cans – all demonstrably aimed at people experiencing homelessness. The double standard here is easy to see as they sell high end liquor and craft beer in the park, but one cannot bring a can of cheap beer into the park. “Buy our beer or else we’ll call the cops on you!” One last double standard is obvious, but you might have just accepted it as normal. This is the cutouts that bars and restaurants use on the sidewalks. Leaving merely 3 feet of space to pass through, these railed off areas allow bars to serve alcohol on the sidewalks – this is why they SUNDERLAND ET AL (Continued from page 11) people make of violent statements and actions as they observe members of the adult community present themselves with so little respect. The "counter-protest," as the young people called it, showed both courage to be present and courage to present themselves as agents of compassion and integrity. Bullying, hate speech, arbitrary punishments, and isolation are too much a part of young people's lives in and out of schools. Seeing a group of young people, many of them carrying rainbow flags, or wearing rainbow colors on their faces, arms, and shirts, walking together with people and to the right decision, giving us the support we needed to not be afraid. It took years, but we did it. We helped get thousands in wages and earned U-Visas for me and the other campaign leaders who came forward. Thank you “Don The must be permanent, to allow alcohol on the sidewalk. So, here we have a privatized sidewalk area where people can drink, but if someone drinks outside of the barricade, especially if they are experiencing homelessness or “not the right class for the new ‘OTR’,” they may get the police called on them, or at least judged and told that they need to get a job. We must remember that most people who are experiencing homelessness actually have jobs, but the wages are too low and the cost of housing is rising faster than wages. Whether or not the development is sustainable in Over-the-Rhine is a real concern. But without effort put into creating and sustaining affordable housing, things won’t change on the whim of the market. Study after study has shown the need for affordable housing in Cincinnati and we need the big players, like 3CDC, to step up for people in the lowest income brackets. Your bank account does not determine your worth in a just society. Income inequality and housing affordability is a real problem, and if we don’t get a handle on it, “OTR” will truly only stand for “Only the Rich.” If you'd like to learn more about gentrification, displacement, and affordable housing, please sign up for a tour of Over-the-Rhine under our Education section, on our website: http://cincihomeless.org. obvious strong feelings of affection was a powerful message of hope for a different world, a place of caring and inclusion. Standing with these young people was their faculty advisor, teaching by his presence just how important ideas are in the creating of an adulthood of principle. He felt: "I saw yesterday a small but heartening display of good people rejecting ignorance in a manner consistent with those who fight hatred and bigotry with love and rationalism. On a side of town that gets stereotyped for being 13th century in its social attitudes, I was pleased at the positive display of support that our students were subjected to; if they learned from the experience, my hope would be they learned that they are loved and supported by many, that there are ways to counter hatred with dignity, and that the good (once awoken) usually outnumber the bad. I know that our students still encounter, at school, ignorance and intolerance; but perhaps with every Westboro-type incident, the number of such incidents will continue to wither (I have been doing this for 20 years at Oak Hills - the atmosphere has gradually shifted to greater acceptance of our LGBT community). But yesterday, I hope, proved to them that they are capable of coming together in their own self-interest, --------------------------------------- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Bomb”.”   - Salvador Martinez, Member - Leader of the Animal Hospital Campaign, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center Man passes Craft Brew sign at Washington Park Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman and with that confidence, they will continue to advocate for themselves and their community. With that in mind, "thank you" Westboro Baptist for helping our youth develop agency! I would also celebrate the fact that this incident marks the first time that the Oak Hills administration has publicly supported the GSA; this is commendable progress and greatly appreciated." What is left after a protest? In this case, a group of students became citizens in a way that has transformed their minds and hearts. A baton of justice and peace was passed into the hands of some able people. We are lucky to have such citizens. �No. 36 5 | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 CRYING RAIN 13 STREET VOICE Looking out the window The rain is falling hard, and fast There are intervals of thunder Slashing ever so often TIGER, TIGER SHAKE UP CONGRESS (With apologies to William Blake.) Tiger, tiger burning bright. Politics now is such a fright. Could you or else a grouchy lion, Go put a scare in Speaker Ryan? We'd ask you then to quickly switch, And then it suddenly stops And do the same to Senator Mitch. Until the next thunder slash appears The times require some feline force It lets you know that God is, near So take heed To get our Congress back on course. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Listen to his might Because thunder and rain, Will, be coming KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer WHAT’S GOING ON What’s going on asked singer Marvin Gaye What’s going on in our world of today Stealing from each other, killing one another Lying, cheating and still calling each other brother Disillusioned by what our lives should really be Misunderstanding that we’re all born in sin, you and me Forgetting each day to let live and let love Forgetting to give all praises due to God up above Everyone needs to take time out to pray And ask God to forgive our sins each and everyday To replace hate with peace and love where ever we can Only then can we see what’s going on all over the land So for me this is what’s really going on We as a people must come together before all life is gone!!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 134 Across 1. Part of a book 5. An aggressive remark 9. Restaurant bill 12. Underneath 13. Chills and fever 14. Kind of starch 16. Publish 17. Transmitted 18. An instinctive motive 19. Entranceway 20. Writing tablet 21. Part of a stable 22. Watch face 24. Number of items in a brace 26. Up to now 27. Back muscle 30. Mouthpiece used to control a horse 31. Ecstatic 33. Combined 35. Levy 36. Particle 40. Unwind 41. Sauce made of fermented beans 42. Kinship group 43. Water jug 44. Writing implement 45. Large seabird 46. Long narrative poem 48. A small drink 49. Oculus 50. Male sheep 53. Allow 54. Finished 56. Lament 58. Maven 59. Untie 63. Exchange for money 64. Chop 66. Extraterrestrial being 67. Large woody plant 68. Fiend 69. Palisade 70. Golf peg 71. Bard 72. Make a long and difficult journey Down 1. Currency of Cuba 2. In addition 3. Any of numerous fruits with hard rinds 4. Female sheep 5. Volcanic rock 6. Elderly 7. Operate 8. Wager 9. Drawn tight 10. Impressive display 11. Brass instrument 12. Tender 15. Thaw 20. Discharged a debt 21. Concession given to placate 23. Type of wild goat 24. Serving dish 25. Increase in phase 27. Tempt 28. Afresh 29. Thin flat slab of fired clay 32. Mountain lake 34. Counterweight used to obtain net weight 35. Unit of weight 37. Prong 38. Take orders 39. Boundary line 41. Faction 42. Finishing line for a foot race 44. Pastry item 45. Donate 47. Travel a route regularly 48. Kind of receptacle 50. Remainder 51. Awake 52. Scrimmage 55. Measuring stick 57. Mirth 58. Unit of area 60. Square root of eighty-one 61. Pack of cards 62. Single 64. Jump lightly 65. In the past 66. Astern PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 133 S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 5 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 264 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 263- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 5 RESOURCES | S e p t 2 2 - O c t 5 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 557-2873 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 241-1064 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 721-0643 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 411 Gest St. 45203 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1125 Bank Street 45214 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 1437 Walnut Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 661-4620 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Interfaith Hospitality Network Housing: 471-1100 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 421-0065 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 351-0422 381-6672 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society Ohio Justice & Policy Center UpSpring 241-9400 421-1108 363-3300 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry AA Hotline CCAT 1522 Republic Street 45202 961-4555 381-1954 421-5211 Food/Clothing 961-4663 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Tom Geiger House Volunteers of America Anna Louise Inn VA VA Homeless 961-2256 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 221-HELP 721-8666 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 Starting Over 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Talbert House Tender Mercies 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 921-1613 First Step Home 761-1480 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Prospect House Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Caracole (HIV/AIDS) CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street 45202 784-1853 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Charlie’s 3/4 House 2121 Vine Street 45202 Shelter: Youth Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile $100 for 26 issues Center Independent Living Options Peaslee Neighborhood Center 241-2600 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill Industries Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House 381-0111 771-4800 579-8547 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 621-5300 961-1983 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio FreeStore/FoodBank 762-5660 Shelter: Men Medical Van 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 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 September 22-October 5, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director A Local Affordable Housing Trust Fund Pg 3: Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center Peace Builder Award Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Double Trouble Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Duke’s Pipeline Delayed Pg 8: Religious Peacemakers Pg 9: Change Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Standing Up for Love Pg 12: Grayson, Orlander & Perez Continued Dr. Mark Mussman Continued Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 22-October 5, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Alice Skirtz Brennan Grayson Magda Orlander Manuel Perez Dr. Mark Mussman Micahael Earl Patton Saad Ghosn Rev. Rich Jones Steve Sunderland Tuezday Henson Shannon Murray Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Peaslee Neighborhoood Center Alice Schneider Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center Duke Energy Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Alice Schneider Alice Skirtz Bill Woods Brennan Grayson Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center Don Sherman Dr. Mark Mussman Duke Energy Josh Spring Jubilee Campaign Kim Green Magda Orlander Manuel Perez Micahael Earl Patton Peaslee Neighborhoood Center Pipeline Religion Rev. Rich Jones Saad Ghosn Shannon Murray Steve Sunderland Tuezday Henson Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/9c8e8db7a9de4265d1ab956681b3cda1.pdf 2925a4754f0fa538354a16a5d8497556 PDF Text Text September 8th - September 21st 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 45 (No. 364) advocating justice | Building community Cincinnati's Crisis Mode | 5 This issue sponsored by The Economics of Compassion Initiative INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Corrupting Effect of Slavery | 7 Religious Peacemakers: Imam Ismaeel Chartier| 8 The Jubilee Campaign | 9 Dark Skies, Dark Money, Dark Intentions| 3 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 streetvoice | 13 �2 LOCAL From The Director: Safety vs. Comfort S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 JOSH SPRING Is being uncomfortable the same thing as being unsafe? Let’s say you are at a neighborhood meeting and you hear a report that attention needs to be given to turn a block from unsafe to safe. You ask how it is known to be unsafe. You are told that there have been many reports of safety issues in that block. You ask what are those reports. You are told that people are reporting they don’t want to walk down that block because they feel unsafe because there is always a group of people hanging around on the sidewalk and stoops. You hear that people feel unsafe because when they walk down the sidewalk they have to walk past a line of people standing on both sides. And another person adds that they are often asked for money on this block. Some say Executive Director the people hanging out are loud with loud music, etc. Now, think about it, does anything in the above description show that this particular block is unsafe? There is no mention of anything that could reasonably harm another person. Instead folks are just hanging out talking, eating, dancing, listening to music, singing, having serious conversation, goofing around, asking for assistance, offering assistance, saying hello, saying nothing; this list could go on forever because in this example people are simply hanging out doing the social things that people do. For reasons related to systems, assumptions, prejudices, ignorance, etc., this person doesn’t feel comfortable around whomever it is they are passing. This level of discomfort may lead to being afraid, and perhaps their first feeling is a lack of safety, but their being afraid in a situation like this should not lead to pressure on this block to change, but instead for certainly self-reflection and ultimately systematic changes to prevent the systematic prejudices which taught them to be afraid in such situations. In other cases, people are conflating the meanings of the words unsafe and uncomfortable. Essentially just because a person interprets an event a certain way or has a certain feeling during such an event, that does not mean their feeling or the way they define their feeling is (Continued on page 6) T 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Community Issues Forum Kicks Off Its 37th Season - Making the Case For an Affordable Housing Trust Fund he Community Issues Forum kicks off its 37th season of forums on Thursday September 14th. Sponsored by the Outreach Committee of Christ Church Cathedral, the Forum features presentations on critical community and public policy issues every other Thursday at noon from September to June. The opener on September 14th will showcase a proposal to establish a new public resource for addressing Cincinnati's affordable housing crisis. Drafted and championed by Cincinnatians for Affordable Housing, a coalition of organizations concerned about this issue, the proposed housing trust fund would provide needed financing to create housing for low-income families and individuals. Forum speakers Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and Katy Heins, representing the Center For Community Change, will describe how the trust fund would operate while also depicting the potential importance of such a local entity. The establishment of a trust fund in Cincinnati comes at an appropriate time. This area confronts an affordable housing crisis with a shortage of approximately 40,000 units. This shortage stems from a steady loss of federal housing dollars 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper ----------------------------------------------CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Key Beck, Dr. Mark Mussman, Justin Jeffre, Michael Earl Patton, Saad Ghosn, Peter Block, Bobby Morris, Robert Park, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones ----------------------------------------------- Housing Trust Fund One-Pager Credit: Affordable Housing Advocates (ahacincy.org) over the years, the gentrification of neighborhoods such as Overthe-Rhine, and growing income inequality. Housing trust funds already work effectively in many U.S cities, and Katy Heins of the Center (Continued on page 12) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Photography/ Artwork: Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, ahacincy.org, Paul Breidenbach, Saad Ghosn, Bill Woods, google images, cnn.com, Alice Shneider --------------------------------------------------Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 4 L LOCAL Dark Skies, Dark Money, Dark Intentions | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 ike most folx these days, I get my first breath of news information through Facebook, Snapchat and other forms of social media. There is nothing that gets my feed moving faster than a natural disaster. First it was Hurricane Harvey that ravaged parts of Houston and now it is Hurricane Irma approaching the east coast. Along with news of natural disasters, I get advertisements from national companies where a portion of my purchase is donated, webdonation requests from NGO’s and famous people giving me tips for “helping out” those in need. This is not going to be a piece about coming together or giving to those who need it (although you should be doing both of those things). It is going to be about disaster capitalism. According to Wikipedia, disaster capitalism “centers on the exploitation of national crises to push through controversial policies while citizens are too emotionally and physically distracted by disasters or upheavals to mount an effective resistance.” What I would like to add to this definition is the act of using terror and compassion to push social issues, sustain business agreements and further personal agendas. Why is disaster capitalism a problem and how do we recognize it? The concept of disaster capitalism was explored in the book, “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” by Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein. Naomi Klein shares how the neoliberal free market (think capitalism, "corporations are people," manifest destiny, bootstraps) has developed strategies of using “shock therapy” to push policies taking advantage of citizens while they are in shock from the disaster. An example of disaster capitalism is the using of one’s country being at war to encourage folx to go 3 KEY BECK Contributing Writer shopping; promoting the fallacy that spending money helps the country win the war by allowing our military to have more funds to buy weapons, equipment and goods. They then package the process as a “helpful” form of nationalism, so people feel they are “helping” by spending their money because countries are usually economically strapped during wartime. If we apply my additional definition, disaster capitalism also to be respected and rebranded (as altright) in response to the (percieved) danger of black liberation groups, like Black Lives Matter. Look, this is something many of us have seen, but didn’t have a name or term to describe it. Well, now you do and let me tell you why it is not a good thing. When people experience disasters, they are usually in a state of shock so they don’t always make the best decisions. They are easily Naomi Klein describes the ways disasters are monetized and used to further politcs Credit: Google encompasses using terrorist attacks on the US as an excuse to pass oppressive laws like Muslim bans/ travel bans or allow white supremacy influenced and can be influenced with the right stimulus. We also have a human yearning to support others to get to a place of happiness, mostly Reporter interviewing distressed flood victim Credit: CNN THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Key Beck Credit: Dusty Changepurse due to altruism. When one is faced with fear and terror, they don’t always react rationally. If we continually see someone shooting up heroin on our doorstep, and one day they die on our stoop, we may forget that everyone has a different story or reason why they engage in drug usage. We may take a “No Drugs” policy to things and began to criminalize the behavior. We may be very quick to support arresting those addicted to opiates without thinking that maybe if there was more affordable housing, rehabilitation centers, needle exchanges and employment services there may be less people who are susceptible to opioid drug usage or dying on the streets. This example shows how disaster capitalism, when left unchecked, is a bad thing. We don’t want to throw our economic strength into things that won’t work to solve the problems we are experiencing. Going to war or banning a ethnic group of people are not knee-jerk decisions to be making. So, what does this have to do with Hurricane Harvey. Well, we have organizations such as Red Cross who use this opportunity, like a impromptu-telethon, to gain donations. They are often the most visible organization, but there are many people on the ground who say they don’t really do much to help. For all the donations they receive, they have been criticized for driving empty trucks around, only sending a few agents or not even showing up. There are a number of these organizations who pop up in times of tragedy. Megachurches have currently been in the spotlight for the insensitivity shown when Joel Osteen declined to let residents stay in his megachurch because it was "affected by the flood" (even though there was photographic evidence that showed the opposite). Now he is leading a campaign to collect funds, clothes and food to distribute to residents. They are using one’s willingness to support others for their personal economic gain (this is part of capitalism/neoliberalism). Another shocking example of disaster capitalism is how news organizations will interview people in trauma to garner ratings. There are any number of poor, black folk (Continued on page 11) �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 �No. 36 4 LOCAL Cincinnati’s Crisis Mode | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN H ave you ever woken up refreshed after a night’s rest? Are you able to leave work and picture the door “closed” and not think about it at all while you are home? Are you able to pay your rent on the first of every month without worrying about bouncing your check? Do you have the food you want in your kitchen, when you want it? What if you were constantly worried about these things with no hope for change? You’d be in a state of crisis. The world in which we live thrives on crisis. Educational theorists believe that there are a series of “crisis” events that we must pass through to get to new stages in our development. A crisis literally changes our brains to where we have options to reject, accept, or assimilate Staff Writer the exception. Having to figure out what and where you are going to eat (if at all), or where you are going to sleep, or if you can even sleep because you are so stressed out, is more than stressful – as Streetvibes Distributor Willa Jones, poet and writer, explains in her poem “Intoxication,” you can be intoxicated without taking a drink because your mind is so preoccupied with survival that it’s impossible to think clearly. How can you think about tomorrow when your basic needs aren’t met today? And this type of crisis-thinking isn’t limited to people experiencing homelessness. Housing, which seems like it should be a basic right, is both fragile and continuously contested. According to a recent LISC study, of us fighting with our neighbors. And we have a wider crisis in Cincinnati – racism – which negatively affects us all. In the study The State of Black Cincinnati, released a couple of years ago, it showed that the reality for people of color in Cincinnati is so far removed from that of white Cincinnati, that there’s no surprise white people have no clue on the experience of people of color in this city. People of color have severely lower health and education outcomes, but more shockingly (because America is touted as a meritocracy) upward mobility for people of color in Cincinnati simply doesn’t exist. There is no path out of poverty for thousands upon thousands of Cincinnati’s residents. No path at all. Until we start to recognize the fact success of people of color.) We must start to recognize structural violence, which, to me, is a continuation of redlining, Jim Crow, and ultimately slavery. As a city we, including what seems to be the business community in Cincinnati, haven’t moved on from white supremacy. It would be a huge step to get everyone to recognize that we have created, and actively maintain, a crisis of immense proportions. If I had all the answers I wouldn’t be open to learning and seeing more. I do know that we must create a more stable and fair community. Affordable Housing Advocates, a local group of housing providers, advocates and consumers dedicated to the goal of ensuring good, safe, accessible, affordable housing for all people in Southwest Ohio, is working vigilantly on a housing trust fund which will help create and preserve affordable housing in Cincinnati. We hope to get the county to start a Willa with student group Willa Jones holds up a recent edition of Streetvibes for a Facebook post Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman our new found perspective. It is at times very daunting, but we generally get through the crisis and have a chance to decompress, celebrate our failures (or successes), and move on to something else. But, for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, crisis mode is the norm, not O 5 55,000 families are trying to get into 15,000 units of affordable housing in Hamilton County. We are, whether or not you recognize it in your daily life, in a community-wide crisis. We are in a severe housing crisis that benefits only a very few wealthy land-owners and developers, while leaving the rest that white people have all the chances and privileges in this city, and we begin to understand how much that holds ALL OF US back, then we will continue to demonize and scapegoat the downtrodden, while falsely celebrating our successes (which were violently pulled from the potential Cincinnatians Protest the Repeal of DACA n Tuesday September 5th nearly 200 people gathered on 3rd Street to protest the announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the Trump administration was canceling DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Speakers included Councilmember P.G. Sittenfield, Yvette Simpson, Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval and local JUSTIN JEFFRE Editor & Staff Writer activists. The event was attended by City Council candidates Tamaya Dennard and Brian Garry. The Greater Cincinnati Republican representatives backed the policy change. Former President Barack Obama - in a rare move for Protesters gather for Pro-DACA rally Credit: Paul Breidenbach former Presidents - spoke out against the administration’s decision. -------------------------------------- THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED program as well. If you want to learn more about the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, please go to ahacincy.org and read the white paper: The City of Cincinnati Affordable Housing Trust Fund Operations – Summary. --------------------------------------- �6 LOCAL JOSH SPRING (Continued from page 2) actually an accurate description of the event. This is not a trivial issue. It is a common occurrence that cops harass people based on the description of how someone else (usually someone who is white) felt in an area or around specific people, when nothing unsafe actually happened. It is a regular occurrence that a developer says they want to make an area safe, when there are not regular occurrences of unsafe happenings, but some people (who don’t live right there) believe it is unsafe because they here that people say it is unsafe. Consider the city budget debates over what politician cares more about public safety and the many people saying public safety YOU CAN SUPPORT THE S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 must be first above all else. What have each of these people meant by the word safety? Often, if you really broke it down, they were really talking about people like themselves feeling comfortable. Here is a caveat to this: people experience and struggle with mental illness. There are times that people because of mental illness feel unsafe and afraid in what are reasonably considered safe situations for most other people. For the person dealing with this, they can be feeling and personally experiencing a bit of fear all the way to an excruciatingly terrifying event that only they are experiencing at that time in that place. This is real. For this person, what they are experiencing is real for them. In the examples above, I am not talking about this experience. • Donate by texting the word “Homeless” to 444999 • Join Community Shares Workplace Giving • Donate on our website through PayPal at www.cincihomeless.org/donate-2/ • Send us a check to show your support. 117 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 We receive NO public funding. We rely on the generosity of people like you. Log in to Kroger Rewards and search for the Homeless Coalition, or use our NPO 82944. Every time you use your Kroger Plus card, you will be supporting us. It will NOT affect your gas points! 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GC_HomelessCoal THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED GCHomelessCoalition �LOCAL The Corrupting Effect of Slavery No. 36 4 U 7 | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 MICHAEL EARL PATTON ntil Hurricane Harvey, the news media was focused on the confrontations surrounding statues and other memorials of Confederate soldiers. Everyone – I hope -agrees that the Southern institution of hereditary slavery was an evil for those unfortunate to be enslaved. Those who want to keep the statues often skirt the question as to why this country has so many memorials to those who fought to keep slaves by denying that the War Between the States (better known as the Civil War) had much to do with slavery at all. They argue instead that the war was fought on the issues of state rights, federal power grabs, and import tariffs This is well-reasoned balderdash, a subject to which I may return in another article. Right now I want to focus on the corrosive effect of owning slaves often had on the slave owners. Many observers recognized this at the time, but it is little mentioned now. If somehow a slave owner were to rationalize “owning” other humans in order to exploit their labor, even breaking up their families by selling the members to different owners in order to make more money, then something is very wrong morally with that person. Sometimes slave owners themselves would recognize this, however dimly and imperfectly, and act. Others would sink deeper into the morass. I want to explore this and give some examples. We cannot assume that those who fought to preserve slavery, no matter how brave, were somehow free of its corrupting influence. At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 all the states allowed slavery. In fact, most of the signers themselves owned slaves. By 1787 several states had banned slavery, having recognized the inherent contradiction between fighting a war because “all men are created equal …” and that “… they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” and slavery. A couple other states were moving towards outlawing it and would eventually do so. However, none of the southern states were moving in that direction. George Washington is one of those who came to reject slavery as being incompatible with the founding principles of the American Revolution. Not only did he quietly free some slaves during his lifetime, in his will he directed that his remaining slaves be freed upon the death of his wife, Martha. But most Contributing Writer slaves at Mount Vernon were owned by his wife, where they formed part of her dower property; this being property given to a bride to sustain her if she were to be widowed. These slaves passed directly to Martha’s in the South, he encountered a black man who had been kidnapped in the North and brought south to be sold under the pretense that he was really an escaped slave. He also relates how slave families were broken up to be sold and the reverse: how men and women were sometimes paired by Slave Pen displayed at Underground Railroad Freedom Center Credit: Michael Earl Patton heirs upon her death. Martha did not even free her own half-sister Ann. (Ann was finally freed by Martha’s granddaughter when she inherited the slave.) Slave-owner Thomas Jefferson saw the problem, too. In his book Notes on the State of Virginia he wrote that, “The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other.” And while the young Jefferson would argue for the eventual abolition of slavery, the older Jefferson would not free his own slaves even when offered money to do so. It appears that the temptations of money and power were too much. Notoriously, Jefferson had several children by his slave mistress Sally Hemmings, whom he kept as slaves until adulthood when he would allow them to escape – never formally freeing them, however. And even in his will he did not free Sally Hemmings (his daughter eventually freed her). Cincinnati’s Levi Coffin was one of the busiest “conductors” of the Underground Railroad and wrote a book about his experiences. He relates how, as a child growing up “Breakdown Stereotypes” their owners regardless of what they themselves wanted. He observed how slavery would corrode the values of the community and gave this example from when he was in Yazoo City, Mississippi: That evening, while sitting on the sidewalk, under the awning, talking to the hotel-keeper, two colored ladies passed by us, dressed in rich silks, and adorned with jewelry. I said to the hotel-keeper: “I suppose that those persons are free?” “No,” he replied, “they are both slaves, but are kept as mistresses by two of our wealthy merchants.” “I asked: “Is such a state of society permitted here?” He answered, “Oh, yes; most of our merchants, and other gentlemen of wealth and high standing, keep such women. The practice is quite common in our community.” He then spoke of a wealthy gentleman living a few miles out of town, who had a wife and a family of children. He owned several plantations, and on one of them he kept a black wife, who had several children. “And does his white wife know it?” I asked. “Yes,” was the reply, but she can’t help it, and I don’t think she makes any fuss about it. One of his colored sons is his carriage driver. That gentleman stands fair in this community.” The last story I give is from Mrs. Trollope’s book, Domestic Manners of the Americans, published in 1832. Mrs. Trollope, who spent 2 years in Cincinnati (where she encountered numerous pigs) then went East and traveled there. She visited several small farms in Maryland with only a few slaves and how few of the “comforts of life” the slave owners generally had. She tells of one family consisting of a young man, his wife, two children, a female slave, and two young boys who were also slaves. Their home was small, only 2 rooms. She noted that the wife would not work in the kitchen, leaving the work to her slave. The food Mrs. Trollope was served was plain and much worse than what she had had at small dairy farms in England. The “dignity” of having her cup handed to her by a slave did not make up for the difference in the quality of the food. Of course, anytime one has absolute power over others there will be the temptation to abuse it, whether or not the person is called a slave. In the twentieth century one only has to think of Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, among many others. The Bible contains numerous passages restricting the abuse of authority against servants and slaves, and against anyone for that matter. Jesus rebuked many of the Pharisees, saying that they laid heavy burdens on people’s shoulders but not lifting a finger to move them. The ancient world was one where even most “free” people were ruled by absolute kings and emperors. John the Baptist told the soldiers who came to him not to practice extortion or falsely accuse anyone (Luke 3:14). As Lord Acton observed, power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Jesus also compared the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs which appear beautiful on the outside but inside are full of bones and filth (Matthew 23:27). We need to be careful about honoring those men who fought to preserve such an abusive and corrupting system as slavery. Sources: The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789 by Edward J. Larson (copyright 2014), Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves by Henry Wiencek (2012), Hidden Cities: The Discovery and Loss of Ancient North American Civilization by Roger G. Kennedy (1994), Reminiscences of Levi Coffin: The Reputed President of the Underground Railroad by Levi Coffin (1876), and Domestic Manners of the Americans by Mrs. Francis Trollope (1832). ------------------------------------------- “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS Worshiper & Servant of God: Imam Ismaeel Chartier Is also a Servant & Liberator of God's Creations "T o serve God properly we need to serve His creations and make sure they have freedom and a life worth living; otherwise we're not doing our work as religious individuals," says Imam Ismaeel Chartier, adding: "In Islam, God commands us to join good versus evil, to side with the oppressed and those in need, to always push justice through and stand against injustice." Imam Chartier is the Imam of the Clifton Mosque in Cincinnati, a mosque that serves the local Muslim community while remaining open and welcoming to all. Raised Catholic in his native Ireland, he came to the United States (Denver, Colorado) at the age of 17 when his father relocated for professional reasons. After college and going through a personal spiritual search, questioning his relation to God and what religion meant to him, he discovered Islam, studied it, deepened his understanding of it, and converted to it. He joined Cincinnati three years ago, chosen by the board of directors of the Clifton mosque to serve as its spiritual leader. Imam Chartier's upbringing was engrained all along in social justice. As a child growing up in Belfast, his grandparents constantly reminded him to fight, until independence, the English occupation of Ireland. When seeing freedom fighters on television, his grandfather, himself a member of the IRA, would praise them, commenting that they were fighting for people's freedom and liberation. His grandfather would also praise, for the same reasons, the Palestinian Liberation and American Civil Rights movements, comparing the plight of Palestinians resisting the occupation and of African Americans fighting the injustice of the Jim Crow laws to that of the Irish people trying to be free. "I was raised with the ideas that freedom for me meant also for all the others, anywhere and everywhere," S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 SAAD GHOSN Contributing Writer states the Imam, "and that I was equally responsible for both." In college, Imam Chartier studied journalism and sociology and spent 2 years in Egypt researching a master's degree thesis in Near East studies. This initiated him to the Arabic language. Back to Denver, Colorado, he met his wife, also a Catholic Christian, and got married. Dealing, however, intensely, with the issue of his religious identity, after serious consideration and study, he felt Islam to be the most in tune with his values and beliefs and decided to convert to it. His wife fully approved and followed suit few days later. One year after, Imam Chartier, dissatisfied with the approach to Islam he was experiencing in the US, and wanting to demystify the perceptions Americans had of Muslims and of Islam in general, decided to become an Imam. And there he went, accompanied by his wife, on a 7 yeartrip to Muslim countries, including Egypt, Morocco, UAE, Kuwait, India, studying the Coran in Arabic, learning from scholars and spiritual leaders at their feet, obtaining permission to teach at his turn. In 2009, at his return to the US, he worked for a short while at the Colorado Muslim Society in Denver, then joined a 3rd space mosque where everyone, irrespective of who he/she was, was welcome to freely worship God, with no formality and a liberal rather than literal understanding, connecting back to the spiritual essence of Islam, also to others. This mosque became very popular and attracted all kinds of people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. "This is the kind of Mosque I would like to grow in Cincinnati," he says. While in Denver, Imam Chartier got involved in many social justice issues, supporting environmental What is ISLAM Islam is a faith and a comprehensive way of life that literally means "peace through submission to God." Muslims worship the One God, Allah, and revere Prophet Muhammad as His last messenger. They also believe in all the prophets who preceded and the holy books which they brought, such as the Psalms, Torah, and the Gospel. Islam believes in the Day of Judgement, when all humanity will be recompensed for their deeds in this world; also in angels, and in predestination. Islam has Five Pillars of Worship which enable Muslims to cultivate their relationship with God. They are: Testimony of Faith (Shahadah); Prayer (Salat); Charity (Zakat); Fasting (Sawm); and Pilgrimage (Hajj).  There are between 1,2 and 1,6 billion Muslims across the world and around 7 million Muslims in the United States. movements, working actively to repeal mandatory sentencing for juvenile offenders, helping pass a wage theft law to protect fair pay for minorities, refugees and undocumented workers. One of his big achievements there was helping found, and get the Colorado Senate to endorse, a new taxi company owned and operated by immigrants. These later thus became free from the enslavement other taxi companies were keeping them under. Imam Ismaeel Chartier Since his arrival to Cincinnati 3 years ago, Imam Chartier has been constantly involved in many local and national social justice and peace issues. He is part of the Palestinian Coalition Liberation, the Black Lives Matter and the American Indian movements, participating in their activities, supporting their rights, offering his Mosque to facilitate their events, making sure their voice is heard. When Sam Dubose was killed, he worked actively at pursuing justice. He recently married 2 leaders of Black Lives Matter, both nonMuslim. "33% of our congregation are African Americans or Africans," he précises, "and 25% of Muslims living in America are undocumented workers. Our community consists mostly of blacks, refugees, immigrants... I personally strongly identify with them." He is currently working on the cases of 2 Christian women, one from Kenya, the other from Lebanon, both threatened with deportation despite having lived in the US for more than 20 years. Actually, he has made the Clifton Mosque the 1st and only mosque in America and the West to be a sanctuary congregation, offering refuge for such individuals. Imam Chartier wants his mosque, its members and Muslims in general to reach out to their entire community, become socially and politically engaged, create bridges wherever they are and with everyone. During the recent presidential election campaign, he went on a 6-city tour in Ohio, encouraging Muslims to vote. After the Orlando shooting, he was the emcee of a vigil on Fountain Square stressing that not all Muslims were violent. With the support of Jonathan Cohen, Credit: Saad Ghosn dean of Hebrew Union College, he started there a Muslim-Jewish interfaith service and is planning, on the ground of the College, a Muslim theological seminary, the 1st such located one in history. He recently invited youth from Temple Shalom to visit the mosque and teach its own youth Hebrew. He is in constant exchange and dialogue with many of the local Christian churches and congregations and serves on the National Organizing board of PICO, a national network of faith-based community organizations, which try to create innovative solutions to problems communities face. "I am always trying to shatter the negative image people have of Muslims," he states, "shattering the boxes people build around Islam, but also the boxes we build around our own selves." Imam Chartier believes not only in being an active part of the community but also in giving back to it. His mosque operates a food pantry, offers every Sunday 140 free meals to the homeless, and during the month of Ramadan, 400 free meals a night to anyone in the community. (Continued on page 11) Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �9 LOCAL Welcome to the Jubilee Campaign and the Economics of Compassion Initiative No. 36 4 | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 A JUSTIN JEFFRE s the Editor of Streetvibes it is my great pleasure to announce a new series that we will be featuring regularly in our publication. This series will contain writings from the Economics of Compassion Initiative. The goal of the campaign is to challenge the way our community thinks about all of those among us I Editor & Staff Writer who are experiencing poverty and the ways we measure the value of our fellow human beings. In Hubert H. Humphrey’s final speech, he said, “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. " Here at the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition we believe that poverty and homelessness are not inevitable. They are systemic issues created by the decisions made by The Jubilee Campaign n Cincinnati there is an Economics of Compassion Initiative which seeks a local economy that serves, and is measured by, the well-being of all of its citizens. Central to this effort is the Old Testament idea of a Jubilee Year. Every seven years and every seven times seven years the debts are released and the land is restored to its rightful owners. Historically this includes resting the land, gleaning of the harvest, and forgiving the debts of the poor. We want to bring into modern day economics. Jubilee and an Alternative Consciousness As a culture we have constructed the idea of poor and poverty to falsely describe certain people. As if a person can be measured by their annual income, housing status, education level and their ability to shop a lot. We sustain poverty by believing that these measures best describe who our neighbors are. We describe our neighbors according to these measures because our current economy is by nature competitive, individualistic, selfinterested, best privatized, and blessed with an invisible hand. If you don’t have money then there is something missing in you. One label we use to keep you in your place in this culture begins the moment we call you "poor". This is the code for one who cannot fully participate in the dominant economy. As "poor," we consider you broken and in need of fixing, mentoring, subsidy, and programmatic intervention. The Jubilee idea, central to a compassionate economy, calls us to get interested in what people are good at. People cannot be defined by their income level. A human being is much more than their income level. They are better defined by the gifts, their capacity to care for others and what they can actually do in the world. Jubilee and the Consumer Economy We want to use this column to explore the Jubilee idea and the campaign we are starting in Cincinnati to tilt the economic system towards the common good and end the exiling effects of the current PETER BLOCK Contributing Writer market system. Jubilee in the Old Testament declares that “In the seventh year, all are equal, and this is the real essence of peace." The Israelites had economic its rightful owners every forty nine years. Our intent with the Jubilee Campaign is to take this seriously and make it happen here. The Jubilee task is to engage and explore this landscape of sacred obligation. It is a project of human beings and that they can be eradicated by the decisions of our fellow human beings. We believe that our community has the resources to uplift the downtrodden and underserved. We simply need the will. [These articles can also be found at thrivingcincinnati.org] --------------------------------------communal enterprise, for many an expression of faith and religion that commands attention and generosity. The campaign is to create a local coalition in Cincinnati of the faith community, neighborhood leadership, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, government, corporations, and social service institutions to support debt release and support expanded Economics of Compassion Initiative logo Credit: The Economics of Compassion Initiative laws which called for forgiveness and freedom from financial debts every 7 years and returning the land to consciousness and imagination first, commitment later. It is not as simple as forgiving debt; it is a way of beginning a conversation that is a Peter Block Credit: The Economics of Compassion Initiative THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED local economic productivity to several vulnerable neighborhoods in Cincinnati. We want to create conditions under which forgiving the debts of neighbors, welcoming them in from exile, and investing in their productive capacity becomes a common task and a common purpose. Action Towards this end, we are conducting a series of Jubilee Forums. These are two hour events every six weeks that bring together a wide range of citizens; business, social service, faith and neighborhood people, to deepen our understanding of Jubilee. These Forums feature ministers, rabbis and Islamic leaders, projects in the city that are examples of valuing the gifts of neighbors. We also hear from residents from marginalized neighborhoods who are engaged in building small businesses. Eventually we will discuss the usury, credit and debt in our neighborhoods. [To find out more information about the Jubilee campaign go to www.econofcompassion.org] --------------------------------------- �10 LOCAL S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 September 8 - 30, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 4 | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 KEY BECK (Continued from page 3) being interviewed only to see them in meme form days later. Today, a CNN reporter, who stopped flood survivors -black woman and her children, to ask “You’ve just arrived. Share with us how you were rescued?” The black women and her child were shaking, visibly cold and irritated. The black woman was quick to address the insensitivity of the reporter after sharing how they waited on police for 36 hours, survived for 5 days with no food and walked in four feet of water with children. “Ya’ll trying to interview people during their worst times, that’s not a smart thing to do. People are really breaking down and ya’ll sitting here with cameras and microphones trying to ask what the f**k is wrong with us.” This statement is very telling. The reporter was interested in exploiting that trauma to show folx they needed to care. Perhaps she had the best of intentions. To encourage others to donate or share information. Or maybe she was trying to get the best scoop, to say keep watching our channel because we are on the ground showing you the nitty-gritty. Regardless of her intention, her actions, and the media's reaction to disasters, SAAD GHOSN (Continued from page 8) "If we want to change the world we need to work where we are, be grass root workers. From Adam to Mohammad and passing by Jesus, all 11 LOCAL are harmful and exploitative. We need to stop highlighting trauma for economic, political and social advantages. Don't use xenophobia to fuel your opionion on building a wall. Don't use crime statistics to validate your racist assumptions about Black Lives Matter. You don't have to show people drowning in water for us to know that it is bad. Scroll a list of local agencies needing aid instead. We need to continue to fight unfair representations of poverty, distress, "inspiration." We need to get rid of our “exploitation memes” and “inspiration porn.” Yes, we can care about flood survivors. And yes, we can donate money for services that will help them get back on their feet. But we should look at where our money is going. Do they have a proven track record or caring about the lives of black and brown people, or do they just want an interview or operational funds? We should look for local service agencies to donate towards. They are usually on the ground level, and they could use the resources. It is important to have a sense of empathy, so I am not saying that you shouldn’t care. Nor am I saying don't watch. I am saying that you shouldn’t use trauma, terror and disaster to push prejudiced ideologies and sympathy coins. We need to be more concerned with the intent of messages and not allow ourselves to be fallen prey to the “shock therapy. were grass root organizers," he says. Adding "Real change starts locally." Imam Chartier starts his day every morning with this verse from the Coran: "God is constantly inviting people to the kingdom of peace". It is his daily prayer reminding him of the better world in the afterlife, but also and as importantly of the kingdom of peace that we each need to build on this earth, by getting rid of our ego, our lust, our divisive nationalism; fighting for justice and equality for all; spreading love. For Imam Chartier, --------------------------------------- Many people are concerned with the apropriaton of funds by Red Cross Credit: American Red Cross Website THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED these 2 invitations are inseparable, sowing peace and justice in this world and harvesting them in the future one. This is how he strives to live his life and make a difference. --------------------------------------- �12 LOCAL Growing Pains troubling part of my Growing Pains. The word is “Patience”. I was just talking to a friend about my struggle with Patience. He just laughed and didn’t really say much only that I can only do what is in front of me and leave the rest up to my God. It sounds easy enough. But for me easy and simple are the two things that I seem to complicate every day. Having spent the last 11 months focusing on me and how I can change my thinking and behaviors has been a blessing. I can look people in the eye today and genuinely ask “is there something I can help you with”? Before those were only words that had no validity to them. I was usually looking to gain something from the conversation. I was a taker not a giver. Giving of my time, my experiences however small they may seem to me has helped a few people. And for that I am grateful I want to continue to be of service in some respect to the many people I find myself coming into contact with daily. In particular the ones I see every day as I go to work in Over-theRhine. I too was once that person, and I feel that it is my duty to lend a hand when I can and not ignore the suffering of another human being. I want to end this short but, very consequential article with a dream. I dream that sometime in the not so distant future, I will be able to change the hearts and minds of a still struggling person out there who has given up all hope in life. Trust me things can and will change if only you take the actions necessary and have “PATIENCE”. and the French ruling class staying pretty rich. Simultaneously, a new patronage network and corruption venue was launched. Some EU priorities had more priority than others. Getting the Greek ruling class to pay serious taxes wasn’t nearly as important as ramming austerity down the throats of the Greek people. Then came the immigration crisis. First, the EU rulers refused to even discuss the historical origins of millions of desperate people wanting to exercise free movement the way capital does. A century of oil politics, colonial intrusions and their corrupted legacies were not acknowledged. Second, no gameplan was advanced to right those wrongs (like, for example, helping get rid of the klepto-capitalists in Egypt when they had the chance during the Arab Spring). The US was right in there on the side of reaction and corporate geopolitical manipulation. They all were happy to buy natural gas from Libya under Qaddafi. Unprecedented opportunities for progressive change all across North Africa and the Middle East went receding. Of course, acting there with credibility would have required some improvements on the home fronts like for Algerians living in France, Moslems in Great Britain, Belgium, etc., and that would have required paying more attention to their own working classes’ interests. But failing that, what could the EU do? A big infrastructure push addressing climate change, storm water management, sustainable agriculture funding by a huge surtax on EU corporate profits? Employing lots of locals and immigrants? No. So, Spain tanks, Greece flounders and eventually Britain exits. Response? More of the worst: tighten up the EU austerity screws. But why would we expect the ruling classes to do the right things? Even things that would benefit them in terms of, e.g., “recovery” from the Great Recession? That’s an interesting question but more important is why didn’t the organizations of the working class step up to the plate? Why didn’t the British Labour Party go to their friends in the Italian labor movement, the new populists in Spain, Italy and Greece, to all the old remnants of socialist and communist parties throughout Western and Eastern Europe, and re-make the EU vision? Demand a top-to-bottom redesign that puts the capitalists way down in the power structure, specifies explicit labor standards, including for immigrants, new algorithms for public investment of EU funds and market interventions to promote innovation and catch-up in lagging sectors and regions. Get economists working on it whose allegiance is to the people not to corporations, hedge funds and private wealth managers. There would be permanent conduits of capital from the leading actors in capital accumulation back to the peoples and regions that enabled that profitability, without embarrassment. The system would be unrigged. It’s not too late for Brexitexit. Now that the complexity and downsides of Brexit are plain for all to see it is a good time to counter the EU disease with a whole new perspective, explained to engage and clarify peoples thinking and driven by courageous new leaders backed up if necessary with the weapons of class warfare like the general strike. Cathedral, 318 East Fourth Street from noon to 1:00. Lunch can be purchased for $6.50 or you can bring your own. For further information call 381-4994. --------------------------------------- BOBBY MORRIS H Contributing Writer aving been on my journey for the past 11 months, I have found myself going through what some would call growing pains. I have to admit that these are things that I should have gone through during puberty. But I didn’t or I don’t remember. Let’s look at a growing pain. I have made a decision to move from here and the growing pains that I am going through are of being alone, cooking meals not in a microwave but on an actual stove. I have been doing the going to work everyday thing, the saving of money, the laundry all the simple things that most of you take for granted. Being a person who for so many years who relied on other people to do most of these things for me, I find it a struggle. I have also come to the understanding that I am going to have some ups and downs, some good days, some bad days. What I have to remind myself when things aren’t as I want them to be is to find a little piece of gratitude in what I do have and remember that all things come when they are supposed to not when I want them to. I find this to be the most Brexitexit ROBERT PARK Contributing Writer What was wrong with the European Union (EU)? Isn’t a common market good, aren’t uniform standards, a level playing field, equal rights, etc. generally a good thing? The EU was designed by and for the European corporate elite; the free flow of capital with minimal cross border frictions and obstacles was a dream too good to be critically evaluated. Very “respectable” economists predicted its failure on very solid grounds but they weren’t listened to by drooling neoliberals. What was the problem? It’s all about capital accumulation and banking, taking away local regulations, diluting political accountabilities, decision-making and authority. The subdued class struggles of the prior nation-states got even more removed and protected from working class traction. It created a vastly expanded playground for the finance gamers and trolls. It facilitated Germany getting much richer, Spain, Italy and Greece getting much less richer BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) For Community Change helped A-HA research the best models. As usual, time will be set aside for questions and comments from Forum attendees. Since 2017 is a local election year, the rest of the Forums in September and October will focus on the Cincinnati mayoral contest, races for City Council, and ballot issues. Consecutive Forums on September 21st and September 28th will feature Mayor John Cranley and then Council member Yvette Simpson. On October 12th and 19th, the nonincumbent candidates for Cincinnati City Council will make their cases for election. Forums are free and open to the public and take place at Christ Church S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 --------------------------------------- Councilmember Yvette Simpson and Robert Richardson Jr. at the Mayoral Forum Credit: Alice Scheider THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 4 | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 NO ONE ASKED 13 STREET VOICE A QUESTION FOR THE PRESIDENT IN RHYME No one asked. How are you today? (With credit to Dave Altman.) No one asked, Because no one cared Why- oh - why oh - why -oh, Maybe because everyone is too busy Someone went home today Feeling, sad and empty Did Trump pardon Joe Arpaio? No one asked, No one cared Sometimes no one should have to ask. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer When was the last time you asked someone TREASURES could you help them? Life is a treasure or life be can a jewel It’s so sad when no one cares enough to ask! Life is made of choices made of win, draw or pull Looking back on my life not to mention the bridges I've burned KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Understanding that I do have a choice which way my life will be turned Having this knowledge, I wonder what changes could I have made in my life Seeing my past and believing in God knowing with him there will be no strife Treasures of recognizing my past and always asking would I have changed to be younger or right Treasures are things I cherish from childhood up to date, anything else is out of sight Knowledge of my past and in the belief of a change which would come with a new day Having lived and grown into who I am right now, question: "who are you?" ANSWER I SAY!! Treasures to me are things of the past that I have memory of, where making changes is too late Treasures, my belief in God and to know with faith his love and grace is forever great! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 133 Across Down 1. Army unit 1. Bivouac 6. Deuce 2. Smell 9. Rebuff 3. Governing principle or 13. Grownup condition 14. Cut of meat 4. Put 15. Task 5. Thoroughfare 16. Tooth 6. Gait faster than a walk 17. Single 7. Be victorious 18. Garment size 8. Corpulent 19. Principle 9. Fake 21. Stutter 10. Average 23. Snakelike fish 11. Exhort 24. An anxious feeling 12. Ale 25. Healthy 15. Red wine 28. Tend 20. Appeal or request 30. Die earnestly 35. Golf club 22. Hit lightly 37. Elaborate song 24. Warship 39. One of the senses 25. Number one 40. Long-handled tool 26. Showing or feeling 41. Figure extreme anger 43. Open pastry 27. Keepsake 44. Having a sharp 29. Desiccated inclination 31. Float made of logs 46. Challenge or planks 47. Small gull 32. Small island 48. Connective tissue 33. Gaze 50. Novice 34. Reddish brown dye 52. Beverage 36. Requirement 53. Roofing material 38. Ethereal 55. Health resort 42. Curt 57. Medium-sized 45. Root vegetable kangaroo 49. Pen tip 61. Abjure 51. Organs of sight 65. Underway 54. Fibbing 66. Anger 56. Slang 68. Ice hut 57. Unit of power 69. Latin American dance 58. A great distance 70. A woman religious 59. Solitary 71. Vividness 60. Private area in a 72. Large woody plant theater 73. Acquire 61. Let for money 74. Mode 62. Friendly nation 63. Lose heat 64. Ripped 67. Regret PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 132 S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 263 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 262- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 4 RESOURCES | S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 557-2873 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 241-1064 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 St. Vincent de Paul 721-0643 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 1125 Bank Street 45214 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Parkway Center 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Shelter: Family Interfaith Hospitality Network Housing: Caracole (HIV/AIDS) CMHA Excel Development OTR Community Housing 114 W. 14th Street 45202 First Step Home Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both 761-1480 721-4580 632-7149 381-1171 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 VA VA Homeless Food/Clothing 768-6907 421-0065 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 Joseph House (Veterans) 241-2965 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action Community Action Agency Contact Center Franciscan JPIC Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 977-6800 859-572-6226 First Lutheran Church 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 351-0422 381-6672 1522 Republic Street 45202 27 W. 12th Street 45202 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 AA Hotline CCAT 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 Cincinnati Union Bethel 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 471-1100 421-3131 569-1840 381-4242 721-4700 421-7803 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Health 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile $100 for 26 issues Center Independent Living Options Peaslee Neighborhood Center 241-2600 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart Goodwill Industries Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. Mary Magdalen House 381-0111 771-4800 579-8547 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels Salvation Army Serenity House Day Center Open Door Pantry Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 981-4200 863-1445 422-8555 868-3276 859-491-8303 859-261-5857 859-491-1027 859-581-1111 859-261-8009 859-727-0926 859-581-7745 859-291-9321 859-491-4435 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 621-5300 961-1983 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio FreeStore/FoodBank 762-5660 Shelter: Men Medical Van 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 Salvation Army 131 E. 12th Street 45202 15 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 S e p t 8 - S e p t 2 1, 2 0 17 | N o . 36 4 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 2017 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 September 8-September 21, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Pg 2: From the Director Community Issues Forum Kicks Off its 37th Season Pg 3: Dark Skies, Dark Money, Dark Intentions Pg 4: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: Cincinnati’s Crisis Mode Cincinnatians Protest the Repeal of DACA Pg 6: Josh Spring Continued Pg 7: The Corrupting Effect of Slavery Pg 8: Worshiper & Servant of God Pg 9: Welcome to the Jubilee Campaign and the Economy of Compassion Initiative The Jubilee Campaign Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: Key Beck Continued Saad Ghosn Pg 12: Growing Pains Brexitexit Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 8-September 21, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Key Beck Dr. Mark Mussman Justin Jeffre Michael Earl Patton Saad Ghosn Peter Block Bobby Morris Robert Park Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Ahacincy.org Paul Breidenbach Google images Cnn.com Alice Shneider Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Ahacincy.org Alice Shneider Bill Woods Bobby Morris Brexit Cincinnati Cnn.com DACA Dr. Mark Mussman Google Images Imam Ismaeel Chartier Josh Spring Jubilee Campaign Justin Jeffre Key Beck Kim Green Michael Earl Patton Paul Breidenbach Peter Block Robert Park Saad Ghosn Slavery Willa Denise Jones https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/54dae20c383f8ff8267b35ecbc384a5a.pdf 43eba449843ac0a5b22c512d8356ca20 PDF Text Text A u g 11 t h - A u g 2 4 t h 2 0 1 7 | V o l . 2 0 I s s u e 4 3 ( N o . 3 6 2 ) a d v o c at i n g j u s t i c e | B u i l d i n g c o m m u n i t y Photo by Dr. Mark Mussman A Donation Stations’ Solution Conflation week in, and there’s still no information to be found on their website. From that, we can only make the assumption that they were woefully unprepared for the project as they tried to rush it out as quickly as possible. But, as we all know, haste makes waste, and now people are confused as to the where this money is going to end up.... (Continued on page 3) This issue sponsored by (Former) Judge Mark P. Painter Inside this issue: Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Local: An Update on Redistricting Reform | 2 $2.00 donation Religious Peacemakers: A Minister to the Poor | 9 Local : The Good, Bad, and Strange of Recent Sanctions | 5 Photo Essay: Art by Dionna Flowers | 9 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org �2 LOCAL From The Director: Take Action H A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 JOSH SPRING ow many times do people stand or sit around talking about what is wrong in our community and what we should or should not do about it? Talk is important, but really only if it leads to strategy and action. It is hard to honestly say one believes in something that one does not put action in to. At the Homeless Coalition we try Executive Director to spend most of our time putting our convictions into action and empowering other people to join us. If there are situations you see around you that make you angry, don’t say to yourself, “Well, what can I do”. You can do something. And you can do even more if you gather people to join you. In fact, we would love it if you joined with us. If you have access to the internet you can go to our website, www. cincihomeless.org and sign up to receive updates from us. You can also attend our monthly meetings on the third Thursday of every month at 1:30. Also, feel free to call us at 4217803 or stop by 117 E. 12th Street. --------------------------------------- An Update On Redistricting Reform A BILL WOODS real grassroots initiative is underway in Ohio. A campaign to establish a new process for drawing Congressional district lines every ten years has attracted the support of citizen activists throughout the state. Veteran reformers are amazed by the number of volunteers involved and the number of signatures already collected to get the reform proposal on the ballot. After working behind the scenes for more than a year, the reform groups that comprise the Fair Districts Equal Fair Elections Coalition decided this spring to go public with their proposal. They had already produced a plan for Congressional redistricting reform, and after determining the Ohio General Assembly would not put it on the ballot, they drafted a citizen initiative to amend the State's Constitution. Faced with revising the summary of the proposal this May for Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Coalition was ready to begin collecting signatures by June. Between June and early July, the initiative campaign really took Contributing Writer off. Utilizing only unpaid citizen volunteers, over 100,000 valid signatures were collected. This total amounts to approximately one-third of the 305,591 signatures needed to qualify the proposed amendment for the ballot (ten percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election). It also includes signature gathering in all eighty-eight Ohio counties, and the involvement of over 2,400 volunteers. "This is incredible," declared Carie Davis of the Ohio League of Women Voters. "Historically, Ohio initiatives have gathered from 5 to 20 percent of their signatures using volunteers, having to rely on paid circulatory to collect the rest." Since the goal is to place the proposal on the November 2018 ballot, the Coalition has more than ten months to collect the rest of the signatures from the pool of registered Ohio voters. What has stimulated this impressive volunteer participation by citizens throughout Ohio? When asked this question, Catherine Turcer of Common Cause/Ohio pointed to two factors. "The extreme gerrymandering carried out by the Republicans in 2011," noted Turcer, "made average people much more aware of this unfair process. When given the chance to fix the boundaries for state legislators, 71 percent of the voters favored the reform amendment in 2015." Turcer's second reason focused on the current political climate. "Many citizen activists are quite unsettled by what is now going on in Washington, D.C. They are looking for something positive to do," she said, "and working to bring about a process that will provide Ohioans with fair Congressional districts fills that bill." Collecting signatures and educating the public about the need for redistricting reform will continue in the coming months. In Cincinnati, to pick up or drop off a petition, call the League of Women Voters (513281-8683) or Applied Information Resources (513-381-4994). To get an overview of how the campaign is going, go to fairdistricts.org. 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Larry Johnson, Anne Evans Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Dr. Mark Mussman, Michael Earl Patton, Steve Sunderland, Saad Ghosn, Justin Jeffre, Margaret Singer, Maria Orrosco, Fredi Martinez Morales, Nick Shellenberger, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones Photography/ Artwork: Michael Earl Patton, Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive, Dr. Mark Mussman, Woman's City Club, A. J. Newberry Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Community Issues Forum featuring Catherine Turcer Credit: Alice Schneider THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 2 LOCAL Donation Stations’ Solution Conflation | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 3 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer (Continued from cover) It wouldn’t be so bad except that we are seeing a double standard unfold right in front of our eyes, again. If we were to hold them truly accountable for their work, we would be shocked at how far their intent falls from the reality. Whether it be the loss of public space, the loss of affordable housing, the loss of SRO’s (single room occupancy buildings), the loss of black-owned small businesses, the loss of our identity, 3CDC and its cohorts have demonstrated time and again that they only have one priority, and that’s themselves and the wealthy. I could be talking about a number of their initiatives, but the one I’m fuming about this week (well, one of them, because the sale of the library’s North Building is certainly enough to make my blood boil) is the parking meters. WAIT! Before you think I’m complaining about parking, you know, participating in Cincinnati’s most active sport, I’m actually talking about the “Donation Station” meters that 3CDC, Downtown Cincinnati Incorporated, and the City of Cincinnati have placed in various places in the city. These meters stick out from the meters you typically see – they are larger and painted yellow. They don’t take credit cards or dollar bills, but they will take your coins. The meters are accompanied by a sign: Donation Station. Funds deposited here go directly to agencies that help our neighbors in need. By using this donation station, you will… • Provide food, shelter, and outreach services to our neighbors in need. • Fund service providers that help those experiencing unfortunate circumstances like homelessness, addiction, and poverty. • Be certain that your money is being used for something positive. The sign is emboldened with the City’s, 3CDC, and DCI’s logos as well – using the branding styles of the City and original streetcar design. Finally, a website is given to learn more. You might be wondering what is wrong with this setup, and you may think that this is a good thing. What I know, is that this is an intentional step to: • Help people feel good about their decisions to ignore people who panhandle. • Continue to vilify people who panhandle, by claiming they will use the money for something other than what you would consider “positive.” • Jumpstart the next round of attempts to further stigmatize and criminalize panhandling. • Dehumanize the issues related to poverty and homelessness by mechanizing the point of contact. There is absolutely no information on the 3CDC website regarding the program. We don’t know which organizations will benefit from the parking meters – I mean, Donation Stations. We are seeing a real-life double standard evolve directly in front of our eyes. Each year, almost like clockwork, leaders from the corporate side (Strategies to End Homelessness, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., etc.) write op-eds in the Enquirer or get on the news to say that giving to people who are panhandling is actually bad for the people who are receiving the money. They argue that the money is used a million dollars a year and know that on my watch people are losing their homes, that I had a hand in confirming stereotypes and creating a permanent untouchable class. Just for full disclosure, the Homeless Coalition’s entire operating budget is far less than half of the salary of one A Donation Station Meter on 3CDC's 12th and Vine Surface Lot Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman for drugs, and not for food or shelter. They argue that it would be better to give it to an organization, but specifically to the organization they represent. They demonize people who are struggling in a very difficult time while clearly saying that we don’t know where the money will go, just know that it’s for bad purposes. 3CDC’s website gives us no information as to where this money will go. It doesn’t show us that it will go to direct services or to programs. We don’t know if it will go to pay for these organizations’ half-million dollar per year salaries or if it will actually reduce homelessness. I personally, could not take home half employee at these other organizations – yet none of them are fighting for an affordable housing trust fund, or no fault eviction policies, or laws that protect people from abuse, or even for a restoration of the human services fund. They convene meetings and talk to stakeholders, yet they never directly address the issue – a lack of affordable housing. In all the work that 3CDC has done, they have not independently created a single unit of affordable housing. The meters do exactly what is intended – to distract you from the solution while stigmatizing the behaviors of those who seek your help. Sign Attached to Donation Station with Empty Website Link 3CDC's Donation Station Website Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 �LOCAL The Good, Bad, and Strange of Recent Sanctions No. 36 2 | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 5 MICHAEL EARL PATTON T he sanctions bill recently passed by Congress represents a toughening of sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea, or so we are told. The vote in favor was overwhelming – only 5 voted against it in both houses. President Trump – suspected of bias towards Russia if not outright collusion in the recent election -- called it “significantly flawed” but signed it anyways. Having done some research into the use of sanctions by the United States for a recent Streetvibes article (“Bankrupting the Enemy”), I was curious and looked into this bill to see what exactly it does. What I found surprised and puzzles me since the bill is not what the reporting led me to believe. I will explain, but first a little historical background is needed. For a hundred years, the authority to impose sanctions has rested with the president. During World War I in 1917 Congress passed the Trading with the Enemy Act, which gave the president broad powers to regulate trade and financial transactions during a declared war. When Franklin Roosevelt came to office in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression, he asked Congress to amend the Act so that he would have the authority to also regulate financial transactions during a national emergency. The intent was to bring order to the economic chaos, including regulating banks and banning the private ownership of gold. Congress amended the Act, Roosevelt promptly declared a national emergency, and began to use his new powers. Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United Contributing Writer his “fireside chats” on May 27, 1941. Because of this declaration and the 1933 amendment to the Trading with the Enemy Act, Roosevelt now had the authority to embargo virtually all trade and financial transactions with Japan, which he did. The stated intent was to hurt the Japanese economy so much that they would stop their invasion of China and withdraw their forces. Because of the war in Europe which consumed all available resources there, the United States had been by far Japan’s biggest trading partner. The embargo even extended to fertilizer, needed by Japan to grow enough food for their population. Whatever the real intent of the sanctions, Roosevelt’s action strengthened those in the Japanese government and military who rejected diplomacy and who wanted to broaden the conflict. On December 7 the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, which was then governed by the United States. This portion of the Trading with the Enemy Act, which allowed the president to impose economic sanctions without approval from Congress, was finally changed in 1976 following the Watergate scandal. Much of that power lives on in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), passed in 1977. President Carter had pleaded for its survival so that the president could act quickly and sweepingly in case of an emergency. These powers under the IEEPA have been used over 50 times. Existing sanctions, such as those against Iran, Russia, and North Korea, had been declared by the president. Workers installing solar panels. The solar panel market is blooming and Cincinnati looks to take a lead. Credit: Michael Earl Patton States was officially neutral in the conflicts involving Europe, Russia, China, and Japan. On his own, without any direction from Congress, Roosevelt declared an unlimited national emergency. He described this to the public in one of Contrary to press reports, the sanctions bill recently signed by President Trump still keeps that basic pattern with respect to Russia and, for the most part, Iran. The bill, called the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,” is 70 pages and covers sanctions against those two countries, North Korea, and against terrorism in general. Half of the bill (35 pp) deals with Russia. Although press reports give the impression that it increases sanctions on Russia, any increase depends on the approval of President Trump’s administration. Here is one such example, taken from section 231, titled “Imposition of Sanctions with Respect to Persons Engaging in Transactions with the Intelligence or Defense Sectors of the Russian Federation:” “(a) On and after the date that is 180 days after the date of this Act, the President shall impose five or more of the sanctions described ... with respect to a person the President determines knowingly … engages ….. (b) The President may waive the initial application of sanctions … only if the President submits to the appropriate congressional committees – (1) a written determination that the waver – (A) is in the vital national security interests of the United States; or …” This is very strange. The man who is being investigated for possible collusion with the Russians is in charge of determining whether others are helping the Russians! And further, he can prevent any applicable sanctions from being imposed! It is almost as if the bill were written with a different President in mind. The bill makes several accusations against Russia, such as that it is United States policy “to never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Government of the Russian Federation” (section 257) and that “[i]t is the sense of Congress that – the Government of the Russian Federation bears responsibility for the continuing violence in Eastern Ukraine, including the death on April 24, 2017 of Joseph Stone, a citizen of the United States working as a monitor for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe” (a landmine destroyed his vehicle). Is this the purpose of the bill – to reinforce the perception that Russia is our implacable adversary? The bill makes clear that the United States is concerned about European dependence on Russian natural gas and that the United States should export its energy to aid its allies. To which I reply, export what energy? True, facilities are being built to liquefy natural gas to export, the only problem being that there is not enough natural gas to do so. Currently the production and consumption of natural gas in the United States is roughly in balance. But as I wrote about in my article “Natural Gas Shortage Coming,” production is slowly going down and the number of drilling rigs in operation is not enough to maintain current production levels, let alone reverse it. As for oil, the United States THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED is a net importer of oil. There is some oil exported, but it is much less than the amount imported. The trends I wrote about in the March 24 – April 6, 2017 issue of Streetvibes continue today. The threat of sanctions here has worried our European allies, especially Germany. Their economic minister has even warned us that Europe might impose its own sanctions on the United States if we try to interfere with the construction of a new gas pipeline from Russia. The section dealing with Iran is much shorter – only about 10 pages. Sanctions are expanded against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, but the bill gives the president an “out” when it comes to other sanctions. The section dealing with North Korea is about 15 pages and concentrates on tying sanctions to United Nations resolutions. Interestingly, these have already been passed by the U.N. Security Council since the bill was signed. Russia and China went along with them, which implies that the preparation work had been completed by the time the bill was passed by Congress. There are a couple good things about the bill. One is that it makes clear that nothing shall be construed to authorize any sanctions relating to the use by NASA of Russian products or services, which is good because we depend on them to get our astronauts up into space (section 237). Another is that food, medicine, medical devices, or humanitarian assistance to Iran are exempt from sanctions (section 111). The worst thing about the bill is that there was no national debate about the bill, or even good information about what is in it. Only 5 voted no. Locally, only Senator Paul and Representative Massie, both from Kentucky, voted against it. No one apparently asked the European governments what they thought of the bill, especially when it came to the natural gas pipeline they want. This is ironic because section 109 mentions the importance of coordinating sanctions between the European Union and the United States. How many of us even heard about possible European retaliations? Sanctions, even the threat of sanctions, increase tension between countries. Keep alert to what may happen next. [Footnote: I find it noteworthy that the only two senators who voted against the recent sanctions bill were Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rand Paul of Kentucky. I don't think there are any two other senators who are farther apart on the ideological spectrum than these two. One is very liberal/socialist, the other is very conservative/libertarian. But they both have a reputation for following their own convictions on major issues. Congratulations to them both for not following the herd.] �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 �LOCAL A letter to our County Commissioners No. 36 2 | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 D STEVE SUNDERLAND ear Commissioners: Congratulations on the steps you have taken to implement the Indigent Care Levy's monies in Hamilton County. We applaud the creation of an able commission to review the Levy's history, and to review proposals for improving healthcare for the indigent in Hamilton County in the coming years. As a participant in the process, we have enjoyed talking with members of the Commission about the Cancer Justice Network's programs and our plans to reduce mortality from cancer in the indigent population. And, we believe that their recommendations to the Commissioners reflect their study of the past uses of funds and the opportunities for future funding. Our organization was not included in the final list of recommendations despite the fact that we have served only thousands of indigent people. Based on the report of the Commission, it appears that there will be little funding available for new programs. The lion's share of the funding will go to those organizations that received funding the last time. It is important to note that all of our organization's work is with the indigent as we try and reduce cancer mortality. We write to suggest that the questions raised by the Commission sidestep some important Contributing Writer considerations facing the indigent in Hamilton County. Prior funding decisions were made based on a world that didn't include the Affordable Care Act's impact on Ohio Medicaid. Hospitals, presumably, did need the monies to help pay for the costs of unpaid bills for treating the indigent. With the ACA in full operation in Ohio, the Commission's report indicates that neither hospital needs the monies for these concerns. In fact, again according to the report, the levy monies represent a tiny portion of very successful budget operations. Because of this infusion of monies, and the likelihood of continuation of ACA, the funding of the hospitals for the unpaid services is unnecessary. Moreover, it was not clear from the consultant's report how much of the Levy actually touched the indigent's needs. The changed situation facing the indigent's bills mean that these monies can be directed to programs that will directly improve the lives of individuals and families. Such a new focus can make a major difference in life expectancy, disease management, and disease prevention. For example, the Cancer Justice Network (25 health and human service organizations) has seen over 4,000 low income adults in the past 6 months in cancer prevention dinners at Christ Church, Churches Active in Northside and other agencies working with the poor. We are making a difference in our outreach to indigent people and to navigating them to timely cancer screening and treatment; indeed, we are the only educational outreach on healthcare in Hamilton County. We believe we could represent a fine use of Levy monies, indeed, a life and death use of monies for the indigent. We suggest that the Commissioners apply new questions to agencies seeking the funds to assist the indigent. These questions open up the discussion for transparency about the connection between funding decisions and positive outcomes for healthcare for the indigent. At present, there are assumptions that funding will help but there is an absence of clarity about the direct correspondence between agency goals and outcomes. The questions we would urge you use are the following: 1. What programs to be funded have explicit goals for helping the indigent with improving life expectancy from the diseases of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes? 2. What outcomes in terms of these diseases are expected from any healthcare agency in each of the three years? 3. Who is accountable for Climate Change and Cincinnati’s Efforts to Combat the Issue I 7 NICK SHELLENBERGER n June, President Trump decisively withdrew from the Paris Agreement. This agreement, within the United Nations Framework, outlines a comprehensive plan that addresses climate change worldwide. The plan is supposed to take effect in the year 2020. The United States joins Nicaragua and Syria as the only nations to oppose this historic deal. Many leaders throughout the U.S. oppose the President’s decision; including Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. “I strongly opposed (the withdrawal),” said Cranley in a June 28 press conference. “We had a press conference at City Hall immediately about joining the mayors’ alliance to keep the Paris Contributing Writer Agreement going. We will stand up for a clean city and environment, regardless of what President Trump does.” The announcement by President Trump put into action the Compact of Mayors; a global coalition of city leaders promising to tackle the climate crisis. The coalition was launched in 2014 by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Their goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions substantially and prepare for future issues of climate change. In 2008, Cincinnati City Council passed the Climate Protection Action Plan that is now known as the Green Cincinnati Plan. Its goal is to reduce “Breakdown Stereotypes” the city’s gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. The plan listed roughly 80 recommendations of ways the city could address the issue. One of the main focuses of the plan was reducing gas emissions and the dependency on non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels while supporting job creation and the local economy. Additions in 2013 added to the framework of the original plan; incorporating new chapters on outdoor recreation and water. The plan had a goal of reducing emissions by 40% within 20 years. That seemed like a reasonable goal at the time but new numbers show that city leaders might have underestimated our great city. According to recent reports city reaching these goals within the healthcare systems? 4. How does Levy monies work with the hospital community benefit programs?  5. What kind of accountability for the process of implementation exists within the Commissioner's office? The answers to these questions will reassure the voting public that the Levy will continue to be vital for health needs of indigent people in Hamilton County.  The public is confused about healthcare funding in general, the different ways the hospitals receive funds, and the ways these funds wind up helping the poor. Very little is transparent about doctor's fees, hospital and drug costs, and whether insurance will truly assist people in need. Providing clarity about the Levy's funding goals and your method of accountability will offer citizens a clear picture about why the renewal of the Levy is so critical for all of Hamilton County's poor. We will call your offices for an appointment to elaborate on these ideas.  We want you to know that we in the Cancer Justice Network believe that Hamilton County can be a national leader in healthcare for the poor and we will work with you for the passage of this critical levy. In peace, Steve Steve Sunderland, PhD, Director Peace Village Cancer Project/Cancer Justice Network government reports, greenhouse emissions have shown a 36% reduction since 2008. As global climate statistics increase, Cincinnati is making strides to become the greenest city in the Midwest. Last year the City of Cincinnati teamed up with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA), to launch Solarize Cincinnati; a program to bring affordable solar energy solutions to our city. “Solar has the potential to transform our communities by creating family sustaining jobs, reducing homeowner expenses, and conserving the environment,” said Flequer Vera, CEO of Sustainergy. Renewable energy is the future but investment into that field needs to happen in order for it to become a reality. The GCEA does just that. They partner with local governments and foundations to reduce the barriers of investment in renewable energy. “It’s good for the environment (Continued on page 12) “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS A Minister to the Poor: Father Thomas Bokenkotter Is an Academician Turned Activist “G A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 SAAD GHOSN rowing up I couldn’t help being religious,” says Reverend Thomas Bokenkotter. “My parents were deeply religious and greatly influenced me, as did the general climate of our household. For me a big part of religion is how we respectfully relate to each other, accept each other… and this I was taught from a very young age”. Bokenkotter was raised Catholic, one of 7 children. As a child he served as an altar boy, showing up to mass early every morning, learning liturgical Latin, in constant contact with priests. “I grew up with religion; it was part of my genes…,” he says. When he graduated from his Catholic High School, he decided to become a priest and entered the seminary. “It was an easy decision for what seemed a natural path. I had no questioning about my vocation and enjoyed the studious, spiritual and pious atmosphere of my new setting.” Bokenkotter’s religious education took him to Rome and to the prestigious University of Louvain in Belgium where he earned a doctorate degree in history; it deepened his understanding of Catholicism and of other religions. Back to the States, he taught for many years at the seminary, then at Xavier University, and spent most of his time writing religion-based books among them the bestselling “A Concise History of the Catholic Church”. At the beginning Bokenkotter’s orientation and activities were purely academic. His writings owed him the label of “liberal”, a term of reprobation by some, due to his critical views of the conservative Church. His studies and research, however, quickly proved to him that, even if conservative in many ways, the Catholic Church, thanks to the teachings of Christ and the gospels, remained at the forefront of social Contributing Writer justice. He found that throughout centuries and various revolutions, many Catholics played an important role in the struggle for democracy and social justice and thus indirectly shaped the Church’s social doctrine. In his book “Church and Revolution”, he traced the steps of fifteen of them from the last two centuries. He started with Lammenais, the French priest who during the French Revolution, countered the position of the Church, siding with the people against the monarchy, and included portraits and stories of other determining figures, such as Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero; Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement; Emmanuel Mounier, leader of the Personalism movement; Konrad Adenauer, the German Christian Democrat statesman. When the 60s arrived and with them the Vietnam war and the widespread civil turmoil in the country, Bokenkotter left his academic ivory tower. One of his students, Father John Bank, introduced him to the United Farm Workers movement, and to the injustice the migrant workers in California were facing. Bokenkotter studied their condition and convinced of their cause started picketing at Kroger stores across the city, urging buyers not to purchase California grapes. This passive resistance action soon succeeded in forcing negotiations for better working conditions of the farmers and ultimately led him to participate, through the mid 70s, in various anti war and anti racial demonstrations, including, among others, protests against the shooting at Kent State University, and against Nixon’s visit to Wright Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. “I spent the late 60s and 70s working as an activist for various peace and justice causes,” says Bokenkotter. “But when the war ended, the climate in the country What is Roman Catholicism Roman Catholicism is a Christian religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and his disciples. Its members and churches, spread all over the world, comprise the Roman Catholic Church, led by the Pope considered the “infallible” successor of the apostle Peter; it is the largest Christian church with over a billion adherents, half of all Christians worldwide. Catholics believe in the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the inspiration of the Bible. Their worship is centered on the sacrament of the Eucharist, whereas the blessed bread and wine are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. Important teachings of Catholicism are love, forgiveness, charity, peace and justice, as instructed by Jesus in the gospels: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34); “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:6-9) changed and it became difficult to get young people to demonstrate. I thought I needed to serve in a different way.” Visiting a Dorothy Day House in NYC and experiencing the soup kitchen it was offering the homeless and the poor, Bokenkotter returned to Cincinnati where he assessed a big need for such a service: “I found out that in Over-The-Rhine (OTR), downtown Cincinnati, 80% of the people lived in poverty, often malnourished; this was 1976.” The Over-The-Rhine Kitchen, the oldest Soup Kitchen in Cincinnati, was then established with the help of few volunteers and just $700 in the bank. Located in the heart of OTR, it serves currently over 77,000 free hot Father Thomas Bokenkotter meals per year and has received, not too long ago, a several million dollars bequest from a supporter woman. In 1980, appointed pastor of the Assumption church on Gilbert avenue in Walnut Hills, Bokenkotter converted the then empty old catholic school across the street into a transitional living facility for homeless women and children in crisis; it also had a food pantry and a soup kitchen in its basement for the residents of the facility and individuals and families of the neighborhood. Renamed The Tom Geiger Guest House in1984 after a student of Bokenkotter who was instrumental in the operation of the first kitchen and who died suddenly at age 33, it now includes 42 apartments. The Walnut Hills Kitchen serves in excess of 65 000 free hot meals a year and the pantry provides grocery and food for more than 5000 individuals and families. Throughout the years, Bokenkotter has also been involved, with his racially diverse parish, in numerous community activities. “I am on the side of anyone who wants to make things better,” he says, “and that’s what I encourage in my parishioners.” He always wanted to create a support Center for black youth to gather, exchange, learn, find needed help; unfortunately he has not been able to realize his dream project due to a debilitating health and an advanced age. All along Bokenkotter maintained as well his writing and other academic endeavors. For several years and until 2 years ago, he held regular monthly educational meetings with a small group of faithful individuals discussing theology, church history and contemporary issues. One of their topic was the crisis of authority facing the church due to a fast changing world. “The church has to adjust to the 21st century,” he says. “It has to Credit: Saad Ghosn listen to its members, be less rigid and more accepting when it comes to issues of sexuality, role of women, other religions… Opposing opinions from revisionist theologians should be given due consideration and not just silenced and censored.” Bokenkotter must have been thinking of the condemnation of his own book “Dynamic Catholicism” by the previous Pope because it listed divergent viewpoints on some controversial matters. He is, however, ecstatic at the progressive position and open attitude of the current Pope Francis on many of these contemporary issues. Bokenkotter's life has always been permeated by the gospels’ teachings and examples of the saints; they dictated all along his actions for Social justice and peace and led him to dedicate his ministry to the needs of the poor. Now ninety two years old he is no longer in charge of a parish, also less socially active. He remains, however, strongly committed to a better, equal and just world. --------------------------------------- Religious Peacemakers is a regular column highlighting Greater Cincinnati individuals who use their faith and religious beliefs for peace and justice. Saad.Ghosn@uc.edu is the founder of SOS (Save Our Souls) Art, an organization that promotes arts as vehicles for peace and justice and for a change. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 2 | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 PHOTO ESSAY Art By Dionna Flowers THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 9 �10 LOCAL A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 September 8 - 30, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 2 | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED 11 �12 LOCAL What does it mean that Cincinnati is a Sanctuary City? A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 JUSTIN JEFFRE W hat does it mean that Cincinnati is a sanctuary city? Wikipedia defines a sanctuary city as one “that limits its cooperation with the national government effort to enforce immigration law. Supporters of sanctuary cities argue that enforcement of federal law is not the duty of localities.” Defenders of this type of resistance are motivated by stories like the ones Editor & Staff Writer you’ll read in this special Streetvibes series of children and adults fleeing horrifying circumstances in their native lands. These true stories have been provided by Margaret Singer of the Su Casa Hispanic Center. Founded in 1997, Su Casa is a program of Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio which serves Hispanic/Latino immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. “During 2014 and 2015 I was working with Su Casa Hispanic Center and specifically with unaccompanied minors from Mexico and Central America. Most of these children had not seen their mother or father for about 10 years or more. Imagine being a mother, and one day, late in the afternoon, you receive a call from an immigration official on the border. He says, ‘Do you know a child by this name? Is this your child? When is Margaret's Picks his/her birthday?’, etc. “A few hours later the child calls. On hearing the voice of a child she hasn’t seen for so many years a mother’s heart drops and she cries and tries to talk. She tries to say, ‘Yes, I’ll pay for the ticket so you can come home to Cincinnati! I…I’ll have the money for the plane ticket in a month.’ By now both the child and mother are crying and they cannot believe what is happening. ‘Que solo Dios es tan grande!’ proclaims MaMa. “Why do unaccompanied minors leave their grandparents or other relatives to make this very dangerous trip through Guatemala or the country they are from to reunite with their parents?” following my niece. They once offered her a ride, which she refused. She took the bus, and then was stalked and was forced to call the police to escort her from a supermarket. The police questioned her about the men, and she described them as tattooed members of the Salvatrucha. Where we lived, the Salvatrucha dominated. That was June 8th. She was taken to our house by the police. We left on June 11th at 4 a.m. to get our passports from San Salvador. We never returned to the house. We learned that it was surrounded by the police. The Mara had been shooting at the house, and the neighbors had called 911. We decided to leave El Salvador. There had been a number of attacks against the police, not just where we lived but all over the country. It is common knowledge in El Salvador that most of the policemen are corrupt and that the honest ones and their families are targeted. Many, if not most, of the honest policemen are leaving if they haven’t already left. Maria Orrosco My daughter and I left El Salvador to immigrate to the United States because we were being threatened in Soyapango by the Salvatrucha (gang). They threatened me because my husband was a policeman and they didn’t want police in the community. They said they would keep pressuring us until we left and that if we did not leave, they would kill us. My daughter, niece, and I were in danger. I had a little store where I sold food supplies and items people used at home. Before we decided to move, a boy would threaten me by telling me his boss wanted to talk with me on his phone. I would ignore him, but he began to regularly arrive and the threats became louder and louder. He would say I needed to talk with his boss and I needed to pay him what he wanted or they would do something that we would not like. My husband worked four days and would have four days off. Sometimes when he was working, men would get on our roof and shout insults, threatening to kill my daughter, niece, and I. Different men would watch us on our roof too. One time when my husband was home (he wasn’t supposed to leave until 3 o’clock), three men tried to get into the house, using some keys. We deadbolted the door so, luckily, they couldn’t come in. As my husband left for work, my dog ran out of the house and chased them off into the garden. We called the police, and the suspicious men left our yard, but when the police left the property, the men returned fifteen minutes later. I put the deadbolt back on the door and hid in the back room until it was light. This all happened in April 2011. The next day, some Salvatrucha took up residence in the houses next to and behind us. One could smell the marijuana day and night, and they were loud and insulted us. They kept digging in their backyard. I was not sure if it was to bury a body or to build a tunnel into my house. This was when my husband and I decided to leave. We transferred to Usulutan, and my husband continued working in the delegation of Soyapango located in Ilopango. I opened a store in the new town. Once again, a boy about eight years old came into my new shop with a telephone. He told me his boss wanted to speak with me. I told him no, I had no boss, and I refused to talk to him. He left and came back about half an hour later and told me in vulgar language that his boss had said I would suffer the consequences. He said I would pay with what I valued most. I understood him to mean my daughter. And he said that they knew my husband was a “jura” (policeman). This is when they started Fredi Martinez Morales I am Fredi and I am 15 years old. I was born in Cruz de las Barrancas, a village of the city Tacana, Department of San Marcos, Guatemala. When I was almost 13 years old I traveled to Tapachula, Mexico, so I could work and earn some money. I worked there as an assistant to a cook in a restaurant for two years. Then I went back to Guatemala, stayed there for a month, then decided I wanted to leave Guatemala and immigrate to the United States despite the fact that my parents did not want me to go. I arrived earlier this year. I have two younger sisters, 7 years old and 10 years old. I had been able to study through the 6th grade, but not any further because my family is very poor. Also school was only in the mornings because of the potential dangers as the day progressed. I needed to help my parents. When I was born we had a house and there were three rooms and it had been built on a slope. Approximately one year ago it rained really hard and one of the rooms was carried away by the heavy rains and another room was full of mud and debris. We were able to more or less restore the two rooms after the heavy rains but the third room was gone. We cultivate potatoes and corn at our home in San Marcos. Unfortunately, here in Guatemala it is cheaper for our people to buy potatoes and corn from the United States than to buy it from our own farmers. Because of things like this we will never get ahead. Another reason I decided to immigrate even though my parents did not want me to, was because of the violence that exists in Guatemala. In San Marcos several neighbors have had their houses broken into. The closest neighbors to our family were gone one evening and when they returned a window was broken out and thieves had entered their house. Also one evening I was with my father in our truck and we saw another vehicle shine its lights on a couple of men who were attacking a friend of mine as he walked down the road by himself, going home. The two thieves quickly left and my friend was OK. He realized that he should not walk alone late in the evening. No one does any more, but of course some of us take chances. In Tapachula when I lived there I would be approached by young men involved in drugs. They wanted me to work with them. I never wanted to do that. Finally I decided to catch a bus through Mexico to Agua Prieta on the border of the United States and Mexico. Because I am taller than many Guatemalans I told Mexican officials I was from Mexico and they never questioned anything. They did not ask me for papers nor did they ask me any questions about Mexico. I was scared the whole time when the bus stopped in Agua Prieta but I got to stay on the bus and it went on into the United States. There the bus was stopped by US officials and I was taken to a place where there were children. It was not a very nice place. It was like the structure was made out of nets, and rooms were divided by nets. In two weeks I was able to contact my brother-in-law in Cincinnati. He did the paper work and in two more weeks I was in Cincinnati. I am happy to be here with my sister and brother-in-law. Pulling out of the Paris Agreement was clearly a bad idea but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Local governments and communities across the country are now taking matters into their own hands. The climate crisis is one of the major threats we face today and must be dealt with immediately. If our President doesn’t see it that way, at least it is comforting to know many of our other leaders do. NICK SHELLENBERGER (Continued from page 7) and it’s good for our pocketbook…this is a win-win.” said Mayor Cranley. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED --------------------------------------- �No. 36 2 13 STREET VOICE | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 BILLS THE VERY BRIEF WEST WING Here comes another one, Just like the other one, Bills Work hard today Pay a bill tomorrow It’s tiresome, and you still have to borrow Can’t save anything for tomorrow Bills, everyone has them Some, live on the streets, to do without them The rich, the poor CAREER OF THE MOOCH The expletive deleted, the expletive deleted! The Mooch loves to use the expletive deleted. He called Reince Priebus an "expletive deleted." He said Steve Bannon likes to "expletive deleted." Will Trump's foes and critics now feel cheated, If they aren't Tweeted with an expletive deleted? Everyone, needs a little bit more Rent, phone, electric bills, and miscellaneous, BILL WOODS Contributing Writer It’s all so strenuous Bill collectors call and say, Are you gonna make a payment today? Don’t you wish your bills would go away? Then we could all have a happier day. KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer STARTING OVER AFTER BEING HOMELESS AND LIVING ON THE STREET FOR FIVE YEARS AFTER THE LOSS OF ALL I HAD I OWE A LOT OF MY RECOVERY TO MY PEERS AFTER THE TALBERT HOUSE, BETHANY HOUSE AND THE DROP INN CENTER I FOUND THE OFF THE STREET PROGRAM ONLY THEN DID MY LIFE REMOVE THE BENDER THEY TAUGHT ME HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND SPEAK WITHOUT DOUBT, FEAR OR SHAME THEY GAVE ME ALL THE INSIGHT NEEDED AND IF I FAILED ONLY I WOULD BE TO BLAME I FELT REBORN AND STARTED SINGING AINT NO STOPPING ME NOW AND I STOPPED LOOKING BACK I FOUND A PLACE OF MY OWN WHERE I COULD BE ALONE AND GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACK NEXT, I FOUND CINCINNATI HOMELESS COALTION WHO LIKED AND APPRECIATED MY POETRY LET ME KNOW THAT I WAS NOT HOMELESS ALONE AND FOR THEM CARING I HAVE LOYALTY THEY INTRODUCE ME TO THE STREETVIBES PAPER FOR THE CINCINNATI HOMELESS COALITION SAYING MY BEING HOMELESS MY POETRY NEEDED TO BE SHARED SOUNDS LIKE A MISSION FINALLY, I FOUND MYSELF AT FINDLAY MARKET WHERE MY LIFE FOUND A NEW DIRECTION THE DAY THE COALTION TOLD ME THAT FINDLAY MARKET AGREED TO GIVE ME A SECTION SO MANY NEW FRIENDS, MR. POTTERY MAN, MR. POPCORN MAN AN THE SEASONING LADY TALKING ABOUT HOW WE ALL MUST PAY BILLS, SAVE MONEY AND BE HAPPY NOW NOT MAYBE I'VE LEARNED STARTING OVER IS THE WILL WITHIN YOURSELF WHERE THERE IS POWER WITH THE BELIEF AND FAITH THAT YOU HAVE IN YOURSELF YOU WILL CHANGE HOUR BY HOUR WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 131 Down Across 1. Sleigh 1. Angle 2. Green acidic fruit 6. Plaza 3. At another time 10. Military signal 14. Large commercial ship 4. Gauze 5. Stride 15. Chills and fever 6. Chart 16. Adjoin 7. Matured 17. Give expression to 8. Relating to the moon 18. Writing implements 9. Unit of instruction 19. Tree trunk 10. Restaurant bill 20. Relating to the teeth 11. Approximately 22. A quick run 12. Throb 24. Employ 13. Direct the course 25. Parts of the Roman 21. Let for money calendar 23. Something intended 27. Adult male chicken to deceive 29. Complete duration of 26. Fragrance something 28. Secret agent 32. Perform 29. Decelerate 34. A short sleep 30. Rain heavily 35. Yearn 31. Not in favor of 36. Appear 33. Singing voice 38. Woody plant tissue 37. Wall painting 42. Baseball term 39. Decorative fabric 43. Boredom 40. Flair 45. Beer 41. Repair 46. Correspond 44. Block of metal 49. Ripped 50. Make a wide sweeping 47. Metallic element 48. Give out search of 50. Relating to stars 51. Mischievous fairy 52. Ship's officer 53. Tatter 55. Computer failure 54. Look after 56. Quantitative relation 55. Part of the skull 57. Circular coral island 59. Misplace surrounding a lagoon 61. Rodent 58. Large imposing 62. Snare house 64. Rudder lever 60. One of the senses 68. At the peak 70. A small secluded room 63. Insect stage between larva and adult 72. Gauntlet 65. Strong positive 73. Part of a window emotion 74. Catch sight of 66. Level or straight 75. Sheltered port 67. Rive 76. Associated with a 69. Travel a route divine regularly power 71. Swindle 77. Harvest 78. Tendency PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 130 A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 261 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 260- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 2 RESOURCES | A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Housing: 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Food/Clothing Health 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Our Daily Bread 621-6364 $100 for 26 issues Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 Medical Van 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Shelter: Family 15 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 A u g 11 - A u g 2 4 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 2 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 � 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 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource August 11-August 24, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Donation Stations’ Solution Conflation Pg 2: From the Director An Update on Redistricting Reform Pg 3: Donation Stations’ Solution Conflation Pg 4: GCHC Pg 5: The Good, Bad, and Strange of Recent Sanctions Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: A Letter to Our County Commissioners Climate Change and Cincinnati’s Efforts to Combat the Issue Pg 8: A Minister to the Poor Pg 9: Photo Essay Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: How to Respond to Panhandling Pg 12: What Does it Mean that Cincinnati is a Sanctuary City? Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 11-August 24, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Dr. Mark Mussman Michael Earl Patton Steve Sunderland Saad Ghosn Justin Jeffre Margaret Singer Maria Orrosco Fredi Martinez Morales Nick Shellenberger Kim Green Willa Denise Jones Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive Woman's City Club A. J. Newberry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF A. J. Newberry Bill Woods Climate Change Donation Stations Dr. Mark Mussman Fredi Martinez Morales Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Margaret Singer Maria Orrosco Miami University Center for Community Engagement Archive Michael Earl Patton Nick Shellenberger reform Saad Ghosn Steve Sunderland Willa Denise Jones Woman's City Club https://streetvibesarchive.net/files/original/711fdabda908ade786c60f2ce3bc0e61.pdf fd2f468cb760ee5c2bb5a3ec308091ea PDF Text Text July 28th - August 10th 2017 | Vol. 20 Issue 42 (No. 361) a d v o c at i n g j u s t i c e | B u i l d i n g c o m m u n i t y Artwork BY A.J. NEWBERRY Afterimage I t’s 2017, and this paper has likely been sold to you by a distributor in a gentrifying neighborhood. Our publication has been fortunate enough to operate on corners and in front of business that 2 decades ago would’ve marked them as “blight.” But make no mistake, the perceived peace of OverThe-Rhine comes not from clean sidewalks or evening concerts: it comes from the police. The University of Cincinnati had been expanding its jurisdiction in 2015, with the rise in need of student housing putting more college kids in neighborhoods like Fairview and Mount Auburn. “I don’t have that map, I don’t know the boundaries right off the top of my head, but we do work off of campus.” UC Police Chief Jason Goodrich stated following the killing of Sam Dubose by Ray Tensing, who was... (Continued on page 8) This issue sponsored by (Former) Judge Mark P. Painter Inside this issue: Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 113 E. 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 $2.00 donation Local: Streetcar "Contributions" with Tax Dollars | 3 Local: It Takes a Whole Community | 5 Local : Bonnie to Tom | 7 Local: Poll Cat | 13 Find previous issues of Streetvibes online at: cincistreetvibes.org �2 LOCAL From the Director: Truth to Light I t is a very regular occurrence that we learn of yet another apartment building somewhere in our city in which all of the Tenants are threatened with displacement both because of gentrification and long-term deferred maintenance. In the case of displacement for the purpose of gentrification, often the city has or will be giving the property owner a tax abatement without ever having asked if people would be displaced. We work to organize the Tenants, the Tenants make demands and together we meet with the owner. The owner says they are just fixing the building up to their personal standard, they are not trying to move in a certain economic class of people (even though they are) and that this is just business. Clearly plenty of property owners, developers and J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 JOSH SPRING Executive Director landlords believe that business does not have to include proper morals or basic human rights. How do you sleep at night while financially prospering off of the displacement, increased financial and mental hardship of other People and possibly even forcing People into homelessness? How can accruing financial wealth be more important than People and their access to basic needs? Next time you meet a developer who wants to create high-income housing ask them how much money they will be spending on the project, how long will it take to pay off any loans and how much will they profit in the end. Very likely they will become offended and refuse to tell you. Even if you ask these questions after they announce that everyone already living in the property will have to leave or be evicted, they still won’t tell you. They may even tell you they need to significantly increase rents because of the cost of renovations (renovations that may not actually need to be done) and when you ask well what is the cost of renovations and how much profit will you make, they most likely won’t answer. They want it all: buy the building, set everyone with a low-income out, renovate the building, get a valuable tax abatement, potentially a zoning change, move wealthy people in, claim they are “revitalizing” the block, claim accolades from other like-minded people, and pay actual account to no one, least of all the people whose lives they throw into a tailspin. One of our jobs is to bring truth to light. 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 individuals experiencing homelessness or on the edge of homelessness, in exchange for a $2.00 Donation. Streetvibes is published twice a month by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to eradicate homelessness in Cincinnati. 113 East 12th St. Cincinnati OH, 45202 Ph: 513.421.7803 FAX: 513.421.7813 WEB: www.cincihomeless.org BLOG: streetvibes.wordpress.com EMAIL: streetvibes@cincihomeless.org Editor: Justin Jeffre TAKING STOCK - WHERE ARE WE TODAY? BILL WOODS E very so often a review of where we are today as a country seems to be in order. This past year has been so tumultuous in terms of the Presidential Election and the first six months of the Trump Administration that all other forces and factors that shape our society have been neglected. So, the following article comprises a brief taking stock of our economic, social, and political health. First of all, the country's political health is in critical condition. The election of Donald Trump itself offers evidence that the system is not working in the eyes of millions of Americans. In fact, a number of observers believe that Trump's narrow victory last November was a result of our current political malaise. Beginning with the primaries in 2016, the success of Senator Bernie Sanders and Trump indicated that many Democratic and Republican voters were unhappy with the current political establishment and its tendencies to ignore their problems and concerns. For instance, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton were both perceived as part of the establishment. This anti-establishment sentiment carried over to the fall campaign, and Trump sold himself as the disruptive outsider who would shake up government and "drain the swamp." Confronted by economic insecurity, many white blue-collar workers Contributing Writer voted for someone who showed great contempt for current government and who pitched simple answers like "making America great again!" Although many of us view Trump's ascendancy as a disaster for numerous reasons, we, nevertheless, can still depict those factors that have so weakened representative democracy in this country. Dependence on "big money" to get elected, gerrymandered Congressional Districts, and polarized parties that prevent compromise and effective legislation constitute a few major reasons for the loss of public confidence in politics and government. Another influential idea spawned by Ronald Reagan in the 1980s is that "government is not the solution, but the problem." Reagan's mantra helped implement the steady cutting over the years of federal programs for cities and for people in need. The growing dominance of "big money" in campaigns has transformed politics in the last thirty years. Distracted from representing their constituents, elected officials spend much of their time courting big donors. Dialing for dollars has become a preoccupation of both Republicans and Democrats. Instead of focusing on issues that impact the lives of average Americans, Senators and members of Congress pay too much attention to the agendas of corporate and financial interests. Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United have made things even worse by further protecting corporate campaign spending as freedom of speech. This political and governmental decline evolves at the same time economic inequality in the U.S. has reached a level that may surpass the gap that existed in the post Civil War era of the Robber Barons. While corporate and financial executives receive higher and higher salaries and benefits, average workers' incomes remain stagnant or in decline, and the working-poor eke out livings near or below the poverty line. Trends such as the expanding global economy, the dominance of technology, the loss of industrial jobs, and the decline of organized labor are some of the complex drivers of economic inequality. Meanwhile, Americans experiencing tougher times watch government doing little to address their problems. So - where are we? Dysfunctional political and governmental systems, badly in need of reform, are failing to deal with major economic and social issues that have created extreme economic inequality in the richest nation on earth. Donald Trump's presidency is in part a result of this dysfunction. To many people, Trump is the (Continued on page 3) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Executive Director: Josh Spring Director of Development: Mona Jenkins Director of Education: Dr. Mark Mussman Distributor Program Manager: Justin Jeffre Layout: Key Beck Reception: Derrick Hudson, Iolanda Barton, Patricia J. Brown, Larry Johnson Maintenance: Pete Roper CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Writers: Josh Spring, Bill Woods, Michael Earl Patton, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bonnie Neureier, Justin Jeffre, Kim Green, Willa Denise Jones, A.J. Newberry Photography/ Artwork: Michael Earl Patton, A.J. Newberry, Dr. Mark Mussman, Bill Woods Thank You For Reading Streetvibes And Supporting Our Mission To Build Community And Advocate Justice. Streetvibes and The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless do not endorse candidates for public office. �No. 36 1 LOCAL Streetcar “Contributions” with Tax Dollars | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 3 MICHAEL EARL PATTON Contributing Writer I n my last article I talked about the ever-increasing amount of property in Hamilton County that has received some kind of tax abatement. I mentioned that this had led to a smaller tax base, which means that even if there is no levy increase – that the amount of dollars collected for things like schools, parks, and senior services remains the same -- then the amount of collected from the taxable property which remains has to go up because the tax base is going down. However, I did not show this in a chart. So I did a new chart, again based on the data in auditor Dusty Rhodes’ open letter of March 9, 2017. Making the situation even worse is that these are raw dollar amount which have not been adjusted for inflation. The City of Cincinnati continues to give tax abatements. In 2014, in order to raise more money for streetcar operations, it even tied the opportunity for tax abatements to “voluntary” donations to the streetcar. Seven of the nine members of council, all except Winburn and Smitherman, voted for Motion 201401368. This moved that the city establish a tax incentive policy where those who “contribute” 7.5% of the property taxes that would be otherwise owed Streetcar in Over-the-Rhine Photo: Michael Earl Patton in Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District would be more likely to get a property tax abatement. In 2015 another motion bumped this up to 15%. The city’s website states, in the section about “community reinvestment area commercial abatement,” that up to 60% of the property taxes can be abated. (Other areas are eligible for up to 75% abatement.) It calls the streetcar contribution a “Voluntary Tax Incentive Contribution Agreement,” or VTICA. Even though 25% of the property taxes abated still have to be paid to the Cincinnati Public Schools, that still is a significant savings for a 15% “contribution.” Although a partial abatement, the taxes are still reduced beyond what a typical home or property owner would pay. As an example, if the taxes to be abated were $10,000, you would agree to contribute $1,500 to the streetcar and $2,500 to CPS. You would still be $6,000 ahead. And this deal could be good for up to 15 years. If you have enough money and influence, you might be able to strike an even better deal. Just a few weeks ago Cincinnati City Council agreed to a deal with SkyHouse Cincinnati for a tower with 352 units on Pete Rose Way. See ordinance 178-2017, for which all 9 members of council voted. The developer there balked at a 15% contribution for the streetcar so they negotiated just a 7.5% contribution. Further, since the project is so large, they can advance to the next level, or Tax Increment Financing. This normally means that the city will give the money back by somehow investing in the project. Paying for part of the parking lot or garage is a common method of doing so, but it is not limited to those possibilities. And now instead of 15 years of abatements they can get 30 years. Instead of being limited to 60%, they can go up to 100%. Even with the 7.5% contribution to the streetcar and 25% payment to CPS, this still is a very large amount of money they get back. As for you and that home addition you want, don’t bother applying unless your project is going to cost about $5 million or more. What can we do today in Cincinnati and Ohio? A campaign began this spring to establish a fair Congressional redistricting process in Ohio. Getting this proposed Constitutional Amendment passed would be a major reform for this state. At the local level, it seems appropriate for citizens to get behind proposals such as a housing trust fund to deal with the critical lack of affordable housing. In taking that approach, we can make city government a laboratory for solving economic and social problems that are now being neglected at the federal level. Streetcar in Over-the-Rhine Photo: Michael Earl Patton BILL WOODS (Continued from page 2) problem, and if we could be rid of him through impeachment, everything would be fine. However, as this analysis indicates, nothing could be further from the truth. The real long-term work for reformers and civic activists will be renewing the democratic process through effective reforms and then prodding government to enact some policies and programs that will deal with the economic inequities that currently beset us. “Breakdown Stereotypes” “Eradicate Misinformation” The Coalition for the Homeless provides Education and Service Programs that help to portray a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. We believe an educated public can be a more compassionate public, willing to dedicate time and effort towards creating solutions to homelessness. The “Voice of the Homeless Speaker’s Bureau” program is made up of individuals currently experiencing homelessness or who have experienced homelessness, who share their experiences. The program is designed to put a face on homelessness and raise awareness about those struggling in our community. To schedule a speaker, contact Dr. Mark Mussman at MarkMussman@cincihomeless.org. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �4 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 �No. 36 1 5 LOCAL It Takes a Whole Community | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 DR. MARK MUSSMAN Staff Writer A s an Over-the-Rhine resident, I have seen so many changes in the neighborhood in the past few years, but most noticeably is the influx of high-end stores and the exodus of people with low incomes. The loss of affordable housing is terribly disturbing and intentional. Recently, CityBeat wrote about many of the Homeless Coalition’s organizing efforts in an article called “Moved Aside,” which chronicles just a few of the many people who are being cemetery together, pushed Marriage Equality to the entire United States. As you have read in Streetvibes over the past few years, Over-theRhine has also served as a place for disruption and protest against racism and police brutality. Our proximity between the University of Cincinnati and downtown’s City Hall and Courthouse gives us a unique placement in the struggle for black lives. As with all communities, this community is deeply personal to everything we do. Black Lives Matter is a starting point, not the final act. When we say Black Lives Matter we acknowledge the deeply entrenched racist society in which we live. Even before they are conceived in the womb, Black children are already labeled, systemically excluded, and given little opportunity to succeed. Health, education, workforce, social, and other indicators are less positive than their white counterparts, simply because we, as white people, have an are disproportionately affected by homelessness due to generations of racism, state sanctioned institutional racism like redlining, and the continued practices of housing discrimination.) These acts show us how systematic racism is more prevalent than we realize – and as a white person, it’s difficult to see, so we must listen more than we speak. Black Lives Matter is simply the beginning or the continuation of a long struggle – and you can choose which side you will be on. Will you support Black Lives Matter actively, with no loss or detriment to yourself, or will you sit by, ridicule us and do nothing but extend American racism, white supremacy, and general apathy? Do you want to see A Crowd Gathers at a Recent BLM Cincinnati March Imagination Alley is an example of a contested public/private space Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman pushed out of the neighborhood. It’s an article worth checking out. I have urged readers to watch “Good White People” on YouTube and gain a sense of the impact of gentrification on the residents of Over-the-Rhine. On the positive side, we have recently seen Mercer Street get a symbolic new name celebrating the lives of (now former) Over-theRhine residents who forced the Ohio State Attorney to push the issue of Marriage Equality to the federal level. The street now bares credence to Jim Obergefell and the late John Arthur, whose case which demanded that they be able to be buried in the me. It’s not the buildings, but the people that make it special. Whether it’s the friendly “hello” I get from my neighbors and strangers alike, or the “DR. MARK!!!!” I hear from the great Streetvibes Distributors, I know that there are people out here looking out for me and others in the community. This community is made up of people of all types of backgrounds, experiences, and ways to contribute to our lives. Ultimately, we can’t detangle the racist and oppressive structures of American society from our communities or occupations. Which is why we need to stand firmly with Black Lives Matter Cincinnati in inability to understand and act upon our privilege. Let’s think about it this way – if we were to end the systematic racist policies and procedures of the American (In)Justice System, we would still have a long way to go to achieve equity in housing, education, healthcare, and other areas of life. When people experiencing homelessness are being forced to sign forms by EMT that they “refuse treatment” simply because the ambulances are told that they will not pay up, then we have a very real problem. (Just in case you are wondering: People of color a just world? We must start using science, case studies, research, etc., to find solutions to real problems, like the War on Drugs, which is resulted in higher drugs use, more isolation, and more criminalization rather than reformation. We must end sentencing by zip code, and by skin color, and start to see us all as products of an unjust society. None of us are unaffected by white supremacy, and it’s going to take a whole and complete community to solve the problems we face. Stand up to displacement now! Students end their Walking Tour on the Peace Bench created by Yvette Simpson Speaks at the Unveiling of a Street Sign local children and community members honoring Jim Obergefell and the late John Arthur Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman Credit: Dr. Mark Mussman THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �6 LOCAL THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 �No. 36 1 T LOCAL Remembering Tom Dutton 7 | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 BONNIE NEUMEIER Contributing Writer om deliberately chose to use his privileged position as an architect and tenured academic at Miami to stand in solidarity with our Over-the-Rhine Peoples Movement. He believed our people had lived experiences that could teach, inspire, transform his students and colleagues at Miami. Our relationship with Tom deepened over these 36 years. I met Tom in 1981. He was our “Peoples Architect” for our first Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan. He landed at a meeting and offered us support. He served on Over-the-Rhine Housing Network Board until we merged with ReSTOC in 2006. He devoted his time to the Residency Program which had its first class in 2006. The premise of the program was that the community had to benefit, not only the students. Tom used all that he had to support our many organizations: resources of students, money for projects, his connections introduced us to activists around the country (Manning Marable, Barbara Ehrenreich, Robin Kelley, Pam Bonnie Neumeier (center) and Thomas Dutton (right) attend Conference Credit: The people's movement Bonnie to Tom McMichael), and his skill of analysis and his writings publicized our plight. I believe our Over-the-Rhine struggle grounded Tom. He loved us. He connected with our people, our places, our dreams and hopes. He believed in the viewpoint of the oppressed. We were not a neighborhood just to study, we were a people who could benefit from cadre willing to walk the long haul with us. Tom did that for 36 years. He became a part of our movement. He spent countless hours here making a difference. A faithful friend I had the joy to work with close up. We challenged each other to grow. I will miss him dearly. We will miss him on our streets, in our lives. Tom made a commitment to us and he kept it through and until his last breath. I hope Tom Dutton and buddy gray are already scheming how to shake up the current order of things from where they are: they gave their lives not wanting the poor to be displaced from Over-the-Rhine. Tom wanted affordable housing for our people, he challenged developers to do the right thing. Tom and buddy were close friends, too. The “Dutton Center” at buddy’s place, what a powerful corner of history making. Tom’s spirit lives on in us, we will keep the justice work moving forward. It’s hard to catch the words, they are floating in my heart Your life and work flashes before my eyes A long movie with credits unceasing Thirty-six years faithful to our neighborhood Your tires made grooves in the road from Oxford to here Projects, panels, presentations Dialogue and debates, Challenges, critiques, and collaboration Forever championing our causes Proudly upholding Our People’s Movement Walking beside us through bumps and bruises Always finding joy and hope through struggle Tom, you could see the beauty of our people Our places, and our dream-filled plans The black bound journals with your architect’s script Always recording; your brilliant mind busy churning thoughts Scribbling down ideas for your next scholarly piece or action While your fingers moved through your signature thick hair Switching your colorful eye glasses so you Could focus close up one minute or far away the next Your eyes laser sharp to SEE deep inside Your elation electric when your students Developed a capacity to see through a different lens other than their own I watched you teach Tom Always encouraging conversation, participation Challenging students to wrestle with hard questions You bridged two worlds The world of academia at Miami And the one found on the ground here in Over-the-Rhine Our daily fight for basic human rights You understood the preciousness here Wanting your students to taste it, touch it, be transformed This residency project you seeded and nurtured Challenged all of us to cross divides and Learn what it means to live with radical empathy Top Photo: Tom Dutton, Bottom Photo: Tom Dutton, with Janis Dutton My friend, my brother, our co-agitator for justice We are all emboldened Because your heart and feet walked a long haul with us Our love is with you, we are deeply grateful for you Tom and For Janis, your sons Nathan and Nolan who shared you with us Credit: The people's movement THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �8 COLUMN: RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 PHOTO FROM CINCINNATI GODDAMN; APRIL MARTIN/THESE OLD BUILDINGS; BARBARA WOLF/JIMMY HEATH/A.J. NEWBERRY. FOR STREETVIBES Policing Gentrification far from campus. Because students pay exorbitant amounts to the school, University cops have been more and more likely to dictate how these neighbors— and the behaviors of the people in them— exist. Over-The-Rhine is now the city’s most profitable neighborhood, designed so by a city-corporate development effort that has eclipsed $1 Billion. Two decades ago, what is now ‘OTR’ was as neglected as any other black neighborhood, but gained a bad rap due to crime started by drug dealers who’d set up shop next to downtown. Disregarding the fact much of the drug sales were to rich white businessmen rolling through, in late 1990s, racial profiling resulted in the death of 15 African-Americans. The killing of Timothy Thomas began a civil unrest that would provoke enough property damage the city would not allow. The four days have been engrained in our city’s history as a spectacle. CPD brought in deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and troopers Ohio Highway Patrol. They rode horses, they fired beanbag bullets at children, they did not know what they were doing. All said, the city seemed most enraged by lost profit— over $10 Million lost due to boycotts. But worry no more. OTR is the most protected place in the city, with little to no overhead. Restaurants need not install HD cameras or hire security guards (they do anyway), because outpricing black customers in Over-The-Rhine is a much easier way to curb ‘suspcious’ individuals. Black teenagers are more likely to be scared of white women today, as any messy interaction could land them in jail. Gentrification is the process of forging a community fit for upper- or middle-class lifestyles, or of making a product, activity, etc., appealing to those with more affluent tastes. Along the way people are displaced, and resentment grows. The police are essential to protecting and ensuring gentrification. For many affected, Ray THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED Tensing represents all police— the ones who evicted them, pull them over, or tell them they may not bring outside drinks into Washington Park. On Monday evening, a man passing by Newport officers on the Purple People Bridge pointed his phone in their faces. “You are Ray Tensing,” he said. It is important, now more than ever, to acknowledge the role police play in the protection of the wealthy, the protection of exclusive, oppressive “entertainment districts.” And it is important to denounce acts of pride in the police, who have the power to ruin persons lives and make people so scared they can’t even fight. The Homeless Coalition is currently processing surveys on interactions between people experiencing homelessness and the police. If you are interested in Police reform, take the Community Perception Survey at: cincinnaticollaborativeagreement.com/ �No. 36 1 | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 COMMUNITY ACTION 9 The response to the court’s verdict has been swift and peaceful by the Countdown to Conviction Coalition. Organizing Friday night for a rally and a counter-protest to #TensingProud supporters on Monday show that “pride in a murderer” is disrespectful and not welcome. One participant of the ‘peaceful’ Tensing vigil was armed, walking with his hands in his pockets. On Monday, #TensingProud supporter walks away from crowd, alone. “This isn’t over,” he said. THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �10 LOCAL J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 September 8 - 30, 2017 For tickets please call (513) 381-2273 Purchase tickets online at www.cincyshakes.com AD Donated by Mark and Sue Ann Painter season sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 1 LOCAL What does it mean that Cincinnati is a Sanctuary City? | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 11 JUSTIN JEFFRE W hat does it mean that Cincinnati is a sanctuary city? Wikipedia defines a sanctuary city as one “that limits its cooperation with the national government effort to enforce immigration law. Supporters of sanctuary cities argue that enforcement of federal law is not the duty of localities.” Defenders of this type of resistance are motivated by stories like the ones you’ll read in this special Streetvibes Editor & Staff Writer series of children and adults fleeing horrifying circumstances in their native lands. These true stories have been provided by Margaret Singer of the Su Casa Hispanic Center. Founded in 1997, Su Casa is a program of Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio which serves Hispanic/Latino immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. “During 2014 and 2015 I was working with Su Casa Hispanic Center and specifically with unaccompanied minors from Mexico and Central America. Most of these children had not seen their mother or father for about 10 years or more. Imagine being a mother, and one day, late in the afternoon, you receive a call from an immigration official on the border. He says, ‘Do you know a child by this name? Is this your child? When is his/her birthday?’, etc. “A few hours later the child calls. On hearing the voice of a child she hasn’t seen for so many years a mother’s heart drops and she cries and tries to talk. She tries to say, ‘Yes, I’ll pay for the ticket so you can come home to Cincinnati! I…I’ll have the money for the plane ticket in a month.’ By now both the child and mother are crying and they cannot believe what is happening. ‘Que solo Dios es tan grande!’ proclaims MaMa. “Why do unaccompanied minors leave their grandparents or other relatives to make this very dangerous trip through Guatemala or the country they are from to reunite with their parents?” Margaret's Picks Antonieta Escalante My name is Antonieta Escalante. I am from Guatemala. I left my house at 3 a.m. on November 5th determined to go to Mexico. In Guatemala I was living at Ixmujil, Tectitan, Huehuetenango, where I had been born. My three cousins were also living there because his sister, my Aunt, immigrated to the United States to be able to send money home to her children. Unfortunately, her brother, my Father, is an alcoholic and we are all staying with him and his wife and my sister and brother. Many times he would hit us and chase us out of the house at night. The four of us decided we were going to leave and we did. One morning at 3am we left for Chiappas, Mexico. We headed towards Comalapa, Chiapas, Mexico. All four of us arrived there walking because there we met the person that was going to take us to Altar Sonora, Mexico, and we did go on to Altar Sonora, but we were making this trip carrying almost nothing. The following day we went into the desert where the coyote was leading us. However once we were a ways into the desert the coyote tried to abuse me. I did not allow him to do what he wanted to do. My three cousins, Yesser Roblero, and his two younger sisters, also, began shouting which terrified the coyote who was always quiet and running away from where immigration agents might be .coming. He was so terrified he immediately took off running and left us four children abandoned and he also had dropped his cell phone. There we were in the desert, suffering because we were starving and we were very cold. The reasons why I decided to abandon my country were because there I suffered domestic violence. In Guatemala one lives in hell. In this hell one lives four experiences: malnutrition, delinquency, poverty, and machismo. My Father would consistently hit me, physically and morally mistreat me and my three cousins that lived with us. He would treat them terrible just like he treated me. While we lived with him it was like we were living people who were dead. We were constantly living a life of hell so that at times it would be better if we were to decide to die. Many times my father left me so badly hurt I wanted to die. One of those times he cut me with a piece of tin. Other times it was so horrible what he did to me that I don’t want to think about it again. I carry my Mother in my heart. She is the reason and the strength that I have for living in this country. It hurts to be far away from her but I am not going to lose my faith in God’s blessed mercy, and I know that someday I will see her again. I passed the third grade. This was because my Mother fought so much so that I would be able to study to be someone in the future. In order to study we prepared and sold tamales made with meat to pay for my classes. Unfortunately, my father became crazier and I had to leave school. Neither the police nor the authorities did anything. All of them are corrupt. One lives in Guatemala by defending oneself or they kill you. Now that I have been in this country I realize everything is different. Here there is life, love and respect. At the same time my second court is coming up on December 9th in Cleveland. Right now I do not have the money to pay the attorney so I can continue my case. I don’t want to return to my country. Because of this I beg that you listen to my story and help me make sure I do not have to return. Here I live with my Aunt Modesta Escalante, who takes care of us and protects us. She doesn’t earn very much money. Always we are asking her for a ride to the store and other places. However, I believe and am hopeful that my full immigration case will be heard and I will be able to legally drive someday and be free someday to fly like a dove Three years later two sisters and a brother had arrived. Antonieta had moved into her own apartment and was taking care of her siblings as they were arriving. Antonieta obtained an attorney, applied for asylum, received a work permit and a driver’s license. She is working to put together more money for the attorney so she can complete her court hearings, have her residency and then earn her citizenship. Alba Dubon Alba Dubon is from Chaltenango, El Salvador, and this part of Salvador is called The Paradise. She arrived 14 years ago through the desert like most of the immigrants who come to our office. Her husband, the father of her five children, had arrived three years earlier. Unfortunately five years ago he beat her when he was drinking and he would also run around with other women continuously. She decided that was the end and left him. Her two oldest children are in California, two others are with her here in Cincinnati, and one is still in El Salvador. Beatriz, one of the older daughters, is 23 years old and left El Salvador with her Aunt Blanca, her Mother’s sister. They were brought to the U.S. by a coyote. They were in two different groups led through the desert from Phoeniz, AZ. The coyote leading Blanca’s group called Alba and said Blanca was too exhausted to go any farther and he would have to leave her there in the desert by herself. At that point Alba came to Su Casa. We helped her send pictures of Blanca to the different embassies – American, Salvadoran, and Mexican – to try and find out where she might be. There has been no response. It is as if she disappeared. Beatriz was arrested in Arizona. She was bonded out for $1,500, an attorney was contracted for another $1,500, and the airplane ticket to Cincinnati was almost $1,000. Her Master Court hearing is May 2014. Without Blanca’s knowing it, her 14-year-old daughter, Jennifer, left El Salvador and arrived in Nov., 2013. She was picked up by immigration and taken to a house in Arizona for unaccompanied minors. There she contacted her aunt Alba and Alba was approved to be her sponsor. Her court case has still not been set. In December, 2013, Alba’s youngest son Jose Marvin Dubon arrived at the frontier and Alba was approved to sponsor him. He was taken to a house in San Diego, CA. Her brother lives and has a work permit in Los Angeles, so Alba caught a plane for Los Angeles where she met her brother. They began the trip to San Diego with the GPS turned on. Even though they were listening to the GPS and watching the signs, they missed the turn and were headed straight for Mexico. They saw no more turnoffs. They crossed the border and twenty minutes later saw a Mexican, whom they approached and asked where the road was to return to the US. They followed his directions and found themselves in a long line. Finally an immigration official spoke with them and asked them for papers, passport, citizenship card/ certificate, or resident card. Both of them showed their work permits and also their driver’s licenses. Immigration said that wasn’t what they needed and told them to drive their car over to a parking lot about a quarter of a mile away. At the same THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �12 LOCAL Margaret's Picks J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 time a notice was put under their windshield wiper. They arrived where they were told to park and another official came over and looked at the notice and just stood there shaking his head. They were taken to the office. Alba said they needed a translator. When the translator came and they tried to convince the office that they had been called by immigration to come and pick up Alba’s son in San Diego, but they missed the exit and ended up in Mexico. The officials acted as if they did not believe what they were being told. They wanted them to sign a paper about a court hearing on Monday. It seemed to be a deportation hearing, and they didn’t want to sign anything. Then finally one official looked directly at Alba and told her that he believed her. The translator started smiling and Alba began feeling that just maybe they were listening. At the same time they were handcuffed, her purse and everything she carried had been taken, and the same with her brother, who had not been able to stop trembling. After another half hour an official said, “Your record is clean. You have done everything as it needs to be done.” After awhile the handcuffs were taken off but they had to hold their hands apart in the air so that they could not take hold of anything. Standing like that for a half hour, they waited for what would happen next. Another official came in and asked questions about her son, his name, his birthdate and a few other questions. Alba looked around and saw an official tearing up the document that they had wanted her and her brother to sign. Then she was asked if she wanted to see her son. The translator said, “Wow! Diosita is with you.” In a few minutes an official came walking in with her son. Her brother, her son and Alba began crying, hugging and kissing each other. Then she turned to the official and said, “I need one more favor. Could you help me make the reservation so he can fly back to Cincinnati with me?” “Yes, of course,” he answered. Yordi Cabrera Garcia Yordi lived in a village about 20 minutes outside of Concepcion, Chiquirichapa, a medium- size town in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Yordi’s family cultivates corn, potatoes and beans. His sponsor, his brother Bernabe, said, “Our Family has no money, just money to live day by day in Guatemala. These crops, especially corn and potatoes, are no longer productive for the farmers because places like the U.S. have technology that allows corn and potatoes to be produced less expensively. Four of my siblings have immigrated to the U.S. and four are still in Guatemala.” Yordi completed elementary school in Concepcion and began the 9th grade after he had investigated different secondary schools that focus predominantly on Music. He found the closest one in the Capital of the Department of Quetzaltenango (the capital is also called Quetzaltenango). His family would not be able to pay for room and board but would be able to pay for the bus ticket every day. So he decided to begin his 9th year of school at the music academy. To arrive at the Academy he had to walk 20 minutes to Concepcion to catch the bus for Quetzaltenango. During the next four months he was attacked four times when he was returning home; twice he was severely beaten, and each time he was robbed of everything he was carrying. Yordi said, “I didn’t want to die and I knew that some evening when I was returning home these people might kill me. I spoke with my brothers here in the U.S. and they said I could live with them. They helped me pay for the trip. “Here I am in the eighth grade at Dater School. I spoke with Mary Jo Montenegro and she helped me identify what grade I should enter. I graduated from the eighth grade in Guatemala and am familiar with most of the material I am studying, but I am learning English. I like school and I want to continue studying. Winston Laynes Reynoso Winston is 12 years old and was born in Guatemala. When he was just 7 his parents left him in the care of his grandmother to travel to the U.S. and seek better employment and treatment for his father’s kidney disease. Over the next few years Winston received money and clothes from his parents, which helped him get by, but he desperately missed them. The situation was dangerous in Guatemala, and the older he got, the more scared he became of the gang violence. Winston’s father was able to find employment and sufficient treatment for his disease, and eventually he was able to find a coyote to bring his son to the United States. He arrived in February 2014. Reunited with his parents and able to meet his three younger siblings who were born in the U.S. for the first time, Winston was finally happy. In his apartment complex, he made friends with other children his age. The happiness was short-lived, however. After less than a year in the U.S. with his family all together, Winston’s loving and supportive father was deported. Every day Winston and his siblings wonder where he is. They miss greeting him when he comes home from work and sharing a modest dinner as a family. To complicate matters, Winston’s father’s future is uncertain in Guatemala because if he can even find treatment for his kidney disease, it will be extremely expensive. His mother cannot support the children by herself and thinks the entire family will have to move back to Guatemala, a long and difficult journey with four young children to bring along. All Winston wants is for his family, so long separated, to be happy and healthy and together. Elizabeth Felipe Velasquez I was born in the ‘80s during the time of the civil wars in Central America. I was living in the city of La Democracia in the department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, with my son, Anderson. He was in preschool for a year, then kindergarten, then finally first and second grade. In his two years of elementary school, he had some of the worst experiences that any first or second grader could have. Several times a week people would be around the school who would shoot guns and sometimes kill people. At the sound of a gunshot, the teacher told all of the children to go under their desks until the shooting stopped. My son would feel scared to death upon hearing these shots. Unfortunately, they were very regular before we decided we needed to leave. My nephew, who is about Anderson’s age, also told us about his fear of school. He would be walking to school and see people shoot other people on the sidewalks, adults who fell dead immediately. Needless to say, our family, my sister’s family and other friends of ours who live in this town are scared to go anywhere. We were afraid to leave the house, whether it was to the market, the clinic or church. Here are two other events related to what these young boys faced on a daily basis: Once my father was traveling to our town, La Democracia, with our grandfather, from a town called la Libertad about a half hour away by foot. It’s a much smaller town, but generally very peaceful and the shootings that happen in our town are less common there. We expected to hear from them when they arrived, and we tried calling and calling, but we never found them. They totally disappeared. Another event that happened in the last couple years is that the Mayor of la Democracia was shot and killed, and once again no investigation has been done. Every week in La Democracia, there are at least 5 or 10 people who are announced as missing in the newspaper. Eventually their bodies are found, but there are never any investigations about their disappearances or murders. Because of this terrifying lifestyle, I decided my son and I were going to immigrate to the United States. Currently we are living close to Su Casa Hispanic Center. My son is attending AMIS, the bilingual elementary school close to us. Compared to his last experiences with school he is loving his classes and new experiences here. We realize that our new life here is much safer, and Su Casa Hispanic Center is helping the unaccompanied minors and their mothers, who traveled with them to protect them. This gives us more a feeling of security. Natanael Marcelino Perez Perez I am Natanael Marcelino Perez Perez and I am from the village of Agua Caliente, the municipality of Tectitan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. I arrived to the United States in April 2014, because I was afraid of living in Guatemala. In January 2014, neighbors who lived next door had a rooster stolen and another family had 300 pounds of corn stolen. All the neighbors know our family is poor, because my mother is unemployed and has four young children living at home. Our father is an alcoholic and he spends his days going to the closest town to drink. He does not work. Because we don’t have a regular income the neighbors accused me of stealing. Several families began accusing me of stealing the corn and the rooster in February. These families began saying that when they found me they would cut off my feet so I would not do anything like that again. Also, I had to leave Guatemala because of my father. Many times when he would come home from drinking all day he would shout and hit his own children and our mother. We are all scared of him. For example, when I was 10 years old my father once hit me with a rope. Many times he would grab his machete when he returned from town, where he was drinking all day. When we saw him coming swinging his machete we would all get out of the house and run into the scrubland. Most of the time we ended up staying there overnight. I want to work so I can get a good job and send money home to my family so they can build a new house. ALBA DUBON (Continued from page11) THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 1 | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 I LIVE FOR YOU 13 STREET VOICE OBSESSED WITH REPEAL I live for you! The repeal of ObamaCare I think for you! Is a Republican obsession. I love you! They won't compromise, I hope for you! Or accept any concession. I will die for you! Right now in the Senate, They seem a few votes shy. I cry for you! I worry for you! I sacrifice for you! I pray for you! I write this for you! There’s no me without you! Maybe folks with coverage Won't have to kiss their care Goodbye. BILL WOODS Contributing Writer NOW Do you know what you feel? I love you! Do you hear yourself when the world is standing still? My only begotten son Do you recognize the difference in the sounds that you hear? Rico, stay true! Do you believe that you can make a difference in this world today? Be for real!! KIM GREEN Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer Do you recognize the world and hear the world as it so slowly revolves around? Do you understand that it is your life that you are hearing and only your life you’ve found? Do you know your rights to live without disrespect, being happy, and loving your life? Do you know anything about your past, present, not to mention being born in strife? Realizing that we are born from one womb and destined to die in one tomb ALONE. With all this knowledge do we know right from wrong or how to be strong?! Now knowing everything and living our lives and forgetting where we derived from. Now seeing deceit and can't do nothing about it, NOW don't we all feel dumb! NOW I believe that there is a power greater than any man's understanding right here today! Looking around today trying to distinguish what was and what I see NOW! Every day I have to Pray!! Changes everywhere I look, from where to catch a bus to where do the hungry eat. Changes in every walk of life and that includes if you homeless NOW where do I SLEEP? NOW think are you happy, sad, disillusioned, misunderstood, confused or simply LOST? NOW IS THE TIME TO BELIEVE IN THAT POWER GREATER THAN MAN. I KNOW GOD AND HE IS BOSS!!! WILLA DENISE JONES Streetvibes Distributor & Contributing Writer THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �14 PUZZLES CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 130 Across Down 1. Subsequently 1. Corrosive material 6. Small snake 2. Renown 9. Soft or semiliquid food 3. Interpret 12. Freight 4. Food product 13. Tall woody perennial 5. Fish eggs grass 6. Song for solo voice 15. Assist or encourage 7. Transmitted 17. A visual representation 8. Trivial 18. Unite or merge 9. Golfing term 20. Lair 10. Die away 21. Domesticated 11. Part a flower bovine animals 14. Erase 22. Old salt 16. A limited time period 23. Powdery starch 19. Segment of DNA 26. Japanese currency 21. Demure 27. Type of tree 24. Canvas canopy 28. Forever 25. Total receipts at 30. Beverage a sports event 32. Less than the 28. Skin condition full amount 29. Singing jazz 33. Fell concern 31. Punish by a fine or interest 32. A small amount 36. Large military of liquid food dining room 34. Mature 40. Unlace 35. Frolic 41. In the past 37. Add details to 42. Speed in music 38. Box lightly 43. Part of a hammerhead 39. Offspring 44. Stalk 42. Melody 45. Relating to the city 44. Saunter 46. Acquire 47. Alleviate 48. Nipper 49. Anger 50. Ballet step 50. Group of 53. Part of a circle hunting animals 55. Spool 51. Plant-sucking insect 56. Pertinent 52. No longer new 57. Military action 54. Wicker fishing basket 60. Circuit 58. Voice quality 63. Lizard 59. In or of the 65. Sound off present month 67. Unit of metric 61. Poker stake weight, in short 62. Look searchingly 68. Part of a camera 64. Hayloft 69. Squander 65. Be in debt 70. Condensation 66. Hit lightly 71. Allow 72. Organic compound PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ISSUE 350 CROSSWORD PUZZLE NO. 129 J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 SODOKU PUZZLE NO 260 - MEDIUM SODOKU PUZZLE NO 259- MEDIUM PUZZLES from puzzlechoice.com and puzzles.ca THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED �No. 36 1 RESOURCES | J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 Central Access Point 381-SAFE Shelter: Women and Children Bethany House 557-2873 1841 Fairmount Ave. 45214 The Esther Marie Hatton Center for Women 2499 Reading Road 562-1980 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 1730 Race Street 45202 St. Francis Soup Kitchen 535-2719 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 621-7265 1528 Race St. 45202 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Madisonville Ed & Assistance Center 271-5501 Other Resources St. Vincent de Paul 562-8841 215 E. 14th St. 45202 4600 Erie Ave. 45227 Serves area codes: 45226, 45227, 45208, 45209 131 E. 12th Street 45202 YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 1125 Bank Street 45214 Shelter: Men Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Men Shelterhouse 721-0643 Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 411 Gest St. 45203 St. Fran/St. Joe Catholic Work. House 381-4941 2121 Vine Street 45202 1437 Walnut Street 45202 Prospect House 921-1613 1805 Dalton Ave. 45214 Starting Over 961-2256 City Gospel Mission 241-5525 682 Hawthorne Ave. 45205 Parkway Center 661-4620 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Women Shelter: Youth Sheakley Center for Youth (18-24 y/o) 2522 Highland Ave. 45219 569-9500 Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (10-17 y/o) 3330 Jefferson Ave 45220 961-4080 Interfaith Hospitality Network First Step Home 961-4663 2203 Fulton, Cinti, Ohio 45206 Treatment or Supportive Recovery: Both AA Hotline 351-0422 CCAT 381-6672 471-1100 830 Ezzard Charles Dr. 45214 Joseph House (Veterans) Housing: 241-2965 1522 Republic Street 45202 Caracole (HIV/AIDS) 761-1480 CMHA 721-4580 Excel Development 632-7149 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 114 W. 14th Street 45202 Talbert House 221-HELP Tender Mercies 721-8666 27 W. 12th Street 45202 Tom Geiger House 961-4555 Volunteers of America 381-1954 Anna Louise Inn 421-5211 2401-2411 Reading Rd. 45202 Cincinnati Union Bethel 768-6907 Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board 946-8000 Recovery Health Access Center 281-7422 Sober Living 681-0324 Talbert House 221-HELP Advocacy Catholic Social Action 421-3131 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Franciscan JPIC 721-4700 Gr. Cinti Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 117 E. 12th Street, Cinti, Ohio 45202 VA 977-6800 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Ohio Justice & Policy Center 421-1108 UpSpring 363-3300 Food/Clothing Health 2401 Reading Rd. 45202 First Lutheran Church 421-0065 1208 Race St. Food - Last Monday 12-1 Clothing - second Monday 12-1 Lord’s Pantry 621-5300 OTR/Walnut Hills Kitchen & Pantry 961-1983 2825 Burnet Ave. 45219 961-0600 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 3550 Washington Ave. 45229 Crossroad Health Center 381-2247 5 E. Liberty St. 45202 Health Resource Center 357-4602 McMicken Integrated Care Clinic and Mobile Our Daily Bread 621-6364 $100 for 26 issues Center Independent Living Options 241-2600 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart 381-0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Intercommunity Justice & Peace Cr. 579-8547 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 1223 Main St. 45202 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 The Caring Place 631-1114 Talbert House 751-7747 United Way 211 Women Helping Women 977-5541 Off The Streets 421-5211 Hamilton County Office of Reentry 946-4304 138 E. Court Street Room # 101 First Floor Hamilton/Middletown St. Raephaels 981-4200 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276 Northern Kentucky Brighton Center 799 Ann St. Newport, KY 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 205 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011 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 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 VA Domiciliary 859-572-6202 Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky 634 Scott St. 41011 859-291-4555 Want to advertise in Streetvibes? Cincinnati Health Network OTR: 1620 Vine Street 45202 Walnut Hills: 2631 Gilbert Ave. 45206 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti, Ohio FreeStore/FoodBank 241-1064 112 E. Liberty Street 45202 Salvation Army 762-5660 Medical Van 352-6364 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 40 E. McMicken Ave, Cinti Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 NAMI of Hamilton County 351-3500 PATH Outreach 977-4489 4230 Hamilton Ave. 45223 6037 Cary Ave. 45224 Shelter: Family 15 $150 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED You can support our mission and spread the word about your business. For more information contact Justin Jeffre at 513421-70803 x 12 or email streetvibes@cincihomeless.org for 26 issues and a $50 donation �16 J u l y 2 8 - A u g 10 , 2 0 17 | N o . 36 1 S treetvibes is distributed by individuals who purchase the paper for 75 cents per copy and sell it for a $2.00 donation, keeping the profit they have earned. Becoming a Distributor is a great way for individuals who are financially poor to get back on (or stay on) their feet. This program provides supplemental income for those unable to secure other employment. Money earned helps meet basic housing, food and health care needs. The program is a hand up for people who are often in a place of getting only a hand out, or even no hand at all. All Distributors wear a badge and usually a vest and can be found selling the paper in Downtown Cincinnati, Clifton, Northside, Northern Kentucky and at area churches. ALFRED WOOLFOLK SINCE 10/2003 ASRES AYENAW SINCE 2012 BERTA LAMBERT SINCE 1997 BRANDON NELSON SINCE 4/2008 BRIAN ADAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHARLES WILLIAMS SINCE 7/2017 CHRISTOPHER KAIHATSU SINCE 7/2017 CLEO WOMBLES SINCE 10/2003 CRANDALL COBB SINCE 2004 DARREL ROZIER SINCE 7/2017 DAVID MCCANE SINCE 2017 ERIC VALDEZ SINCE 2/2017 GERALD FRANKLIN SINCE 7/2017 GRADY COOK SINCE 1997 GREGORY RAY SINCE 4/2015 HENRY BRELAND SINCE 7/2017 JAMES BROWN SINCE 3/2009 JAMES DAVIS SINCE 8/2000 JENNY BURTON SINCE 7/2017 JIMMIE GIPSON SINCE 2001 JON DARBY SINCE 2/2006 JOHN HORN JOSEPHINE BASKERVILLE SINCE 9/2008 J’TORI TYMAN SINCE 5/2014 KIM NGUYEN SINCE 7/2017 KENNY BUSSELL SINCE 10/2009 KAREN COLLETTE SINCE 7/2008 KEITH EUTSEY SINCE 2/2011 LARRY BROWN SINCE 10/2007 LEE MCCOY SINCE 7/2009 LEONARD JACKSON SINCE 2/2005 MARY MUELLER SINCE 5/2005 MARK SHEARS SINCE 4/2012 MAURICE GOLSBY MELISSA MOSBY SINCE 9/2014 MIKE CARANO SINCE 4/2016 RAESHAWN GIPSON SINCE 3/2009 RAYNARD JONES SINCE 10/2008 RICKY WOODS SINCE 4/2015 RICCARDO TAYLOR SINCE 1999 RONNIE PHILLIPS SINCE 10/2009 SAMUEL JACKSON SINCE 10/2006 STACIA HOLLANDER SINCE 2017 STEPHANIE EAKES SINCE 7/2017 SYLVESTER WALKER SINCE 7/2017 TALINA HILL SINCE 2/2015 TIA CASS SINCE 11/2007 TONY THOMAS SINCE 3/2005 VIOLET COLLINS SINCE 2017 VICTOR MUMPHRY WILLA JONES SINCE 1/2010 WINNIE RICE SINCE 7/2017 THE VOICE OF THE STREET...UNSILENCED QUEENACELASTINE SINCE 7/2017 � 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 2017 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource July 28-August 10, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Homelessness Description An account of the resource Pg 1: Cover Page Afterimage Pg 2: From the Director Taking Stock Pg 3: Streetcar “Contributions” with Tax Dollars Pg 4: Hot to Respond to Panhandling Pg 5: It Takes a Whole Community Pg 6: GCHC Pg 7: Remembering Tom Dutton Pg 8: Policing Gentrification Pg 9: Community action Pg 10: GCHC Pg 11: What Does it Mean That Cincinnati is a Sanctuary City? Margaret’s Picks Pg 12: Margaret’s Picks Pg 13: Street Voice Pg 14: Puzzles Pg 15: Resources Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Streetvibes Archive Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Streetvibes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 28-August 10, 2017 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Josh Spring Bill Woods Michael Earl Patton Dr. Mark Mussman Bonnie Neureier Justin Jeffre Kim Green Willa Denise Jones A.J. Newberry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF A.J. Newberry Bill Woods Bonnie Neureier Cincinnati Dr. Mark Mussman Gentrification Josh Spring Justin Jeffre Kim Green Margaret’s Picks Michael Earl Patton Photography Religion Streetcar Tax Dollars Tom Dutton Willa Denise Jones